Innehållsförteckning för January 2023 från Mini Magazine

There’s a thrilling crackle of youthful energy to this issue. Our cover car, in all its Carry On in-your-faceness, was bought by its owner when he was just 17 years old. The Micra-engined Zeemax on p.32? Yep, that was its doting owner’s first car when he was 17 too. We’re introducing some fresh young writers this month, Trinity Francis and Connor Heath. And things don’t get a lot more down-withthe- kids than the brilliantly odd R52 we have in the back section of the mag. Don’t worry if you’re all craggy and ageing like me though, as there’s plenty to enjoy for the folks whose lower backs are starting to give them a bit of grief. We’ve got a glorious Hopkirk Monte recreation, a fast-road 1380 built for thrills, a…

For this month’s Racing Lines,who better to catch up with than the hotoff-the-press winner of the Mini Miglia 2022 Championship -Rupert Deeth. It all came down to the final championship weekend at the Silverstone International Circuit; it was really tight heading into the final round with just one point separating Aaron Smith and Rupert for the 2022 crown! After some extremely close and thoroughly exciting racing, Rupert managed to grasp enough points to increase his tally to three Miglia Championship career wins. So let’s find out a bit more about this modest three-time Mini Miglia champion… What was the first Mini you raced, and what was its specification and standout features? I was late driving a Mini having come from MG Metro Turbo and Rover 216GTI Championships, and acquired my…

The ‘Minis to…’ event is a weeklong tour run annually by the MCR to various destinations, and this year it was the Alps. The route took in some of the famous rally roads of the 1960s and ’70s on which the Mini found fame. The event is restricted to 40 cars and is open to all members of the club. As ever, there was a service van in attendance which was packed with both parts and expertise. The crews gathered at Maidstone one Friday in September before starting the event proper on day two with a drive to Reims; the next six days took the crews to Mulhouse, Ais-les-Bains, Gap and Evian-les-Bains, with the route following several iconic roads of the Monte Carlo and Alpine rallies. The weather was warm…

The Seven Wonders of the World is an annoying list, as there are far more than seven things on it. The ancient wonders include the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, among other dusty but impressive relics, while updated lists have subsequently brought such marvels as Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal to the party; then people start talking about the ‘New Seven Wonders’ – the Golden Gate Bridge, the Channel Tunnel, the internet – and it all starts to get a bit silly. But the single element that ties all of these together is that they’re man-made things that really shouldn’t exist at all, owing to the complexity and improbability of their coming into being. And with…

There’s a peculiar and allpervading mantra that’s been shared by social commentators and other smug people for generations: ‘expect the unexpected’. Which is a fundamentally silly thing to say, really; it creates a logical paradox, it demands that you do something that’s literally impossible. Nevertheless, with all that being said, it’s actually not a bad piece of advice to proffer in the case of this particular Mini. Its owner and creator, Anton Trivett, built it for the track, and takes pleasure in telling astonished onlookers who enquire about what it’s being powered by: ‘Oh, it’s a 998.’ He just doesn’t specify which 998… We’ll get to that. First of all, let’s dig around in the history a little and learn where this all came from. “I can’t tell you exactly…

Finally, after seven years off the road, I’m delighted to report that my 1972 Innocenti Mini is back in action. Long-term readers will remember it was purchased from Pisa in Italy back in 2011 as part of Performance Direct’s Non Standard Awards (now Motor-Vision Awards) – atrip that involved visiting the scenes from The Italian Job filmthen limping it to the UK. A thorough recommissioning then took place to sort all the bits that had broken, but it was subsequently parked up in 2015 and hadn’t been driven since. As a rare 1001 model (a rung up from the basic 1000), I was keen to redress that situation. So, early last year, I set about a much lengthier recommissioning job that ultimately ended up with the engine out for a…

We’re really stretching the definition of ‘special edition’ to breaking point with this car, as only one of them was ever built so it’s not as if you’re going to see one turn up on eBay. But 1997’s unique Mini Hot Rod is worthy of inclusion in the series by virtue of its inherent awesomeness; while it may look like a high-end aftermarket custom, this was actually built by Jack Knight Developments to Rover’s own brief, at the request of a wealthy client. Under the bonnet was a 16-valve version of the A-series putting out a frankly incredible 160bhp, mated to a 5-speed dog ’box. This served up some outstanding performance – we’re talking 0-60mph in sub-6- seconds and a top speed in excess of 120mph. Backing all this up…

r ed Bull is one of those brands whose name implies impeccable quality when it’s plastered along the side of a race car. Your brain happily suspends the knowledge that the product in question is, in fact, a cloyingly saccharine fizzy drink, as there are so many other high-octane associations that are pushed to front-of-mind when you see that racy canvas, liberally sprinkled with yellow suns and, yes, red bulls. The livery has slipped seamlessly into the pantheon of all-time classics – not quite up there with Gulf, Martini or JPS, but certainly on the way. Think about it: countless F1 championship wins, NASCAR, akar, that astounding Peugeot 207 that decimated the Pikes Peak record, you name it – Red Bull and fast cars go hand-in-hand. “I ran a valeting…

