You never know what cars may roll into the HSR paddock on a race weekend, but when the New Jersey father and son duo of Nick and Dominick Incantalupo arrive, you can expect to see them racing some distinctive standouts from their vast family collection of race cars. Just one example is the Incantalupo’s 1965 No. 171 Austin
Cooper S.
The Austin Cooper S, first introduced in 1963, was one of the cars that brought Nick Incantalupo into the sport and became one of the marques his son, Dominick, grew up around. The quick little “Mini” is just one of the high-speed Incantalupo family heirlooms carrying decades of memories on and off the track.
“I bought this as a fallback car to another car that the motor had blown up, and I found this on a lake in North Carolina,” Nick Incantalupo said of the family’s 1965 Cooper S.
“Jack Woehrle restored the car for me. I raced it a couple of times. Then, when I graduated into a more powerful car, I parked it. I have two of them, and I gave them to
my two sons. I gave one to each son. We love them. We also owned the car for 35 years. They’re great cars. They’re fun cars to drive.”
Today, Dominick does his part to carry on the family's tradition behind the wheel of the Cooper S, competing at events across the country. Along the way, the car has become an ambassador for one of racing’s most recognizable small-bore machines, often drawing curious fans and competitors eager to learn more.
“I tell them in a short sentence, it’s the most fun on four wheels,” Dominick Incantalupo said. “It’s front-wheel drive, around 1300cc and an 80 to 100 horsepower car, depending on the engine. It keeps you in check, and it allows you to have fun on the track with other similar powered cars.
“It’s currently a 1275cc plus, a stock, original engine. The transmission is integral to the motor. So, it’s all in one piece, front-wheel drive. Maintenance is rather simple and unique. It’s a lot of fun to drive. Some people do different variations of ride heights.”
It’s Dominick’s height – not the Cooper’s ride height – that generates the most at-track questions, however, from spectators about this fan-favorite “Mini.”
“I’m 6’ 2” and they really notice and ask is if I can fit in the car,” Dominick said. “That creates the most unique conversations around the paddock!”
Next up on the HSR calendar is the HSR Classic Road Atlanta 10 Hour presented by Mission Foods and the HSR Atlanta Fall Historics, September 17 – 20, at Michelin
Raceway Road Atlanta.
