Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2017 i Mini Magazine

The old adage about good things coming to those who wait has a double meaning this month. For not only did Mini Spares founder Keith Dodd have to wait over 30 years to finally get his stunning eight-port MkIII Cooper S Mini Sprint on the road, I’ve been chasing it for a mag feature for at least five years myself! Such is the quality of this car I’d probably have waited five more years, but I’m delighted to have it on the cover, here and now. You can read all about this amazing car from page 52. That’s far from all though, for we’ve also gone all celebratory for you in this issue as we pay tribute to 50 years of the MkII Mini. We’ve got the tale of how…

• A fully-electric version of the MINI will be built at the Cowley plant in Oxford, BMW has said. The news coincides with the announcement that Britain is to ban all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040, causing much furore in motoring circles. BMW says the model will go into production in 2019, with Oxford the main “production location” for the Mini three-door model, although the batteries and electric motors required will be shipped from Bavaria. The news is being hailed as a real positive for Cowley, with fears that BMW would choose another location amid concerns about Britain’s suitability as an export hub after Brexit. Of course, this won’t be the first electric car to carry a Mini badge. BMW trialled its MINI E in several…

• The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has begun trialling an MoT test reminder service online. Its research indicated that up to 28 per cent of motorists – including owners of classics – were driving cars around with expired MoT test certificates. Without a valid MoT test, renewing road tax is impossible, leaving motorists open to fines. “The vast majority [of cases] aren’t down to people deliberately not getting an MoT,” explained the DVSA’s head of MoT policy Neil Barlow. “Rather, they just need reminding to get it done,” he confirmed in the July edition of ‘Matters of Testing’, the DVSA’s official MoT blog. Signing up with an email address and their car’s registration plate, owners will get a month’s warning email before their MoT test expiry date. Leave…

On Sunday July 2, the Mini Sport Mini Cup entered its fourth round of the season at Caerwent, Monmouthshire, for the Garth Tyre and Auto Services MidSummer stages. Following their win in the previous round, Ray Cunningham and Jared Gill continue their good form at this well-known MOD venue, leading the first three stages ahead of fellow Irishmen Colin McDowell/Michael Spence, with Clive King and Anton Bird running third. Sadly, three of the remaining crews had to retire on stage two due to mechanical issues. On stage four, leaders Cunningham and Gill were forced to retire with a broken driveshaft, promoting McDowell/ Spence into the lead and King/Bird into second, with Jim Brindle and Sam Bould moving from fourth to third. Unfortunately a damaged rocker shaft on King and Bird’s…

There’s no doubt that owning a quick Mini is great fun, but you’re asking for trouble thrashing about on the public road. If you really want to enjoy your Mini’s potential then you’re much better off in a safe environment, like the track. The snag is, many track-days can be packed with more powerful machinery and be a little daunting, especially for beginners. That wasn’t the case for Mini Spares’ classic Mini-only trackday on July 12 through, with everything from standard cars to hybrid monsters getting involved. Taking place on the famous Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, Mini Spares joined forces with MotorSport Vision to subsidise costs and offer an evening on track for just £99. Rather than short sessions, the evening was run to an open pitlane formant, meaning you…

August 19 Oulton Park Mini Festival The third and final Mini racing festival of 2017, taking place at the Oulton Park Circuit in Cheshire. Includes MINI Challenge, Mini Se7en and Miglia racing, plus traders and club stands. www.mini-festival.co.uk August 26-27 Causeway Coast Mini Weekend Northern Ireland weekender beginning at Bushmills Distillery, County Antrim, followed by the Dash of the O’rish run. Sunday’s static main event will be held at a new venue by the seafront. www.ccminiclub.co.uk August 26-28 East Anglian Job Norfolk MOC’s popular weekender returns for the fourth time. Activities include two Mini runs, camping, a quiz, a barbecue and more.. www.eastanglianjob.co.uk August 28 East Midlands Mini and VW Show The August Bank Holiday version of this show, taking place as part of the Notts Classic Event at Thoresby…

Mini Spares founder Keith Dodd is used to playing the long game. It’s taken him huge amounts of hard work to build the company up from its modest beginnings on Bowes Road in North London to the domineering force it is today, but we’re pretty sure it’s also taken incredible levels of restraint too. Put most of us in Keith’s position and we’d probably stockpile all the best parts, throw caution to the wind and spend countless hours building our dream cars, but then that’s not exactly an effective business model. Fast-forward to more recent times, and with Mini Spares firmly established as a major global success, Keith could finally afford to be a little more selfish. That meant attention could turn to his ‘toys’, or more specifically, his MkIII…

A classic Mini in good condition is always going to command a decent price, and this Tartan Red 1969 Morris Mini MkII Super DeLuxe is undoubtedly in prime condition. And when it came up for auction at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at the Birmingham NEC last November, it fetched a very good price indeed. £12,938 to be exact. That’s quite a sum for a MkII Mini without a Cooper badge, but this particular Mini happens to be an exceptionally original example with a lovely tale surrounding it. And let’s face it, when did you last see one? What’s more, all the proceeds from its sale were donated to an exceptionally worthwhile cause – Prostate Cancer UK. The new owners are understandably delighted with their purchase, but this story…

