Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i Mini Magazine

Time flies. I find it really hard to believe that it's now three decades since Rover finally got wise to the fact that the world once more needed a Mini to reflect the car's sporting pedigree, and released the RSP, quickly followed by the 'mainstream' Mini Cooper. I'm old enough to remember the excitement about launch of these cars, the return of the Cooper name and the fact that here, at last, was a Mini that wasn't just a cheap runabout but had enough power to be fun and long enough legs to take on proper runs - home and abroad. True, there was nothing new about 1275cc Minis. When the factory had stopped, we enthusiasts had carried on building on our own. And thanks to the Metro, there was…

2020 has certainly been a strange year for us all with the majority of events being postponed due to Covid-19. MiniRunUK have managed to put on a safe social distanced meet at their new headquarters followed by their first run of the year. Mini owners were finally able to get together for a full driving day and socially distanced picnic. The new headquarters is situated between four counties, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire offering hundreds of miles of different driving routes surrounded by beautiful scenery. A total of 76 minis attended the run for a fun filled day of driving on twisty roads taking in beautiful landscapes with historic buildings, driving through woodlands, humpback bridges that make your stomach jump... basically ticking all the boxes for the perfect driving day.…

• The London & Surrey Mini Owners Club have taken the difficult decision to reschedule the upcoming October 2020, 35th annual London to Brighton Mini Run to Sunday 16th May 2021. After following Government and medical advice regarding social distancing, they have considered the logistics and legalities of putting on the event this year; and feel that they cannot guarantee the safety and wellbeing of all L2B participants. The good news is that they are already planning an extra special 35th annual London to Brighton Mini Run for everyone to look-forward to in 2021! If you already have a ticket for this year’s L2B, then you will be automatically able to use it at the rescheduled 35th annual L2B on Sunday 16th May 2021. It's been reassuring to hear that…

Clint Ford and his twin brother Jay are dyed-in-the-wool classic Mini fans and have been since 1994, which was when they started attending various car events and found themselves being drawn towards all things Mini. “Jay and I really liked the classic Mini scene, and its variety,” recalls Clint smiling. “In fact, we liked it so much we bought Minis in 1995 and started learning to drive in them. In 1996, we passed our driving tests in those Minis and we’ve been around Minis and attending shows together ever since.” TRACK RECORD Clint has owned many Minis over the years, including a ‘Shorty’, and a highly modified Riley Elf (which featured in Mini Magazine in 2013). “The Shorty was fun for a time,” laughs Clint. “But the lack of interior…

COST New gear lever approx £50.00, rubber mounting bobbins £8.50 TOOLS REQUIRED Jack, axle stands, hammer, drift, sockets/spanners 1/2,9/16, 3/4-inch AF, wire brush, electric drill, cleaning fluid, paint, paint brush, rags. TIME TAKEN 2 hours DIFFICULTY “You may have to try and locate a good secondhand item” Due to its location under the floor of your Mini, the rod change gear shift can become heavily corroded and covered in road dirt which can result in an unpleasant feel to your gear change. A couple of hours spent cleaning and refurbishing it can therefore transform the driving pleasure of your car, and as an added bonus it might not cost you any money either! Having said that, there are a number of parts that can wear out and require replacement. The…

SHORT STUFF Q I’ve just acquired a part completed ‘shorty’ Mini project. Before I start to spend any more time or money on it, I need to find out if the car will be road legal once it’s finished. The car has passed through the hands of several owners in its current state, and I only took a chance on it as it was so cheap. I’m now wondering if the previous owners failed to get it on the road because of bureaucratic reasons. The work that has been done to shorten the body looks to have been done to a high standard. How road legal are shortened Minis? Once it is complete and running, does it just need a normal MoT, or am I going to be faced with…

With shows cancelled and the commute to the office reduced to a walk to the spare room, most of my driving as lockdown eased has been for the sheer pleasure of it. Sadly, my red Mayfair threatened to spoil my fun by suffering from a massive flat spot and generally running rough. . Now the obvious answer would be to take the car to a rolling road. However, I was mindful of travelling too far in a car that wouldn’t run properly in the wake of a pandemic, and in any case, I wanted the car to be right for road use. Now this is by no means true in all cases, but the main reason that many rolling roads are in business is to set up race cars. There…

When it was announced in July 1990, it would have been hard to predict the enormous impact the RSP Cooper would have, not only on the course the Mini would take but also on how both enthusiast and the general public viewed the car. Announced as a very limited edition, it later became clear that the new ‘mainstream’ Cooper was ready and waiting in the wings. The sporting Mini was back with a bang. The Cooper name had disappeared from the UK Mini range in 1971 with the demise of MkIII Cooper S. And by 1990, the last Mini to leave the factory fitted with a 1275cc engine was almost ten years old – the 1275GT had finally gone out of production in 1980 as the Metro hit the showrooms.…

• The organisers of IMM 2021 have been busy putting together the schedule for the annual Mini event, which will take place 20-23 May at Villa Moltalvo, Florence, Italy. This trip offers you the chance to get to know other Mini enthusiasts and take your own pride and joy out on some of the best Italian driving roads. As well as experiencing the local food, craft beer and scenery. The trip will include visits to Pisa and Florence and will be sponsored by Mini Sport. For those looking for a little extra luxury, glamping is also available. The event is supported by Rauno Aaltonen who has been chatting with the organisers online since June. Book your tickets: www.imm2021.it…

