Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i MiniWorld

I took delivery of G722 URG on 27 April 1990 and I went to town on the Cooper Garages’ optional extras list, ordering the Moto-Lita steering wheel with John Cooper’s engraved signature, Cooper grille, chrome overriders, halogen headlights, steering column lowering clamp, Cooper rear window sticker, tax disc, badges, pens, watch and the shirt… yes I really do have the T-shirt. So, at 26 years old, remarkably and against all the odds, I somehow now owned a brand-new Mini Cooper – although to be exact the car wasn’t actually called that at the time, being a limited-edition 1990 998cc Mini Flame Red with Cooper conversion. The John Cooper Performance conversion included a new Janspeed cylinder head with larger inlet and exhaust valves for greater fuel flow, also fitted with bronze…

Between 1963 and 1976, a total of 128 Minis competed in the gruelling annual Bathurst touring car enduro race at Mount Panorama, near Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. Minis went on to win the race outright, in spectacular fashion, in 1966. Out of all those 128 Minis only 12 were Australian-built Works-entered Minis and only one of them, the one on these pages, is known still to survive. This Cooper S was hand-built by BMC Australia specifically for the 1967 Gallaher 500 and it’s the car that Brian Foley and Paddy Hopkirk drove to fourth in class, and eighth outright. It is easy to understand why previous owner Greg Coates, with help from his dad Richard, put so much effort into restoring it. Rescue and restoration This Mini has always…

MiniWorld staff and writers reporting on their month in, under and around Minis… Spring’s arrival brings with it the official start of the classic car show season here in Tasmania. I love this time of the year; instead of wintery weekends spent alone sorting out mechanical maladies in a freezing garage, the warmer weather offers multiple opportunities for socialising with other car enthusiasts. First cab off the rank was the Westbury Car Show; an annual get-together held on the village green that openly welcomes “anything on wheels.” As this gathering has traditionally been dominated by American and Australian muscle cars in the past, I decided to launch a small social media campaign to shore up Mini numbers for this year. The first of my Mini peeps to register his click…

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Michael ‘Ginger’ Devlin, who died in December aged 90, was born in South Wimbledon, London, in 1930 and went on to work for Charles and John Cooper. Ginger, as he was called on account of his red hair, was associated with The Cooper Car Company for around 25 years. He was a mechanic for their double F1 World Championship-winning team, played a huge part in the development of the Mini Cooper and was also Team Manager for the Works Mini Coopers. Ginger became involved with the Cooper family soon after leaving school, he told MiniWorld when interviewed for our March 2019 issue. “I contacted Charles Cooper and had an interview where I met his son, John. I had a welding certificate from the Ministry of Aircra. Production so I welded…

Prices include VAT Duplex timing chain Mini Spares can supply a limited-stretch duplex timing chain specifically for use in racing and high-performance A-series-derived engines. The heavy-duty, double-row performance timing chain is part of the Mini Spares EVO range of performance engine parts and suitable for their duplex gear kits (C-AJJ3323, C-AJJ3324 and C-AJJ3325). Mini Spares claims that the chain has been produced under stringent quality controls and is made to precise dimensions for perfect engine timing. It is supplied with a removable link, rather than as an endless chain. £25.92 (ref: 2H4905EVO) +44 (0)1707 607700 www.minispares.com Steering rack fitting kit This comprehensive fi. ing kit contains the u-bolts, Nyloc nuts, plastic anti-friction strips, rack-to-body foam and the sponge seal to complete the fitment of a Mini steering rack. The anti-friction…

When identifying a UK-built Mini by number the first thing most people usually look at is the registration number. It is certainly the most visible number. The vehicle’s original registration number is issued by the DVLA, or equivalent at the time, upon application prior to sale by the supplying dealer. At the factory the Mini would have been issued with up to five additional different numbers to identify it, or parts of it, as it went along the production line. These numbers, which vary in importance later on, comprise the chassis or vehicle identification number (VIN), the engine number, the commission number and the body and FE number. Some numbers were only used during manufacture and have little relevance other than adding originality to a resto. From a legal point…

