Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2022 i Mini Magazine

It's fun playing with race cars, isn’t it? Even if you’re just pushing them around the paddock for photoshoots, there’s a frisson of excitement as all of that motorsport potential oozes from their every pore; it’s the mark of a good race car that it looks fast even when it’s standing still, and that’s very much the case with the P.J. Green Clubman. There’s an intriguing story behind it too – check it out on p.90. And if on-track prowess is what flicks your switch, this month’s cover car really is something else. A hardcore pickup built for track-day hijinks, this outstanding machine features a high-end MPI-based and supercharged motor from Specialist Components, and the performance is just as impressive as the finish. Prefer your adventures to take place on the…

■ Held in the grounds of Edgcumbe House in Cornwall, the Mount Edgcumbe Classic & American Car Show is now in its 25th year. The show is organised by a small committee of members made up of representatives from Cornish healthcare charity Cornwall Hospice Care and members of the Friends of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park. Taking centre stage was the late Lord Edgcumbe’s personal ’56 Chevy truck, which he commissioned Ian Webb Specialist Cars in Saltash to build but tragically passed away before he could see it finished; the family decided to have it completed in his honour. Multiple car clubs including Launceston Retro Rides and South West Mini Squadron had displays at the bottom of the field, and various awards were handed out at the end of the show for…

Regular readers may recall us reporting a few months ago on the build-up to the BARC 24hr race. Primarily an event for Citroën 2CVs, since 2012 the race has included a Mini Grand class, and the Not Fast, But Furious team were set to make waves as an all-female team aiming to help introduce more women into circuit racing. Well, it’s fair to say that their entry in the race – which took place in late August – was a success, as team founder Alice Hughes explains: “Arriving on Thursday evening (25th August) for testing on the Friday, we got garage 13 – unlucky for some! Our weekend was everything but unlucky, with every team member taking something positive away from the experience. With an unfortunate dropout from one of…

Name: Phil Car: 1991 Cooper Location: Aberdeenshire ■ It’s always nice to hear about a fresh new entrant into the world of Mini adventures, and it sounds like Phil is jumping in with both feet. “I bought this ’91 Cooper carb model from a family in Wolverhampton, and drove it all the way back up to Aberdeenshire where I live,” he tells us. “It was a 14-hour trip, and the car never missed a beat the whole way. Ever since then I have been slowly and sympathetically restoring it. I sprayed it all by hand using rattle cans and 2k lacquer, and I’m pretty pleased with result – albeit not perfect, but I’m not looking for a concours car. It’s just been MOT’d with no advisories, so let the Mini…

The point of a pickup truck is fairly obvious. You’ve got a sensible enclosed bit up front so that the driver and their passenger can feel like they’re in a car, and a big practical exposed bit out back for throwing tools and logs and general burly bric-a-brac into. It’s been this way for generations; the USA in particular has warmly embraced the genre, with a Ford F-100 or its various GM equivalents rumbling off the forecourt every few seconds; they’ve spawned crew-cabs so you can get the whole family up front and still carry a freshly stunned moose in the load bay, and of course there have been various hilarious adventures into the choppy waters of muscle-pickups - the Chevrolet El Camino, the Holden Maloo, the Ford Ranchero, the…

When the sun goes down in Osaka, the Kanjozoku come out to play. Shadowy outlaws who hunt in packs in their race-inspired Honda Civics, these reprobates go out of their way to taunt the authorities, thrashing around urban loops at antisocial speeds, B- and D-Series motors howling, raucous exhausts rasping, faces obscured by window nets, living for the moment, living for the night. The Kanjo Loop is an elevated expressway around the centre of Osaka. You may have heard of the Bayshore Route of the Shuto Expressway, commonly known as the Wangan? That’s a long, wide, straight road, favoured by highpower street-racers. The Kanjo is sort of the opposite – atight, narrow highway with lots of corners; Kanjo racers need agility as well as pep and get-up-and-go. The roots of…

It’s a truism to say that race cars have a pretty hard time, but it’s very much the nature of their existence. Sure, they have a charmed life from the outset, with bountiful trinkets bestowed upon them in the form of the latest upgrades, technological gizmos and artful speed-oriented addenda, but the trade-off is that they get the very life thrashed from them at every given opportunity. And worse even than that, they tend to have a fairly short shelf-life. How long does a race car last – one season, two, half-a-dozen? It depends on the formula, the level and the budget of course, but they do often get callously cast aside when a faster alternative usurps them. Look at – to pluck a formula from the ether – the…

