Innehållsförteckning för November 2019 från Mini Magazine

There has been a definite shift this month - the days are feeling noticeably shorter, somehow I feel a little underdressed in just a T-shirt and worst of all, people have started to talk about the true end of summer - the date when SORN is declared, and many Minis get tucked away in safe places for the winter months... The 60th Anniversary year is not quite over yet. This month, we've been along to the British Mini Club's Stanford Hall event - which I feel was the best ever at the venue. Check out the report on page 28. You'll also find a report from the West Country Minis' Isle of Wight Adventure, and lots from the Oulton Park Gold Cup. As I write this, we're getting ready for…

On 8 September, a convoy of 60 classic and modern Minis drove to the Brunei Shell Recreation Club Belait District in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Classic Mini. On arrival the participants arranged their cars into the shape of a 60. This stunning display of cars was then showcased in an exhibition that was open to the public. This Brunei Mini Owners Association event, was led by its President Romzi bin Haji Mohamad Yusof. Mini owners from Sabah, Sarawak and Melaka drove the distance to take part in the celebrations. After free breakfasts all round, the convoy was flagged off by Natalie Gowers Barnes, British Deputy High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam at the McDonald’s Drive Thru’ at Jerudong Park. According to Romzi bin Haji Mohamad Yusof, the activity…

• The Mini Cooper Tribute Sic58 was born from an idea by Marco Pinzauti, founder of Just Minis, a leading company in Italy specialising in the restoration, conservation and tuning of the classic Mini. A great fan of MotoGP, Marco wanted to fuse these two passions in a single project, above all, he wanted to pay tribute to the memory of Simoncelli, who tragically died in 2011. The result is nothing short of brilliant. The starting point is a 1993 Rover Mini Cooper SPi, which was set up in the official Sic58 livery. In addition to the graphics, the car is equipped with fully adjustable suspension, a sports exhaust, 13 inch Super Trax wheels, sports brakes, red interior with sports seats, dashboard and door cappings in carbon fiber and a…

The Se7ens and S-Class opened the Mini action just before lunch, but a red flag due to dropped oil and a car in the tyres at Hall Bends caused the race to be restarted over a shortened four lap dash. Points leader Joe Thompson had led initially, but Jeff Smith squeezed past and held on to the flag, with Dom Burger in their mirrors to keep up the trio’s hold on the title race. In S-Class, Connor O’Brien followed up his debut class victory from the Brands DTM meet to pip Scott Kendall’s similar car, with Thorburn Astin completing the class podium. By the time of the first Miglia/Libre event, the race distances had been reduced to 15 from the scheduled 20 minutes. Despite a few spots of rain, the…

Set in the grounds of Oulton Estate in Little Budworth, Cheshire, Oulton Park is the UK’s most picturesque racing circuit. The full 2.8 mile circuit offers a multitude of high and low speed corners, across several hundred acres of undulating, parkland type, terrain. Most fans identify the circuit with Lodge Corner – an iconic part of the original estates’ gateway. This Gold Cup is part of the HSCC Historic Touring Car Championship. The Championship is open to saloon cars of which the model was in series production on or before 01/01/1966 and which are either listed as homologated cars for Appendix K or appear on the permanent list of eligible vehicles held by the Historic Racing Saloons Register. In this year’s Championship there are Minis competing in two classes –…

Wayne fulfilled partner Caroline’s lifelong dream of owning a Mini by building her one for her 50th birthday. You may well remember her stunning 998cc ’86 from September’s Your Minis, and it’ll be back with a full feature soon. Now that Caroline’s car is on the road, and getting a lot of use, it’s Wayne’s turn. He learnt to weld, prep the body and spray on Caroline’s car. Skills that are coming in handy right now as he is in the process of converting a rough shell into a ‘70s style flip front boy racer Mini that doubles up as a daily. Wayne has tubbed the wheelarches and lowered the car, so it will rest four inches off the floor! The rear seats have been stripped out, but there will…

