Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2016 i Mini Magazine

Wow, 250 issues! That's quite a milestone by anyone's standards, and it's quite scary to think I've been here for 130 of those magazines, editing 58 of them. There's no way I would have predicted that when I first joined the team 10 years ago, but then I didn't think I'd still have the same old blue Mini Sprite that I also bought that year! With our 20th anniversary year to celebrate, we're planning a special bumper issue for the summer. But don't go thinking we've scrimped on this one; quite the opposite in fact. There's some fantastic cars to read about this month, not least our superb Cooper cover car. Paul and Christina Moran really struck it lucky with this one, not only discovering that it had been Downtontuned,…

The 40-year rolling tax exemption for classic cars is now permanent, following an announcement by Chancellor George Osborne in his latest Budget on March 16. Previously, the tax break had been announced each year on a rolling basis. The announcement puts owners of historic cars back to the situation which applied prior to 1997, when a rolling VED exemption applied to vehicles which were, as of 1 January of each year, 25 years old. However, this was frozen in 1997, which meant that for many years the tax exemption applied only to pre-1973 cars. The Budget of 2014 reintroduced the exemption, and from April 1 2017 it will be permanent, although the qualifying period remains 40 years rather than the previous 25-year limit. This means owners of late’70s Minis can…

A beautifully restored RSP Cooper joined forces with rare Italian exotica for the first ever Piazza Italia Tour on March 13. Belonging to Paul Cooper and driven by Italian Job organiser Freddie St George, the Mini joined the convoy as it went from the Carfax in Horsham to Billingshurst, Pulborough, Steyning, Storrington and Henfield. The aim was to further widen the appeal of the annual Piazza Italia event due to take place in Horsham over Easter, set to feature a special display of Minis used on the annual Italian Job charity tour. The year’s Italian Job runs from October 28-November 5, initially meeting at Imola. Highlights include visits to the Medieval City of Dozza, a trip to Modena, a day of fun at the Dino and Enzo Ferrari circuit, trips…

The third annual Trent Valley Mini Owners Club Mini Day will include other classic cars to add extra appeal for visitors. The event will be hosted in Gainsborough’s newly-refurbished Market Place and replaces the club’s old Normanby Hall Mini Day, which is no longer run. Taking place on Father’s Day, June 19, the even starts at 10am and runs until 4pm. However, participants are encouraged to arrive early to get a space, as the amount of available area is limited. There is no charge for entrants, but the club is asking for donations to help raise funds for Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance. The show will be the club’s second major event of the year, following the Lincoln BIG Mini day on April 17. For more details, visit www.trentvalleymoc.co.uk…

The Historic Rally Car Register’s Mini Sport Mini Challenge looks set for a cracking 2016 season, with the news that a whopping 21 crews have been registered to take part. Familiar faces to the Challenge include reining Champion Andrew O’Hanlon, with Ryan Taylor hoping to complete a full season sat beside him. Clive King and Anton Bird will also be back after their exploits on Wales Rally GB. “We are looking at doing all rounds plus some others to qualify in both the HRCR Masters and Welsh Historic championships,” said Anton. “We may also have other commitments for Mini Sport, possibly in Ireland.” Eric Davis and Russell Joseph will be out in their usual Mini Clubman, but regular service crew members Paul Taylor and daughter Jemma will have a Mini…

More than 120 car clubs filled the halls of the NEC in Birmingham for the Practical Classics Restoration and Classic Car show on March 5-6. As well the usual array of freshly finished cars, this show is all about the projects too, giving the 20,000 visitors plenty of tips and inspiration when it comes to restoring their classic motors. The Mini plays a major part in the booming car restoration industry, and there was plenty of evidence to prove the point here. Many of the traders used Minis to showcase their products and services, including the likes of Envirostrip, Prostrip and Lancaster Insurance, which had its 1967 Mini Super DeLuxe project on display. Elsewhere Keith Edmunds’ Britax-themed Mini appeared on the Derek’s Mini Centre stand, and Lee Roberts’ cool restored…

Mystery Mini I was hoping you could help me with a Mini I have come across here in New Zealand. It is a 1974, and has stickers and badges on it saying it is number three of 74 limited edition Paddy Hopkirk Minis produced by John Cooper Garages. I have tried searching for info on the internet and the only thing I could find was some guys debating the authenticity of this actual car on a forum. Mick Osborne. The is a new one on us, and we have to confess that a limited run of 74 cars does seem a strange amount. Mike Cooper had this to say: “I don’t recognise this Mini. I don’t think it is one we were involved in, although it does seem to have…