The crossover between the real world and the virtual is becoming blurrier by the day. Augmented reality and social app filters apply gamified elements to real-world situations; big brands are sponsoring e-sports with real prize pots to ensure that virtual motor racing – or tennis, golf, basketball, or anything else you can think of – is just as respected and rewarded as its traditional counterparts. How much of life is actually real any more? Are we just living in the Matrix, distracted by the girl in the red dress and failing to see reality for what it really is? We probably don’t need to panic. If we were living in energy-harvesting pods in a dystopian future, we’d either know about it, or wouldn’t want to. Let’s focus on the here…

GET LISTED Email minimag.ed@kelsey.co.uk to let us know about any upcoming events. Due to the uncertainty surrounding Covid, please be aware that events are subject to change. Keep an eye on the organisers’ websites to stay up to date with any developments. ■ 1st January 2023 New Year’s Day Gathering Brooklands Museum is the place to be on the first day of the new year, and it’s always guaranteed to be a stellar turnout. https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com ■ 12-15th January Autosport International Absolutely massive multi-marque show at Birmingham’s legendary NEC. Well, you’d expect it to be massive, wouldn’t you? The NEC’s like a town with a roof. www.autosportinternational.com ■ 29th January Mini Fair The British Mini Club’s season opener at Bingley Hall is always a must-visit event for Mini fans. We’re excited…

ESTATE OF MIND Name: Tom Albrow Car: 1981 Clubman Estate Location: UK ■ These flat-fronted loadluggers are becoming increasingly desirable in Mini circles, and Tom’s done a really beautiful job of restoring this 1981 example. It was an extensive resto too, with the scope of the work amounting to a whole lot of welding, the sublime paint job and in-depth engine rebuild, all done by the man himself. Really impressive stuff, and we’ll endeavour to get a lens on it before too long so we can give the car some welldeserved coverage in the mag. COOPER TROOPER Name: Jon Cousins Car: 1968 Morris Cooper Location: UK ■ Jon built this Mini as a retirement project, and the transformation really has been remarkable: when he started out on the restoration, the…

The Scramble events at Bicester Heritage have really grown in stature, which is hardly surprising. When you combine the alluring ingredients of beautiful and historic surroundings, a huge variety of pretty cars, a general chilled and laid-back vibe and a thoroughly friendly atmosphere (plus the added bonuses of bacon and coffee), it’s hard to resist. Our last trip to a Scramble was back in January, and it was interesting to note just how much more massive the October event was– the car park was twice the size, the crowds were more bustling (but not to the extent of feeling over-crowded), and – crucially – there were a lot more cars to look at. Significant names like Car & Classic and The Road Rat had their own curated areas, while big…

We all want a car that has a story founded in genuine heritage and if we’re lucky, a car that represents a cultural shift, a moment in history. Kingsley Beck’s Mini is just that. The third of four faithful replicas of Paddy Hopkirk ’s famous 1964 Monte Carlo rally winning Mini, Kingsley is the proud owner of this one: 528 EMO. “Without doubt, the cars were built with serious competition in mind” The project was completed in 1991, with Paddy Hopkirk heavily involved in the conversion of four genuine Cooper S donor cars to the original 1960s rally spec. “Without doubt, the cars were built with serious competition in mind,” says Kingsley. “They came with an FIA logbook, a letter of authenticity from Paddy Hopkirk himself, and a fairly hefty…

PORTER PRESS MINI SCRAPBOOK £20 It may not fit in a stocking (unless your intended recipient has particularly big feet), but any Mini enthusiast will surely be delighted to find this sitting under the tree. A substantial coffee table effort at 176 pages, this book tells the story of the Mini and MINI in a fun and irreverent way, flitting between subjects and serving up some intriguing curios. With over 400 photos to illustrate the story, it’s a pleasing thing to dip in and out of. And you can’t go wrong for twenty quid, can you? ● www.porterpress.co.uk AUTOGLYM BODYWORK, WHEELS & INTERIOR COLLECTION £75.20 What a cracking gift for anyone who cherishes the appearance of their car! This collection from Autoglym contains everything needed to truly tackle the three…

