Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2016 i Mini Magazine

The Mini forged its reputation as a giant killer early on, and it's still punching well above its weight today. From a personal point of view, this really hit home when doing an express drive through Europe recently. Despite extreme heat, my virtually untested, home-prepared Mayfair took around 8-900 miles a day in its stride, and certainly coped a whole lot better than I did! I found it amusing that the very same Mercedes, BMWs and Audis that came screaming past me as I drove around the Budapest ring road in Hungary were still queueing for the same boat as me when I arrived at Calais. Perhaps they had longer rest periods, but I don't care. I'm really proud of my car, and rushed petrol station coffee really doesn't taste…

• A former Mini Magazine feature car was chosen the subject of the first episode of Stars in Their Cars, a new series on the Travel Channel. The show, hosted by Paddy McGuinness, takes celebrity guests including Jodie Kidd, Phil Tuffnell, Neil Morrissey, John Prescott, Patsy Kensit and Ross Noble on a nostalgic drive down memory lane, reuniting them with beloved cars from their past. The first episode was due to air at 9pm on October 12, featuring former Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey and a MkII Austin Mini, a car that he admitted he’d loved to own again. The car used for the programme was Nicolas and Marilyn Butt’s Mini 850, which was featured in the February 2015 issue. The production company had been looking for a late…

• The Kent Region of the Mini Cooper Register once again hosted its popular Ham Sandwich Run in August. It was well attended too, with 35 cars gathering at Broad Oak MINI in Ashford for the start. From here the Minis enjoyed the 40-mile B-road route to Godnestone Park Gardens near Canterbury for a lunch stop and a teddy bears’ picnic! After a walk around the gardens, the teams drove around 35 miles to The Farriers Arms in Mersham for a prize giving, and a deserved locally-brewed beverage for the navigators. Justin Ridyard, the event co-ordinator for the MCR Kent region, said: “We’re already looking forward to the 2017 run, which will likely be a breakfast start in north Kent with the route in mind already.”…

The HRCR is launching a new initiative for 2017 to run within the HRCR old Stager Asphalt Championship, and alongside the current Mini Sport-supported Mini Cup. The Mini Sport Junior Mini Cup is aimed at encouraging young people under 25 into historic rallying, though there will be no age limit for co-drivers. The Junior Mini Cup will be based on the Mini 1000 model, with limited modifications conforming to MSA Historic Stage Rally Car regulations. A kit of parts will be provided by Mini Sport to ensure equality of performance at a competitive cost, with the emphasis on safety and reliability rather than outright speed. Each car built will be given a unique identification plate confirming it as being built using the supplied kit, and will be checked for power…

Sometimes the old formulas work the best, and with a stunning country house venue set alongside the River Avon, the National Mini Show at Stanford Hall is still a major highlight on the event calendar. September 11 marked the 35th running of this popular event, with blue skies greeting Mini owners as they gathered at the Leicestershire venue. One of the main attractions of this show is the excellent autojumble. This seems to be a dying feature of Mini shows nowadays, but not at Stanford, where plenty of rare bits were being offered at decent prices. We came with a set of wheels to sell, but left with two sets to carry home... Plenty of the big-name traders were also in attendance from all over the UK and beyond, and…

You don’t get an awful lot for free these days, but thankfully West Sussex Mini Owners Club’s Minis by the Sea event remains one last bastion. Minis were given the usual friendly welcome into Steyne Gardens on Worthing seafront on September 4, and that was all the more reason to give generously to the St Barnabas and Chestnut Tree House charities. This year’s grand total was £2654 raised for these very good causes. Minis arrived from 9am in readiness for a laid-back day with an excellent variety of Minis on show. What followed was anything but a quiet start however, as everyone was encouraged back to their Minis at 10am for a synchronised horn blowing – a great way to officially open the show! The turnout was very encouraging, with…

Name: Greg Gilding Car: 1974 Mini 1000 Location: Teignmouth • I’ve been restoring this barn find with help from my two-year-old son Freddie. My dad and I picked up from Torquay and it'd been standing since 1991. In an attempt to finish it before the end of the show season, every spare moment's been spent on the rebuild, all under a glorified gazebo at home. It's been my first go at painting and I've had every paint defect going, although I've had nothing but encouragement from everyone who passes. The engine's been completely rebuilt, as the standard 998 just wouldn't do! Unfortunately I found some horrors along the way, like oversills sandwiched under oversills and lots of filler on the rear panels, but it's looking good now. Send ‘Your Minis’…

