Buckle Monaco

By 1966, the Mini had become a global sensation, including in Australia, where it was not only built under license but also subject to several local conversions. The most famous of these was the Buckle Monaco — sometimes referred to as the Mini Monaco.

It was the brainchild of Bill Buckle, a BMC dealer in Brookvale and an experienced car builder. Buckle had earlier pursued his vision of an all-Australian sports car with the Buckle Coupé in the mid-1950s, followed by the successful Goggomobil Dart — a small roadster based on German microcar components, with around 700 units sold.

In 1966, Buckle introduced the Monaco. For AU$400, owners could transform their standard Mini or Mini Cooper into a low-slung coupé. The conversion included a polycarbonate roof reinforced with extra hoops, a matching rear window, and Perspex side screens.

The original Mini windscreen was tilted back to improve aerodynamics, and the finished car sat four inches lower than the standard Mini. To make up for reduced headroom, the front seats were reclined and the steering column lowered.

For another AU$200, customers could add features like a wooden dashboard, alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, black vinyl trim, and a grille with integrated fog and driving lights.

Only about 30 Buckle Monacos were ever made, most of them based on the Australian Mini Cooper S. Surviving examples are rare today.