Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i Mini Magazine

This month, the anniversary extravaganza continues as we get right into the swing of our 20th birthday year. We aren't the only ones celebrating of course, as 2016 also marks the golden jubilee for the Mini 7 Racing Club. And to mark that occasion, we've got an exclusive interview with 1966 and 1967 champion Bob Fox. It's a fascinating tale of race wins and near-death experiences, which you can read all about from page 76. In fact, there's a bit of a motorsport theme to this issue. As well as the stunning hillclimbspec creation that features on our cover, we've got a super-cool 1380 Minisprint racer all the way from Japan. You'll also find an amazing KAD twin-cam track car that's currently being built by Rightline Motorsport, and great Volvo-powered…

• Conditions were unseasonably warm for this year’s Monte Carlo Historique, a classic rally held on January 27 - February 3. A lack of snow isn’t usually good news for the Mini entrants, who often excel on the slower icy stages. 13 Minis were registered for the gruelling event, including Bill Richards and his new navigator Graham Carter in their freshly rebuilt ‘65 Cooper S. There were 258 finishers from 314 starters, and of those an impressive 11 out of 13 Minis made it home in one piece. Bill and Graham had their best result for the British team to date, scoring the accolade of top Mini, 83rd overall and third in class. “We had a great rally but I made of couple of mistakes,” said Bill. “I clipped the…

• One of Gerry Anderson’s futuristic Mini-based vehicles has been saved from the crusher after being found on the Canary Islands. Based on a Moke, the six-wheeled creation was one of two built in 1968 for TV and film appearances. James Winch, a fan of the TV science fiction vehicles associated with Thunderbirds creator Anderson, discovered the car in a Tenerife scrapyard in March 2014. Seeing it as valuable piece of TV and sci-fi history, James negotiated a deal to bring it to his home in Essex. Designed by Thunderbirds effects specialist Derek Meddings and built by Space Models of Feltham, the converted Moke had an extra subframe fitted to the rear. It retained the A-Series engine but was married to a glassfibre shell, with front lights borrowed from a…

• Wattisham Mini Club is set to host its Charlie’s Mini Adventure in aid of the East Anglia Children’s Hospice (EACH) on April 9. All Minis and MINIs are welcomed to take part in the event, which will begin in Stowmarket bound for the Blackthorpe Barn in Rougham, near Bury St Edmunds. The club was formed in 2014 by Lance Corporal Simon Jessop of 4 Regiment Army Air Corps to bring together like-minded Mini enthusiasts at Wattisham Station. It was created in response to a growing number of serving soldiers on the camp that were beginning to own Minis and MINIs, and after just 12 months, it can boast an impressive 115 members from all over Suffolk, Norfolk and further afield. Features at Blackthorpe Barn will include a static show…

Bumper levels of excitement and anticipation preceded British Mini Club’s annual Mini Fair on January 31, culminating in a record crowd passing the doors of the Bingley Hall venue at the Staffordshire County Showground. Not only is this long-running event the perfect place to buy parts for those winter projects, it’s a great chance to catch up with fellow Mini fans from all over the UK and Europe. Primarily, the main appeal of this event is the vast amount of trade and autojumble stands. Vendors included all the big names right down to the one man bands and even traders from overseas, all under one roof. There was also time for a charity auction, with funds raised going to the West Midlands Air Ambulance. But it wasn’t all about shopping…

ACCOMMODATION • You can stay in one of the nearby holiday villages or a hotel (see www.imm2016.be), but for that authentic IMM experience, it’s all about camping with your mates. What can beat staggering back to your tent in the black of night, tripping on a guide rope and collapsing on a fellow club member? In all seriousness, remember a torch and you’ll get on just fine. And don’t forget your other camping essentials, like a warm sleeping bag (it is May) or plenty of hoodies if you’re too tight to buy a thicker one. Cooking gear is useful too, and barbecues are fine as long as you don’t have an open fire. Folding camping chairs are also a must! We’re told the showers will be plentiful and warm too,…