• The British Motor Museum will play host to a new innovative production ‘Voices of the West End’ which will be performed live in the safe and beautiful grounds of the Museum on 25, 26 and 27 September. The outdoor production, which is a collaboration between Ginger Boy Productions and Birmingham Hippodrome, will showcase music from the West End’s greatest musicals. Some of the theatre world’s most illustrious singers will perform award-winning hits including Earl Carpenter who played Javert and John Owen-Jones who played Jan Valjean in Cameron Mackintosh’s 25th Anniversary Tour of Les Misérables. They will be joined by two of the best female Voices of the West End: Kerry Ellis and Katie Hall. Kerry Ellis is one of the top leading ladies of Broadway and West End musicals.…

Send ‘Your Minis’ pictures to minimag.ed@kelsey.co.uk MELLOW YELLOW Name: Abel Munoz-Hermoso Car: 1978 Mini 100 Location: North Carolina • Abel got his Mini 100 from somebody in Kentucky who in turn bought it from somebody who had it imported in from the UK. It’s right hand drive which Abel loves as it feels like a classic Mini should. When he first got it, it had 10 inch Starmag wheels but Abel has always been a huge fan of reverse rims which he managed to source in exchange from a 1.3 fuel injected engine that was included with the car. Other modifications include retro wavy grille, getting rid of the wheel arches, reupholstering the interior, bumper overriders, P700 Tripod headlights and adjustable front and rear suspension. Future plans might also include…

The really difficult stuff just comes naturally to some people. Like the sheet metal skills that form a door skin from scratch or the body preparation techniques that lead to a perfect paint finish without a scratch, some people just have it sussed. Take, for example Dessie Moore. He completed his apprenticeship in an era when young lads learned their trade fitting wings and sills to Minis and he has been running his own body repair business ever since. “I’ve always had a Mini shell in the corner of the garage that I could turn to if there was a quiet day,” he says and the 1100 Special which he restored for his wife (featured in the May 2020 issue of Mini Magazine) shows that when it comes to Mini…

Poised for my 24 hour race, I have been catching up in various areas. The 24 hour races tend to have to be held somewhere remote and in this year’s case the wilds of rural Norfolk at Snetterton. I have long kept the picture (below) of one car on the cliff top heading towards the sea 200 feet below from when it was held at Anglesey. It has to the most epic track for scenery and experience in the UK, so I can continue to dream about going back there. I have also found the pic (above) of my very first “race” in France at Dreux in 2001 with my ‘61 car in the jolly old days when you could turn up in a road car and take part in…

• Acespeed R is the racing brand of Acespeed Historic Motorsport. Join the Acespeed R supporters club and get the inside track on their racing activities, race car builds and new products. Every member will be entitled to a 10 percent discount in their online shop which includes all you need to restore your road car, build a race or rally car or get gifts for the motoring enthusiast in your life. Membership also includes a monthly newsletter, advanced notice of special events, new products and a chance to meet the Acespeed team. If you have a favourite number (a racing number) let them know at checkout and they’ll do their best to provide you with that membership number. In addition to your membership card you will receive a pack…

If you were to replace those Rosepetals with standard steels and line Mark Baker’s MkIII up with a dozen other Minis at a show, we doubt it would get much more than a second glance. Lift the bonnet, and it would be a different story, but even for the Mini enthusiast, here is a car that takes a little figuring out before it can be really appreciated. Mark’s involvement with the Mini goes back six years. “I’d not had a Mini before. I nearly bought one in 2008. I went and looked at one but it was rotten and needed too much work – I was hoping to just take the engine out and do a few bits and pieces, but it needed quite a lot of welding and I…

As Alfie Jones approaches driving age, it’s the perfect time for him to learn about car restoration. What better way to teach him than on his own Mini? Now that Dad, Lee, has almost finished rebuilding his Clubman, he’s ready for some father son bonding while showing Alfie the ropes. Alfie hasn’t actually driven a Mini before, but he’s been out in plenty and shares the Mini mania with his Dad. Lee’s Clubman was a bit of a nostalgia trip. It was owned by a friend and reminded him of a GT he’d owned when he was younger. After uttering the immortal ‘if you ever want to sell it…’, it wasn’t long before the car was in the Jones’ garage. When it proved to have a few flaws, Lee has…

“Each time I have to work near the paint on the Downton, I break out in a cold sweat” When we hear about how feature car owners have conducted their rebuilds, I have nothing but respect for how organised they appear to be. Labelled racking and separate shelves for each section of the car, spotless floors and workbenches, and each task completed in timely fashion and in order. With the Downton, when we were stripping it down, we were methodical in labelling and crating everything that came off – even the parts that we knew wouldn’t be reused. We’d also decided for the same reason that we would, for the most part, only refurbish parts when we were almost ready for them to be reunited with the car. The only…

It’s been apparent right from the beginning with the GTM that the body was going to need some work. Fibreglass cars can be finished in a number of ways. The gel coat – the outer most layer of resin – can be coloured during manufacture and if this is done well, gives a shine similar to paint. This is how the Rossa had originally been finished. The only trouble with gel coat is that it’s even more susceptible to UV damage than paint, so if it’s not treated with kid gloves, it can deteriorate badly. Hence the red/white/beige dull finish on the GTM. I’m ever the optimist when it comes to paintwork, and over the years, have brought many a faded car back to acceptable levels with wet and dry,…