Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i Mini Magazine

Sixty years. That’s quite a long time, isn’t it? There are people who were born on the day the Mk1 Cooper S was launched who have raised a family, carved out a career, and reached a life-stage whereby they’re thinking about slowing down and just watching the world go by. And rightly so. But if there’s one thing the Cooper S has never done, it’s slowed down; no, these things were firecrackers from the off, and they haven’t lost a single iota of excitement over the last six decades. So on this special car’s diamond anniversary, we’re celebrating the legendary jewel-in-the-crown of the Mini’s enduring legacy – the sporting variant that was never meant to be, and grew the minnow into a fast-road and motorsport titan. We’ve got a whole…

Covid-prompted restorations and an enthusiasm for ‘reimagined’ classics combined in 2022 to create British Motor Heritage (BMH)’s busiest ever year for supplying bodyshells. As you may be aware, BMH was established in 1982 to support owners of classic British marques by putting genuine components back into manufacture, using original tools wherever possible. To date it has built over 6,300 shells for the MGB, MG RV8, MG Midget, Austin-Healey Sprite, Triumph TR6 and all marks of the classic Mini, as well as thousands of individual replacement panels. A total of 45 Mini shells were supplied last year; adding the requirements for such ‘new’ classics as the Mini Remastered, RBW Electric MGB and Frontline MGB to the ongoing stream of Mini and MGB bodyshells sought by those restoring to original, BMH also…

PROJECT PROFILE THE OWNER NAME: Ed Cheevers AGE: 28 OCCUPATION: Surveyor LOCATION: East Sussex THE CAR: CAR: Mini Advantage START CONDITION: Badly rusted shell CONDITION NOW: Close to completion TIME TAKEN SO FAR: Many years, on-and-off ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION: Soon! Mark Cheevers originally bought this Mini Advantage for the princely sum of £200 around fifteen years ago, as an MOT failure for his two sons to thrash around the fields in. “We played with it for a couple of years till the battery packed up,” says son Ed. “Then it 28 sat for a couple more years until we thought it would be OK for my first car. Dad did a lot of welding and got it back on the road, and…

Endlessly friendly and always keen to enthuse about his projects, Michael Beattie is disarmingly modest about his achievements: “I’m not a mechanic, I’m a car salesman,” he says, “and most of this has been trial-anderror.” It’s evident from the high-end finish of this Cooper S, as well as the stellar roll call of parts involved, that these are the humble words of a man who knows precisely what he wants and is prepared to unleash some truly herculean efforts in order to get there. Too much ain’t enough. Now, the act of modifying a Mk1 Cooper S is always something that’s going to ruffle a few feathers, but Michael’s always followed a clear path to fuse the correct with the aspirational. The work is chronicled on the Beatspeed page on…

80 PRODUCTS A variety of Mini-themed goodies for you and your car 82 OUR MINIS Old stuff from Tim, new stuff from Ian BEFORE STARTING The first rule of working on cars and using tools of any kind is don’t be stupid. Make sure personal protective gear – goggles, gloves, ear defenders, masks and a set of overalls - are hanging on a hook in your garage and use them wisely. If you’re working with power tools, protective gear is essential. Never attempt to work under a car without supporting it securely using suitably strong axle stands. If you haven’t got a fire extinguisher, buy one and keep it near to hand. The bottom line? If you’re not completely confident of your own ability to complete any task safely, don’t…

This stunning vision in MINI design looks like a cross between a Cooper S and a Riva speedboat. Its UK debut took place at Salon Privé in 2014, with Head of MINI Design, Anders Warming, pulling back the covers for the stunned onlookers. And it is a magnificent piece of design, isn’t it? So slinky and outré, it looks like a videogame render – but trust us, we were there at the reveal, it is very real. The concept showcased traditional design values brought to life in a classic speedster shape, the Superleggera Vision cutting a standout silhouette that synthesised unconventional design elements from both MINI and the 2014 Touring style exercise still looks super-futuristic coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring. An imposing bulldog stance pushed the wheels right to the corners, suggesting…

The MINI Hatch might have grown over the last three generations, but what hasn’t changed is the fun-to-drive formula. On top of this, MINIs have their own unique look, itself a reimagination of classic Mini cues that appeal to current hot hatch fans. One such fan is Mario Saieva, the owner of this F56 Cooper S, who admits he’s always been a fan of hot hatches. Although Mario started with more humble beginnings – a 1.2-litre Vauxhall Corsa B; with a no-claims bonus built up, his first hot hatch followed, a Ford Fiesta Zetec S to which he added a Stage 2 tune, equalling 160bhp. That Fiesta offered enough performance until 2016, then the call of a MINI was just too much. Mario took delivery of his first and only MINI…

