Indholdsfortegnelse for February 1, 2016 i Mini Magazine

ANGLIA CAR AUCTIONS, NOVEMBER 7 • The final Anglia Car Auctions classic auction of 2015 took place on November 7, with terrible weather unable to prevent a healthy attendance at the Kings Lynn venue. Over 80% of the entries were sold, including six Minis. A tidy 1962 Almond Green Cooper with some neat period mods reached the midway point of its estimate by selling for £10,500 including premium, while a MKII Cooper, unusually painted in Fiesta Yellow, surpassed its estimate at £11,025. Meanwhile a restored 55k-mile 1978 Minivan looked to be good value at £7350. A couple of later cars also went under the hammer, including a modified 1990 Mayfair fitted with a 1293cc engine. A former Mini Magazine feature car over 10 years ago, it sold for £6720 –…

Name: Nils Van Dorst Model: 1982 Mini Pick-up Location: Antwerp, Belgium • I bought my Pick-up in England from eBay after lots of searching, and we call him ‘The Pup’. The first time I saw a Mini Pick-up I was totally in love! Then my friend bought one, which made me quite jealous and obsessed about buying one. So I bought this one in 2011 and did a total restoration. Its first time out was for the IMM in Kent in 2014. My brother made me a wooden deck for the load bay and my dad made a full new wiring loom. 80 per cent of the body has been replaced including the whole floor. Now I’m just tinkering with the fine details until it’s finally complete. I think it…

The Leyland Trophée series began in 1973, and was initially open to the entire Leyland range before the Innocenti Cooper 1300 Export became its sole model for the 1974 season. A total of 41 drivers battled it out around 10 circuits in France using virtually standard cars. They ran on Firsat steel 4.5x10-inch wheels, and modifications were restricted to race-spec front brake pads and rear shoes, a smaller diameter steering wheel, a driver’s racing seat and a rollcage. Power was around the 75bhp mark. The following season saw changes to the rules, allowing French specialists such as Autorama, Albion Auto and Actual Auto to get more involved in engine modifications. Now permitted was a special camshaft, uprated valve springs, a Weber 45DCOE carburettor with specific inlet manifold, a modified distributor,…

Clive’s Mini was surely the ultimate in abandoned garage finds. “I had been looking for another MkI shell for my original Cooper S rally car after an accident,” he says. “I was told about a car that had been in a lock-up for many years, but the trail went cold, so I ended up repairing my original car. “Two years later I received a call asking if I still needed the car, as the garage was being knocked down and it would be scrapped,” he continues, “but they did not know whether it was a MkI or a later-type car. I went to see it but they could not find the keys to get into the garage. So I arranged to call back, and when I did we still had…

ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTOR £56.65 If you wish to upgrade a points-type distributor on a pre-A-plus engine, Mini Spares now offers this Lucas 45D replacement as a contactless electronic type. Anyone using a 41824A or 41418 distributor on a daily-driven Mini should consider this as an affordable reliability upgrade, doing away with the old fashioned points. The 45D is supplied set-up for any 998cc/1098cc/1275cc Mini fitted with a negative earth electrical system and can be ordered as part number BAU1962MS. • 01707 607700 • www.minispares.com FUEL PRESSURE GAUGE £18.84 Webcon has just launched its own range of fuel pressure gauges including a 0-15 psi version for us old fashioned folk still on carburettors. The gauges aren’t to be mounted on a dashboard but temporarily fitted in-line to test all is well. It’s…

The Mighty Minis has switched to become part of the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) for 2016, having spent 20 years with the British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC). The move sees series owner and co-ordinator Rodger Tello step down from his position as a BRSCC director, a role he has held since 2007. “This is start of something much bigger for Mighty Minis,” he said. “The BRSCC was great in helping us get the grids together 20 years ago, but the amount of championships it runs has dwindled. Moving to the BARC is keeping us in line with what my ideal was many years ago. It has a greater portfolio at the moment in terms of event content, and will give us the opportunity to grow in future.”…

January 10 Wirral to Llandudno Run Wirral Mini’s popular annual run from Bromborough on the Wirral to Llandudno, via the picturesque Great Orme. It’s free to enter, but the club encourages the purchase of run plaques as this has allowed it to donate thousands to its chosen charities. 150 cars are expected. www.wirralminis.com January 14-16 Autosport International Huge annual motorsport-themed show taking place at Birmingham’s NEC. Expect some Mini content, plus traders, numerous displays, live action, top personalities and more. www.autosportinternational.com January 22-24 Mini Winter Rally Fancy an adventure amongst the snowy Swiss Alps? Mini Club Romand’s long-running annual event sees Mini crews from all over Europe take part in a relaxed competitive rally. mini-winter-rally.blogspot.co.uk January 31 British Mini Fair The largest indoor Mini event in the UK, taking place…

