THE GRAND TOUR
The brainchild of Cheshire garage owner Bernard Cox, the mid-engined Cox GTM has long-been regarded as one of the best of its ilk. Cox, who’d raced at national level during the 1950s, had long harboured a desire to produce a sports car bearing his surname. By the mid 1960s he’d the means to realise his ambition.
He also had the staff, including former racing rival Jack Hosker, who at the time was managing one of Cox’s garages at Hazel Grove. Hosker was charged with the task of creating a prototype. He subsequently spent most of 1966 working single-handedly on the project.
MINI BASED
The basis of the GTM (Grand Touring Mini) was a semi-monocoque sheet steel chassis bounded by two substantial sills. At the sharp end, a Mini front subframe carried the steering rack, fuel tank, radiator, suspension and brakes. At the rear, another front subframe encapsulated and held the A-series engine. The steering arms were locked in place, and fitted with ball joints and adjustable tie rods. And to compensate for the GTM’s low weight, the rubber cone suspension units were machined down accordingly.
For the most part Hosker worked alone, although from time-to-time, his solitude was
