Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2021 i Mini Magazine

I'm writing this in the final days of May, and thank goodness, we're starting to see a little sunshine, and it's warm enough to venture outside in t-shirt. Summer has been a long time coming... We're so pleased to be carrying an events calendar again. People are actually meeting up again (in a responsible, socially distanced way, of course) but Minis that have been mothballed for many months are venturing out and feeling tarmac under their tyres. We can't wait to get out and join them. If you've bought this issue on publication day, the Mini Cooper Register National Day at Beaulieu is a couple of days away, and the British Mini Club's Himley Hall show a few weeks. Of course, we have continued to bring you the best from…

Handmade to order in the Silverstone build facility of David Brown Automotive, and with a drivetrain engineered in partnership with Oselli - the acclaimed British engine tuning specialist first founded in the 1960s - it is the most powerful Mini Remastered ever created. The car launches with a power rating of 125 bhp at 6200 rpm, a torque rating of 113 lbf.ft at 4,500 rpm and a 0-62mph time of 7.8 seconds. Engineered to have a dual personality, Mini Remastered, Oselli Edition is just as comfortable on the streets as it is on the track. Key performance enhancements to make the Oselli Edition ready for the track include a number of expert technical changes overseen by Oselli, including a hand-ported and polished cylinder head, strengthened crankshaft, high-torque performance orientated camshaft,…

Throughout the tail end of 2018 and early 2019, Conner Williams was a man on a mission. New to the classic Mini scene, and prompted by his best mate Jordan, who owned a Toyota Glanza-powered Mini, he’d been putting every spare minute into rebuilding his 1983 Mini City. The plan was to have it ready in time for the London to Brighton Mini Run in May 2019. It was quite a task. And quite a change of car and hobby too. “I’d been banger racing for four years,” says Conner wincing. “Although I love the racing, it’s incredibly punishing on the body. My back was shot, so I started looking for a new hobby. I happened to mention that I quite fancied a Mini. Within a very short space of…

In the world of motor sport, it’s virtually impossible to come up with a racing ‘first’. Every manner of car, old or new, top-drawer or entry-level has, it seems, been tried, tested and raced. Yet, Mark Burnett, MD of Burlen Ltd., managed to pull a racing rabbit out of the hat when, in 2019, he turned up at Goodwood’s 77th Members’ Meeting in his wonderfully-bonkers, and seriously-swift, Appendix K 1964 Austin Mini Countryman. Aptly nicknamed ‘Splinter’, the wood-clad Austin Countryman proved to be much more successful than either Mark or his racing rivals anticipated... and became a huge favourite with spectators, ‘et al’. Well, having stunned the historic racing fraternity with the Countryman, a variation on the Mini theme that had been homologated for racing in period albeit never campaigned,…

MINI SPORT ULTIMATE TOP FRONT SHOCK ABSORBER MOUNTINGS £120 For both road and competition use these mounts are designed to eliminate the top mounting pin flexing and ultimately breaking. Fits to the original mounting holes so is an easy replacement for the standard bracket. The brackets are zinc plated and satin powder coated for extra protection against corrosion and there is a minimal weight difference to standard items. • 01282 778731 • www.minisport.com MINI SPORT DELUXE CARPET SET From £51 This eight piece carpet set is of better quality than the budget set, as the pile of the carpet is bigger and thicker. Also, it has a superior rubber backing for anti-slip and is bound on the front and rear edges. Comes complete with two heel mats bound to the…

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 Not having the standard Mini-based product throws up lots of challenges…

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 Last month I didn’t really get to spend much time in my garage, but luckily with what time I have spent in there, I’ve managed to make some good progress. Firstly, I took the secondary drip rail off. It came off easily and I’m glad to say that nothing major was…

Just because he’s found fame as TV’s Wheeler Dealer, it doesn’t mean that Mike Brewer doesn’t get the same kick as the rest of us when he stumbles across a really special car. although s secured plenty of desirable motors in his time, when he happened across this particular Austin Cooper S in a private collection in California, he knew he’d hit the mother lode. Mike and his wife, Michelle, had been invited along to view the collection of the recently deceased Phil Reed, who had been a lifelong petrolhead with a passion for brass age cars. Phil had been a regular participant in the London to Brighton run, and had never let 5000 miles and an ocean get in the way of enjoying the legendary veteran car event. When…

• Following the recent announcement of a new generation of MINI's all-electric small cars, the brand has now confirmed the MINI Convertible will be continued. The successor is set to be unveiled in 2025. Bernd Körber, Head of the MINI brand said, "The MINI Convertible has a large and particularly loyal fan base. This is also shown by the great demand for the latest, freshly updated model. We are therefore firmly convinced of the success of this vehicle concept for the future." The latest edition of the MINI Convertible was launched just a few weeks ago, with a fresh new look and updated technology, and continues a success story that began some three decades ago. After the prototype was shown at the British Motor Show in Birmingham in 1992, a…

The Castrol Classic Oils Fastest Mini in the World race on 22nd August is shaping up to be an entertaining show! The grid has been growing week on week and is living up to expectations with an eclectic group of classic racing Minis from Canada, Malta, Holland, Germany and Australia... as well as the UK.The website fmitw.com is attracting interest across the globe, and has received over 15,000 worldwide visitors since launch just four months ago. Looking back in the archives, it’s certainly a race with a real pedigree of both fantastic cars and racing drivers: The race will be an integral part of the 2021 Mini Festival at Brands Hatch – making the most of one of the world’s most iconic racing venues. The race weekend plan will see…

