Mini Magazine April 2020

We may well still be in the depths of winter, but we've had a great time this month catching some exceptional Minis on camera. Some you'll find in this issue, others will be appearing soon. It's easy to feel that the whole scene goes into hibernation over the winter months, with the only respite being shows like the NEC Classic Car Show and the British Mini Club's Minifair (see page 30 for our report). Thankfully, this just isn't true and Mini owners are just as busy, just maybe not so visible... We travelled down to Southwest Wales to meet Luke Billing and his incredible turbo'd Mini. Take a look at the pictures of this car and you'll see that, obviously, it's never going to be in daily use. The omission…

Even when you think you’ve figured out Marcus Hubbard’s Cub, I guarantee that it will still have a surprise or two that you’ve yet to notice. The immediate statement is Mad Max meets Desert Storm. It looks rough and ready, it’s got the biggest rally ready tyres you could imagine fitting under the arches, but then there’s the supercharger, the hydraulics, the PA system… Marcus’ Mini owning habit goes right back to his earliest days of driving. When he first passed his test he drove a Beetle but he says ‘it felt antique’, and he very quickly moved on to Minis. Several have come and gone over the years but one of them, a 1972 Cooper S replica, has been with him since 1989. This has been on the road…

BODY AMC Cub galvanised bodyshell. Nudge bars, canvas bikini roof. Custom fold down front screen. Steel sump guard. Painted desert sand with added rust. ENGINE 1310cc A-Plus. VMAX Supercharger conversion. Weber 40DCOE carburettor. Gavin Fox ported and flowed big valve head, 35.7mm inlet, 31mm exhaust valves. 1.3 rockers. Kent K500 camshaft. Omega 18cc dish pistons. SPi crankshaft, MED lightened flywheel, centre main strap. Turbo oil pump. Aldon Amethyst mappable ignition, electronic distributor. Maniflow LCB and RC40 exhaust. Mini Spares two core sports rad, Concept Racing special order coolant expansion tank, oil catch can and auxiliary fan. Approx 120 bhp TRANSMISSION Guessworks gearbox with straight cut gears, straight cut drops, cross pin differential and 3.9 final drive. KAD quickshift moke gear lever and Mini Spares third gear bias. SUSPENSION Rayvern hydraulic…

When you think of Somerford Mini today, it’s a successful business which now boasts a vast spares department alongside the original restoration business. Manned by restorers with a deep passion for (and vast knowledge and experience of) the Mini, their workshop enjoys a reputation as one of the country's leading Mini restoration centres. With the Spares and Restoration Departments together as a team, Somerford have long been a British Motor Heritage Approved Specialist and are justifiably proud of this accolade. The business was started by Peter Hines in 1990 from modest beginnings, it was just Peter, his toolbox and £2000 savings. Somerford now stock over 10,000 lines, with more being added all the time. Their latest product is a Mini Pickup tilt cover. They have taken the time to develop…

• Cornish Mini Club would like you to join them for an action-packed Riviera Run from 1st-3rd May 2020 at Pentewan Sands Holiday Park, St Austell to help celebrate 25 years of the Riviera Run. Day visitors are £10 per car per day but if you are visiting Saturday and Sunday it's just £15. This year the chosen charities are Cornwall Blood Bikes and Children’s Hospice South West. On Friday there will be an inter club Wipeout game and glow show that will replace the usual drive-in movie. The action-packed Saturday programme includes rocker cover racing and a fire brigade display as well as the local cruise. Evening entertainment includes a fancy dress competition with live band Strawdogs. The fun continues on to the Sunday with ‘The Sound Off’ loudest…

• MINI introduces a special edition of the UK’s best-selling convertible, the new MINI Convertible Sidewalk Edition. The high-spec new model is a limited edition with just 150 available for UK customers. It’s supplied exclusively with a 192 bhp Cooper S powertrain featuring MINI TwinPower Turbo technology and a 7-speed Steptronic transmission with double clutch and steering wheel paddles. With new Deep Laguna metallic body paint and exterior mirror caps, it also features special bonnet stripes with pin lines and “Sidewalk” side scuttle badging. The LE is fitted with unique door entry strips and an exclusive Arrow design soft top roof which can be opened or closed electronically in just 18 seconds. It also has new 17 inch light-alloy Scissor Spoke 2-tone wheels. The Sidewalk comes with a range of…