Mike Waterjohns has come a long way since he was tinkering with the family Minis and towing his grandparent’s gang mower around the field in a Minivan at the age of ten. The brains behind M-Tech, Mike is renowned for building immaculate Minis that are as satisfying to look at as they are to drive. Mike is mostly self taught and he learnt more working with Leo Jack (the talent behind mokepanels.com) than he did in the classroom. Although his grounding in automotive engineering at university gave him some solid theory to build upon. Whilst working for Leo, a newly graduated Mike built the ‘96 Almond Green Estate that we featured back in 1998. From that car things really took off. “A guy saw the car and was very keen…

It would be fair to say that Richard Preston enjoyed his previous Mini, an H registration, Tahiti Blue, Mini 1000. But the enjoyment tended to come in fits and starts… much like the way the car actually performed. As well as being prone to breaking down, and becoming rather hot and bothered, it wasn’t particularly solid either. “You can’t but help enjoy classic Mini ownership,” admits Richard smiling. “However, the fun began to pall when it broke down… which it did on numerous occasions… even the engine caught fire once! I was always having to dive under the bonnet to try to fix things. To be honest, the breakdowns really started to get to me. Then there was the rust. What with the reliability issues, the fire, and the rust,…

ON BOOST Q I’m pretty new to the Mini scene, and have recently bought my first – it’s a ’78 Mini 1000 but it’s been fitted with a 1320cc engine. I love the way the Mini goes and handles, but as I’ve always owned performance cars, I’m started to get that familiar itch - I’d like more power. From what I understand, the engine in my car has all the ‘right bits’ – carbs, cylinder head, cam, manifolds, and exhaust system have all been modified or uprated. Looking through the magazine, I’ve noticed quite a few owners have fitted turbos – is this something that I could do to my car? Des “Vinyl sunroofs are a great way to convert your Mini into an open topped car” A There may…

After the novelty of the 24 hour race, it was return to racing EEE 34D for the Gold Cup at Oulton Park. What I was really interested in was whether, with an engine knocking out more than ten horses more than before, I would be 10 seconds a lap quicker! It’s the first time since Goodwood in April that I had used the car on a circuit so I was a bit keen but concerned whether my 56 year old baulk rings were going to do the job. Technical aside; I have since found out that they are forged not cast like later ones However, we changed the brake pads the day before I left and it upset the braking system in that I had to pump the pedal when…

Good God, it’s three years since I found the Mini Marcos in Portugal and I would not have believed the restoration of the car would take so long! When I heard that the Marcos marque’s 60th anniversary was taking place at Wroxall Abbey in Summer 2019 it seemed light-years away and I was certain that I’d be attending with a finished car. The same went for the Mini’s 60th - 2019 was quite a year for celebrations! Anyway, the Summer of 2019 is over and I didn’t actually manage to visit any of the festivities. The car is still a bare shell sitting in my garage. Paint should have been the next step and with the primer now (hopefully) dried out I contacted my Marcos mate Joost, who helped me…

Flicking through the Davis family album, you’ll find plenty of pictures of Pete standing proudly before a Mini. He got the bug at a very young age, and it was largely thanks to his Uncle. “My Uncle raced a Cooper S in the mid to late 70s. The plan was to race this one but I’m not sure if I will now because of my three-year-old son, James. It’s a bit different when you’re a parent. The process of building it is the fun bit.” Pete’s rally spec Morris is a real head turner now, but this hasn’t always been the case. “I went to see it and it was a complete nail” laughs Pete. “It had been sat in the garage for the best part of eight years. He…

• The Performance & Tuning Car Show 2020 is searching for the top tuned car - the winner will showcase their car at the event on the Revving Red Carpet. A panel of tuning experts will select their top 20 of 2020. As well as winning four VIP tickets to the show, with overnight hotel stay and meals, the winner will have their car displayed at the Performance & Tuning Car Show which takes place on 11 & 12 January 2020. Submit your details, including images, to the Revving Red Carpet online form https://www.autosportinternational. com/features/revving-red-carpet by 31 October, 2019.…