“Shaun isn’t an all-out modified Mini fan, however, as he’s also working on restoring a MkI-style Island Blue saloon...” PROJECT PROFILE THE OWNER NAME: Shaun King AGE: An average age... OCCUPATION: Programme director LOCATION: Dorset THE CAR: CAR: Mini Miglia-inspired road/race machine START CONDITION: Stalled project, a bare shell CONDITION NOW: ‘caged up and almost ready for paint TIME TAKEN SO FAR: A couple of months ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION: Mid-2016 Shaun started racing Minis back in 1992 and successfully campaigned various Mini Se7ens over the next five seasons before progressing to MGFs alongside friend and fellow Mini racer, Bill Sollis. But he says the MGs weren’t really his cup of tea, and he later moved to the MINI Challenge. Now Shaun’s back to classic Minis once more, and this…

There seems to be one simple cliché that your average newspaper or TV reporter arrives at whenever dealing with anything Mini-related, and that’s to break out some kind of tenuous comparison to the The Italian Job. We can’t blame them really – the canonical 1969 Michael Caine caper is probably responsible for more Mini purchases than all the sales brochures put together. For Slovenian Mini fan Martin Doberšek though, it was actually the oft-derided Hollywood remake that would transform his flicker of interest into a full-blown flame. The early seed for Martin’s Mini fondness was planted when he was given a die-cast model to play with as a young child. But it wasn’t until he saw the 2003 movie, when a classic red Rover Cooper made a short cameo appearance…

Gross generalisation though it may be, there tends to be three main types of people when it comes to car ownership. There’s the buffet brigade, keen to swap cars every year or so and sample everything available. In the middle are the multiple mid-termers, who hold onto their machines for a few years, and then there are the long-termers and lifers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the latter group tend to be the most willing to wait for the perfect example to come along. Or if it’s not perfect, keep modifying or restoring it so it is. Japanese Mini fan Tsutomu Nishimura is a prime example. “I wanted a Mini that would follow me through life,” he says, and so it’s proven, with his 1964 Cooper S-based Minisprint ‘GTS’ changing alongside the man…

• The future is looking much brighter for Z Cars following the sad news that it had ceased trading last November. Mini enthusiast and Z Car owner David Rose has purchased the rights to the brand and plans to relaunch it this year. Z cars was originally founded by Chris Allanson, but he sold the business in 2013, two years ahead of the closure. David has long been a fan of the extreme Z Cars creations and was concerned as to how the closure would impact future ownership. “I couldn’t get my held around how the company had failed after being so successful in more difficult economic times,” he told us. “I knew Chris would be hurting as much as me so I offered to buy the rights so I…

In association with Offering the opportunity for drivers to swap their overalls for a black tie, the Mini 7 Racing Club’s annual awards evening took place at the Stratford Manor Hotel on January 23. The event was attended by special guest Bob Fox, who won the first two Se7en championships in 1966 and 1967. The biggest winner on the night was Kane Astin, whose haul of awards filled the entire table! In addition to his trophy for winning the 2015 Mini Miglia title, he picked up a further six awards. These included the Mike Fry Trophy for the most Miglia pole positions, along with the Steve Bell Memorial, Nick Cooke, Chris Tyrrell and ST Trophy awards. The Steve Bell Memorial award goes to the points leader in either championships after…

March 5-6 NEC Restoration Show Classic car and restoration event held at the NEC in Birmingham. Expect displays, traders and autojumble, www.necrestorationshow.com March 19-20 Goodwood Members’ Meeting The 74th annual Members’ Meeting, featuring a whole host of great historic motorsport and demonstrations. Held at the Goodwood Circuit near Chichester in West Sussex. www.grrc.goodwood.com March 20 Cap’n Jaspers Gathering West Country Mini Scene’s first Breakfast Gathering of the season, taking place at Plymouth Barbican from 10am-3pm. www.wcminiscene.co.uk March 26 Horsham Piazza Italia Minis parade through Horsham as part of the West Sussex town’s Italian-themed weekend. www.horshampiazzaitalia.co.uk March 27 East Coast MC Easter Run Starting at Ram Meadow car park in Bury St Edmunds bound for Southwold, in aid of Help For Heroes. Entry is £12 per car including goody bag, run…

Refreshing Sprite You ran a small piece on page 35 in the last edition of Mini Magazine (March) about limited editions asking where have they all gone... Well here is my 1983 Primula Yellow Mini Sprite in original condition. This car has been featured before many years ago but she still survives, now in my ownership. She gets many admiring looks and is surely one of the last few truly original condition 1983 Sprites in existence. A worthy member of a very special place in Mini history! Adrian Barrett What a stunner. The ‘83 Sprite is one of our favourites, and we remember this example from our buying guide back in 2007. If you like your Mini limited editions, check out where it all started from page 70. A-Series art…

