Minijem Plus

Mini Jem Chronology

1962 to 1974

by Colin Wrigglesworth

with some additions by Richard Porter

1962 Dizzy Addicott had an idea to produce a sports car using Mini mechanicals. Using his Morris Mini Van and some sheet aluminium he formed a new body shape. This new car was called the DART.
1964 Jan.: The DART is exhibited at the Racing Car Show at the Royal Horticultural Society's Halls in London. Although some orders were taken, Dizzy decided not to go ahead with production and refunded the deposits. The aluminium body was too expensive to produce, so Jem Marsh suggested that they produce bodies in fibreglass1. This was going to be done at Marcos, but because of various difficulties (financial and otherwise) Jem Marsh cancelled the project. Dizzy Addicott returned to his career in aviation.
1965 Jeremy Delmar-Morgan, who had worked with Dizzy from the start, bought the design. This new fibreglass car adopted Jeremy's nickname, Jem.
1966 July: The first three cars were built.
Sept.: Three cars were entered in the Nürburgring 500km race and Delmar-Morgan came 2nd in class 2.
1967 Jan.: the Mk. 1 was released at the Racing Car Show.
Mid.: Robin Statham took over production from Jeremy Delmar-Morgan and began producing the bodies with Dan Pearce at (Jem Cars) Fellpoint Ltd., Penn, Buckinghamshire.
1969 Jan.: The Mk. 2 was released at the Racing Car Show.
Mar.: Production of the Mk. 2 began.
1970 Robin Statham raced a few times at Lydden Hill and Mallory park achieving seconds and thirds. He also competed in a Mod-Sports race at Silverstone finishing third behind an AC Cobra and an E-type Jaguar.
1971 July: Fellpoint Ltd. went into liquidation after the financial backers pulled out. The moulds and rights passed to High Performance Mouldings of Cricklade in Wiltshire, and the Jem was back in production. The VW-based Jem Futura did not survive.
1972 Mid: High Performance Mouldings moved to Wombwell in Yorkshire and began producing the Mk. 3 with opening rear hatch.
1973 Dec.: Production of the Jem at High Performance Mouldings stopped.
1974 Jan.: The moulds passed to Malcolm Fell at Salthouse, Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire.

Editor's notes: Colin Wrigglesworth is a former secretary of the Mini Jem Register.

  1. The moulds would have been made from a buck designed along the lines of the DART.
  2. The results of the 1966 Nürburgring 500km race were: No. 21 Jeremy Delmar-Morgan, 18 laps, 2nd. in class, 18th overall; No. 23 Ron Parkes, 6 laps, did not finish; No. 22 Mike Walton, 0 laps, did not finish.

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Last updated 7th September, 2007