Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i MiniWorld

MiniWorld|April 2023

Travel in style

I have driven all over Europe in Minis while travelling to and from International Mini Meetings and have taken part in the Italian Job three times. I love taking a road trip in a Mini and can't wait for my next travel adventure which will be the Riviera Run in Cornwall at the end of April (see page 10 for a Riv Run update). See Roving Reporter Mark Chadwick’s latest Road Trip article on pages 78-844. He drove his Rover Mini Cooper, aka Popsie, to Brittany in France, and back, with a poorly Triumph TR4a companion. We'd love you to get in touch if you'd like to write-up a road trip that you have enjoyed in your Mini. Each one published wins a 13-issue subscription to your favourite magazine. I…

2 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

In Gear

MiniWorld subscription Get the best-selling magazine for the Mini delivered to your door or electronic device or perhaps treat a friend or loved-one. £71.50 (UK 13 print issues) £84 (Europe & North America 13 print issues) £90 (Rest of world 13 print issues) £37.99 (13 digital issues) https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/subscription/mwo ClasX Waterless Wash ClasX says: Waterless Wash cleans hard surfaces beautifully when water isn’t available. Buff Daddy’s Verdict: ClasX Waterless Wash is ideal for lightly-soiled or dusty vehicles. Highly lubricative, it lifts dust/soiling without scratching the paint. Simply mist the area you’re working on, wipe over with a microfibre cloth, then buff with a separate, clean microfibre cloth to a high gloss. If your vehicle is heavily soiled I would recommend a traditional shampoo using a two-bucket washing method. £8.99 500ml +44…

2 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

Q&A

Ask Tim Email: mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk Post: MiniWorld Q&A, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, UK Tim Mundy has worked on Minis since the age of 13. In the 1990s he worked for Oselli Engineering and has been writing for MiniWorld for 26 years. He has owned more than 20 Minis and built two from scratch. Front panel tyre scrub Ten years ago I fitted a set of 5x12” alloys with 165/60x12 Yokohama A539 tyres to my 1984 998cc Mini and have been very pleased with them. As they were 10 years old, and close to the wear limit, I have replaced the tyres with a brand new similar set, and the improvement is fantastic. One problem I am now noticing is that the new…

9 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

2 EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE

SUBSCRIBE FOR JUST £21.99 EVERY SIX MONTHS! FUTURE CLASSICS, A NEW NAME AND FRESH START FOR BARGAIN CARS Providing inspiration, advice and information about buying desirable cars at the right price; cars that are fun; cars that are worth keeping; cars that one day will become genuine classics. VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/CMB23HA OR CALL: 01959 543 747 AND QUOTE CMB23HA LINES OPEN MONDAY – FRIDAY 8.30AM – 5.30PM. CALLS ARE CHARGED AT YOUR STANDARD NETWORK RATE *Full terms and conditions can be found at shop.kelsey.co.uk/terms. Future Classics Publishes 12 times a year. Offer applies to UK subscribers only when paying by direct debit. Your subscription will start with the next available issue with your first 6 issues charged at just £21.99. Payments will continue to be taken at the low rate of…

1 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

Logbook

Popsie Model: 1996 SPi Rover Mini Cooper Hobbies: Attending Mini events and overseas trips Mods: Smootha-Ride kit and uprated headlamps At the end of 2022 I had to face the annual agony of the MoT test. It seems to get harder every year but I am pleased to say that I now have that little piece of paper which means I can look forward to another 12 months of fun playing around in my Mini Cooper. Unlike so many Mini fans I don't do much work on the car myself as increasing old age makes it almost impossible for me to do anything more challenging than tying my own shoe laces. I used to spend every weekend tinkering about doing my own repairs but sadly those days are over. Even…

3 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

YOUR EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS TO ORIGINAL AND GREATEST MAGAZINE FOR THE MINI MiniWorld ▪ Never miss an issue ▪ Free Delivery ▪ Exclusive content ▪ Great savings OFFER 1. DIGITAL EDITION: 13 ISSUES FOR £37.99 Welcome gifts does not come with the digital edition TO SUBSCRIBE DIGITALLY VISIT sHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/MWO2023 OFFER 2. UK PRINT EDITION: 6 ISSUES FOR JUST £23.99 VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/MWO2023 OR CALL OUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TEAM ON 01959 543 747 & QUOTE OFFER CODE MWO2023 HOTLINE OPEN: MON - FRI 8.30AM - 5.30PM…

1 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

Mini Fair

With many more attendees that last-year’s first post-pandemic event, in the club’s own words, this was the year that Mini Fair “got its mojo back". Thousands of eager visitors gathered inside Staffordshire County Showground’s Bingley Hall on 29 January. For many, Mini Fair is about shopping for parts and accessories and it didn’t disappoint. Two halls packed full of autojumble stands kept bargain hunters busy and the vast accumulation of traders included show sponsor Mini Sport. The 2023 event also saw Brightwell Motor Company display both the prototype and the first of the 20 Cooper Car Co 75th-year Minis it is currently building under the watchful eye of expert Mini restorer Scott Turner. Recharged Heritage Limited and Specialist Components showcased their electric Mini builds at the event. The special cars…