SOGGY BOOT Q My boot keeps filling up with water, and the seal that is attached to the bootlid keeps falling off, despite me gluing it back on a few times. Is this difficult to change? Igor A It would have been useful if you had stated the year of manufacture of your Mini. Pre-1988 the boot seal was held on to the boot lid by 26 small clips that hooked in to the seal and pushed into holes drilled in the periphery of the boot seal ledge. If your boot lid has these 26 holes, then it should take the clipped-in seal. Is it difficult to change? No. You will obviously need the clips (part number 14A6585) as well as the relevant boot seal (part number 14A6584). If your…

What do Rapper’s Delight, Rocky II and Brighton’s naturist beach all have in common? The answer is 1979, evidently a good year for music, film and shameless nudity. It was a good year for Minis too, if Kevin Taylor’s tale is anything to go by. Not only was his first ever Mini built in 1979, so was his beautiful Mini 1100 Special. And, by extraordinary coincidence, his latest show-stopper – this rare factory black Minivan – also hails from the year when Sony’s Walkman was seen as cutting-edge new technology. Most of those Walkmans will be landfill by now, but Kevin’s latest pairing has lasted the distance and then some. The Special was featured in our December 2014 issue following a superb restoration, and has picked up plenty of accolades…

The Brands Hatch Indy circuit is up there with the very best venues for spectators, as you can watch almost the entire race from many areas. And with Brands a longstanding and perfectly-suited companion to Minis in motorsport, it’s no surprise that it continues to lead the way for MotorSport Vision’s trio of annual Mini Festivals. As Mini fans arrived to gradually fill the show area, racing kicked off with the ever entertaining Super Mighty Minis, before the slick-shod 1293cc Mini Miglias went out to play. Off track there was a live music stage, bumper cars, and much to the joy of one of the race commentators, a giant bouncy castle. Elsewhere, GC Motors had a rare selection of low mileage Minis on display in the trade area, and…

Hosted by Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club (SVVC), the Scottish Transport Extravaganza received a record number of entries for its 43rd running on July 8-9, attracting a bumper crowd over the weekend as a result. The SVVC is one of the foremost organisations dedicated to the preservation and restoration of historic vehicles and to establishing the history behind them. Set in the grounds of Glamis Castle in Forfar, the show played host to 51 different car clubs and 1500 entries in all, ensuring all marques and interests were covered. In Mini circles the show is seen as the ‘Beaulieu of the North’, given the number of traders and of Scottish Mini clubs that attend. This year saw the Mini Cooper Register, The Mini Clan and Aberdeen Mini Owners Club all present,…

LOAD LUGGERS Name: Lee Williams Car: Clubman Estate & Minivan Location: Warwickshire • I’m a massive fan of Minis, and currently have an original Mini Clubman Estate and a Minivan project. I found the van on Facebook. It belonged to gentleman in Wales and was originally a London Electricity Company van – his dad worked there at the time and bought it when he retired. As you can see it was bright orange and came complete with the fleet number painted under the bonnet. My brother and I have stripped it down and have sorted all of the welding and fabrication before prepping for paint. We are going for something completely different with a copper metallic roof and a one-off white for the body, plus Miglia arches and wide wheels.…

The dilemma of the limited edition has long caused conflict in the mind of many a modified Mini fan. One school of thought is that you should keep the car bog standard to preserve its originality, while another suggests that it’s your motor and you should be free to do whatever the heck you like with it, limited edition or not. The situation needn’t be as clear cut as that though, for with significant influence from the Far East, we reckon Marc Simpson’s Mini Sidewalk resolves the dilemma perfectly. Known as Violet, Marc’s Mini is still instantly recognisable as a Sidewalk – a funky 1995 edition most notable for its zany turquoise tartan interior and red seatbelts. Just 1000 were made, in either White Diamond, Charcoal Metallic or, like Marc’s,…

He’s now a budding 18-year-old film production student, but Ben Eckersall was only just starting secondary school when his dad Steve completed his very first Mini restoration. Steve’s 1969 MkII Cooper S was transformed from a standard Tartan Red and black road car to an exact replica of ORX 707F – the BMC works entry for the 1968 Tulip Rally! Ben and Steve enjoyed showing the completed car at shows up and down the country, and it was inevitable that Ben would develop a real interest in Minis himself. Shows aside, Ben and Steve also enjoyed trips to the local karting track with friends. Ben quickly became a keen kart racer, no doubt counting down the days until he could begin driving lessons and get behind the wheel of his…

As you may recall, I signed my last column off as I was just about to spend a late Thursday night refitting my engine before leaving for Brands Hatch Mini Festival on the Friday. Well, I’m pleased to report I made it – just! Some last-minute electrical gremlins had me scratching my head for a while when it came to fire the engine up. Everything had been working when I took the engine out so I assumed that in my rush to refit the engine I had forgotten to connect something. I wasted time rechecking everything I had done, only for it to be some corrosion in the fusebox! Brands was an enjoyable weekend. I had a poor qualifying session, but that was largely due to taking it easy for…