Name: Aaron Lynch Car: 1994 Mini 35 LE Location: County Louth • I’m lucky enough to have five Minis – a ’79 Rose 1100 Special, an ’85 Ritz, ’91 Cooper, a MINI diesel and the current project, this Mini 35. I bought the car three years ago when I was 16 and so far I've replaced the sills, front subframe, fitted a quick rack and added poly bushes all round. I also spent a lot of time building a new 1275 engine for it, as the old one was knackered. It’s got a turbo oil pump, central oil pick-up pipe, new pistons, uprated clutch, fast road cam, lightly-ported cylinder head and a rebuilt gearbox. There’s just a set of straight-cut drop gears to be fitted, then new carpets and Honda…

Money can’t buy good taste, so the saying goes. Sure, it can buy you a massive house, flashy motor or even a ridiculously overblown wedding, but it can’t always stop you from looking terrible – there are enough pink Range Rovers around to tell us that much. Thankfully though, it’s also possible to flip this theory on its head and build something absolutely stunning without the need for a Chelsea bank balance. For proof, witness Tom Kidd’s beautiful classic race-style Mini. If you’re reasonably familiar with the Mini scene, then it’s likely that Tom’s name will ring a bell. As well as having his immaculate modified Mini Tahiti featured back in our March 2004 issue, the graphic designer is well known for his handy sideline in Japanese-style steering column brackets,…

The prolific run of Mini limited editions had to start somewhere, and for the Mini it all began with the sought-after 1100 Special of 1979 and 1980 – or at least, that’s what many people might think. We can’t say we’re surprised; a fairly plain-looking Brooklands Green or Glacier White Mini 1000 rolling out of the showroom decorated with little more than a gold coachline could easily have slipped away unnoticed when it was new back in January 1976. Even though 3000 examples were produced, you’re unlikely to see one at a show or even in a museum, and no one seems to know for sure what they look like or even what they should be called. But this fabled limited edition was the first to be sold and marketed…

On the face of it, this might all seem rather too niche for a tech feature. But converting a Mini from left-hand-drive to right-hand-drive isn’t just applicable to the few who have bought Minis from overseas. The principles are similar if you’re going the other way round, so ideal for our many readers who have bought Minis from the UK, Japan, South America or Australia and want to move the controls. Moreover, this job involves several of the tasks you’re likely to need to perform on your Mini from time to time, even if you’re not changing which side you sit on. Although converting the driving position of a Mini from one side to the other is far simpler than with many other cars, there are still many things to…

The London Classic Car Show (LCCS) returned to ExCel London from February 18-21. Double the size of last year’s inaugural event, the show attracted big-name personalities such as Jenson Button, Bruno Senna, Jodie Kidd and Suzi Perry, as well as several classic Minis. One of the big highlights was the ‘Six Nations’ contest, held on the show’s Grand Avenue, a highway running through the centre of the show. The finest cars produced by France, Germany, Italy, Japan, USA and the UK were involved, including the Lamborghini Miura used in The Italian Job. Helping to make the case for the UK was a stunning 1964 MkI Cooper S in Surf Blue, one of three cars brought to the show by Classic Mini Finder. Its display stand also featured two other special…

• Following its £1.1million refurbishment and the opening of its new £4million Collections Centre, the renamed British Motor Museum opened to the public on February 13. The changes are designed to result in a more visually exciting and interactive experience, with the new themed zones including a motorsport area that plays host to the three Works Monte Carlo Rally Minis, 33 EJB, AJB 44B and LBL 6D. In addition to the massive improvements in the main museum, 250 extra cars from the reserve collections of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Heritage Trust are now completely accessible too. What’s more, they’re all parked up in the new building in a way that will make it possible to swap the cars to freshen up the main exhibits when…