• This 1968 MkI Morris Minor Super Deluxe had just 272 miles from new. It was offered just as it would have been delivered more than 50 years ago, even with the plastic seat covers intact! Built in 1967, making it one of the last MkI Minis, the car was registered and delivered in 1968 to Mrs B Jones, who purchased the car in order to learn to drive. When she was unsuccessful in her endeavours the car was garaged, where it remained until it was auctioned by her family just a few years ago. The result is an extraordinarily original example of the MkI Mini, which preserves the smallest details that are lost with even the most faithful of restorations or more heavily-used originals. The door strikers, which were…

Competing over the course of two days on the 6th and 7th September the crews were truly tested and Belgium certainly did not go easy on them. Craig King/ Adrian Lloyd got off to a solid start on Friday, until they hit a pothole – causing the engine to drop down on to two cylinders! Once fixed, Craig suffered with a little ‘driver over exuberance’ having a very near miss with a wall after a spin. Joining forces to take on the Tour of Flanders, Peter Ellerby/Paul Price had a slight mishap on Friday, when instead of fuelling up with petrol... diesel was put in instead! In a billowing cloud of smoke, Peter and Paul had ground to a halt. Onwards and upwards, the team got off to a better…

20th October-2nd November The Italian Job Epic annual touring adventure in Italy, for vehicles featured in the Italian Job plus New Minis and New Fiat 500s. Participants compete in challenges and stages while navigating with tulip-style rally notes. Meals and hotels included. www.italianjob.com 27th October ‘Normous Newark Autojumble A great day out for any car or motorcycle enthusiast, the ‘Normous Newark Autojumble offers a vast array of parts, restoration services and related products for a variety of vehicles on ten separate Sundays throughout the year. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 7th November Mod ‘n’ Mini Meet This monthly meet is a great way to mix with like-minded Mini fans, taking place at London’s Ace Café on the first Thursday of every month from 6pm. www.ace-cafe-london.com 8th -10th November Classic Motor Show Annual multi marque…

It’s not going to give your engine more or less power, and it certainly doesn’t have bonnet-up show appeal, but the water pump is one of those components that is not only key to the normal functioning of the cooling system - and the engine as a whole – but if it fails, the consequences can be dire. Normal maintenance should be enough to spot any impending problems. If coolant levels are checked on a regular basis, any noticeable drop should be investigated immediately. If you suspect the pump, look for signs of water escape, particularly coming out from under the water pump pulley – a sure sign that the seals are failing. The pump can also get noisy when the rear bearing fails, which allows movement in the pump…

MINI SPORT BILLET ALLOY INDUCTION KIT £189.31 The induction pipe features a specially designed internal venturi, which serves to both locate the pipe to the airbox for greater stability and smooth the airflow into the airbox. The result is improved power and performance along with quieter running. Easy to fit with only minor modification to the air box. • 01282 778731 • www.minisport.com ABS MOTORSPORT CLASSIC MINI WRAP-AROUND REAR WINDOW LOUVRE £150 This louvre is manufactured in fibreglass, and designed to be painted. It wraps around the Mini rear panel from seam to seam and sits under the gutter. Ideal for rear engined Minis for improved airflow, or just that ultimate ‘70s look. The louvre can be bonded or bolted in place, making it removable. • 01472 398731 • www.absmotorsport.net…

There was me thinking it would be a relatively Mini-free end to the summer after IMM, when in reality it’s been flat out. First up a visit to Mini In The Park at its new Mallory Park venue. Editor Gerard kindly offered a space on the MM stand and I quite fancied a few laps around the circuit. I hadn’t accounted for quite how many bolts had worked loose since the last time out at Silverstone. The nearside radius arm bracket was finger tight, the anti-rollbar drop links loose and the bonnet pins almost falling off. There’s so much vibration through the shell compared with a road Mini. The show itself was a welcome change to the previous venue and it’ll no doubt settle in nicely there. We’d been experimenting…

• Congratulations to James Allen and wife Jessica, who celebrated their marriage on 20th September in Worcestershire. The bridal car was James’ 1977 Estate which he has been working on since 2016 with best mate (and best man) Steve Price. The car got finished literally days before the wedding and you can read all about in next month’s issue. James and Jessica have three Minis. Several Minis formed part of the wedding cavalcade and members of the Wyre Forest Mini Club celebrated the happy couples special day with them.…

