The Skinners and their Red and White Minors...

Following the much trumpeted launch of the £100 Side Valve Minor over Christmas1930, combined sales throughout 1931 of both the OHC and Side Valve Minors were well down on those of 1930. Some changes were introduced late in the 1931 season in an attempt to correct the situation and further, more radical changes were made for 1932. For the '32 season Morris Motors dropped the OHC range completely with the exception of the newly launched, long wheel-base Family Eight and Special Coupe Minors. As a result of this downturn and to further boost publicity for the model, Morris Motors developed and built a supercharged single seat special based upon a side valve Minor chassis. This car, in the capable hands of 'Bill' Van de Becke achieved 100 mph at Brooklands in August 1931 and later, after a detuning exercise had taken place, covered 100 miles on a gallon of fuel.

Morris sadly made little capital from this 100 MPH/100 MPG/ £100 Car publicity stunt and two years later passed the vehicle onto Carl Skinner, the Managing Director of SU Carburetter Co. Ltd. He in turn constructed a lightweight body for the car and replaced the original Powerplus supercharger with a Zoller unit. His son Peter then set the world of motor sport 'buzzing' when he beat all-comers in his class at the September 1933 Shelsley Walsh meeting when aged just 19. This Morris car/driver combination beat the highly fancied Austins and M.G.'s and attained a time of 46.4 second just 1.4 seconds slower than the eventual winner of the larger capacity 1100 cc class. Later in the decade Peter replaced the original Minor engine with a much larger Hudson Straight Eight power unit. The car, which survives to this day' is known as the Triangle Skinner Special and is currently in the custody of VSCC member Andrew Harding. (October 2009)

Barbara, the elder of the two offspring was also developing a talent for competition driving around this period. She competed initially In a Morris Cowley Special but this proved to be uncompetitive. In February 1934 her Father built her the White Minor after first obtaining, on loan, a side valve Minor chassis from Morris Motors, together with the use of the remaining spare engines and parts from the Van de Becke '100 mph' Brooklands car. The car differed from the Red Minor in having the engine located further back in the chassis in an attempt to improve the handling. That they succeeded is apparent by the numerous class victories Barbara achieved between 1934 and 1937 including the prestigous Ladies Championship Cup won on her first time out in the car in June 1934 at Shelsley, repeating the feat at the September meeting later the same year. Not content with class wins, Barbara achieved an outright win at the May 1937 Dancer's End event which probably turned out to be the highlight of her competitive career.

Barbara married John Bolster in October 1936 and Sir William Morris gave the couple the previously loaned White Minor's chasis as a wedding present. Barbara continued to compete in the White Minor until the middle of 1937. She later gave birth to a daughter Annabelle (now Swain) in April 1940 but Barbara was tragically killed in a motoring accident in1942. The car remained in the Bolster family untl 1955 when it was eventually sold on. Currently in the ownership of David Baldock the car was last seen on public display at the July 2005 VMR Rally at Prescott.