Buying a Mini Cooper has long been an experience fraught with pitfalls. We’ve all heard the stories of fakes and spurious re-shells, and we’re forever being told that the chances of finding a genuine matching numbers car these days are remote. So you can imagine that a 998 Cooper incorrectly labelled as a Cooper S on the logbook and with its steering wheel on the wrong side would send most potential buyers running for the hills, clinging on to their copy of John Parnell’s Original Mini Cooper and Cooper S book while necking a shot of whisky to calm their nerves. Not Paul and Christina Moran though. They ignored the advice, took a gamble and emerged with a whole lot more than they bargained for. This tale begins back in…

We knew 2016 would be the year for us – it would be my 10th attempt at the rally and we had the offer of an experienced navigator, Graham Carter. He’d been navigating in a Mini with Peter Horsburgh, who’s also sponsored by Mini Spares, so that was the connection. Graham’s semi-pro, having won a huge list of rallies since the mid-‘70s. He’d driven the Monte twice before and navigated twice too, and we gelled straight away. Mini Spares continued to support us alongside Millers Oils, so my plan was to sticker-up as many of the other rally cars as possible and deliver box loads of the new Mini Spares catalogue to all the French Mini fans. Alongside the Facebook updates it always makes for great publicity! Of course you’re…

Specialist Components’ complete five-port engine management kit is something we’ve always wanted to try here at Mini Magazine, but though it’s been available for five years, it’s something we’ve been unable to do until now. And having removed the ‘touring-spec’ Mini Sport engine fitted to our Sprite in readiness for a new project, the tweaked 1293 motor fitted in its place would provide the ideal test mule. Our engine is fitted with an RE13OT cam (roughly equivalent to a Kent 286/Piper 285), which is great for torque and bhp, but isn’t so happy pootling around town at low revs and results in a lumpier than standard idle. We’d already had the car set up on a rolling road, but were keen to see if full engine management could improve the…

It’s not often that we meet people like Steve Butler and Mark Palmer. The reasons most have for buying a Mini are as fantastic and unique as the cars themselves, but often contain familiar elements – there was always a Mini in the family perhaps, memories of first cars, the legendary race and rally Coopers making indelible impressions on young minds, that film... There tends to be a touch of romance about the whole thing. With Steve and Mark the purchase was made for much more practical reasons. The two friends had decided to set up a business and needed a car to showcase their talents. They looked on Gumtree and spotted a likely candidate in the shape of a 1992 Mini Studio 2. They went, they looked, they bought…

David West is on a mission to claim his rightful place in the record books at this July’s Chateau Impney Hill Climb. The Droitwich man did win there while driving a Cooper S in the last ever Hagley and District Light Car Club sprint event in 1967, but was a last-minute replacement for Fed Jones of Team Autoquip. With no time to inform the organisers, David drove Jones’ Cooper S up the old 550-yard course in an outstanding time of 28.49 seconds, beating six other Mini drivers. However, it was Fred’s name that was added to the record – a wrong that David is keen to put right. After waiting almost 50 years, David was able to put tyres to tarmac at Chateau Impney once again at the inaugural Hill…

Minis on the Prom celebrates its 10th year in 2016. This year’s event takes place from May 28-30, featuring a convoy through the stunning Welsh countryside ahead of the main event in Aberaeron. The Minis will gather at B&Q Cardiff gate at 9.30am on Saturday, travelling along the narrow twisty roads of Brecon Beacons before a picnic stop at the Elan Valley Visitor Centre. Then the convoy will head to Aberystwyth, with participants checking into local hotels before meeting up later in the evening for food and drinks. From here it’s only a short hop to the main event at Aberaeron’s pretty harbour side, which will include a show and shine, charity raffle, club events and plenty more besides. Over 70 Minis were present last year, making then event a…

HOW TO GET TO MINI DAY Himley Hall is four miles from Dudley on the B4176 and six miles from Wolverhampton just off the A449. Sat nav users should use the postcode DY3 4DF, the British Mini Day will be signposted on nearby roads. WELCOME TO MINI DAY! British Mini Club celebrates the start of the summer show season at Himley Hall and Park on the May 8, and there are few better places we can think of for enjoying a day out with your Mini – this is a Mini show you won’t want to miss! This is the complete Mini enthusiasts’ event; set in what we think is the most desirable venue on the calendar. The main show is located between the stunning back drop of the Hall…