With its attractive towns, alluring coastline and scenic driving routes, the Isle of Wight is the ideal destination for a road trip in a Mini. But when 180 examples get together under beautiful skies, you’ve truly got an occasion to remember – as West Country Minis proved when it hosted its latest Isle of White Adventure on September 14. The event’s roots extend back to 2017, when Red Funnel set up discounted ferry crossings to entice Mini owners to the island. For 2018 is was the turn of West Country Minis to take over the reins, with Red Funnel providing discounts once more. And with return crossings priced at a mere £31, 145 Minis would cross The Solent for the 2019 event, squeezing into every nook and cranny on the…

On 15 September, the British Mini Club hosted its popular annual event at the striking Leicestershire venue. It was a fitting climax to a summer of Mini 60 celebrations and as David Hollis of the British Mini Club said on the day, “we have really felt the spirit of the 60th anniversary here today. We couldn’t have wished for a better event. It has been absolutely ace!” The show originated in the early 1980s under Chris Cheal and the National Mini Owners Club, but British Mini Club took over the reins a couple of years back and the event has only gone from strength to strength. It now boasts the title of the longest running Mini event of the year! David Hollis was especially pleased with how well it worked…

YOUNG GUNS Name: Owen Jones Car: 1993 Rover Sprite 1275cc Location: Liverpool • Owen was so keen to get a Mini that he bought this one before he was even old enough to hold a driving licence! He bought his 1275cc Rover Sprite four years ago after finding it for sale on eBay… he was just 16 at the time! He has since retrimmed the interior, powder-coated the wheels and sorted the typical engine leaks… a job he jokes that every Mini owner will have faced at some point or another! He has also fitted a full new exhaust system, LED headlight units and replaced the engine steady mounts recently. Owen is a real Mini enthusiast and regularly goes to the local cars and coffee meets in his Sprite. He…

Keith Hawes is no stranger to restoring British cars. Being an avid MG fan, he’s taken on a number of projects over the years including an MG TF 160 and a BGT, the latter revived thanks to a six month recommission after being laid up for some eighteen years. “Luckily the MGB had been stored in a very dry brick-built garage which had preserved the car well,” Keith points out, “that project ended up being more straightforward than I anticipated.” With the MGs back on the road, Keith was soon itching to take on another project, “I was becoming desperate to find something suitable with wheels that moved,” Keith laughs, “and I had an even bigger interest in classic cars that didn’t move!” Unusually, Keith was totally open minded about…

The story of the Moke is a familiar one. Originally intended as a simple, lightweight uitility vehicle for the military, it didn’t get far past the prototype stage before the small wheels and lack of ground clearance ruled it out for such purposes. It was then offered to the civilian market as a low cost, low maintenance utility vehicle, perfect for farmers and tradesmen. It no doubt came as something of a surprise to Issigonis when the Moke became the darling of the hipster set. In the late Sixties, Les Harris was a student at Sheffield University, and like all students since time began, he was skint. “I had very little money, that was the problem, and I didn’t study much, which was also a problem. I’d come from a…

It has turned into the longest standing project in our lockup by a long way, but my association with this car goes back a lot further. The Downton GT seems to have followed me through my magazine career, and then into my personal life. “He’d given the company a ring and had bought something special...” Back in the ‘90s, when I was first in the editor’s chair of Mini Magazine, I got the chance to drive some very exciting Minis. A favourite was the Downton ClubSport, produced by Downton over in Norfolk. I thought the car was beautifully detailed, thoughtfully built and drove incredibly well. When the same team announced they were to build a Broadspeed GT-inspired car, I got a little excited. The car took some time to appear.…

The Elf has been on the road for a few months now, and even though it hasn’t undertaken any epic road trips, it has clocked up a few miles. When we brought it back to life after a long time in storage, all fluids and lubricants were changed – along with a refresh of the ignition system. It’s been running really well, and since we sorted out the clutch hydraulics, been driving really well too. There are no untoward noises, smells or leaks coming from under the bonnet, but when things go well, I’m a little suspicious. So as far as I could without pulling the engine out and stripping it down, I wanted some small reassurance. Regular oil and filter changes are the key to the long life of…