Innehållsförteckning för September 2016 från Mini Magazine

Right now, it's a very good time to be a Mini enthusiast. We're slap bang in the middle of the show season, and for a British summer, it's been very pleasant indeed. Recent weeks have seen, amongst others, a spectacular Brands Hatch Mini Festival, the Cooper 70th anniversary bash at Prescott and Mini World Live. You can read all about them from page 30. We've already enjoyed some great shows this year, but there's still plenty to look forward to before the season winds down. And while you're waiting, we've got an excellent read for you. There are Minis to suit all tastes this month, from a stripped-out 1960 MkI to a couple of luxury-laden later saloons, and even an ice-cream van! But my personal favourite has to be Roy…

One of the greatest rallying navigators of the 1960s, Paul Easter, is set to join the 41 participants on the Mini Cooper Register’s Minis to Monte touring assembly in October. Paul was a garage proprietor and a successful privateer rally driver in a Mini, before getting the opportunity to drive for the BMC Works team as a result of winning his class on the 1963 Acropolis Rally. Having joined the BMC Competitions Department in 1964 he then switched seats to become a navigator, forming a lasting partnership with Timo Makinen during the Works team’s most successful years. The pinnacle of Paul’s achievements came in 1965, when he and Timo won the Monte Carlo Rally. The touring assembly will see Paul drive a first generation MINI Cooper S alongside his son.…

Congratulations to Tomas Spragg Nelson, who won a Cooper Car Company 90bhp MPi conversion kit in a raffle drawn during the Cooper 70th anniversary celebrations at Prescott on July 30. The raffle was organised by James Myers, a member of the Cooper Car Company S Conversion Register Facebook group, in aid of Prostate Cancer UK – a fitting cause as the great John Cooper passed away from prostate cancer in 2000. Tickets were sold to members of the Register and other Mini-related groups for £50 each, with Mini Sport kindly supplying a discounted conversion kit with a special one-off plaque. Mike Cooper also lent his support, drawing the winning tickets and donating a superb print signed by John Cooper and Paddy Hopkirk as a second prize, which was won by…

The Mini’s status as a global icon has been reaffirmed once again with news that Minimania Club Chile continues to prosper. Formed in 1993, the club currently has 60 members, meeting up each month in the traditional English-style village located in Vitacura. The club prides itself on encouraging family participation, and is big on organising events and activities. It recently held its fourth big gathering of the year, attracting a colourful array of MINIs and Minis from all eras. It’s not afraid to travel either; next up for some of the members is a 2500km trip to the 10th International Mini Meeting in Argentina on October 14-16, hosted by Club Mini Santa Fe. For more information on Minimania Club, contact president Carlos Astorga Vargas via e-mail at carlosastorgav@gmail.com…

We’re fortunate to have so many Mini events on the calendar, although that wide choice means a unique selling point is an absolute must to attract the biggest crowds. Brands Hatch Mini Festival’s ace card is a packed weekend of Mini motorsport, and this year’s occasion saw no fewer than 20 races take place around the famous Indy Circuit. It’s not a ‘Run What Ya Brung’ style trackday, but a unique chance to watch multiple championships in one place, at a circuit that’s great for spectators. Racing series included the Se7ens and Miglias, Mightys and Super Mightys, Fastest Mini in the World, Pre-‘66 historics and MINI Challenge. The drivers are all on the absolute limit, sometimes well beyond it, which is brilliant fun to watch! Visitor numbers were up on…

Mini Run UK’s inaugural Elan Valley Run took place on July 30-31, and proved to be an immediate success. The Minis gathered at three points on the Saturday morning, with the numbers swelling at each as the run got underway in style. Much pipping of horns and waving at pedestrians (and sheep) followed, as the Minis streamed through the traffic and over cattle grids, enjoying the winding roads and fabulous scenery. The final collection point was in Llandridod Wells, where the group formed an impromptu Mini show in a park, then made the short trip to the Elan Valley Visitors Centre. By this point there were 56 Minis in the convoy. Co-oganiser Jake Dennis had a special surprise in store too. Following a very scenic, and at times lively, drive…

Snooping, smug people on their holidays, pet pics and passive aggressive rants – it’s no wonder so many are quick to dismiss the merits of Facebook. On the face of it they’ve got a point, too. We doubt many businesses ever see much return for spending their budgets on fishing for ‘likes’, and we really don’t care what someone we last saw at primary school had for their tea. However, it is a damn good way of seeing which Minis really hit the spot amongst the mag’s worldwide band of followers, and this golden wonder was the up there with the most popular of the lot. Before Facebook started messing about with all this ‘like, love and wow’ nonsense – not to mention its tendency to limit a post’s reach…