It’s fair to say that comets don’t f licker on most people’s radar all that often, although anyone who was paying attention back in 1997 will have the name Hale-Bopp firmly etched into their memories. October 1997 turned out to be a pretty culturally seismic month, in fact, with Andy Green setting the first supersonic land speed record for the ThrustSSC team, NASA sending a probe to Saturn, Boogie Nights and I Know What You Did Last Summer hitting the cinema, and Aphex Twin releasing Come To Daddy. On the TV we were seeing trailers for a fresh new comedy show named I’m Alan Partridge, and the nation’s maternity wards were buzzing with future talent – Charles Leclerc, Jade Bird, Marcus Rashford… We were celebrating a few legends of our…

Jagged peaks, pretty villages and crystal clear waters – these are all things you will expect to see on the sleepy Isle of Mull, situated close to the mainland and the beautiful town of Oban just on the midwest coast of Scotland. Usually the island is frequented by wildlife photographers chancing their luck on an eagle or an otter, but early in the second week of October things take a turn. Teams of motoring enthusiasts from all over Scotland and beyond assemble in one of the most stunning sets of rally stages on the British Isles, and in 2022 it was for the 50th time! My good friend Dale Mather and I had booked ourselves (very fortunately, I might add) on the new ferry out of Oban on Saturday the…

Reason can no longer restrain one who is lured by the fury of ambition.” Karl Marx said that, and it raises an interesting question – once we’ve set our sights on a particular goal, are we willing to set aside all semblance of logic in order to achieve it? Do we get so blinded by the glitter that we can no longer see the bread-and-butter? It certainly knocks Oscar Wilde’s chirpy optimism into a cocked hat: “We are all in the gutter,” he said, “but some of us are looking at the stars.” They’re both right to a degree, of course, but the latter viewpoint is more relevant to the sort of people who like tinkering with cars to make them faster and more interesting. After all, who cares about…

Awise turbo specialist once said: ‘Turbos don’t die; they’re killed.’ And they were right. Turbochargers get a bad rep for being temperamental old things that like to play up in anything other than 100% perfect conditions, but that’s not really fair. Turbos must put up with some of the harshest conditions your engine dishes out – those immense heat cycles would put an enormous strain on any piece of hardware, but a well-cared-for turbo will happily cope. Looked after properly, a good turbo can last the lifetime of your car, even on a tuned engine. But they’re not indestructible. They rely heavily on other component parts of your engine – not to mention your mapping settings – being in tip-top condition too. That’s why we’ve compiled this guide to the…

Thinking the season was all over, unexpectedly I did get out in the Biota to a new local show, and only a mile away from me! One of those fortunate days where the local council told the organisers they couldn’t have their show in my local town two weeks before the event; there were a lot of notices that the event was going to be moved a mile away and it happened to fit the bill for all the pent-up car nuts. I ended up next to an odd-looking kit car so felt quite at home. It’s a Liege – like a modern Dellow (Google it, young peeps) but with 60 built, it’s relatively common! I had, earlier in the year, succumbed to a long-held itch: to put nice period…

Ican’t help but feel underdressed. Not in a jeans-to-a-black-tie-function sense, but more in a walking-bootsto-a-skate-park way. My borrowed Peugeot 208 holds nothing on the barbarian before me. The silent Saturday atmosphere of this backstreet Birmingham industrial estate is being sliced open by the sound of a motorbike, and yet it’s coming from the wrong end of a thirty-two-year-old family car. This isn’t a first, as Z Cars have been carving atmospheres and opinions within the classic Mini scene for nearly twenty- five years, but it by no means makes this heathen of the classic culture easy or comfortable to comprehend. “If I need to work on it, I can go in through the windows” NEW BEGINNINGS The story here really starts twenty years after the car left the factory, with…

Put a rare car and a rare mind together, and you’re guaranteed to get a unique result. Put self-confessed geek and tech boffin Eduardo Mendez together with a Hot Orange R52, and the final outcome is a standout showpiece oozing more Stateside cool than a hot dog-chomping Fonzie riding a bald eagle into the Super Bowl. This cabriolet was always destined for a different path, as not only are they far from common in America, but you’re also more likely to see the New Jersey Devils (Eduardo’s home town) win a Stanley Cup than see another Hot Orange R52. Eduardo had always been into MINIs since he saw The Italian Job, and when he spotted this Unlike many of our feature car owners, there were no innocent intentions to keep…

f ollowingthe success of the first-generation R53 Cooper S, which went on sale a year after the One and Cooper in 2002, MINI thankfully didn’t make buyers wait as long for its replacement, as it was one of the first models available from November 2006 UK launch. As with the standard R56, the fastest second-generation MINI (well, until the John Cooper Works came along later), was more of a clever rework than a new model. Outside, legislation dictated an 18mm taller shoulder line, but this MINI is also 60mm longer, equalling an extra 10 litres of boot space. The biggest change was under the bonnet, as the supercharged Tritec 1.6-litre was replaced by a turbocharged version of the PSA-supplied ‘Prince’ N14 1.6-litre engine. At launch, the Cooper S boasted 175bhp…