Name: Lewis Fox Car: MkI Mini-Minor Location: Milton Keynes Here’s my 1961 Morris Mini-Minor DeLuxe. I bought her at the beginning of last year in a semi-restored state. Since then she’s had a lot more paint work, plus a period grille, window catches and rare plastic door trims have been sourced. There’s also a brand new Newton Commercial carpet and trim set, but I’ve tried to keep her as original as possible. Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of history with her at the moment, but I am in process of trying to find out more from her past. I also have a Riley Elf and my two restoration projects that are currently in progress at DD Classic Minis – a ’64 and ’67 Mini Cooper. Send ‘Your Minis’ pictures…

“I’ve done the London to Brighton Run a few times, and the Goodwood Revival twice...” Remember Green Shield Stamps? They’re one of those things from days of yore that, much like bright yellow British Telecom vans and Bakelite radios, were everywhere and then suddenly nowhere. Available from pretty much any high street shop there was, you got a stamp for every 6d you spent, then stuck them in a book. When it was full up, you swapped it for a toaster or an iron or something. It was like a Clubcard, but more like a hobby. But then, in the 1980s, they died out. People couldn’t be doing with the fiddliness anymore. Today, these stamps are a snapshot of another era, hurling your mind back to the halcyon days of…

Today we’re used to seeing showroom-fresh performance cars taking to the race circuit in one-make series, as manufactures push the marketing potential of their latest sports models. Think of the factory-supported and often subsidised series out there; the MINI Challenge, Renault Sport Clio Cup or Porsche Carrera Cup, to name a few. But step back 50 years and saloon car racing was a far more club-orientated hobby, with rallying still the main focus for the BMC Competitions Department in particular. There was a growing awareness of the marketing potential of motorsport, but to compete successfully on the international rally stage gave by far the best publicity. New cars were sold on their rally pedigree, not lap times of the Nürburgring. With BMC focusing all efforts on rallying, if a Mini…

HIGH REVS Q I own a last-of-the-line Cooper Sport from 2000. I have an intermittent fault where my car revs up to around 2500-3000 revs when it’s sitting at a standstill. It usually happens when it’s cold outside and the car has warmed up – as if it doesn’t know to drop the revs. I know this is all a bit vague, but I wonder if you’ve ever encountered a problem like this before? Mark Bunn A The only time I have come across something like this, it was caused by several corroded connectors and a bad earth, so I would start out by checking every single ground connection and earth strap. One of the biggest issues with cars run by electronics is that they need a consistent delivery of…

“Like any job that requires more than fingers to deal with, investing in the best quality tools you can afford will pay dividends...” KEITH CALVER Keith has been Mini Magazine’s tech expert since we launched in 1996. Keith’s Mini CV speaks for itself: he joined the motorsport scene as a Miglia competitor in 1978, before a five–year stint at the Mini Spares Centre (London) in the early ’80s. Now independent, Keith builds race engines for numerous disciplines. His 1275 GT race car and sharing his vast amount of Mini knowledge are also main focuses. Having started writing articles for Mini Magazine way back in 1996, I’ve covered just about everything to do with the Mini mechanically, but not so much electrically. I have done a few bits like looking at…

We were sad to hear of the passing of Harry Ratcliffe, who died aged 80 on February 21. One of the original Mini tuning pioneers and no mean racing driver to boot, Harry will be known to many as the main man behind British Vita Racing. Harry first started racing in 1957, joining forces with friend, long-term colleague and racer Jeff Goodliff, who was a fellow apprentice at AVRO, makers of the Vulcan jet bomber. Harry modified a Morris Minor, and together with Jim Barham and John Taylor, successfully racing it all over the country. To stay ahead of the competition the trio set-up BRT Developments, initially based at Harry’s father’s BMC garage in Rochdale, but moving to a modest garage in nearby Littleborough shortly after. Minis became a mainstay,…

The Mini is the third most popular classic in Britain, according to a recent survey by insurance company Carole Nash. Based on analysis of the 13,650 vehicles covered by its classic car policies, the Mini was only pipped to post by the VW Type 2 Camper and the MGB. Despite victory for the VW though, seven of the top 10 cars were British. These included the Morris Minor, Land Rover 88-inch and MG Midget in fourth, six and seventh places respectively, with the Austin Healey 100/3000 in ninth and, somewhat surprisingly, the RS and XR versions of the Mk3 Ford Escort rounding out the top 10. The only other overseas cars were the Porsche 911 in fifth and the VW Beetle in eighth. The survey also claims to have identified…