BODY 1967 MkI Morris Mini Traveller, fully restored with new floors, sills, heel board, front end, rear inner arches, A-panels, door skins and more. New custom-made wood kit for rear, one-piece fibreglass hinged rear door, Morris Cooper S grille, roof aerial, Halogen headlamps, bullet door mirror. Paint: Old English White with Almond Green roof. ENGINE 1300 GT Gold seal, bored plus-0.020-inch, 21253 pistons, A-plus con-rods, 10:1 compression ratio, crank re-ground, Mk3 Cooper S head fully rebuilt with unleaded conversion and lightly-polished ports. Avonbar 1.5:1 forged rockers, Swiftune CSI distributor, Piper 270 camshaft, adjustable Vernier cam gears, HIF44 SU carburettor on standard Rover Cooper inlet, MED stub stack system, Facet fuel pump, Powerlite starter motor, Mini Spares alloy radiator, Maniflow Stage 2 LCB, Maniflow twin-box system modified for extra ground clearance,…

BODY 1974 Innocenti Cooper 1300 Export, restored with new floorpans, sills, wings, front panel and doorskins, original Italian glass made by Securit and Sicursiv, with opening front quarter-lights and stainless upper door trim, original bootlid with the wider licence plate recess and Carello rear numberplate lamp, stainless steel bumpers. Carello stamped headlight rims, Carello front sidelight/indicator units, side repeaters and rear lights. Paint: Verde Chiaro 74 with Nero roof. ENGINE Innocenti Cooper Export A-Series bored to 1293cc, Omega pistons, turftrided crankshaft, Piper 255 camshaft, ported and polished 12G940 cylinder head (12G1805 stamped), S rockers with offset bushes, twin HS4 carburettors, Lucas 25D4 distributor type 41390B, three-into-one exhaust manifold, Maniflow centre-exit exhaust system, Lucas 25D4 distributor. Power: 85bhp (estimated). GEARBOX Rebuilt standard four-speed close-ratio rod-change gearbox with 3.444:1 final drive, pot…

BODY 1964 Austin Cooper S shell, with ‘bung holes’ welded up, fibreglass bonnet and boot, aluminium doors, twin tanks, steel sump guard with ally extension, fibreglass floor protectors. ENGINE 1275 GT A-Series block bored to 1330cc, 1275 GT crank and Metro con-rods, Arden eight- port head with race-spec camshaft, twin 40 Dell’Orto carbs on short manifold, ultra light steel flywheel and back plate, aluminium radiator. TRANSMISSION Straight-cut four-speed remote-change gearbox, Salisbury limited-slip differential with 4.1:1 final drive ratio, uprated output shafts, competition-sized driveshafts, Works remote and mountings SUSPENSION Dry set-up with Bilstein dampers, uprated suspension mounting points, Hydrolastic front arms and bump stops, Adjusta Rides, adjustable tie-rods, fixed 1.5-degree negative camber bottom arms. BRAKES Cooper S brake assembles with carbon metallic pads (front) Minifin drums (rear). WHEELS AND TYRES 4.5x10-inch…

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 even start it. Leave it to the experts.…

MINI LIFE I’ll run out of fingers and toes if I try and count all the Minis I’ve had. I love to spend all my spare time working on them, although progress can be tricky as my lock-up is 200 miles away from where I live! MINI SPEC I currently own seven Minis in various states of repair. Currently only a couple are road legal, although I'm working hard to change all that! MINIS OWNED 1995 Sidewalk 1994 Mini Sprite 1970 1275 GT 1971 Mini 850 1972 Mini 1275 GT 1972 Innocenti Mini 1001 1991 Mini Mayfair Following last month's Italian adventure to collect our Mini in the Park raffle car, thoughts tuned to slightly more practical matters. I'd really enjoyed driving the car back from Milan in a whirlwind…

BODY 1994 Mini 35, restored with new wings, A-panels, scuttle, bonnet, doorskins, inner and outer sills, battery box and rear valance, repairs to boot floor and floorpans, dash rail holes welded up, no arches, wavy grille with grille buttons, earlier-style clear front indicators, clear side repeaters, early bootlid handle, genuine Mini Spares bumpers, Mk3 bonnet badge, Mk2/3 rear lights, pressed numberplates, towing eyes, new glass. Paint: Rover Nevada Red. ENGINE Mini Spares 1293cc Evolution short engine built by Bill Richards, lightened and balanced crank and con-rods, Evolution001 fast road camshaft, lightened ST followers, P21253-20 pistons, ‘performance’ 1275 push rods, CNCmachined head with 35.7/31 valves, Keith Dodd forged 1.5-ratio rockers, Lucas 65DM4 distributor, Mini Spares super two-core radiator, Mini Spares silicone hoses, braided fuel hoses, braided servo and clutch lines, HIF44…

NEW WELSH RACE TRACK Ebbw Vale is set to receive its very own £325 million racetrack, set to bring £45m into the local economy of Blaenau Gwent and South Wales. 6000 jobs and three-quarters of a million visitors will be created at the new Circuit of Wales. The sign- off on land derestriction was completed last month to the delight of circuit backers Heads of The Valleys Development Company (HOTVDC) , which told BBC South East Wales that the approval was “a positive milestone” and “vital” for work to proceed further. MINI DISPLAY A new MINI exhibition showcasing new and old has opened up at BMW Welt exhibition facility in Munich. The display covers nearly 800 square metres and features nine cars, including the new Clubman models and a 1965…