Name: Paul Knowles Model: 16-valve Mini Clubman Location: Cambridgeshire • Here's my work-in-progress Mini project. All the work has been done on the driveway at home by myself, with a slight hand from my dad Trevor. It's got a custom Mini-based front subframe to fit a two-litre Vauxhall XE engine, which will run on ZZR1100 bike carbs and a distributor to keep things more straightforward. It'll have coil-overs and a custom exhaust too. The full 'cage, Group 5 arches, bumpers and roof have been sprayed in Ford RS Green already. I'm not going to say the main colour of the car yet as keeping that under my hat for now!…

The charismatic and colourful vintage buses may be consigned to the past, but the diminutive Mediterranean enclave of Malta is still a haven for classic cars in regular use. This includes a thriving Mini scene full of cherished examples, with 1970s models still a relatively common sight. But over 300,000 cars fighting for space on a congested island in the middle of the sea is bound to have consequences, and it looked like father and son team Julian and Thomas Jordan had drawn the short straw when they first got their Maltese-import Mini 1000, named Flo, back home. A Mini that has spent has most of its life in a hotter climate is often a decent way to bypass hours in the garage with new panels and reams of welding…

Mounting the Mini’s front subframe used to be a much easier game. Pre- ‘76 Minis had it solid-mounted to the body at all six points; two at the towers, two at the rear extensions and two at the front panel. The design worked well, and still does. However, under pressure to make the Mini more refined, BL switched to a rubber-mounted system. Although it cut down on noise/harshness, it hampered the precise nature of the Mini’s handling, and the mounts were now prone to failure. Ever wondered why you can’t locate that infuriating squeak behind your dashboard? It could be subframe tower mounts... Replacing the mounts opens up a can of worms, with a whole myriad of different options available. There are polyurethane rubber and solid types. The obvious answer…

Rewind a generation or two, and classic Minis were the staple ownership diet for those starting out on their motoring journey. We’ve all heard the tales of overloaded cars, cheap bodges and conking out in the rain, but these times are generally remembered fondly, and it’s little wonder that so many former Mini owners return to the fray even after an extended break. That’s just how it happened for Yorkshireman Andy Broadbent. Like so many of us his Mini experiences began as a teenager, but as he grew up, they had to give way to family life and responsibility – at least, for a while. “I came back to classic Mini ownership in 2003, as I was offered a 1977 Mini 1000 for £150,” he smiles. “So I thought ‘why…

• The 2015 Footman James Sywell Classic: Pistons and Props motoring festival took place on September 24-25, and featured a strong turnout of Minis among the many classic cars, bikes and planes at the Northamptonshire venue. The popular two-day event celebrates classic motoring on the ground and in the air, as well as featuring live music, displays and much more besides. A display by Whights Classic Vehicle Paint Restoration featured plenty of the Minis it has worked on in recent times, including Ian and Helen Almond’s MkII Morris Traveller, Andy Barrass’ Innocenti Mini-Minor and Paul Raynes’ supercharged MPi. Also present was a line-up of four RSP Coopers, all in red, and Richard Humphrey’s superb Britax Cooper replica. A smart blue Mini Sprint caught the eye too, and was built for…

The penultimate weekend in the Mini 7 Racing Club calendar saw the Se7en and Miglia challenges head to Snetterton for round 13 and 14. The weekend produced plenty of changing fortunes, not least the changeable weather in Norfolk, which swung from a chilling, wintry drizzle on the Saturday to balmy, Mediterranean-style sunshine on the Sunday. Combined 36-strong grids on the full 300 Circuit saw just one Mini race per day. Shayne Deegan coped best with the conditions to record another double victory in the Miglias, making it 12 wins from 14 starts to secure the 2016 title. In the wet on Saturday he simply drove off into the distance to win by a country mile from the somewhat closer battle for second between James Coulson, Aaron Smith and Tristen Knight.…

The British Mini Club’s second outdoor show is held in high regard by the serious concours contenders, as it’s their final chance to win a place in the Premier Concours Finals at Mini Fair 2 in October. Mini Fest attracts some of the very highest quality show Minis, all buffed to perfection, and many with their own themed displays to win an extra point or two from the expert judges. All the entrants needed was to win their class to secure a place in the final, which sounds simple enough, but the winners typically score upwards of 195 from 200 points! A blast through the auto car wash won’t suffice. The outer showground and Mini club areas seemed a little quieter than in previous outings, but once the sun popped…

Oulton Park is arguably the UK’s most picturesque racing circuit, set in the grounds of Oulton Estate in Little Budworth, Cheshire. The full 2.8 mile- circuit offers a multitude of high and low speed corners across several hundred acres of undulating, parkland-type terrain. Most identify the circuit with Lodge Corner – part of the original estates’ gateway. The prestigious Gold Cup meeting forms part of the HSCC ‘ByBox’ Historic Touring Car Championship, open to pre-‘66 saloon cars either listed as homologated cars for Appendix K or that appear on the permanent list of eligible vehicles held by the Historic Racing Saloons Register (HRSR). Minis are competing in two classes this year, HRSR Class D and Appendix K – K3. Pre-race, Roger Godfrey remained leader in his class (Class D) and…