• The restoration of a 1979 Mini 1275 GT is at the heart of a new narrative work by artist Stuart Whipps, looking at the history and heritage of the famous Longbridge plant in Birmingham. The project has been commissioned by WERK as part of the Longbridge Public Art Project (LPAP) and is designed to support the ongoing regeneration of the former car factory site. A ‘work in progress’ exhibition of Stuart’s work took place on March 13 at Greenlands Select Social Club, Longbridge. Not a trained mechanic, Stuart is being assisted by former Longbridge workers, Keith Woodfield and John Baker. Where possible, work is be carried out on site or in the region. The engine is being rebuilt in Bromsgrove, the shell acid dipped in Gornal and the subframes…

Double Mini Miglia and Se7en champion Bill Sollis is set to make a welcome return to the Miglia grid during the 2016 season. The four-time champion returns after several years away, and will be among the entrants for a least two meetings including the Brands Hatch Mini Festival on July 16-17. “Mentally I never really left Minis or the Mini 7 Club,” said Bill. “I’d always be checking the race results, and I’ve been saying I’d make a comeback for a long time now. I didn’t want to make a big fanfare announcement and promise to race the whole season, as I’d much rather be a bit cautious about these things, but it would be good to compete for the full year, especially as it’s the 50th anniversary. I’ll definitely…

A firm favourite for classic racers and rally drivers alike, this year’s Race Retro took place on February 27-28. The event headlines were dominated by the news that Formula One legend Damon Hill would be making an appearance, but Minis also played a starring role in this historic motorsport extravaganza at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire. Joining Hill in the venue’s indoor halls were a whole host of club and trade stands, including Phil Manser’s historic Mini race car and a tidy MkII Island Blue Cooper on the Central Scanning stand. Also present was Vetech, showcasing the awesome front-engined Suzuki Hayabusa engine conversion kit that made its debut at Mini Fair. But it was outside on the Live Rally stage that saw much of the Mini interest. Patrick Walker brought two…

April 3 Brooklands Mini Day Great outdoor event at the historic Brooklands Museum in Surrey. Attractions include traders, club stands, and the famous Test Hill. www.brooklandsmusuem.com April 16 Pride of Longbridge A celebration of vehicles built at the Longbridge plant, including Minis, taking place at Cofton Park. www.facebook.com/groups/ steveturner36 April 17 Lincoln BIG Mini Day Free event taking place for the ninth year at Brayford Wharf North, Lincoln, from 10am. Space is limited, so arrive early. Cars stay in place until 4pm. www.trentvalleymoc.co.uk April 24 Drive it Day Various classic car events, as encouraged by the FBVHC. fbhvc.co.uk April 30-May 1 Downton Classic Car Show Commemorating 40 years since the closure of Downton Engineering at the Brian Whitehead Sports Ground, Downton, Wilts. Includes car displays, club stands, craft stalls, raffle…

Name: Paul Pinder Model: 1987 Mini Mayfair Location: Southend-on-Sea Lady Rita, as she’s become known, had a cosy life being driven by elderly ladies around the Epping area of Essex. I saw her for sale in 2008 on for £1250, and delighted to see she was complete and untouched, from the brown carpet to the MW mono radio. Mrs Rita Barnes had used her for many years and needed a more suitable car to take her grandchildren out. I changed the interior, fitting some replacement seats, a carpet and more recently a new headlining. There were also a few typical Mini rust spots to sort out, including the rear subframe. She’s mostly used in the summer and we have done two London to Brighton runs together. I now understand the…

PROJECT PROFILE THE OWNER NAME: Phil Bowring AGE: 51 OCCUPATION: Owner of 360 Automations LOCATION: Surrey THE CAR: CAR: 2000 Mini Cooper Sport START CONDITION: Going rusty around the edges CONDITION NOW: Undergoing repairs TIME TAKEN SO FAR: Just a few weeks ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION: Shortly before the mag comes out! You’d think that by the final years of Mini production, Rover would have got to the bottom of the whole rust thing. But no, the MPi cars seemed to rot away faster than even the budget-friendly base models of decades past, leaving owners with some difficult decisions today. Do you patch up and carry on, or think long-term and invest in more professional repairs, often outweighing the car’s value? Obviously we’d always go for the latter option, but…

When British Leyland pulled the plug on the original Mini Cooper back in 1971, it left a sizeable gap in the model range. If you wanted a Cooper in the ‘70s or ‘80s, then you needed to source an ageing original or soup one up yourself and pretend. However, something else was afoot in a small village near Romsey in Hampshire, masterminded by a somewhat mysterious self-taught engineer with a keen eye for detail. Nick Vrotsos is a name that will probably be unfamiliar to a large proportion of Mini fans. Having set up his Vortz company while still a teenager in the mid 1960s, he dabbled in Minis and various BMC cars before going into production with his own take on the Mini Cooper from 1977 – a move…