Innehållsförteckning för November 2020 från Mini Magazine

One of our favourite tasks on Mini Magazine is producing our 'On The Job' features. We get the chance to visit someone else's workshop/garage/front drive, check out how their project is coming along and then write about it in the magazine. It's inspirational, and we always come away with a few ideas of what we might incorporate into our own future projects. The icing on the cake is when one of these projects is completed. Shooting a feature on a Mini that we saw in build is a great feeling. To see if all the plans came together, how they changed and why. And it gives us just one more chance to talk Minis... This month's cover car, Wayne Wright's 'Storm', first appeared in Mini Magazine November 2019. It was…

• MOKE International Limited has announced the return of one of Britain's great automotive icons. UK customers will be able to order one of 56 limited edition Mokes, signifying the number of years since it first appeared in Britain in 1964. The company will also welcome orders for standard spec vehicles, which they say confirms the permanent return of the brand. Originaly designed by Issigonis as an air portable vehicle for the military and a lightweight utility vehicle for farmers and tradesmen. Based on standard Mini subranes and running gear meant a lack of ground clearance and no four-wheel-drive and its usefulness was limited when the going got tough. While army rejected it, it quickly became a firm favourite with the 'Swinging Set', both in the UK and abroad. Mokes…

There are several 24 hour races for mundane cars in Europe (even for Ford KAs). One of the most popular of which is for Citroen C1s which regularly attracts grids of over 100 cars on long tracks like Spa or 40 or 50 for shorter races in the UK. By chance, some years back the 2CV racers seeing an exit of racers to C1s allowed some Minis in; essentially late 80’s/early 90’s cars with a largely unmodified 998 engines, standard 1.5 inch SU carburettors, some safety gear and using standard alloys with road going tyres. Interest has been steady, headed by Andy Slade and several ex-Mighty Minis racers. The rules aren’t too complex. All cars are checked for power on a rolling road beforehand. Each team can have up to…

MINI SPARES PERFORMANCE CONE SPRING £50.39 The Mini Spares Performance Cone Spring is a standard height, original shaped cone spring with an accurate spring rate and hardness designed to provide consistency. The spring uses an elastomer synthetic rubber to avoid problems whilst giving a better ride with less body roll. They also allow the use of original struts rather than having to fit Hi-Los, so the car’s originality is preserved. The Mini Spares Performance Cone Springs must be fitted in pairs, although Mini Spares recommends replacing all four cones as a set. • 01707 607700 • www.minispares.com CLARKE DIESEL/PARAFFIN FIRED SPACE HEATERS From £226.80 The XR80 provides a heat output of up to 20.5kW. Wheels and handles are also included for easy manoeuvrability. The 230V power supply is fitted inside…

I was lucky enough to be asked back by Nick Lyford to take part in the annual 24 Hour Mini Race sharing his ex-Mighty Mini, thinking this would be part of a busy season. Little did I guess that it might be my only outing. Nick picked up the pieces from last year’s disastrous blow up – fresh motor and refreshed running gear. The spare engine I had built slept next to me in my van and I brought a host of spares. Testing was weird. No checking of licences, cars, kit or equipment. All done electronically or on trust. No spectators either but there are never many as it’s a team and family outing more than anything. Sharing the car with Nick and his son James was Alan Evans.…

I have to admit that the GTM project did feel like it was coming together a little too easily. Running. Driving. Even stopping reasonably well. I’d even started thinking about pepping the bodywork up a little and had started to mend a few of the cracks with resin. Next job was to start stripping off lights and external fittings to give this vinyl wrapping idea a proper go before the weather turns too gloomy and cool. On opening the driver’s door, there was a distinct wet patch in the footwell that hadn’t been there before – I wouldn’t remembered it from my previous time spent in there removing redundant wiring and replacing the ignition barrel. A leaking master cylinder could be the only culprit. Checking the levels in both clutch…

When we first clapped eyes on Wayne Wright’s latest project (for November 2019’s On The Job feature), it was a primered rolling shell and the engine was just a dirty ball on the workbench. You’ll remember Wayne’s work on his partner, Caroline’s 998cc ’86 Mini. Since he’s finished that, he’s had more time to pour into his own project meaning they can now drive separately to car meets and make double the impact. “She’s a little different to what my original plans were!” Wayne muses. “Some of it’s the same. I wanted the exhaust coming out from the rear valance. I wanted the louvres, fibreglass boot and doors, fibreglass flip front and all Perspex windows (apart from the windscreen).” As anyone who has ever built their own car knows, early…

On Thursday 17 September, the team at Acespeed supplied a trio of Minis to a wedding at Bingley St.Ives Golf Club. Steve Waterhouse and his lovely bride Sarah were delighted with the Cooper Works, Italian Job and MPi Cooper. The bride specified that Ace wore his race suit and they also sent Liam Gallagher lookalike Chris McKibb to chauffeur the bride in his Cooper. A lovely day was had by all, and this is the first of many weddings that the team plan to be helping out with. www.acespeed.co.uk…

You won’t need us to tell you that the show calendar has been fraught with cancellations this year, but there was a notable exception as Minis joined an intriguing mix of the nation’s favourite at the British Motor Museum on September 6. The event saw the BMC and Leyland Show combined with the National Metro and Mini Show for a one-off reboot after both had been postponed earlier in the year, but the delay certainly didn’t dampen any enthusiasm. All available tickets were duly sold out and the gates were closed once the venue’s safe capacity was reached. It wasn’t exclusively a Mini show of course, but they played a major role. Clubs present included the Cooper Sport 500 Register, Thames Valley Mini Club and the As of Herts, Beds…