Prom promise My name is Lauren Hughes and I’m 16 years old. My dad has a 2000 Rover Mini Cooper MPi that I love, and years ago I made him promise that when I went to my prom he would drive me there in it. Well, in July this year my dad kept his word and we drove to the prom in our beloved Mini. Despite the horrendous speed bumps on the track leading to the venue and the slight scraping noises while driving over the speed bumps, my dad managed to deliver me (unscathed) to my prom. I can’t wait until I start driving the Mini myself but, until then, the ‘bank of dad’ will take care of me! Lauren Hughes We’re glad you and the Mini made it…

“Mini values may have gone through the roof of late, but that needn’t price everyone out of the market...” PROJECT PROFILE THE OWNER NAME: Daniel Dewis AGE: 24 OCCUPATION: Mechanic LOCATION: Leicestershire THE CAR: CAR: 1985 Mini City E START CONDITION: Rusty MoT failure CONDITION NOW: Rolling painted shell TIME TAKEN SO FAR: Almost five years ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION: Next year Daniel’s Mini project is surely the perfect example of why we first started the On The Job series – a project car built at home with hard graft rather than a mountain of cash. Mini values may have gone through the roof of late, but that needn’t price everyone out of the market. If you can find a space to work on a Mini yourself at home and…

Weddings are stressful occasions even at the best of times. You’ve got all the planning, invites, spiralling costs, honeymoon, outfits, deranged relatives and countless other issues to deal with, and that’s assuming your partner doesn’t scarper beforehand at the worry of it all. So trying to completely rebuild a Mini Pick-up at the same time would probably push most of us over the edge, but not Ronald Broeren. The Dutch enthusiast may well be a familiar name to some readers. His last Mini build was featured back in May 2013, a tired 1987 Advantage transformed into a custom black show-stopper and fitted with a hot 1380 engine. It took him 10 years to finish that one, but this time he had just over a year to transform what was little…

PROJECT ‘64 STYLING • We’re surprised a Project ‘64 replica for the road hasn’t cropped up already. Obviously the mechanical spec would need to be toned down more than a little bit, and a conventional radiator would probably be a good idea too. We love the deep front air dam though, and the ‘moon disc’ covers for the 12-inch wheels are super cool. Just remember to reserve any speed record attempts for private land rather than the Bristol ring road... CUSTOM OE-STYLE BADGING • A whole lot of different badges have been fitted to Minis over the years, but you can never have enough choice, especially for a custom project. We’ve all seen those individual stick-on letters you can buy, and let’s face it, they look pretty naff. Fortunately Sticky…

MG has curbed the rumours and announced that it will stop assembling cars at its Longbridge plant, some 15 years after Lulu drove the 5,387,862nd Mini off the production line at the Birmingham site. The move looks set to finally mark the end of over 100 years of vehicle production at Longbridge, which included 41 years of continuous Mini manufacture from 1959-2000. The decision to halt assembly comes despite a year-on-year sales rise of 18 per cent and a 130 per cent increase in market share for the firm, and had been announced within weeks of the launch of its new crossover, the MG GS. MG’s parent company, SAIC Motor, had been shipping-in part-built vehicles for completion at the Longbridge plant for several years, though it’s rumoured that in reality…

• The Mini Extravaganza in Italy is the brainchild of Virginio Bolla, one of the most well-known and extravagant people in the local Mini scene. And in a beautiful garden setting surrounded by pine trees, the 2016 edition was one of the most successful. Virginio really had thought of everything. There was a fully-equipped camping area, lounge corner, leading international DJs, barbecue area, inflatable games for children, showers, draught beer, a vintage pedal car race, and on Sunday, the band arrived! Around 50 people took part, including members of the Lil’ Mini Crew from Belgium. Virginio exhibited several cars from his collection, including his Aqua 1275 GT, his Mini limo, a Pick-up, a Marcos and several Innocentis. An early Morris Moke and a very late Cagiva example were also present.…

The Mighty and Super Mighty Minis made their first trip to Thruxton for rounds nine and 10 of the championship on September 24. In the Supers Adrian Tuckley took pole position from Scott Kendall, while Greg Jenkins just edged out Sam Tomlinson for pole in the standard Mightys. After 20 minutes of exhilarating racing in the opening Supers race, Tuckley lost control under braking and had a coming together with Kendall. Fortunately, Kendall was able to recover to take the win from Alex Comis, with Tuckley third and Louise Inch in fourth. As for the Mightys, Greg Jenkins had a race-long fight with Tomlinson, Stuart Combes and Mark Burnett but eventually snatched the win. Tomlinson finished second to keep his championship chances alive, while Combes’ third place left him work…