• The ever-popular Mini Action Day at Castle Combe celebrates its 25th birthday this year, having first taken place back on September 26, 1992! This year’s event will be held at the Wiltshire circuit on September 30, and will also mark the 50th anniversary of headline sponsor Mini Sport. The event has been a mainstay in the Mini scene over the last quarter of a century, in no small part to its mix of a great static show and the chance to put your Mini through its paces on track without fear of reprimand from the boys in blue. Track sessions will take place between 9am and 5pm, plus open public sessions, parades and even a free lunchtime cruise scheduled at 12.30. Mini Sport will be pulling out all the…

The Mighty and Super Mighty Mini championships have enjoyed a busy period, with rounds seven and eight at Brands Hatch on July 8-9 quickly followed by another double-header at Donington Park on July 22-23. Brands Hatch proved to be an excellent weekend of close racing, With Agouti Motorsport driver Alice Hughes taking the win in race one, followed by Craig Pendlebury and Damien Harrington. Hughes also repeated the feat in race two to complete a memorable double, with Pendlebury again in second and Stuart Coombes in third. In the Supers, Scott Kendall triumphed ahead of Elliot Stafford and Louise Inch in a hot and humid race one, but it was race two on the Sunday that really grabbed the headlines. Several cars retired and the Safety Car had to be…

Trying to organise a brand new event with less than three weeks notice is not generally recommended, but that couldn’t prevent the inaugural Isle of Wight Mini Adventure on July 9 from being a success. The event was the brainchild of ferry company Red Funnel, and saw anyone in a Mini treated to a return trip across the Solent and a special day of activity on the island for just £10 per car! Folk responded strongly too, as over 100 Minis arrived at Southampton on a gloriously sunny day. They were greeted with goodie bags at the port, and every person was also given a voucher for a soft drink and a burger at the event venue. The Minis filled most of the ferry’s top deck, with bemused day trippers…

HOW TO GET TO STANFORD HALL: Stanford Hall is located near Lutterworth, right in the heart of England. There are easy links to the A14 at junction 1, the M6 at junction 1, the M1 at junction 20 via the Lutterworth Road from Swinford, and the A5 via Rugby Road and Shawell Lane. The post code is LE17 6DH. Footman James and Meguiar’s. We’ll also be injecting extra fun by bringing our popular Live Arena to the show. There will be trophies up for grabs, so be sure to get involved. British Mini Club is celebrating its 25th year in 2017, and Stanford Hall is one of our most hotly-anticipated highlights. Make sure you join us on September 17 for a great Mini day out! WELCOME Stanford Hall is the…

“Alex aims to preserve the patina and keep its unique character...” Given their rarity and coveted status nowadays, it’s difficult to believe that Minivans and Pick-up were once a regular sight hard at work on the UK’s streets. Back then they would be patched up and kept going by almost any means, but now the majority have been consigned to breakers’ yards and the rest restored beyond recognition. That all serves to make Alex Groves’ 1982 Pick-up quite the rarity. If it looks like its been lifted straight out of 1995, then that’s because it effectively has. Once a painter and decorator’s faithful workhorse, it’s been off the road for 22 years and features some very, ahem, ‘novel’ repairs, including the front panel corners welded over the existing ones. That…

Nowadays, the average car is redesigned about every five years, with a couple of facelifts in between to keep it looking fresh and a few lesser detail changes in between those. But while things weren’t quite so fast-moving back in the 1960s, the Mini had to wait over eight years for its first recognisable makeover. BMC’s policy of using the customer to aid its development process meant there had been countless mechanical revisions and updates beforehand, but essentially, it still looked the same. So when the MkII version was launched in 1967, hot on the heels of the Summer of Love, it was seen as well overdue in the eyes of many. It’s now almost five decades since the MkII made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show that…

COST £31.20 per side TIME Allow 2 hours per side. CONTACT Mini Spares 01707 607700 www.minispares.com DIFFICULTY Part of the Mini’s revolutionary design in 1959 was the use of the new-fangled constant velocity (or CV) joint. This enabled the transmission of power through the front wheels while still being able to turn them, thanks to a combination of ball bearings in cages allowing enough movement in the joint. The tendency for the driveshaft to try to straighten under power while cornering was effectively eliminated. Though quite resilient, the CV joint can fail. When the ball bearings wear there is increased play in the joint, creating a knocking noise as the components come into contact with each other. A knocking noise on full lock usually indicates that your CVs need replacing,…

“After all, tyres are all that stand between you and the scenery...” Making the pilgrimage to Brands Hatch every year for the Mini Racing Festival is always worth the effort. Aside from taking the opportunity to catch up with old mates from when I started competing in Miglias way back in the late 1970s, I get to discuss all things racing Minis with up and coming new drivers. Helping them along the path of more track speed, better lap times and especially more enjoyment is very rewarding. There seems to be a particular topic each year that gets aired more than others, and this year was no exception – tyres. Curiously it is something I have discussed with quite a number of Mini owners competing in all manner of disciplines…