Mini Magazine March 2021

We've been trying to move our own projects along this month. For me, that's been working out just how much spare cash there will be in the kitty to spend on the Elf once this lockdown finally lifts. But for another one of our regular contributors, it's been a little more immediate and wallet wrenching... We've been enjoying see Will's Downton GT really come together over the last few months, but tension was building as the day to finally stir the engine back into life got ever closer. Well, that day arrived, and let's just say, things didn't go as we had hoped. You can get up to speed on page 82. It brings you up short, and reminds you that putting a top class Mini together is never straightorward…

School proms... pre-Covid of course, have become big news, eclipsing the good old school discos of yore. These celebratory functions, marking significant events, are where pupils let off steam and strut their stuff in sharp suits, glitzy dresses and, crucially, arrive in fancy cars. Indeed it was a school prom that in many ways led Harry Dawes into Mini ownership. His master plan was to buy a Mini as a project which he could rebuild and use as his first car. Importantly, it could also be used to chauffeur him to his end-of-GCSE’s prom. Alas, although Harry was suited and booted in time, his Mini wasn’t. “Even though we’d done our best, it wasn’t quite ready,” he recalls. “My parents were great though. Appreciating how disappointed I was, they looked…

BODY Mini 850. All-steel, Mexico front arches, one-off rears. MkI grille and moustache, halogen headlights, LR Defender front indicators/sidelights, modified Golf MkI splitter. Paint: Porsche Sport Classic Grey with black roof. ENGINE 1380cc, modified head, MED Sprint 3000 cam system, single HIF44 carburettor on MiniSpares manifold, K&N filter, Maniflow LCB manifold and system. Fletcher aluminium twin core radiator. Power: 80 bhp (est.) SUSPENSION Rayvern Hydraulics, GAZ dampers, adjustable TCA’s, negative camber brackets. TRANSMISSION Metro four-speed gearbox with KAD short-shift. BRAKES 7.5 inch front discs, standard rear drums, braided hoses. WHEELS AND TYRES Image 7.5x13 inch Image split-rim alloys with 175/50R13 Nankang tyres. INTERIOR Leather-covered MkI front and rear seats, modified loom, inertia reel front belts, DSN Classic brushed aluminium accessories, standard binnacle with Smiths dual gauge and Smiths rev counter.…

The 60th anniversary of the Mini Cooper will be celebrated with two showdowns on the ‘Greatest Hits’ line-up of races compiled for The Classic’s postponed 30th birthday party this summer (30 July – 1 August). The addition of the Mini Coopers adds even more excitement to the event’s non-stop track action with the pair of Classic Mini Challenge races building on last year’s success when The Classic marked the Mini’s own 60th birthday in style with a record-breaking entry of 60 racing Mini Cooper S models all dating back to the sixties on the legendary Silverstone Grand Prix circuit! Ensuring all visitors to The Classic share in the celebrations, the Mini Cooper entertainment will be spread over all three days at the world’s biggest historic motor racing festival. Qualifying for…

• Rémy Julienne, the precision stunt driver behind The Italian Job chase sequence and six James Bond films, sadly passed away on January 21 at the age of 90. The Frenchman was hospitalised two weeks ago in the town of Montargis after testing positive for Coronavirus, and was taken into intensive care. Born on 17 April 1930 in the French village of Cepoy, Julienne became one of the most prolific stunt drivers in Europe and, over a 40-year career, participated in more than 1400 productions. His spectacular stunts were calculated to eliminate as much risk as possible, with French director, Claude Lelouch, describing him as “a reasonable madman.” Julienne became the French motocross champion in 1957, before beginning his movie career doubling for Jean Marais in the 1964 film Fantômas.…

With over 30 years’ experience, Andy ‘Ace’ Harrison is amongst the UK’s foremost specialists for one of the world’s most loved cars, the original Mini. Over that time Harrison has repaired, raced, rallied, restored, bought and sold all types of Mini via his Acespeed business in Shipley, Yorkshire. As one of the world’s leading authorities on Minis, it is no surprise that one particularly iconic Mini found its way back to Harrison’s Mecca to ensure it was perfect for a special new owner. Back in 1966, each member of pop band The Beatles was handed an incredibly special Mini by their manager Brian Epstein. Each was customised by luxury coachbuilder of the time, Harold Radford & Co. Alongside significant changes to the body, they were fitted with desirable extras including…