Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2021 i Mini Magazine

Do not adjust your screen, or your eyes for that matter. Yes, that is yours truly, pictured sometime late in 1996, peering out from one of my very first editorial columns for Mini Magazine. If I remember correctly, the picture was taken (on 35 mm film, of course) at Curborough Sprint Track where we'd been invited along to sample the BMH supported Grp A and N rally cars. It was quite a day - not that you could tell from that face... So those good with maths will have noted it's 25 years since that image was taken. Yes, Mini Magazine hits a quarter of a century in just a couple of months - our June cover date to be exact - and my motive for sharing one of my…

After having to cancel last year’s event due to Covid-19, the British Mini Club is already making arrangements for this year’s Stanford Hall which is scheduled to happen on Sunday 19th September. A big favourite with Mini owners from around the country, you can expect all usual attractions at the longest running Mini show of the year, featuring the largest gathering of classic and modern Minis. The grounds will be open from 10am, with proceedings wrapping up by 4pm. Entrance is £10 per person, with BMC members benefitting from a reduced £9 entrance fee. Under 12s are allowed into the showfor free and dogs are welcome. The Hall will be open to the public, where you can enjoy guided tours around the house. The Stableyard Café will also open for…

• MiniRunUK are keeping up the momentum with a packed calendar of events. After the success of last year’s event, Minis In The Gorge is back for the summer of 2021. Join the team on the 2nd-4th of July for a fun filled weekend at Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. To include two nights camping, Saturday afternoon games/activities, competitions, run pack/sticker, prizes, Saturday evening run and professional photography. Gates to their campsite open on the Friday lunchtime at 12pm. Tickets cost £35 per car/drvier and £17 for each additional passenger. If you’d like to join the Saturday run without camping the fee is £15 (to include run sheets, maps and photography). As the Covid-19 restrictions are beginning to ease, the MiniRunUK shop can finally open its doors once again. On Sunday…

There’s no doubting the way we modify our cars is a personal thing, but sometimes our own idea of how a certain car should look can be shared by others too. When 35-year-old Danny Duggan first saw this freshly rebuilt and tastefully modified ’91 Mayfair for sale, it was exactly the car he’d been dreaming of and he knew right away this was the perfect Mini for him! Since his youth, Danny has always been enthusiastic about cars, reading various car magazines and putting up the usual associated posters on his bedroom wall. “Even now I stop whatever I’m doing if a rare or prestige car drives past,” he laughs. Whilst growing up, Danny remembers his Dad being very ‘hands on’, always fixing things around the house and repairing the…

No one ever intends for a project to be very long term, but if you’re planning to carry out an extensive and highly ambitious build, there’s certainly no point in rushing things. Neil Brown’s ’91 Mayfair project began over 15 years ago and although a few plans have changed in that time, along with a few unforeseen stoppages, he’s now more focused than ever in reaching the finish line. Right from the start, Neil had big plans for this project. A carbon fibre removable front end was a must, as was a full welded in roll cage and a modern, powerful engine transplant. “The rallying Minis of the 60’s were my main inspiration along with the more recent Miglia racers,” Neil explains. “I wanted a fast road going Mini retaining…

The name Chris Moss may ring a bell to our regular readers as recently we ran a feature on his highly unusual and cleverly converted Minivan and matching trailer. Not content with just one and a half Minis, it turns out Chris also owns this stunning Clubman Estate too. Just like the van and trailer, many hours and much love have been poured into his latest project, how he finds the time is anyone’s guess! You won’t be surprised to hear Chris is a long time Mini fan having been involved with them since 1992 when he was just 16. That first example, a saloon bought for the princely sum of £100 turned out predictably to be a wreck. Along with the help of his lifelong friend and fellow mechanic,…

The Fastest Mini In The World is a title that is going to take some living up to. The event grew out of a need to find a chance to race the highly modified cars that had once fought it out in the Special Saloons and Thunder Saloons series. Years of development had seen these cars get ever more powerful, ever more sophisticated and ever wider – so much so that they no longer had little in common with the everyday saloon cars that had spawned them. This fact gives many doubters the chance to discount these impressive machines. It’s true, in many of the top cars, the only thing they have in common with anything that ever rolled out of Longbridge is their silhouette. But to counter that, you…

