From the collection of Valentine Lindsay
A pair of 1979 Mini 'Around the World' Saloons

• Circumnavigated the world in 1980/1981, covering 60,000 miles
• Expedition in aid of the 'Stop Polio' charity
• Consecutive registration and chassis numbers
• Present ownership since 2017
• Professionally restored between 2017 and 2019
• Sold as a pair

Over the years there have been countless motoring events organised for the benefit of charitable causes, but surely none more unlikely than driving a pair of identical Minis around the world, a distance of some 60,000 miles, to raise funds for polio research. Land Rovers perhaps, but Minis? The man behind this worthy but seemingly foolhardy enterprise was lifelong adventurer Tony Clarke, who recruited 19-year-old mechanic Tim Ferris as second driver. Ferris worked for British Leyland dealership Mumfords of Truro, who supplied and prepared two identical Minis – nicknamed 'Jack' and 'Jill' - for the expedition. BBC TV's Nationwide current affairs programme covered the trip, which received celebrity endorsement from HRH Princess Anne and rock star Ian Dury, who had contracted polio as a child. Cameramen were recruited to record the various stages of the journey.
Following a preview tour of the UK, the two Minis departed from the BBC's Lime Grove studios in the early summer of 1980 bound for France. The Minis were driven south to Marseilles and then shipped to Algeria, joining a convoy for the journey across the Sahara desert. Interviewed for Classic & Sports Car magazine in 2021, Ferris recalled: "The Minis were totally unsuitable and were beaching all the time – we stopped more than 50 times to dig them out." The Minis ended up being towed to safety by two ex-military 4WD trucks belonging to German missionaries.
Both crew and cars had suffered from the sand, and by the time Lagos was reached the latter needed numerous replacement parts. Flooding meant that the spares could not reach Lagos by road, and so the two Minis were flown to Nairobi in Kenya. Having successfully reached Zimbabwe's capital Harare (then Salisbury) via Tanzania and Malawi, the two Minis required new engines, which were fitted in South Africa, the replacements being more powerful 1,275cc units. Sump guards and truck-type air filters were fitted at the same time.
For the next stage, the Minis were shipped by sea to Uruguay's capital Montevideo, while Clarke and Ferris travelled by Jumbo Jet to Buenos Aires. Argentina was followed by Brazil and then the challenging Trans-Amazonian Highway, which was joined at Estreito, its Tarmac soon giving way to dirt tracks for the next 3,000 miles. Speaking to C&SC, Ferris said: "The Amazon adventure and the friendly people were the highlight of the trip. It was dangerous, but I was young and loved obstacles such as the river crossings." The high temperatures encountered caused the engines to overheat, and poor quality petrol caused one to melt a piston. Repairs in Manaus took six weeks to complete.
The journey across Venezuela brought with it more drama, when Jack's brakes failed on the Cerro El Àvila mountain range. The car could only be slowed by using the transmission, which eventually failed. Jill towed Jack for the final 1,250 kilometres to Caracas, from whence they were shipped to Miami for the United States leg, which would take them to Los Angeles. From LA the Minis were transported to Singapore where extensive repairs were carried out. Having traversed Thailand and Malaysia, the revitalised Minis were shipped across the Indian Ocean to India. Having travelled through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and mainland Europe, the pair arrived back in the UK after an epic 13-month adventure to be greeted by Nationwide reporters. Jack and Jill had covered 60,000 miles and raised £25,000 for the Stop Polio charity.
The Minis were returned to storage at Mumfords and later spent time on display in a local car museum. When the museum closed the pair were transferred into private ownership, although their future was far from secure. Eventually, the historic Minis, by now in poor condition but original and complete, were purchased by Valentine Lindsay in 2017. Lenny Thackray was commissioned to undertake their restoration, including engine and gearbox rebuilds, with the aim of saving as many of the original features as possible. All the body panels were blast-cleaned and reused, which meant commissioning a professional signwriter to recreate the original sponsors' livery. One boot lid was replaced and the original retained for reference, while Tim Ferris was able to provide thousands of transparencies to assist in the process. A pair of Corbeau bucket seats complete with four-point harnesses were fitted in place of the originals, which were, of course, retained. New wheels were fitted, but otherwise the cars remain largely original. After two years undergoing painstaking restoration, the 'Stop Polio' Minis debuted at the London Classic Car Show in 2019, receiving an enthusiastic reception. Invited to inspect Jack and Jill, Tim Ferris remarked: "I was over the moon when I saw them and finally sitting in the driving seat brought back all the amazing memories. They'd done a fantastic restoration job – far better than new!"
Vehicle registration number 'COJ 756V', chassis number 'XL2S1N655915', is registered with the DVLA and comes with a V5C in the vendor's name. Chassis number 'XL2S1N655916', the other car of the pair, was registered as 'COJ 757V' but the vendor never received a V5C from the person he bought them from. Thus the believed original registration number 'COJ 575V' and V5C are not with the car and the buyer is advised to contact the DVLA to register it - should they so wish - under the original registration number using form V765. The original chassis plate is with the car to aid registration.