Name: Marc Simpson Model: SPi Cooper Location: Horsham • Here’s my brother James’ Mini, his first car that I once taught him to drive in. It's been off the road for a few years now as we’ve rebuilt it ourselves, doing everything apart from the paint. James has fitted many panels including a full front end, rear panel, parcel shelf, sills, door steps and flitch panels, plus a new rear subframe. It was then treated to a retro look with MkII rear lights, overriders and 6x10-inch GB wheels covering some Mini Sport brakes. The colour is from a later Cooper Sport as James wanted a metallic finish. The car also had a running gear rebuild at the same time, so it’s basically a new car. The future plans are to…

BODY 1962 Austin MkI Mini, new complete M-Machine floor, boot floor, doorskins and front end, professionally converted to a Mini Sprint by Neville Trickett including vertical deseaming, modified bonnet, full-skirt front panel with towing eyes, Cooper boot board brackets, MkI Austin wavy grille, Mini Sprint boot badge, H4 headlamps,modified Riley short door handles. Paint: Jaguar Primrose Yellow with Old English White roof. ENGINE Genuine 1070cc Cooper S engine with lightened, balanced and nitrided crankshaft, AEG177 con-rods, standard-bore flat-top pistons, Calver ST RE13OT camshaft, Specialist Components billet aluminium seven-port head with 36/31 valves, Cooper S forged rockers with solid spacers, 36mm AT Technologies billet individual throttle bodies, Typhoon 2 ECU, Ford injectors, bespoke fuel rail, ram pipes with ITG filters, trigger wheel and sensor, bespoke wiring loom, billet thermostat housing, two-radiator…

“This year marked the 50th anniversary of the last Works Mini victory on the RAC...” The chances are that anyone reading this magazine will already be more than familiar with the exploits of the BMC Mini on the world rally stages. The Mini’s astounding success against the likes of Porsche, Saab and Citroën did much to lift its image, and it quickly began to be seen as something rather special indeed, certainly a case of a car being greater than the sum of its component parts. That said, it’s impossible to escape the fact that rallying has changed a huge amount since the Mini’s ‘60s heyday, and a sport that was once characterised by dogged endurance events and plucky amateurs has become something altogether more professional, more polished and much,…

Have you ever stopped to think about the scale of the Mini industry? Today it may seem like a small niche within the classic sector, but few other marques are supported by such a wide selection of specialists around the world. Behind the scenes are hundreds of people in full-time work thanks to the Mini; it’s incredible really. One of the fortunate people to have made a living from what was originally a hobby is Paul Hughes, owner of SPD Automotive Ltd. On the face of it, Paul’s company designs and imports upmarket alloy wheels for German sports saloons and tuning parts for the Japanese car fans, but dig deeper and you’ll find classic Minis are central to everything. In fact, this huge aftermarket parts distributor all started with Paul…

MINI LIFE Started out as 'a hand with the spanners' to my cousin Peter who'd just started racing in Mini Miglias. Spent fortunes at Mini Spares Centre building a couple of Miglias before joining the company for 5 years. During my 'Mini Life' I've had everything on the road from bog standard 850s to Monstrous 1600s and every conceivable variation you can imagine in between. MINI SPEC Clubman shell undergoing a serious diet. Initial engine will be 1380, trying out one of Swiftune's DC5 crank, rods and pistons kit in a block prepped and raced by Swiftune at Goodwood in the DART that Nick drove to an excellent win. Cam will be a Graham Russell 308 full race cam using bigger diameter cam followers. New spec cylinder head done, 1.5…

MINI LIFE My Mini life began aged 13 with a SEGTO Junior race Mini, followed by the usual path of learning to drive in a Mini, joining a local club and getting involved in the shows. 15 years later, I've driven, photographed and written about some of the best cars on the scene. I've now got two project cars – a stripped-out trackday warrior and a supercharged MINI Cooper S daily drive. Both have their merits, but only one works... MINI SPEC My classic Mini project car has evolved over 10 years from scabby daily drive to weekend ICE machine before its latest reincarnation as a stripped-out performance Mini. There's an AC Dodd 100bhp 1330cc engine with a straight-cut box and plenty more besides. The theme is modern motorsport but…

MINI LIFE The first car I ever rode in, at six days old, was a modified MkI Elf. I grew up with Minis, met my wife at a Mini show in Florida, and married into Minis Unlimited. We then moved to a bigger house and rented an industrial unit so we could enlarge our collection further. MINI SPEC Named after the character in 'League of Gentlemen', Tubbs is the ginger step-child of the fleet. Abused and neglected, she is a hotchpotch of parts thrown together and generally only gets any attention when she chucks a strop and goes wrong. MINIS OWNED 1985 City E 15 others in assorted conditions… Cutting a rusty sill off or chopping out a lump of corrosion is one thing, but taking a saw to the…