”I’m fortunate in that I’m able to compare this car with Splinter,” says Mark. “Although they are both Estates, they are night and day really. Splinter, being built to the period historic specification is, like all historic Minis, on 10 inch Dunlops. Historic-spec Minis are relatively easy to drive; you always know where you are with them. The Clubman on the other hand, with its wider, grippier, Avon tyres, requires far more precision. It’s fine up until the point it lets go, when you have to gather it up very quickly. It’s very quick, but less fluid. The bigger brakes help though, and they work very well with the extra grip of the Avons.”…

Launched in 1965, the Mini Marcos proved to be just as effective on the race track as it was on the road. On its debut race in 1965 at Castle Combe, it won outright. Then, at Le Mans in 1966, a French-run Mini Marcos not only finished 15th, it was the only British manufactured car to complete the event that year. ‘En route’ to this stunning result and hitting 146mph in places, it beat the likes of Porsche, Ford and Ferrari. Sacré Blue! Also laudable is the fact that in 1977, the TransXL International Mini Marcos Mark IV, driven by Steven Roberts (of Merlin Motorsports’ fame), took four land speed records for cars up to 1600cc, namely: the 500 metre, kilometre, half-mile and flying mile. Impressively, these records still stand.…

It’s been a long road with the Downton GT project. We’d always planned it be a cosmetic refresh, albeit involving a full strip down and respray. But the mechanicals all appeared to be in fine fettle, and we believed that beyond cleaning and a coat of paint, they’d be good to go again. The engine had other ideas though. “It’s worth ordering as part of the kit - cam, followers, valve springs and oil pump” And despite careful storage, on restart, our sprits soon sunk to same level as the rapidly diminishing oil pressure. Since then, the car has been in the capable hands of the team at BHPerfomance. Initial diagnosis of the oil pressure issue revealed a loose oil pump, but once the engine was in bits, other problems…

• The Great British Car Journey, based in Ambergate, Derbyshire is a one-of-a-kind experience that showcases the popular cars from the 1920s and beyond. These were the daily cars of every day folk of the time, but have such a wide appeal now as has been demonstrated in the popularity of the exhibit since it opened its doors on 19th May. The museum utilises the sights, smells and sounds of historic motoring in order to recreate the feeling of the past. The venue is 12 miles north of Derby between the A6 and the river Derwent. There are over 150 vehicles on display, parked haphazardly to evoke a feeling of motor shows of decades past. Manufacturer’s names are displayed over the vehicles, and large marketing posters add to the atmosphere,…

Carrying out the restoration of a Mini can be a daunting and sometimes overwhelming process as many of you will probably know. For Robbie Redman’s previous and first Mini project, the tasks were shared between himself and his good friend, Rob which made things slightly easier. The only problem was that previous project belonged to Rob, meaning Robbie didn’t end up with a Mini for himself after all that hard work. “I really enjoyed working with Rob on his car, so much that I had to go and buy one myself and do it all over again,” Robbie laughs, “I’ve taken my own route this time, so the car will look quite different to that first one!” Robbie soon managed to get his hands on a 1991 Mini Neon which…

ESTATE RESTRAINTS “Whatever the solution, it usually compromises the rear seat and the way it can be folded” Q I’ve owned a Clubman Estate (Italian export spec) for some years. It unfortunately has no rear seat belts so I can’t take any children with me in it. In the May Mini Magazine (Issue 314), on page 39, the Clubman in the On The Job feature has rear three-point seat belts. Is this so? Where are the rest of the anchoring points and what has been done (drilling, welding...) to use them? Best regards from Germany. Wolfgang A The subject of rear seat belts in Mini Estates has been well explored down the years (as you pointed out). Joe Hipkins’ Estate is a work in progress and how we pictured it…

MINI LIFE Been into Minis for as long as I can remember. Worked on the first issues of Mini Magazine in 1996, and was editor from 1997 to 2001. Never been too far away from Minis, the scene or the magazine. MINI SPEC Standard 1969 Riley Elf with lots of rust, split seats and mostly functioning mechanicals. GTM Rossa with MG Metro 1275cc engine. Been in long term storage so in needs lots of work. MINIS OWNED Quite a few over the years including a MkI 1275GT, van, several estates, Status 365 and many cheap and cheerful saloons. As far as my fleet goes, 2020 was when time stood still. With my lockup being a fair few miles away and across a county border, getting time to work on the…

MINI LIFE Started out as ‘a hand with the spanners’ to my cousin Peter who’d just started racing in Mini Miglias. Spent fortunes at Mini Spares Centre building a couple of Miglias before joining the company for 5 years. During my ‘Mini Life’ I’ve had everything on the road from bog standard 850s to Monstrous 1600s and every conceivable variation you can imagine in between. But have steered clear of all things electronically controlled as yet. MINI SPEC Clubman shell undergoing a serious diet. Latest engine spec will be 1330cc. Special crankshaft, billet steel con rods, CST cast pistons. Cam will be latest generation race cam, large diameter cam followers for reliability and accuracy of valve timing. New venturi-spec cylinder head, 1.4:1 ratio solid steel CST rockers. Clubby Estate roady…