Paddy Hopkirk may not quite be a household name anymore, but in 1964 The Beatles were sending him letters to congratulate him on his driving feats. And now another feat is being remembered.
In a new video from Kidston, the Northern Irish rally specialist’s success in the Austin-Healey 3000 is honored.
See, before the British Motor Company started campaigning Minis, they were racing their sports car. Driven by Hopkirk, Pat Moss, and Timo Makinen, the Healeys were raced all around the world to great success. In this latest video, Hopkirk proves he’s still got it, taking on an unnamed younger driver in a lap of the road around his local pub.
Read Also: 2021 MINI Hopkirk Edition Honors The 1964 Monte Carlo Rally Winner
Hopkirk was the first to win the event in a Mini and, along with his co-driver Henry Liddon, remains the last all-UK crew to accomplish the feat. He says he had no idea he’d won the event until a French journalist called him at 4:00 AM to ask him about his victory. He would carry on racing until the ’70s and was one of the first four inductees into the Rally Hall of Fame in 2010.
Despite the company having changed hands since then, and is currently owned by BMW, they haven’t forgotten about the British racing driver. Just last year, they released the MINI Hopkirk Edition to celebrate his 1964 win at the Monte Carlo rally.