Exciting news from our friends over at Specialist Components: the renderings you see here are for a new model they’ve developed - the ClubSport 160R. Their demo car is at the final stages of build and development, and the order book is now open for customers to put their name down for this spec, or indeed create their own unique configuration. Knowing the quality of the work these guys do, the ClubSport 160R is going to be something very special indeed; think of it as the Porsche GT3 RS of the Mini world – a sublimely detailed modern-day café racer, engineered for everyday usability as well as stellar track prowess, with 160bhp on tap from its supercharged 1293 motor. Keep an eye out, we’ll be bringing you a full feature…

Due to the uncertainty surrounding Covid, please be aware that events are subject to change. Keep an eye on the organisers’ websites to stay up to date with any developments. 6th October Mod ‘n’ Mini Meet The first Thursday of the month sees a veritable swarm of classic Minis descending upon the legendary Ace Café on London’s North Circular. www.ace-cafe-london.com 9th October Autumn Motorsport Day A double-whammy of action at the Brooklands Museum. Competition cars of all ages will be running on the Mercedes-Benz World track and up the Brooklands hill, and some local clubs will be running a demo autotest too. www.brooklandsmuseum.com 22nd-23rd October 100% Tuning Live The multi-marque modded show car season has been vibrant and diverse across the UK, and this iconic autumn show in Rotterdam promises…

There could well be an argument to be made that having a live airfield within a car show is something of a draw. After all, it’s pretty exciting to see Spitfires and the like taking off at the Goodwood Revival isn’t it? And the British Motor Show takes this concept into another dimension, being based at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre; the selection of cars on display may be massive and diverse, but it’s very noticeable how everyone stops and stares when a modern business jet fires up the turbines… Diversity, indeed, is the watchword for this show. The main halls mix together an impressive array of classics and moderns, while a further hall is devoted to modified and custom cars; the extensive lawns are slathered in car club displays…

Billed as being ‘An Italian Job in a day’, Minis at Goodwood is a smartly organised one-dayer that aims to give a feel of the celebrated Italian Job run (the annual pan-European Mini adventure that raises money for charity) in one quick hit. And as you can see here in Jason’s photos, it really is a superb event. Entrants in Minis and MINIs are split roughly into two mixed groups at the start of the day; one group goes off on a navigational drive through the South Downs, following a tulip map, while the other lot heads out on parade laps of the Goodwood circuit. After a hearty lunch the groups swap over, so everyone gets to enjoy each element. In addition to all that, there’s an autotest to hoon…

Given the chance, we’d all love a huge collection of Minis for sure, but finding somewhere to store them all can be problematic. We all talk about missing the boat and not buying those classics when they were cheaper, but in reality, purchasing a huge watertight barn may have been an even more lucrative investment. Self-confessed Mini addict, Simon Fearnley, had no need to worry about finding a barn as he managed to make space for his ever-expanding personal collection of Minis in a spare unit he happened to have adjacent to his work premises. The first of many in an increasingly large queue to undergo a full nut-and-bolt in-house restoration is this stunning red and black themed 1988 Mini City. Complete with an array of wellchosen performance mods and…

Last month, we covered what it takes to make sure your Mini goes properly in all weathers, stops, and is as comfortable and as uncompromised as possible. That meant looking at things like tyres, a Stage 1 kit, decent brakes and the ability to see where you’re going. Now though, we’re tuning things up a bit with 10 more things you can do to add more style and performance to your Mini without breaking the bank or, in most cases, spending too long in the garage. Of course, we must reiterate that with a back catalogue that includes over 60 years of tinkering, there are all manner of ways in which you can improve a Mini and just as many different opinions as to which are the best. However, we’ve…

MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI anyone who loves modified cars will surely agree that the formula of massive lows and dished rims is an absolute winner and makes almost anything on wheels instantly cool. Get your stance on point, and the rest of a build looks after itself - but get it wrong, and no matter what other amazing mods you have, you’ll still be driving a lemon. The global stance community takes this concept to the nth degree, turning out slammed showstoppers by their thousands from Japan to California and now, Portsmouth, England. Colt Powell developed an obsession with this scene even before he could drive and, inspired by YouTube stance featurettes and show reports, he was determined to own…

The quintessential British classic? It’s a title that’s been applied to the Mini many a time, and who are we to disagree? It’s certainly the impetus that drove Sam Mitcham to mould and shape the rather splendid Mk2 Morris you see here, and the stellar results speak for themselves. “When I was learning to drive I looked at getting a Minivan or pickup as a first car,” he recalls. “I was racing mountain bikes at the time, and needed something I could get my bike in that also looked cool; unfortunately practicality got the better of the decision. It probably sounds clichéd but films like The Italian Job also cemented my desire for a Mini, as well as seeing coverage of Paddy Hopkirk piloting one around Monte Carlo. Now I’ve…