We left off the series in 1980, a pivotal year for the Mini 7 Racing Club. The 1275 GT Challenge had proved hugely popular with drivers and race fans alike, launching the careers of many future racing stars with a British Leyland-supported Mini championship. For 1981 the GT Challenge was no more – instead BL invested in the new Metro Challenge, later to become the MG Metro and Turbo Challenge. From a marketing perspective of course it made perfect sense, as with the launch of the Metro came the demise of the 1275 GT, and the popular Mini Clubman saloon too. Over 275,000 Clubmans and GTs had been built, but in spite of those respectable figures, the GT model never quite caught the public’s imagination like the Cooper S. Whether…

BONNET RATTLE Q The bonnet on my Mini rattles like mad when the car is at idle. I’ve tightened all the fixings and tried to adjust the striker in the middle, but it still does it. How can I quieten it? Is there supposed to be a rubber seal on there? Michelle A There are two components that help to damp the rattle and vibration of the Mini bonnet. The first is the seal that fits across the rear edge of the bonnet aperture. The seal actually fits to the bodywork, the section known as the rear drain channel, not the bonnet. Earlier cars had a sponge strip stuck into the drain channel (part no. 14A9010). Later models used a push-on strip that has a ridge sticking up from the…

Having taken the decision to 'branch out' with my choice of race meetings, the first was the A-Series Challenge at Oulton Park. This would see me join up with over 30 A35s, Sprites and Minis (Pre-1966 A-series-engined cars). It was a VSCC meeting with loads of aged machinery, which was very refreshing. Practice was, erm, embarrassing. I was so taken with the masses of 60-year-old cars that I missed my time slot for going out, and it was only when a friend noticed them going round the track did I rush to get out! This woke me up so I was able to get a few quick laps in and ended up third on the grid. In the race an A35 Academy car rolled right in front of me. Luckily…

These days, even the most basic cars come with a massive and somewhat bewildering array of optional extras. Take the latest Audi A3, for instance. The brochure contains 20 whole pages devoted to various extra gadgets and add-ons, which can add another 10 grand to the price before you’ve had a chance to work out what the ‘technology package with mobile telephone preparation’ actually does. We’ve no doubt the A3 is a decent car, but none of these extras can save it from looking just like the one parked next to it in the increasingly mundane and monochrome car parks of today. Back in the Mini’s ‘60s and ‘70s heyday, however, things were different. Coachbuilt Minis were among the first cars to feature option lists with every conceivable add-on, and…

Two friends, from Woodbridge in Suffolk, are set to drive a 44-year-old Mini across eight European countries in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK. Jo Travers, 33, and Jan Davies, 35, who work together at a veterinary practice, decided they wanted to do something “completely different” to raise money for charity. They chose Alzheimer’s Research UK as both have family members affected by dementia. Jan has long dreamt of doing a charity rally in a Mini, and when Jo revealed she owned a 1972 example, the pair came up with a three-week challenge that will see them cover 3000 miles through the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Italy. Jo has owned the Mini since she was 16, but it was been laid up for 13 years before being…

The Mini Festival at Brands Hatch on July 16-17 provided the backdrop for the rounds nine and 10 of the Dunlop Mini Se7en and Miglia challenges, and proved to be a big hit with race-goers. The Mini 7 Racing Club provided almost a quarter of the weekend’s circuit entertainment as it celebrated its 50th Anniversary by hosting an unrivalled party on the Saturday night! Both Mini Se7en races were cut short due to red flag stoppages, but there was plenty of action packed into the reduced distances. While Ashley Davies, Max Hunter and Lewis Selby ultimately took the top three positions in both races, the lead swapped hands on numerous occasions and the action right through the capacity field of runners was equally close. In the budget-tuning S-Class, Shaun Tarlton…

Minis joined star names as Mini World Live hit Rockingham Motor Speedway for the second year running on July 10. The organising team worked hard to create a packed schedule or attractions and activities, which got underway with entertainment on the Saturday night as Pete McCall belted out hits from Rod Stewart. Some excellent cars flowed into the Northamptonshire venue early on Sunday morning, joining the concours and club displays dotted around the circuit’s infield area. There was a large display of former Mini Magazine feature cars too, as well as a varied range of traders and specialists offering all sorts of goodies. You could also get your Mini tuned by gurus AC Dodd and Andy Davies of ML Motorsport, with the proceeds raised going to the Italian Job charity.…