2 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

PRE-ORDER THE NEXT ISSUE TODAY

MAY 2023 ISSUE ON SALE 31 MARCH TO ADVERTISE IN THIS ISSUECALL +44 (0)1233 228751 OR EMAIL:ROBIN@TALK-MEDIA.UK DON'T MISS OUT! GET THE NEXT ISSUE DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR ORDER TODAY! Order online at https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/MWO2305 Call now on+44(0)1959 543747** Terms and conditions apply. *Delivery is included for UK customers only. An additional £1 will be added to any overseas addresses. **Lines open Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:30pm (GMT). Calls charged at your standard network rate. Front cover for illustration purposes and subject to change.…

1 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

Mini Scene

Riviera Run on track for return to normality Cornish Mini Club is keen to give Mini owners a fantastic weekend away on the scenic Cornish coast during its annual Riviera Run. The 2023 event takes place 29 April to 1 May at Pentewan Sands Holiday Park, St Austell. CMC is keen to get the event back to its prepandemic popularity so is pulling out all the stops to ensure there is something to entertain every Mini owner. As well as the popular show 'n' shine and cruise, MINIS-R-US will sell essential Mini parts all weekend, the RNLI will bring a lifeboat and the fire brigade will have a display, AC Dodd will tune showgoers' Minis on site. Local crafts and delicacies will be available and there is plenty of space…

2 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

EVENT DIARY

2023 March 2 Mod 'n' Mini Meet At London’s Ace Café on the first Thursday of every month. Good food and good atmosphere at this iconic venue. +44 (0)20 8961 1000 https://london.acecafe.com 12 Mile of Minis Fundraising event for Buttle UK. Starts at MINI Plant UK, Oxon and finishes at Silverstone Interactive Museum. £35 per two-person team includes breakfast. Extra people £14. www.italianjob.com 24-26 Classic Car & Restoration Show Multi-marque event at Birmingham’s NEC. Demonstrations, food outlets, live restorations, club, trade and autojumble stands. +44 (0)7500 695 531 www.necrestorationshow.com 26 Brooklands Mini Day Annual event at the excellent Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey. Club stands, traders, food outlets and café. Run your Mini up the legendary Test Hill. Ticket includes entry to all the museum’s attractions. www.brooklandsmuseum.com April 6 Mod 'n'…

5 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

RESTORATION CORNER

SUB-ASSEMBLIES When you are restoring a Mini or rebuilding the engine it is usually essential to restore and rebuild all of the ancillaries. It is important to do this not only to ensure correct running and reliability but also to make sure that every component is looking its best. It is only too easy to put the bolt-on bits to one side and concentrate on the rebore and cylinder head etc. If the other components are restored as the rebuild progresses then, when it comes to full assembly, the process will be much smoother and a whole lot less frustrating. You may or may not choose to restore carbs at home but, even if you use a specialist such as Burlen Fuel Systems Ltd., there will be some assembly and…

1 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

Mini saloon petrol tanks

When the Mini was introduced in 1959 it was fitted with a 5½-gallon petrol tank. At around 40mpg from the 848cc engine this gave a safe range of about 200 miles. This was in line with most other cars of the period and, considering the road network and the type of journeys that were usual at the time, was therefore entirely acceptable. Petrol stations were much more plentiful back then with just about every town and village having at least one. The 5½-gallon tank was just about adequate for the 1961 997cc Mini Coopers too, provided they weren’t driven too hard. Enter the Cooper S, though, and a greater capacity was soon felt to be needed, especially for longer distance journeys and in competition. The problem was sorted with the…

8 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

SHOWTIME

Over the years, Christine and Phil Longman have owned many Minis including Vans, Pick-ups and Cooper variants. They have especially fond memories of a particular Minivan, which served them well as a garden maintenance vehicle, while they also owned a 1998 Automatic saloon, first registered in 2002. “Phil’s first car was a 1964 Morris Mini-Minor while I took driving lessons in a 1980 saloon,” Christine remembers. “We’ve never been without at least one example of a Mini on our drive since!” As the years progressed, they learned how to spot a genuine and honest car and admit that it’s become increasingly harder to find any Mini on the market devoid of unwelcome issues. “We’re always looking out for our next potential show car,” Christine smiles. “Any real gems that stand…

7 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

BLAST FROM THE PAST

CUSTOM MINI VAN ■ OWNER AT THE TIME: Nick Haughey ■ ISSUE: August 2006 Having owned a Mini in his youth, Nick Haughey bought a Mini Van for a bit of fun and as a promotional vehicle for his audio-visual company. He confessed to not being hands-on when it came to car mechanics and mused that he got a bit carried away. “It’s the old cliché,” admits Nick. “Stick to what you know, and I don’t know about cars. You watch these TV programmes on people doing up houses and they haven’t got the first idea. In fact, they shouldn’t be doing it and then they look surprised by how much it has all cost. I’ve gone and done exactly the same thing with a car!” He was inspired by…