With qualifying done-and-dusted on the Saturday, the 1275cc S-Class feeder series kicked off the race action on Sunday morning, and from lights-out it was anybody’s prize as up to half-a-dozen cars vied for the lead. After multiple changes in the running order and with yellow flags bunching the cars towards the end it was series leader Matt Ayres who sneaked ahead when it mattered from Damien Harrington, Michael Winkworth, Frazer Hack and Jonathan Page. It was pretty much a repeat performance for the afternoon sequel, Harrington reversing the positions with Ayres at the chequered flag once the other three challengers had all succumbed to knocks in the heat of battle, allowing reverse grid pole-sitter Ben Seyfried to edge out Dave Rees for the remaining podium place. The 1000cc Mini Se7en…

Name: Danilo Car: 1968 Innocenti 850 (and others) Location: Foggia, Italy ■ Details of Danilo’s endeavours were forwarded to us by Nazario Mazzarella of the 10 Pollici Mini Classiche club in Foggia, Italy. Danilo is, by all accounts, a private person and not one to blow his own trumpet, but the club members felt that his homespun craftsmanship was simply too spectacular not to share. “He is not a professional coachbuilder or even a mechanic, but he is very good and succeeds in everything,” Nazario explains. “He restores his Minis in a small garage of about 40 metres square. This one is his latest, a 1968 Innocenti Mini-Minor 850; it was restored on a rotisserie, and with the same dedication he has restored three other Minis including a Mk1 Cooper…

PROJECT PROFILE THE OWNER NAME: Shaun Whitehead AGE: 30 OCCUPATION: 1st Officer – Merchant Navy LOCATION: West Yorkshire THE CAR: CAR: 1983 Minivan START CONDITION: Mostly complete, off the road since 1997 CONDITION NOW: Stripped down to rolling shell TIME TAKEN SO FAR: On/off for 15 months ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION: Late 2023 when the van becomes tax exempt! Working away in the Merchant Navy can be tough, but for Shaun Whitehead the time awarded when on shore leave provides not only a suitable break from work, but also the perfect opportunity to focus on his projects - most of which happen to be Minis! A recent move into a new house with a double garage had meant plans were already in the making to purchase another Mini to add…

The stickers tell many tales. The Stelvio Pass, the Grossglockner, Monza, Imola, this is a Mini that gets around a bit. A Mini that’s being properly used as its makers intended. And that’s particularly heartening when you consider just how rare it is. You see, this isn’t just any old late-nineties Mk7 – this is a Cooper Sports LE. What’s that, you ask? Well, the ‘LE’ stands for ‘Limited Edition’, and that’s precisely what this was. Just 100 of these models were built, ostensibly with an even 50/50 split between Black ones and Brooklands Green ones (although if the rumours are to be believed, the ratio was actually skewed in favour of the green…). The spec was alluring, its sumptuously trimmed interior boasting a walnut dash complemented by dark green leather…

Open-air Minis had been wellestablished on the coachbuilt aftermarket long before Rover finally got in on the act in 1993. A limited-run Mini Cabriolet was initially sketched out by a German Mini dealer, LAMM Autohaus, and these are extremely sought-after today as only 75 were built in right-hand-drive for the UK market. And using this as a springboard, the basic formula was evolved by Rover Special Products, with the help of Karmann, to create something mass-producible: with the roof scythed off and the body substantially reinforced, the soft-top was a single-piece fabric item that stacked on the rear deck, a tonneau cover stored in the boot. Manual roofs were standard but buyers could specify a power hood; the base car was the Cooper 1.3i, with bodywork in either Nightfire Red…

It doesn’t sound that long ago when you say it out loud. April 2011. But it was actually around 4,150 days (or, if you’re really into the counting, let’s call it 359-million seconds), and a whole heck of a lot’s happened since then. And it was an eventful month: over two billion of us huddled around the TV to watch Prince William marrying Catherine Middleton, Warner Bros caused widespread consternation by casting Russell Brand in a remake of Arthur, The Pigeon Detectives released their comeback record Up, Guards and at ’Em, and the world waved goodbye to legendary X-Ray Spex linchpin Poly Styrene. Perhaps the biggest story of the month was the news that Britain’s last remaining circus elephant retired, although you won’t have read about that in Mini Magazine…

after cutting his teeth modifying Ford RS and Cosworth models while working for the Hendy Ford Rally Team, and having a Mk1 Fiesta as his first car, you might think Nigel Marsh was destined for modifying fast blue-oval models. So why did this Ford fan end up owning and building this MINI track car? Well, Nigel admits his admiration of the first-generation grew from running a garage (Engine Evolution), which specialises in them. “Lots of customers started needing theirs fixing, some wanting them modified, I enjoyed the challenge and decided to make my own,” he tells us, and a damaged R50 Cooper Challenge car quickly followed. “I used to work in a bodyshop, so we got it in and repaired it – or so we thought. Then we tried to…