Ray Austin still owns the wonderful, South African-built Minivan that featured in Mini Magazine last year. It’s a real beauty, drives superbly and is a huge credit to him. Yet it’s sublime condition, rarity and ever-escalating value means that it’s become more of a high days and holidays car. But Ray, who relishes driving quick cars especially Minis, was itching to get stuck into another project and build a Mini that could be driven on a regular basis... and also tackle track days with aplomb. DUAL PURPOSE “I rebuilt a ’91 Mini six years ago,” he explains. “It was a great car: I even drove it to the Le Mans Classic, but I have more of a passion for the older Minis and ended up selling it.” “For some time…

• Brooklands Museum have released their new schedule, to accommodate events that had to be postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions. This full calendar of events has dates in place from June through to November. As their infamous New Year Day Gathering wasn’t possible this year it has been replaced with a Summer Classic Gathering on Sunday 22nd August. Mini Day has been scheduled for Sunday 10th October. All events will be subject to any Covid restrictions in place at the time. Tickets will need to be prebooked online and will only go on sale near to each event. Keep an eye on their website and social media channels for updates. It is worth signing up to their newsletter on their website to stay informed of when tickets go sale and…

Towards the end of 1996, Rover showed that there was still life – and marketing potential – in the Mini when they launched the twin point injection cars. The reasons for the company going to such lengths to re-engineer the Mini when it was just shy of its 40th Birthday, and sadly, so close to the end of its production life are perhaps lost to time and conjecture, although the reasons given at the time seemed to focus on the meeting of upcoming, and even tighter, drive-by noise, safety and emissions regulations. But the car emerged, thoroughly reinvigorated and, at least some of us thought, ready to stride well into the new Millennium. Without a doubt, the one factor incorporated into the twin point cars that caused the biggest stir…

IN THE JOINT “Some people say a final drive has been ‘uprated’ when they have just fitted a different ratio” Q I have recently bought a 1000cc replacement engine for my Mini. The engine has gone into the bay with no real problems but I’m now having trouble fitting my old driveshafts into it. My Mini has the inner pot joint shafts and as far as I can tell, they are the right type. I was told that the new engine had been fitted with an uprated differential. Would this be causing the problem I’m having? Do I need to buy some different driveshafts? Anthony A All post 1974 Minis use the same inner pot joints on the driveshafts. As long as there is nothing causing an obstruction, the driveshafts…

MINI LIFE I bought my first Mini aged 14 and have owned plenty since! I’ve done the club and show thing and also raced them in the Mighty Minis championship. I now spend my working life restoring them for other people. MINI SPEC  1997 Mini Cooper. Standard road car with a few mild suspension/exhaust etc modifications. MINIS OWNED 1994 Mini Cooper 1982 Mini Pick-up To do list 1. Finish painting Cooper shell 2. Cover up the Sprite so it stops looking at me and making me feel guilty for not working on it Time to dedicate to my own cars has been in short supply recently. With customer work taking over my workshop, I have not been able to do much to either of my two current projects. However, I…

MINI LIFE Pete comes from a family of Mini owners, and has been involved with the scene for a long time, being a founder member of the Hilltop Minis club. MINI SPEC  1963 Mini 850. Pete’s owned the Mini for many years and took it off the road around a decade ago to restore it, quickly stripping it down to a bare shell. When the shell had to be moved outside, the project stalled. MINIS OWNED 1963 MkI Mini To do list 1. Cut 2. Clean 3. Weld 4. Repeat After reading about the Ed’s previous Minis, it kind of got me thinking about a few of my old cars and I thought it would be fun to try and locate some of them. My very first car was a…

• Prescott Mini Festival will be held on 22nd May and celebrate all things Mini. All Mini owners are welcome to join and celebrate the 60th birthday of the Mini Cooper with an action-packed day of Mini motorsport on the challenging hill climb course, plus demonstration runs, special displays, car clubs and special guests from the world of Mini motorsport across the decades. Expect to see some very special cars on the day from hill climb specials to historic racers, rally cars, and every manner of sporting Mini in between plus trade stands, entertainment and more. The event will be free to attend as spectators for all Bugatti Owners' Club Members -as is standard practice for all BOC organised events. The event will be carried out in line with the…

