Mini Magazine Summer 2018

It's report overload this month with all the details and pictures from the British Mini Day, London to Brighton and the International Mini Meet in Portugal. Kevin Webb’s Maroon B-coloured Mini Minor leads on quite nicely from these, as if you were at the London to Brighton prize giving, you might have witnessed Kevin’s shock at winning the ‘Best in Show’. We can’t see why he was so shocked, as this is a beautifully restored early Mini Minor De Luxe, with an interesting story to go with it. Another perfectly restored original Mini comes in the form of Paul Billington’s Clubman, finished in the oh-so-’70s shade of Antelope with a distinctive red vinyl interior. Restored to concours condition, on top of the originality what really impresses is the level of…

Antelope is one of those gloriously period British Leyland colours that seems to resist common definition. Some say it’s beige; some say brown and others liken it to all sorts of things – some more pleasant than others. The one thing we can say with certainty is that it’s very cool, especially when it graces a beautiful early Clubman like Paul Billington’s superb restored 1970 example. In this case, West Midlander Paul and his wife Francesca went for the name ‘Putty’ as soon as the car arrived – a two-fold reference not only to that rare Antelope hue, but the rather time-worn bodywork as well. Fittingly, however, Putty has since been remodelled and reshaped into what is surely one of the finest examples on the scene, while still remaining true…

BODY 1970 Mini Clubman with new replacement Heritage wings and correct sills, further localised repairs to shell, re-chromed rear bumper, new Heritage front bumper, black and white raised digit number plates with custom dealer stickers. Paint: BL Antelope. ENGINE Original 998cc engine, repainted and fitted with new gaskets and refurbished ancillaries, re-cored original radiator, 1.25-inch SU carburettor, Lucas 25D distributor, original crimped exhaust. Power: 35.9bhp. TRANSMISSION Original four-speed remote-change gearbox. SUSPENSION Hydrolastic setup with new rear subframe and new fittings, new pipes, re-hosed displacer units, polybushes fitted to front. BRAKES Cooper S disc assemblies (front), spaced drums to rear. WHEELS AND TYRES Original 3.5x10-inch steel wheels refurbished and powdercoated, 145x10 Dunlop SP Sport Aquajet tyres. INTERIOR Original red vinyl trim (refurbished), original doorcards, repaired and recovered top dash rail, NOS…

Former Mini owner and celebrated DJ, ‘Diddy’ David Hamilton, flagged off owners and guests at Dunsfold Aerodrome, home of the Top Gear test track, where they enjoyed some fast parade laps of the circuit behind a safety car, whilst being bathed in glorious summer sunshine. Called ‘Minis at Dunsfold’ the event is organised and hosted by Mini owner and enthusiast, Jon Spriggs, and is part of his fundraising activities for The Italian Job, the annual touring event to Italy which, this year, will raise money Buttle UK. David was on hand to encourage owners taking part to take up the last few places in this year’s run. Now in its 29th year, The Italian Job, like Jon’s event, is open to Minis of all ages, shapes and sizes. The event…

• British Motor Heritage (BMH), which produces brand-new MkI body shells, has been stunned at the scale of orders since first displaying its prototype shell at the 2016 NEC Classic Motor Show. Priced at £9,950 incl. VAT, buyers get an all-new body shell crafted on the original British Leyland tooling. It’s a popular solution for people restoring these coveted early cars. BMH has also revealed that dedicated motorsport Mini shells could be on the cards, after running a Heritage-shelled MGB in historic racing for 12 years. This year the MGB, plus the team’s Farina A40, will be joined by an FIAspec MkI Mini-Cooper S. Like the MGB, it has been constructed around a Heritage replacement shell, with its own roll-cage — a superbly crafted item courtesy of Endaf Owen of…

• With over a million views of his new web programme pilot, former Wheeler Dealers host Edd China has asked the public for new projects with which to continue the series. Called Edd China’s Garage Revival, applicants should send Edd’s team a short ‘distress video’ detailing why they want help with their Classic Mini project and why their project is perfect for an episode of the new show. The casting call is open to owners now at this upload address: http://upload.rentarage.com. The lucky owners will be informed of the team’s decision in due course.…