Jay Hicks Modified 1976 Mini 1000 I’ve been a Mini fan since owning my first Mini City in 1993. A few years later came a City E: an auto finished in brown that was great fun. After that I got hold of a 1993 Cooper which I built into a great road-going car. Next was a 1963 Mk1 project that, sadly, I sold on before finishing. Next was a great little 998cc finished in orange, with a flip-front, which I sold to buy my current Mk3. I’m 6’ 4” and, with the help of seat runner extenders, I find Minis more roomy than most cars. I still, of course, get asked every time I’m out in the car: “How do you fit in that?” But we always get lots of…

David Nutland has been a part of the Mini Cooper scene since the beginning of time. As both a collector of cars and a competitor in various forms of amateur motorsport, he has owned a string of British-built Mini Cooper S models. One car he has a particular soft spot for, however, is his 1972 Bianco Avorio (Ivory White) 998cc Innocenti Mini Cooper Mk3, which he has owned for over four decades. "In 1979 the design studio I worked at was across the road from Westover Motors, in Bournemouth. One particular day I noticed a Mini in a colour that I recognised as Bluette, a colour I had seen on Innocenti Minis during a trip to Italy. I immediately went across the road to see what turned out to be…

There was a lot going on in this issue including celebratory features for the 45th anniversary of the Mini Cooper, including one pitching the Cooper against some of its contemporary rivals including an Auto Union DKW 1000, Renault Dauphine Gordini and an MG Midget. "In such a time, the fact that the Mini Cooper 997 was able to appeal simultaneously to three distinct market sectors, sports car, sporting saloon and the avant garde, was a testament to its engineering genius," remarked writer Andrew Roberts. There were plenty of featured Minis to lust after including an incredible motorbike-engined beast. Mark Hilton built a Z-Cars mid-engined Mini with Suzuki Hayabusa power. Rob Hawkins was impressed: "all hell breaks loose as he plants his right foot down on the accelerator pedal and lets…

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Freddie St George, who co-founded the Italian Job charity touring event, received a well-deserved MBE in the 2021 New Year Honours list. Over the years Italian Job participants, mostly in Minis, have raised over £2.6 million for childrens’ charities including current charity, Bu. le UK. Freddie told MiniWorld: “Receiving an MBE is a genuine honour and I feel very proud indeed. However, The Italian Job is a team e. ort and on behalf of all participants, sponsors and supporters, not to mention my colleagues on the organising team, I accept this honour in their name too. I really do love everything I do with The Italian Job and I have loved every minute of the past 31 years. I feel privileged to have the ability to dedicate time, energy and…

French stunt-driver Rémy Julienne, who co-ordinated all the Mini chases and stunts in The 1969 film, The Italian Job, passed away on 21 January. In our series of articles celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film in 2019, he said. “It was the perfect car for the film. First of all, it was a British make and it was English men who were heroes of the plot. Normally we have a lot of modifications we need to do but those cars were rally cars and they were very well adapted to what we needed them to do.” The film’s writer, the late Troy Kennedy Martin said about his work on the film: “Julienne’s contribution to this film was absolutely important. He and his drivers were able to do things with…

Radius arm greasing I am re-commissioning a Mini that has been off the road for 10 years. I have replaced the somewhat ragged rear subframe with a new British Motor Heritage frame and had the radius arms rebuilt with new bearings and shafts as there was some play in the old ones. The play has certainly disappeared and the arms move freely but, when I try to grease the nearside arm, the grease just keeps on pumping in and none comes out past the seals – which it does on the other side. Is this in any way normal and what can I do about it if not? Warwick Green Mini radius arms are hollow and the radius arm bearing shaft is encased in a grease tube fitted between the…

OCTOBER 2019 • 60th anniversary tribute Mini • Check your Mini’s ignition system • 2019 IMM/Mini 60 event photos • Road Trip: 1971 Andes adventure NOVEMBER 2019 • The Italian Job 50th anniversary • Superb track day Clubman • Mini cylinder head options • Restored Mini 1000 DECEMBER 2019 • Stunning restored Mk2 Cooper S • Wood & Pickett coach-built Mini • Excellent modified Mini Van • Rauno Aaltonen interview MARCH 2020 • Mini around the Med restoration • Modified 1966 Mini Traveller • How to smarten up your Mini • Mini Remastered factory visit APRIL 2020 • Restored Maltese CKD Mk1 • Superb 850 Mini City • Mk1 Mini front seat retrim • Stuart…