2 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR

Mark McGrath remembers leaving school and starting work as an apprentice electrician. “I was only earning £40 a week so I couldn’t afford to keep a car on the road. I used to walk to a workmate’s house and he would give me a lift and that is where, parked in his drive, I first saw this 1979 1275GT in Tara Green, a dealer option colour, with a dealer-fitted black vinyl roof. When I was growing up, my uncle had a few Minis, including a Mk2 Cooper S and then a Pageant Blue Pick-up, so I spent a lot of my youth in Minis.” Mark was interested in this 1275GT and, after a few enquiries, found out that it had an MG Metro engine but, as he was on an…

10 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

PAST PRESENTS

He’s always been a petrolhead but Minis were not on Paul Weston’s radar until around seven years ago when he bought his first. He is still working on it now. In 2019 he and friend Brian Harding bought three Minis from America. “I kept two and we sold one,” explains Paul. The blue Mini you see here now is one of them and the other is still being restored. It started life as a US-specification, left-hand-drive 1071cc Austin Mini Cooper S. This model is very sought-after among classic car collectors as many feel it drives more nicely than the later 1275cc version. This S was built on 27 January 1964 and went to live in the USA. It was originally Almond Green with an Old English White roof. “A guy…

7 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

Flashback

PERFORMANCE AND COMPETITION TYRES Back in the mid-to later-1960s, and throughout the 1970s, there was a lot more tuning and car enthusiasm than there is now. Chances were that, if you took a trip into town, somewhere along the way you would see a car that had been modified to some extent. Nowadays that is no longer the case and, in many towns, cars have even been banned. Despite all of this, car enthusiasm and tuning are still alive and kicking but have become less generalised and more specialised, particularly when it comes to classic cars. All those years ago, a lot of car enthusiasts used their cars for general commuting throughout the week and competed in the same car at motorsport events at the weekend. These were normally club…

1 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

Logbook

Sheldon Model: Reshelled 1990 Racing Green, 1293cc engine History: Donor Mini bought as aMiniWorld project and reshelled into BMH Mini bodyshell number 1 in 2003. Sorting squeaks Even after a refresh, Sheldon’s suspension still made some interesting creaking noises so it was time to get back to basics. Sheldon may be a joy to drive now, thanks to his 1310cc engine but, even after changing the front subframe mounts, we were still encountering a squeaking noise. It had frustrated me for some time and was starting to drive me a little mad. Investigation was needed and Jim could see the front inner wings flex with the car stationery while I turned the steering wheel. Something was clearly not right. Having discussed the problem with a few Mini chums we decided…

4 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

NO MOKE WITHOUT FIRE

We’ve included some of Terry Cheverall’s previous wild and wonderful Minis in MiniWorld, including a four-door saloon, a six-wheeled Pickup and a Clubman with a rear hatch. When he said that he’d built a Moke during the COVID-19 lockdowns we weren’t sure what to expect. When we saw photos of it we were blown away. This whole Mini has been imagined by Mini specialist restorer Terry and his willing partisan, his dad Andrew. Incredibly, it doesn’t have any Moke panels as it has been completely fabricated by hand from steel. “I’ve always wanted a Moke,” explains Terry, “but I could never afford one. We were very quiet when COVID started so we thought we’d build one.” Luckily, he and his dad live and work together so they could legally work…

7 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

BRITTANY-BOUND

As a boy I was eager to take up continental motoring, inspired by black and white TV news reports of Monte Carlo Rallies, images of deserted country roads lined with poplars stretching to the horizon and photos of palm-tree-fringed filling stations in exotic locations. I longed to see these things for myself but my dad could never be persuaded to take his Austin 1100 any further afield than the Isle of Wight. Over the years, though, I have been fortunate enough to drive abroad myself, travelling to many far-off places in my Minis. My latest trip to France, in September 2022, was somewhat more prosaic however as we encountered neither snowy mountain passes nor any exciting old-style petrol stations, fuelling up instead at workaday supermarket pumps. We did still get…

9 min

MiniWorld|April 2023

MiniWorld BACK ISSUES

FEBRUARY 2022 • Restored Radford Mini Cooper• Restored RSP Mini Cooper S• Technical: front disc brake hubs• The legend of Bogus MARCH 2022 • Superb restored 1964 Traveller• Japanese 1999 Mayfair Automatic• Stunning retro-racer saloon• Performance-tuned 1968 Mk2 APRIL 2022 • Incredible12-car Mini collection• Vortz Cooper S development Mini• 2000 Rover Mini Seven LE• MPi-engined 1961 Mini Van MAY 2022 • 1974 Innocenti 1300 Export• 1997 Mini Cooper Sport 5• Restored Riley Elf MkIII• 1966 Austin Mini Pick-up JUNE 2022 • Incredible Arden 8-port Mk2 S• Restored Innocenti Mk3 Cooper• Coachbuilt-quality Mini Van• Modified Mini Clubman Estate JULY 2022 • Original-condition Mk1 Cooper S• Ice cream van Mini Pick-up• Superbly-modified Mini City E• Restored Paul Smith LE AUGUST 2022 • Modified 1964 Riley Elf• 1972 1275 GT rebuild• Restored Cooper…

1 min