With great weather, cheap beer, loads of entertainment, great scenery and Minis from all over the region and well beyond, there’s an awful lot to like about the Balkan Mini Meeting. Mini Club Serbia has organised its fantastic flagship since 2009, and pulled out all the stops to ensure its eighth annual event was a weekend to remember. Just as last year, the base was the picturesque Silver Lake resort, but the programme was completely different this time around. The fun started some 75km east along the Danube though, with a Thursday-night party and an overnight stay on the Compass River City Hotel – a swish boat hotel in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. The hosts were joined by Mini fans from Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Netherlands and even…

Name: Michael Mordocco Car: Mini Clubman Location: NSW, Australia • I was looking on eBay and found this little gem. It had been sitting around not being used and I knew I had to save it. I bought it on Friday and it was in the workshop by Saturday morning, stripped down in the afternoon, then sent off to the paint shop. It had rust in the usual spots and took Paul Schmidt at Bluett Bodyworks about a week to sort out the rust and panels, then it went into paint. Shane and Mike at S&M Classic Restos bolted it all back together for me, then Luke at X-Trim set about the custom retrim. I went for a modern design with the GT logo on the seats and door trims.…

Name: Jamie Rafferty Model: VTEC Clubman Location: Dublin • My car was originally rebuilt with a Honda VTEC conversion in 2010/2011 by myself and my brother Aaron. Firstly it was bright orange, then after the Irish Mini Owners Club’s Mizen to Malin run, we sprayed it blue. It’s been evolving ever since, being fitted with a fibreglass front end before the Clubman panels went on. It was rebuilt with all new panels, new seals… new everything! Now we have a satin grey paint from the BMW M5, 13-inch alloys and Group 5 arches. The seats are also a new addition, plus a custom dash. It’s a Mini, so when does it ever stop being a project?!…

There are those who dip a toe into the whole Mini thing, have their fun, and move on. That’s all well and good, but many of us can’t do it that way. We’re in it for life, and it’s not like we can keep it to ourselves either. It’s an obsession that gets passed on from generation to generation, and in some cases, the next one too. Just ask the owner of this modified Morris Mini-Minor, Steve Murphy. Proud Cumbrian Steve was first introduced to Minis by his dad in the ‘60s, and bought his first, a MkII, as a teenager in 1978. Countless tasty builds followed, culminating in this hillclimb and trackday weapon. Thanks to an exemplary standard of finish and a brilliant ‘less is more’ appearance, this is…

“The most annoying thing was the aux lead on my stereo not working...” As maiden drives go, it was all rather silly. Drive straight to Slovenia in less than two days, without so much as taking the car to Tesco for a shakedown run. But that's exactly what I did with the Japanese Mayfair, and despite overheating issues suffered during a 16-hour stint behind the wheel, I made it in one piece. However, there were two more countries to go before I would reach Serbia and the Balkan Mini Day (see page 42). Having arrived at my pal Gregor's place during the small hours, there was just time for a short sleep before an early start to fix some issues. The suspension had settled during the journey and was now…

Following his inclusion in the Queen’s 2016 New Year’s Honours List, Mini rally legend Paddy Hopkirk was presented with the MBE by HRH Princess Royal at Windsor Castle on July 12. The MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) is awarded for a significant achievement or outstanding service to the community. The Northern Irishman received the honour not only for his services to motorsport, but also for his more recent work as Patron of former High Wycombe-based charity SKIDZ. Established to provide training for disadvantaged young people and encourage them to find work in the motor industry, Paddy was able to raise funds for the charity by meeting fans at events and donating money from the sale of his range of official merchandise, produced in conjunction with Mini…

Mini Spares Midlands and David Manners Group hosted its increasingly popular annual Mini Open Evening at its Oldbury premises on Tuesday July 12. As well as offering discounts in store, the evening saw a whole host of attractions outdoors as Minis squeezed into every nook and cranny of the car park. Highlights included a live acoustic band and magic from Luca Gallone (as seen on Britain’s Got Talent), as well as appearances from TV star Fuzz Townshend and our very own tech guru Keith Calver. British Mini Club was also on hand to sell tickets for its upcoming Mini Fest in September, while Baked in Brick was serving Neapolitan food from its awesome Mini-based oven and DuCafe provided cakes, coffee and hot drinks. The weather was fantastic too, making for…

