Mini Magazine January 2020

There was an obvious theme across the Minis featured this month - they were all built with performance in mind, whether for the track or the street. All of the owners we met were looking for more from their Minis, and it was fascinating to hear their different approaches and the methods they'd applied, just as it was great to see the finished Minis in the metal. There was also a not so obvious theme, and it was a pleasure to discover it. As Minis have always been the perfect candidate for a first car, they have also always made great parent/child projects. Over the years, I've lost count of the number of feature car owners who have got into Minis because of family connections, because they remembered helping out…

Since beginning his career as a race mechanic, Jordan Godsman has certainly climbed the ranks. Quickly too. Having spent three and a half years at club level racing, he moved to Team BMR in 2017, and went on to win the British Touring Car Championship title with Ashley Sutton. In 2018, he joined Hitech GP as Number 2 mechanic. He is now Number 1, currently looking after FIA Formula 3 Red Bull Junior Team member, Jüri Vips and travelling the globe in the process. PRACTICAL Of course, working in motorsport, especially at the higher echelons, means that Jordan is dealing with cutting edge technology. Technology that requires the very best of skills. Well, Jordan undoubtedly possesses such skills. Some he acquired whilst at college. The others however - the practical…

BODY Modded 1985 Mayfair in Old English White. ENGINE 1044cc, modified head, bigger inlet and exhaust valves, unleaded seats, 1.5 roller rockers, race pushrods, Maniflow LCB manifold and straight-through exhaust system, twin HS4 SUs, ITG air filter with heat shielding, flat-top pistons, lightweight steel flywheel, balanced and lightened rods, steel centre strap, modified oil pump, duplex chain. 10-row oil cooler. Power: 90bhp. SUSPENSION GAZ shortened dampers, rear Hi-Los, polybushes, solid-mounted and strengthened front subframe, DSN billet brackets. TRANSMISSION Four-speed, straight-cut with MED drop gears, S/C gearset, 3.4 final drive, competition driveshafts, road rally clutch, quick-shift. BRAKES Minisport 7.9 inch front disc conversion and Minifin rear drums. Modified and adjustable pressure valve. WHEELS AND TYRES 6.5x10 Force Racing split-rim wheels with 165/70/10 Yokohama A0008 tyres. INTERIOR Corbeau front seats, four-point seatbelts,…

Not a lot of people know that the Italian Job’s famous sewer scene was shot in a suburb of Coventry. Some 51 years later, that’s been put right with a special commemorative plaque, unveiled during a ceremony on October 18. The plaque marks the spot where Minis were lowered by a crane into the then-unfinished sewer system in Stoke Aldermoor, back in September 1968. The project was led by local man Kevin Conway, who spent 16 months trying to identify the exact spot where the cars were lowered down into the pipes. During this quest, he met with the crane driver, Neville Goode, who had lent a pair of gloves to the stunt driver, Remy Julienne. Remy and Neville were reunited on the day! The plaque itself was unveiled by…

• In November, Mike Brewer returned to British Motor Heritage but this time he brought a TV crew with him. As part of a brand new Wheeler Dealers spin-off Mike Brewer’s Skill Shops, Mike filmed an episode on British Motor Heritage and the reproduction of Mini shells. Martin Davies of BMH enlisted the help of Tanya Field to round up some Minis and their owners to be part of the programme. A great day was had by all. Mike Brewer’s Skill Shops will look at specialists (mostly in the US) but with some focus on the UK.…

• The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year awards took place on Wednesday 30 October at the Club’s historic Pall Mall clubhouse. John Haynes OBE creator of the iconic Haynes Manual and founder of the Haynes Publishing Group was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his significant contribution to the UK’s motoring book industry. His wife Annette Haynes collected the award on his behalf and said, “John would have been immensely honoured and amazed to receive this award. He always said that the success of Haynes Publishing was not him alone. I know he would be quick to dedicate it to all the people that supported and helped the business throughout the years.” The accolade of ‘Motoring Book of the Year’ went to Matthew Field…