For anyone that’s keen on classic cars, planes, motorbikes and just about everything vintage, the Goodwood Revival is the place to be each September. We’ve not been to another show that feels so complete, both in its attractions and theming, and the widespread period fancy dress. And yes, we know dressing up isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but you needn’t morph into Elvis or Big Bird here – a vintage cap and smart attire will do just fine! 2016’s event wasn’t big on racing Minis, with the St Mary’s Trophy reverting to a two-model grid of little Austin A30s/A35s from the HRDC’s Academy class. They all featured matched 1293cc A-Series engines and cross-ply tyres, so were a fun addition. Obviously we look forward to the return of Appendix K Mini…

A high profile rally event, a popular track day or the chance to see Mini legend drive his 33 EJB replica at a prestigious hill climb? All great attractions, but all on the same weekend. So which one do you choose? Faced with such dilemma, Mini Sport opted to go for all three! The Padiham-based specialist has an illustrious background in rallying, and has backed the HRCR Mini Sport Mini Challenge for the past two seasons. The final two rounds took place from September 16-18 on the superb roads of the Isle of Man. This prestigious Manx event always attracts a good attendance, with 11 out of the 19 Mini crews competing in the Challenge and four entrants all the way from Japan! The Mini of Peter Horsburgh and Graham…

October 16 Mini Fair 2 The second of British Mini Club’s indoor events, taking place at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. Includes the Premier Concours finals, show ‘n’ shine, traders, club displays with a restoration or ‘Spookfest’ theme and much more. www.britishminiclub.co.uk October 23 Restoration Show Multi-marque restoration themed show, held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. Includes club stands, traders, autojumble and more. www.restoration-show.co.uk October 25-November 5 The Italian Job Excellent annual navigational event raising money for children’s’ charities. This year’s event starts at Imola, and includes trips to Modena, plus visits to the Lamborghini, Ducati and Alfa Romeo museums and a morning on the famous Lingotto factory roof. www.italianjob.com October 30 Cap’n Jaspers Gathering West Country Mini Scene’s autumn Breakfast Gathering, taking place at Plymouth Barbican from 10am-3pm. www.wcminiscene.co.uk November 6 Seal…

Name: Bon Cruz Car: 1994 Cooper Monte Carlo LE Location: Philippines • Here's my pride and joy, a Cooper Monte Carlo modified by Jojo's Garage in Manila. It's got a Swiftune Stage 3 cylinder head, HKS air filter, uprated manifolds and better engine steadies all round. I've also had the brakes upgraded up front, with Minifins on the back, and Protech dampers and springs to improve the handling. It's a well sorted Mini now! Inside there's a rare steering wheel and door furniture, a carbon-fibre dashboard with magnolia gauges and a KAD quick shift. The wheels are Rose Petals that were originally made in Japan, with Bridgestone tyres, all covered by Group 2 wide arches. I'd like to say thanks to Ryan Subida for the photos.…

We usually take an owner’s completion date with a pinch of salt for our On the Job write-ups. You know how it works – the last 10 per cent takes 90 per cent of the time, the dog ate the homework or something, and that planned summer deadline is soon a distant memory. Not so for Carl Lewis, we’re pleased to see. We last dropped in to Carl’s place for the October 2015 issue, so about 13 months ago, when he was hard at work on a rolling bare shell. The turbo engine was in progress with our tech ed, Keith, Carl’s living room was a treasure trove of trick components and all sights were set on a summer completion date. Photographing the empty shell on the driveway and hearing…

Generally, it’s agreed that the sequel will never outshine the original. This is an idea that I couldn’t shake as Bonneville Speed Week 2016 loomed closer on the calendar. These nerves were amplified by the fact that Speed Week had been cancelled the previous two years in a row – in 2015 it was cancelled while our Mini was being flown over to the US. If you haven’t heard about the first part of our story, let alone the sequel, it’s no big surprise. We’re just a small team from New Zealand that decided about five years ago to take a 1964 Mini Cooper S to Bonneville Speed Week – it was a bucket list event for Guy Griffith and Garry Orton, two racers from Nelson, New Zealand, and they…

ABOVE OR BELOW? Q I’m working on my Mini in my home garage and need to change my gearbox seals. What is the best way to take the motor out? I don’t have an engine crane, so can I drop it out from the bottom with the subframe? Or would it best to hire a crane and take it out from the top? My garage is quite tall but I’m concerned about lifting the shell over the engine and subframe when I’ve dropped it down. Andy Mac A I only ever once tried the engine removal by dropping the whole front subframe assembly out. That was one too many times, other than a valuable learning experience. Dropping the front subframe requires, amongst other things, disconnecting brake pipes and the hassle…