In early 1969, at the Metromedia recording studios in NYC, a drummer by the name of Gregor y Coleman laid down a drum brea k that would change the world. You may never have heard of Coleman. The song in which he played this brea k, Amen Brot her, may also be unfamiliar to you; it was an instrumental B-side to the song Color Him Fat her by The Winstons, which you might similarly have never heard of. But you’ ll def initely k now the break. How? Wel l, it’s all thanks to the sampling culture of the 1980s; as producers embraced these new-fa ngled sa mplers and hungrily plu ndered the musica l archives for piqua nt nuggets to pi lfer for their own mixes, a pioneer named…

■ For as long as enthusiasts have been modifying and tuning cars, there have been concerns rumbling about what is and what isn’t safe and responsible. And while the modifying community is, for the most part, populated by proper enthusiasts with an ingrained sense of doing things right, it’s no secret that our hobby is sometimes viewed with suspicion by certain sectors of society. Coupled with this, concerns over bootleg or substandard parts can make it trickier to buy quality parts with confidence. With this in mind, The Performance Automotive Aftermarket Association (PAAA)’s new SMART initiative is a very welcome development. This professional body and trade federation, which represents the interests and values of the performance tuning industry, unveiled SMART at the 2023 Autosport International Show; the acronym stands for…

After the duo-toned exuberance of its celebrated Mk1 and Mk2 forebears, the Mk3 Mini Cooper S must have come as something of a shock to confused buyers. Save for twin fuel tanks, a subtle boot badge and slightly different wheels, the halo model of the range was now all but indistinguishable from the boggo Mini 1000. Alleged legal wranglings over British Leyland’s attempt to renege on a deal with John Cooper meant its launch was delayed until March 1970, and when it did finally emerge, a belligerent BL seemed hell-bent on ensuring it sold as few as possible. Why bother advertising the model or making it look the part when there was the more profitable 1275 GT to plug? “Any Mk3 S survivor is rare - and this one is…

"Cars are like music. I like all sorts of different tracks, but you can’t ever say best track I’ve ever heard.’” And I couldn’t agree more. ‘that’s the Steve Arnold very diplomatically swerved admitting which of his Minis is his favourite, but I quite like his reasoning. Some might say that’s the kind of gateway thinking that turns car enthusiasts into collectors, but we don’t judge here. Steve’s garage houses four classics; a 1965 Austin in British Racing Green, a 1966 Morris in Island Blue and Old English White, and two Jaguar E-Types. So it’s safe to say it’s too late to curb his enthusiasm for British classics. After buying his first Mini at 17 in 1970, Steve got the Mini bug, and over the years he’s owned several ’60s…

CALVER SPECIAL TUNING 1 .3:1 R ATIO ROCKER SET £218.96 + VAT Designed to give a real 1.3:1 ratio at the valve tip, this rocker set has been designed and developed by Calver Special Tuning to optimise valve lift for race series with valve lift limitations and for all small-bore A-series engines encompassing 850, 948, 998 and 1098 capacities. Manufactured using investment cast EN24 steel and a solid bronze bush, weight is minimised without compromising strength. Stiffer than aluminium-based rockers, they improve high-rpm performance. The design allows use of all other associated standard components. ● www.calverst.com SEALEY 2023 TOOL PROMOTION £various Discover 100 new lines inside Sealey’s Tool Promotion, valid until 31st March 2023. The 148- page edition offers over 1,450 deals, with discounts of up to 80% off list…

1 2 3 4 2002 feels like an appropriate year for us to look back to in this Cooper S celebration issue, as that was the year in which the R53 Cooper S was released. And there was a whole lot of other interesting stuff going on; the hosting of the FIFA World Cup in June was shared by Korea and Japan, with two goals from Ronaldo in the final bringing Brazil the trophy. June also saw a full solar eclipse occur, although you might have missed it if you were in the cinema watching the latest releases – The Bourne Identity and Minority Report both came out in this month. Garbage and Stereophonics were headlining the Glastonbury Festival, and Forbes ranked Britney Spears as the world’s most powerful celebrity.…

t he original GP concept was MINI’s answer to the aftermarket tuners, who were quick to offer performance packages and parts for the R53 Cooper S right from launch in 2002. The GP concept is based on the ‘more power/less weight’ ethos, and these same principles can clearly be seen running throughout the GP range from the first ‘MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works GP Kit’ (which we should hereafter refer to as simply GP1 in order to save on paper!) in 2006, right through to the very latest thirdgeneration ‘GP2020’ models. Built in limited numbers, with special weight-saving and powerincreasing upgrades, not to mention bags full of performance and oodles of character, these GP models are among the most sought-after and highly-desired of all MINI models - so…

■ 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the Mini Cabriolet, and MINI are commemorating this with a fresh new special edition. The Seaside Edition comes equipped with the effervescent 178bhp Cooper S TwinPower Turbo motor along with 18” Pulse Spoke twotone wheels, exclusive Caribbean Aqua paint and unique graphics. With the first deliveries arriving from March 2023, model-specific luxuries include an 8.8” high-resolution colour display screen, Premium Plus pack and MINI driving modes, with tasteful ‘30’ emblems scattered inside and out. The special edition is priced at £34,500 OTR.…