The classic Mini world has long-been home to an extremely diverse mix of cars. Some remain steadfastly true to Issigonis’ original concept, some are modified for competition use, some have become the recipients of engine swaps, and some have formed the basis of a number of kit cars. However others, like Michael Thumwood’s Mini Clubman, push boundaries... and then some. MINI TO THE MAX “When I was young, I’d hear stories about my dad’s Mini,” recalls Michael fondly. “There were pictures of racing Minis around the house too. But, it was only around five years ago that I became involved in the Mini scene.” When Michael says ‘involved’, what he really means is that he put an extreme plan into action: a plan that he’d been formulating for quite some…

When eight-year-old Jake and Emma met, they had no idea they’d be running a thriving business together in their twenties. Their shared childhood was packed with fond memories of bombing about in the back of one of Jake’s mum’s Minis, which it’s safe to say is where their mutual love of the car came from. Jake is often recognised as ‘the face’ of MiniRunUK, but the seamless management of their car tour business is reliant on the pair of them, with best mate Emma working hard behind the scenes to make Jake’s ideas happen. Jake comes up with concepts and acts as tour guide, while Emma works on the design, admin and business elements of the venture. Entering new headquarters in Tamworth, you’d be forgiven for thinking the business had…

When you’re new to driving, cars tend to come and go. First cars tend to be the most precious thing in the world when they’re freshly stripped of their L-plates, but within a few months, the sheen is gone and they’re just a hack like any other old motor. The fate of second cars is usually even less glamourous… “I had a Mini prior to this one which I think I bought in about 2000,” explains Joe Hall. "That was my first ever car, a D-reg City E. It was just a runabout and I paid about £600 for that back then. It was actually quite a nice Mini– it got hit by a Granada in Christchurch.” And that was that for Joe’s first car. His second came hot on…

No-one would argue that this summer has been difficult. But despite all that’s been going on, it’s great to see so many projects coming together. And we’re delighted to see Frankie, Mike Brewer’s Cooper S project, has been making steady progress in the capable hands of the team at Acespeed Historic Motorsport. On our last visit, the body shell had just returned from the paintshop and looked pretty splendid in its fresh coat of Almond Green and Old English White. Although the Cooper was red with a white roof when Mike bought it, a Heritage certificate revealed that it had left Longbridge in a very different shade, and this marks a return to the original. While the shell had been away, the team had busied themselves with the many other…

• The British Motor Museum is delighted to announce it is to host a series of brand new monthly evening gatherings aimed at motoring enthusiasts. The first ‘Gaydon Gathering’ took place on Tuesday 15 September from 5:30pm to 8pm and the next is on Tuesday 13 October. The Gaydon Gathering will then be a regular feature of the 2021 events programme, on the second Tuesday of every month starting on the 13 April 2021. These informal events will be held outdoors on the Museum’s arenas and are free to attend. Visitors can just turn up on the evening, with no pre booking required. At 7pm the Museum will present the ‘Gaydon Garage’ feature when the Museum’s workshop doors will be opened to reveal one of the fantastic vehicles from the…

At Brands Hatch TOCA meeting on 8-9 August, the Mini 7 Racing Club were once again star performers on the support bill to the British Touring Car Championship, with all three races producing sizzling performances from full-to-bursting grids. In the top-tier Mini Miglias, local ace Aaron Smith came away with a pair of overall wins to strengthen his points lead, while on his series debut, BTCC star Andrew Jordan worked his way up the podium positions from 3rd on Saturday, through 2nd on Sunday morning before edging out Smith in the live ITV4 broadcast in the afternoon finale. Others to feature at the front included former champions Rupert Deeth, Kane Astin and Endaf Owens, along with Nick Padmore, Sam Summerhayes and Lee Deegan. Not far behind in the Mini Libre…

Ever since the Mini was first mooted, commercial variants: namely the Pick-up and the Minivan, were part of the plan. A plan that saw these utilitarian carry-alls go on to become a huge commercial success with the Minivan the smallest van available on the British market, punching well above its weight. Yet, understandably, due to the nature of the work they undertook and the negative effects of ageing, only a very small percentage of the 580,000 Pick-ups and vans produced have survived. However, largely thanks to their modest number and to their inherent charm, they have become hugely collectable and, hence, very sought after. CHANGING DIRECTION Whilst some of the survivors have been modified, others, like the one featured here (belonging to Ray Austin), have been brought back to period…

OVER CONSUMPTION Q I have a problem with my 1992 Mini Cooper 1.3 SPi. The fuel consumption is extremely high and achieves a maximum of 23 miles per gallon. I took the car to a local garage who plugged in their diagnostic computer and it showed that the inlet air temperature sensor and the MAP sensor were not functioning properly. I had the inlet air temperature sensor replaced and, at the same time, found out that the vacuum pipe was connected directly from the inlet manifold to the ECU, with the purge valve connection missing. I reconnected all vacuum pipes in a working order from the inlet manifold. The standard exhaust has been replaced with a performance cat-back stainless steel side exit system. I then had my car checked again.…

I have to apologise for my lack of updates on my Cooper project. It wasn’t until I started putting pictures together to write this piece that I realised just how far it has moved on! After my last update I had just replaced the floor and boot floor, and was about to start mercilessly attacking the bulkhead with a grinder – as you can see from the photos. This is quite a scary state to see your car in. But having the jig, and after taking lots of measurements, it was quite straightforward. I further braced the car to the jig by making up a simple box frame that passed through the door apertures of the shell and rested snugly on top of the brace bars of the jig. This…