To celebrate the Mini 7 Racing Club’s 50th anniversary, one lucky Mini race fan could win a full race weekend at the Brands Hatch Mini Festival behind the wheel of a Owens Motorsport/SBM Miglia! Entry to the prize draw costs £20 per ticket, and four lucky finalists will be chosen at random after April 30 2016. They will then have the chance to prove themselves in the car ahead of the Brands Hatch Mini Festival. The winner will be chosen not for outright speed, but safety and overall competence behind the wheel. Visit www.mini7.co.uk for more details, plus the full terms and conditions. To enter online, simply send your £20 entry fee via Paypal to mini7racingclub@aol.com, along with the details listed in the entry form on the website. Otherwise, make…

WHAT IS AN IMM? • If you’ve been to an International Mini Meeting then you’ll already know what all the fuss is about, but for those that haven’t, an IMM is no ordinary Mini event. These occasions boast a unique atmosphere that simply has to be experienced to be appreciated. Passionate Mini fans get together from all over Europe and beyond to make new friendships, renew old ones, wear fancy dress, drink beer and party into the early hours. Oh, and there are still all the normal Mini show attractions, too! Incredibly, the 2016 IMM in Belgium will be the 39th of its kind. And, perhaps curiously for a British icon, it all began overseas. Yep, the IMM has roots back to 1978, when Mini Club Moers hosted a small…

Name: Jeroen Seve Car: Mk3 Riley Elf Location: Belgium • Hello Mini Magazine, here’s my 1967 Mk3 Riley Elf that I bought as a rolling project. I replaced the complete floor, sills and whole front end, which involved making my own front panel using a standard round-nose item. Then I modified the door catches so I could fit standard Mini doors, and tweaked the tunnel so a later gearbox would fit. Afterwards I took the broken Hydrolastic suspension off and replaced it with a dry set-up. Altogether it saved buying a lot of expensive original parts. It was resprayed in Jaguar Gunmetal Grey and now has a 998 engine with bigger inlet valves, a Swiftune SW5 cam, HIF38 carb and a sports exhaust. In total it took one year, and…

Name: Simon Martin Model: Mini Se7en S Class Location: Southampton • I was initially building my own S Class Mini to go racing in this season but an offer came in to borrow a car that was once raced by a gentleman by the name of Mike Beach – an offer I couldn’t refuse! The car was originally built in 1994, raced at Mallory in 1995 and has attended a few hill climbs too. It was then made road legal and registered, but the straight-cut 'box and drop gears were seriously noisy and the owner put it into storage for 19 years. So it was 20 years out of date and I’ve needed to carry out a lot of updates to improve the car’s safety, including a new rollcage and…

There’s a famous quote from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams about loving deadlines and the “whooshing noise they make as they go by.” It’s a sentiment that resonates with a certain timbre in the car modifying sphere, as the inevitable mission creep that we perennially experience throughout the process of twirling spanners and swearing at oxidised metal means that, however good our intentions, phrases like ‘I’ll have this car finished by the summer’ generally morph into a guilty ‘er, I meant next summer…’. Self-imposed deadlines are often the trickiest, as you’re only accountable to the voice in your head. What you need is discipline, and lots of it. Thankfully, this is a quality that walks tall in the annals of Scott Harrigan’s workshop adventures. You may recognise…

The Mini may not have changed a great deal since ‘66, but motorsport certainly has. 12 drivers arrived with lightly fettled 850 Minis for the Mini 7 Racing Club’s first race – 10 laps of the 1.24-mile Brands Hatch circuit on 17 April 1966. Other than basic roll hoops, harnesses and crash helmets, there was little in the way of safety prep, at least not compared to modern day racers. Formula Mini Se7en, as it was first known, was the 750 Motor Club’s answer to saloon car racing on a tight budget. You took a near-standard 850 Mini, removed some of the trim, gave the engine a tune and off you went. Some racers drove their cars daily, or at least to and from the circuits, and for the first…

HYDROLASTIC WOES Q I’m restoring a 1970 Mini Clubman that is still fitted with its original Hydrolastic suspension. I want to keep it rather than switch to dry, but I’m worried it will break and I won’t be able to get any new bits for it. I’m hoping to drive the car on a regular basis and to International Mini Meetings, so the last thing I want is a car breaking on some random foreign motorway. Is there anything I should look out for when inspecting the units, and is there somewhere I can get them tested? Barry Small A There are two major issues with Hydrolastic units, both a design issue. Being made using a significant amount of rubber makes them very prone to failure purely from natural deterioration…