The Brands Hatch Mini Festival also hosted the latest rounds of the Mighty and Super Mighty Mini Championships, with plenty of thrilling action to keep the crowds happy. The first of the Mighty Minis races literally started with a bang as front row-starter Paul Ogborn lost control at Druids and was hit by Jim Carolan, bringing out the safety car. Sam Tomlinson was quickest after the restart, leaving his rivals scrambling to react as he powered to victory. Behind, Greg Jenkins finished a very well-deserved second after a race-long battle with Stuart Coombes and Craig Pendlebury. The first Super Mightys race was less dramatic, but just as entertaining. Scott Kendall won by the slimmest of margins after being harried and at times outpaced by Adrian Tuckley. Bob Bennetts took a…

Prescott Speed Hillclimb celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the Cooper Car Company with a star-studded event on July 30. Exactly 70 years after a young John Cooper ascended the hill in his self-built JAPengined Cooper MkI in 1946, current chairman of the Cooper Car Club, George Shackleton, brought a vast array of Cooper cars from across the decades together at the glorious Cotswold venue. Included were all manner of formula racers, racing sports cars and, of course, Mini Coopers. Cliff Porter had not only gathered some great cars from the Mini Cooper Register in the orchard car park, but also a fine selection of sporting variants, including ex-Works Cooper Car Co racers, ex-Works rally Minis and some very special competition cars such as the two Downtonsupplied and tuned Cooper Ss…

Name: Neil Hall Model: 1986 Mini Mayfair Location: Hampshire • My Mayfair started its life with me as a very standard car with no MoT, but in the six years since, I’ve brought it back to life. Joining Box Hill Mini Club gave me ideas on the direction I wanted to take the car, starting off with a Stage 1 kit. After tuning I updated the bright blue interior with a black re-trim, then a few years passed and it was time for 6x12-inch Minilites and the Group 2 arches. I wasn't happy with the way the car sat, however, so I've now replaced all the dampers with Gaz adjustables and fitted a set of Hi-Los to adjust the ride height. Now it’s exactly as I’d planned six years ago.…

“Only 1650 were ever built, 650 for export, so they’ve become seriously valuable today and certainly worth saving...” PROJECT PROFILE THE OWNER NAME: David Thomas AGE: 58 OCCUPATION: Works supervisor, Heritage sector LOCATION: Carmarthen THE CAR: CAR: 1990 Mini Cooper RSP START CONDITION: Running project, in need of bodywork repairs CONDITION NOW: Stripped and braced shell TIME TAKEN SO FAR: Approaching three years ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION: Summer 2017 Cherry picking the plush trim and alloy wheels from 1989’s Mini Thirty, a torquey 1275cc A-plus engine from the MG Metro and a two-tone paintjob, Rover finally re-launched the Mini Cooper as an official showroom model in July 1990. We'd had almost a decade of special editions to boost declining sales, but the RSP, as it became known, was an instant…

When it comes to pinpointing the reasons why the classic Mini remains such a firm favourite of car enthusiasts the world over, there’s an argument that the ability to personalise it to an individual’s tastes in style and power ranks highly on the list. Indeed, whether you want a fire-breathing pocket rocket, a comfortable cruiser, a nimble shopping trolley or a trusty workhorse, the ever-versatile Mini can be tailored to suit. For some, like 45-year-old Lincolnshire lad, Neil Huskisson, its all about utility Minis. “My dream drive has always been a Pick-up,” he explains. “My wife, Jane, and I have been Mini fans throughout the whole of our adult lives, and we can both lay claim to having one as a first car,” Despite owning various Clubmans and 1000s, however,…

“There are all manner of alternative manufacturers producing flywheels, backplates and clutch plates...” Setting up the pre-Verto flywheel and clutch assembly used to be reasonably straightforward. The clutch diaphragm spring covers were reasonably accurately pressed, the limited range of flywheels and backplates were machined to OE-spec data for the essential areas, and the limited clutch plate alternatives ensured consistent dimensions. As such, I covered how to set the clutch assembly up based on the components available a long while back. Things got a bit more complicated when various clutch plate manufacturers came on the scene, as did a couple of flywheel manufacturers. So, still some while back now, I covered an alternative way of setting the assembly up. Fast forward to more recent times, there are all manner of alternative…

Karin is starting to think my Clubby Estate is never going to get out of the garage. Every time I go out there to do something I come back in shaking my head in disgust at the nasties I've found. Last month I stripped most of the front suspension off to see why the adjustable suspension trumpets were set massively different from one side to the other. As the front subframe was very tatty, I decided to pull it out for stripping and repainting . This would also make removing the rubber springs, adjustable platforms and top arms that much easier. So out it came. Oh lordy.... Taking the subframe out revealed a bulkhead that is oily, dirty and rusty in places. But the front panel made me want to…