Mini Magazine December 2018

Who would have thought a 2000 Solar Red Cooper Sports could cause such controversy? But that’s what happened at the end of 2011, after the Top Gear India Special. It all started off innocently enough, the episode being jokingly branded as a trade mission and even featuring Prime Minister of the time David Cameron supposedly giving his endorsement. But after the show aired on BBC2, this all changed. Not only was the Indian High Commission unimpressed, the louder cry of dissatisfaction came from Classic Mini owners, after the face of this almost immaculate late Mini was ripped off when presenter Richard Hammond tried to winch James May’s Rolls-Royce up a steep incline! But what happened to this Mini, after its brief appearance in the Top Gear display at the National…

Minilite-like alloys, bonnet stripes, stickers, a contrasting roof, chrome grille and spotlights, that’s what it took for me to transform my 1977 Mini 1000 into what I thought was a convincing Cooper replica. Looking back at pictures now, I’m less convinced, and so were other Cooper owners at the time, with plenty of sniggers, sneers and unflattering comments at shows… Convincing other owners that his Mini is the real rallying deal is not going to be a problem for Anthony Ryan though, the owner of this Almond Green, MkII rally replica. “When it was time to start driving, a Classic Mini had to be my first car” Anthony admits he’s been into cars since a very young age, having spent a lot of time visiting car shows and museums with…

BODY Originally a 1995 Mini Mayfair SPi, new front wings, front panel, A-panels, scuttle, inner flitch panels, sills, door steps, rear quarter panels, MkII rear boot lid panel, section of driver’s side floor pan, gloss black Group 2 wheel arches, MkII rear lights, four Cibie IODE spot lamps, Lucas rear reverse spot lamp, Works rally head lamp guards, tan bonnet straps. Paint: Almond Green with Snowberry White roof. ENGINE 1275cc SPi, now running a HIF44 SU carb, new wiring loom, uprated Mini Spares Evolution 1 camshaft, Mini Spares MSE8 ported and polished cylinder head, Mini Sport 1.3 roller tip rockers, Fletcher 2 core aluminium radiator, Maniflow manifold to a three-inch stainless Fletcher cat back exhaust, decat pipe, K&N air filter. TRANSMISSION Standard four-speed gearbox, 3.44 final drive. SUSPENSION Hi-Los front…

After many scorching and wet weekends at Santa Pod in Bedfordshire, Mini Magazine is excited to announce that the premier Mini event of the summer show season, Mini In The Park (MITP), will be moving to a new venue for 2019 – Mallory Park race circuit – on 18 August 2019. Situated in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside, details of this exciting MINI event are still being finalised. But we will bring you more as soon as we have it, or you can check out the website (minishow.co.uk). One thing is for sure – as MITP is going to be based at a race circuit, track action will be involved and Mini Magazine will be there, too!…

• Al Clinton, whose Riley Elf was featured a couple of years back, is looking for Mini Magazine readers’ help to find the ‘Hopkins Mini’. Previously owned by James Hopkins, its custodian was his hoarder brother John, who refused to sell this 1963/4 Fiesta Yellow Austin Mini Super Deluxe with Powder Blue interior to Al when he was old enough to drive it! Al remembers that as a child growing in the early ’70s, he would play in this Mini hoping one day he would own it. After all, it was sat in a friend’s garage from the mid ’60s to the 2000s, had just 6,000 odd miles on the clock and even had the original bill of sale still in the door pocket! When John passed away, his wife…

• Terry Baker, the mastermind behind the team from the North Devon Mini Register that runs the Legendary Grand Tour in Devon every August bank holiday weekend, has been nominated as a Regional Finalist for the West Country in the Pride of Britain awards. Terry, who has been recognised for tireless work in raising funds for the Children’s Hospice South West, has since gone through to the final, which will have happened by the time you read this. Mini Magazine wishes Terry well in the awards.…