The BMC ADO16 – The Graham Hill Connection

Sixty years ago, the keen driver who found their family outgrowing a Mini Cooper and who really needed four doors now had the ideal car – a Morris 1100 with GT tuning by Speedwell Performance Conversions Ltd. The company dated from 1957 when John Sprinzel, George Hulbert and Len Adams established a timing firm named after the local telephone exchange in London; their number was Speedwell 2226.

By 1959 Speedwell’s chairman was Graham Hill, who became their public face, proclaiming from their adverstisement – “We offer the best engineered speed equipment and special accessories”. The company offered conversions on a wide variety of BMC products, from the Austin-Healey Sprite/MG Midget and the Austin A40 ‘Farina’ to the Riley One Point Five and even, remarkably, the 1 ½-litre ‘Farina’ saloons.

The best-remembered conversions seem to be of the Mini family, yet their ADO16s appear somewhat neglected; Hill also featured in BMC’s advertisements for the US-market MG 1100. Speedwell’s ‘1100 GT’ kit included a specially designed cylinder head and a Supertone exhaust system, and when The Motor tested a Speedwell-prepared Morris 1100, the top speed was 93 mph – 5 mph faster than the MG 1100. In their view, the conversion “was achieved without spoiling the car’s character”.

The report memorably concluded, “If you own a Morris 1100 it is almost essential to have it breathed on if you want to keep your dignity performance-wise, amongst a myriad of hot Minis”. Speedwell offered a Sportsman version of the Riley Kestrel as the decade progressed, adding £114 to the factory price of £780 18s 9d. The Telegraph thought it offered ‘a considerable edge in both performance and acceleration’.

By 1966 Speedwell reflected the growing demand for a larger-engine ADO16 with the ‘Austin 1300GT’, which debuted three years before British Leyland made their own model of that name. The cost was £1,020, with power from the Mini Cooper S 1,275cc unit. Even more affluent customers could opt for MG, Riley and Vanden Plas conversions at £1,123, £1,162 and £1,307, respectively, although the last named was about as expensive as a Ford Zodiac.

Still, what price was a top speed of 103 mph with 0-60 in 13 seconds? One advertisement stated, “You may even be accused of having a V8 under the bonnet”. Graham Hill assured potential customers, “Strictly speaking, the 1300GT is my wife’s, but it has proved to be one of the most useful cars we have ever owned”.

But do any Speedwell ADO16s survive? Watch this space for a future blog…