• The team behind the Fastest Mini in the World Race have recently launched an online shop to build on the success of their website which has received over 5,000 worldwide visitors in just six weeks! The Fastest Mini in the World™ brings together privateer racetrack drivers, expertly modified Mini race cars and motor racing enthusiasts. They’ve taken this great logo and branding to create a couple of affordably priced clothing ranges to promote and support this prestigious racing event: The Pit Crew Range is an exclusive and flexible range of merchandise designed for pit crew and Mini motorsport spectators. These items can be dual branded to race teams or to specific individual requirements. Prices start £9.99 + P&P. The Paddock Collection is jointly branded and features unique items (specifically…

BUILT NOT BOUGHT Name: Tony Gregory Car: 1989 Mini Location: Lincoln • Tony’s been hard at work finishing off the restoration on his classic Mini. The whole process has taken four years, and he’s done all the work himself. It’s been a major undertaking, but we think you’ll agree that it was worth all the hard graft! Tony is certainly chuffed with the finished results, and after dreaming of a classic Mini since childhood it’s been a long time coming. He very recently joined Bomber County MC and is looking forward to some outings when it’s safe to do so. We just wanted to offer you a sneak peek at this one, as the full story will be covered in an issue of Mini Mag very soon! So, watch this…

Parting is such sweet sorrow’ is an adage that seems to resonate with a good percentage of Mini owners. Especially those who had one as their first car. And, without a doubt, many become so smitten they vow to own one again. Mark Topping, whose drop-dead gorgeous example features here, cut his motoring teeth in a Mini. It made an impression. An enduring one. Although he moved on to bigger, more modern cars, he still hankered after owning another. Of course, life invariably gets in the way and that much-anticipated purchase has to wait. Sometimes for decades. “I’d been thinking about buying a classic Mini for some years now,” admits Mark. “I’d looked from time-to-time, but never quite found the right car. Then, late in 2019, an opportunity presented itself.”…

The largest single panel on the Mini is the roof skin. Now it’s not a panel that requires changing very often, but rust can and will strike anywhere so if you are carrying out a full restoration of a shell there is a chance you will need to do it. There is also replacement due to accident damage or even vandalism to consider, but thankfully whatever the reason, replacement is quite a simple although long winded process that’s easily done at home over the course of a weekend. “Replacement is quite a simple although long winded process” The hardest and most time consuming part is actually the removal of the old roof. At the factory, like most of the car, it is held together by a series of spot welds.…

MINI SPORT DOOR GLASS SUPPORT RAILS £28.97 Mini Sport MkIII window drop rail kit includes the rails and seals for the drop rails to hold the glass in your Mini door. One kit will do one complete door only. • 01282 778731 • www.minisport.com MINI SPARES MAHLE PISTONS £306 MiniSpares, Mahle and Swiftune have pooled their knowledge and experience to produce a die-cast piston for 1275cc engines. The piston uses NPR high quality road/race piston ring packs and is equally suitable for high performance road, clubman competition, rally, sprint, hill climb and track day use. • 01707 607700 • www.minispares.com MINI SPARES AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSORS £388 Mini Spares now offer brand new replacement air conditioning compressors for all models of classic Minis including the Japanese specification cars. The compressors are…

MINI LIFE Driven them since 1967 and started a business around them in London in 1977. Moved to the countryside in 1989 to allow more space to fit cars and family in. Started racing in 2002 (aged 52). Have raced Mighty Minis but have concentrated on Historics since 2010. MINI SPEC  1961 Racer is re-shelled test-bed-come-toy with 7 port motor at present. Mini Super. Spare back-up for 65 racer. 1965 1293 racer is FIA Appendix K spec. Woody. Was wife’s daily driver for 7 years now resting. 1971 Biota. Mini-based sports car waiting to be fettled. Freestyle buggy. Looking for new home MINIS OWNED 1961 Racer 1962 Mini Super 1965 Historic Racer 1967 Woody Estate 1971 Biota Freestyle buggy To do list 1. Convert wiring from dynamo and inertia starter…