This rare Mini GTS from the first year of production represents a great opportunity to purchase one of the best performance alternatives to the popular Cooper S. Built by Leyland South Africa, the GTS was introduced to provide the South African market with a performance Mini following the end of Cooper S production, and received very similar engine specifications developed locally in South Africa. Only 365 GTS Minis were built for the 1973 year, second only to the 1979 year with 263 units (1979 being the final year of production).

This example is owned by a GTS enthusiast who has a great knowledge of the cars, and has kept the vehicle in very original condition. This is a matching numbers example (with correct original chassis and engine numbers), and appears to be largely unmodified, even retaining its factory 10-inch Rostyle wheels as applied to the early GTS cars before they moved to 8.4 inch disc brakes.

The car runs and drives, however, the gearbox synchros may need some work, and there is an oil leak coming from the gear selector seal. The car is useable and changes gears fine, but ideally someone would want to replace all the seals if the car is going to be used regularly. The body is in good condition with the seller describing it as a solid example, with only a few areas requiring attention in the undercarriage. Those areas could do with some tidying up, and close up images are provided in the gallery above.

This is a great original example that needs little work to get it back to its former glory. A rare car, which has a significant place in the global performance mini story, with the GTS name also having significant accomplishments in South African touring car racing.

For more information on the Mini GTS cars, take a look at Classic Register's Mini GTS information guide, and check out the other cars on the Mini GTS register.