■ Imagine a row of Minis stretched endto-end as far as the eye can see… that’s essentially the aim of the Mile of Minis, set to be held on Sunday March 12th. Starting at 8.30am with registration at MINI Plant Oxford, the driving route will follow a uniquely created road book, teams heading off the beaten track across Oxfordshire to the Silverstone Museum. The Mile of Minis is a family-friendly driving day out for classic Mini and new MINI owners, with the laudable opportunity of helping children in need - as the event is a fundraiser for the Buttle UK charity (buttleuk.org). Each team is encouraged to raise at least £30 in sponsorship, with 100% of the money raised to be used by Buttle in their grants. Entry costs £35…

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. 12th March Mile of Minis Amazing fundraising event with proceeds going to Buttle UK. Starting from MINI Plant UK and finishing at Silverstone Interactive Museum, this is fun tour for classic Mini and newer MINI owners. www.italianjob.com 24th-26th March Classic Car & Restoration Show We’re back to the NEC in March for a classic car show with a twist – it’s not all concours originals here, some of the exhibits are distinctly crumbly. https://www.necrestorationshow.com/ 15-16th April Goodwood Members’ Meeting Spectacular racing guaranteed in Goodwood’s beautiful surroundings. It’s like the Revival, but without the time-period restrictions – which means racing Clubmans,…

Name: Pete Car: Custom Clubman  Location: UK ■ A proper throwback to the Max Power era, this one. This was Pete’s first car back in 1998, and it’s been built up into a fabulous custom creation complete with an incredibly fluffy interior with a Mario Kart race happening across the dash. The engine swap is one we’ve never seen elsewhere in a Mini, the car now sporting the motor from a Daihatsu YRV Turbo. Ingeniously, the automatic transmission is mated to manual shift buttons mounted on the steering wheel. Plus of course there’s the wide arches with chequer stickers, and the obligatory three-spokes. They don’t make ’em like this any more!…

It was never meant to be this way. Sporting pretensions weren’t even in the same postcode as the drawing board when the Mini was sketched up, a frugal response to global oil perils and a cunning exercise in how to fit the largest number of people and cargo in the smallest possible space. As a compact city car, it was an unqualified success. But as a sporting machine, it became a legend. There’s a cast of characters we can thank for reinterpreting Issigonis’ vision into something amusingly rapid and agile, and one of them is the man whose name has been on the boot badge of the hot models ever since – John Cooper. The power developments of the A-series came about to satisfy his lust for thrust in his…

In a small town north-west of Duisberg, Claudia Schiffer was born on August 25th 1970. Ineffably glamorous through her rise to fame in the 1990s, she grew to embody the very essence of celebrity chic: style, class, poise, and an endlessly aspirational lifestyle. On that same week in 1970, the latest issue of Autocar magazine hit the shelves in the UK, featuring a very Schifferesque reinterpretation of the Mini: Radford’s sumptuous De Ville. Equally classy and stylish, this was a premium makeover aimed at the fabulous upper echelons of the celebrity strata – supermodels, rock stars, actors… anyone who craved Rolls-Royce luxury with Mini agility and compactness was squarely in Radford’s crosshairs. And that very Mini, CPF 3H, is the one we have before Jason’s lens today. Taking pride of…

Your choice of first car is crucial, because throughout your life whenever the question ‘What was your first car?’ comes up, that’ll be your answer. Unfortunately we can’t all come up with a boss-level solution that will always make for a satisfactory response when someone in the pub pipes up with that age-old question; more often than not, first cars are chosen solely on affordability rather than desirability. Whether you’re a teenager champing at the bit to get your driving licence, or you’re in your 20s or 30s (or more) and have only just passed your test, you’ll be looking at your first car with some keenness… you want something cool, that’s obvious – no-one needs that embarrassing yellow Fiat from The Inbetweeners. You also want something reasonably reliable, so…

Received wisdom will tell you that track cars are for the track, and road cars are for the road, and ne’er the twain shall meet. But as technology advances and aftermarket solutions are further realised and developed, this outdated notion becomes increasingly nonsensical, and the R53 we have here stands as justified proof. This is a hot hatch with a spicy clubsport flavour, and yet it proudly wears its road-going creds on its sleeve. You can have your cake and eat it, we’ve got all the delicious evidence you need right here. Ruben Graffelman is the owner, and he’s a man with an interesting take on the whole MINI vibe, having started out in an F56 Cooper S. Now, everyone has their own unique reasons for preferring particular motoring formats…

if your whole family drives MINIs and your business is buy ing and selling them all day long, it takes a pretty special car to make a lasting impression and reser ve a permanent place on the driveway. Brett Michael has bought, fixed, modif ied and sold enough R 53s to fill a mu lt i-storey car park but this Liquid Yel low example is his pride and joy, his keeper. So we thought it was worth taking a closer look at the ins-and-outs of the build and why it’s turned out to be so special to him. “Being honest, I only bought it to sell on for a prof it,” says Brett. “I found it on Facebook Marketplace, and the plan was to buy it cheap, fix it up…