MiniWorld October 2021

I've had a fantastic summer of Mini events and have thoroughly enjoyed attending photoshoots of absolutely stunning Minis, and meeting some lovely people in the process. It's certainly a perk of my job to be able to get out and meet many of the Mini owners we write about in MiniWorld. And we can still take our Minis to events during the rest of this year and into the next, so do check out the Event Diary on page 38. If I had the funds and garage space I'd love to have a collection comprising every Mini variant so this issue has been great fun to put together. As well as Liam Lockyer's brilliant modified saloon, we bring you a restored Pickup, a cool Moke with hardtop and a Buying…

Minis at Goodwood 2021 took place on 29 August at Goodwood Circuit, near Chichester, West Sussex. Over 130 Minis of all ages took part in the event which gave them a taster of the Italian Job charity touring event. Participants enjoyed a 47-mile navigational drive following a route which took them through scenic West Sussex countryside. They also completed some safe but spirited laps around the historic circuit and an autosolo-style special stage was set up in the paddock to test their driving skills against the stopwatch. The event champions were Nigel and Evelyn West in their 1992 British Open Classic. Amelia Mugridge won the photo competition with a photo of her and her 1989 Mini Flame, which was taken during the navigational drive. The event raised a £8,521.69 for…

On 18 July a total of 17 Minis lined up at Raven Hotel in Hook for the third Thames Valley Tour. A 96-mile route, organised by Terry and Helen Schraider, lay ahead comprising many roads of Hampshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. The first stop after 26 miles was Sonning for coffee at the Flowing Springs pub. The next 31 miles took us through Henley on Thames and up Pheasant Hill into a frequently used night rally section known as Gusset’s Wood. There was a lot of reversing of Minis on this section for passing tractors. Then it was on to the picnic lunch stop at Gray’s Court. The third and final part of the tour covered the 39 miles back to Raven Hotel. It went through Stock Row, Checkendon, Goring, over…

British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) driver and British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) rising star, Bobby Thompson, has returned to circuit racing after taking a year out from the sport he so enjoys. Bobby was involved in a shocking accident at Croft whist competing in his Trade Price Cars supported Audi. He returned to motorsport in a Super Mighty Minis race at the Brands Hatch Mini Festival on 22 August. Bobby secured pole position in his Octane Racing prepared car and went on to win race one after a thrilling race-long batt le with reigning champion Ian Slark who denied him the fastest lap. A six-car reverse grid posed another hurdle to overcome. It was not long before Bobby was fighting for the lead with Slark and the Kirkpatrick brothers. A…

There is a film that can take credit for creating many Mini enthusiasts, one of whom is Liam Lockyer, as he explains: “I was hooked on Minis when I first watched The Italian Job and became obsessed as a kid with cars in general. The Mini just has that plucky character and charm. I couldn’t not get one.” His parents approved of his love of Minis and bought one for him, a 1989 Mini Mayfair. This was in June 2007, when Liam become its eighth owner. “He bought it for me in 2007, before my 17th birthday, for £300. He handed me the keys and told me to get it ready for when I passed my test, which I did. It had a knackered gearbox so getting it into fourth…

Engine: 1380cc A+. 73.5mm Omega Pistons. SMMC Stage 3 cylinder head. Piper BP285 camshaft, duplex timing assembly. 1.3:1 roller rockers. A+ 1275 crank (micro-polished, new bearings. OE inlet manifold. Aldon Yellow distributor, electronic ignition. Lucas Silver sports coil. NGK BP7ES spark plugs. A127 70amp alternator. single SU HIF44 carburettor. Pipercross conical air filter. aluminium 2-core radiator. mechanical fuel pump. 11-blade mechanical fan. in-line fuel filter. Manilow LCB (special centre branch). Maniflow centre-exit twin-box system. engine, head rebuilt by Southam Mini and Metro centre. Performance: 96bhp at the wheels at Southam’s dyno. Gearbox: A+ 998 rod-shift box. 3.1:1 final drive ratio. Verto clutch. lightened flywheel. new clutch friction plate, diaphragm, straps. OE gear linkage . Lucas metal-bodied clutch master cylinder. Brakes: 8.4” front disc brakes, rebuilt. dual-circuit. new discs, caliper pistons.…