Innehållsförteckning för Summer 2023 från Mini Magazine

The end of the line. The final curtain. After 27 years and 342 issues, I’m sad to say that this is the final issue of Mini Magazine. When this title launched back in 1996, it sought to showcase real-world cars and the people behind them, with a friendly and down-to-earth tone, covering the full breadth of the Mini scene – and this is an ethos that’s endured. But as we battle against the internet, rising print costs, a cost of living crisis and myriad other factors, it’s just not possible to continue in 2023. So, as much as possible, we’re trying to go out with a bang. Covering feature cars that represent all angles of the Mini spectrum, we’ve got everything this month from period-modified to unrestored survivor, age-old evolution…

HOT WHEELS LEGENDS RETURNS FOR 2023 Could your Mini become a die-cast hero? ■ The chance to have your car perfectly recreated as a Hot Wheels die-cast toy is back, along with new opportunities for UK fans to be a part of the Legends Tour. For the first time, the Hot Wheels Legends UK final will be open to the public to watch, taking place at RADwood at Bicester Heritage on 2nd September. The difficult job of judging will be down to a panel of expert judges; guiding the panel will be a Hot Wheels designer, who will be aided by media partner Hagerty’s experts including modified car creator and TV presenter Helen Stanley, presenter and avid car collector Paul Cowland, and Sniff Petrol’s Richard Porter. Also new for 2023…

PROJECT PROFILE THE OWNER NAME: John Ashall AGE: 59 OCCUPATION: Deputy Key Operator, Leyland Trucks LOCATION: Wigan THE CAR: CAR: 1991 Mini START CONDITION: Bare shell CONDITION NOW: Modified rolling shell with rollcage and many parts fitted TIME TAKEN SO FAR: 8 years ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION: 2025 John Ashall is no stranger to a classic Mini, and in his time he’s modified quite a few of them. After a Mini-free void of twenty years, John decided to make a return to where it all began for him, but this time his goal is certainly a lot more ambitious. While the idea of swapping the driven wheels and engine to the rear in a Mini often splits opinion, there’s no denying the result can often be effective and is certain…

Regular readers may know me, others may not, but I have had the pleasure to work as Art Editor on Mini Magazine for the last nine years. I have worked on car magazines for nearly sixteen years, ranging from Fast Car to Classics Monthly; I have always been a bit of a petrolhead - however, Minis were always where my true heart lay. Like many people I first got introduced to Minis through my friends, as at the time you could pick them up fairly cheap and they made a good runaround car. Some of my earliest memories are of going out and about with my mate Ross, who back then had a little Red Hot Mini. I remember being sat in the car bombing around town thinking this is…

Cryptography and secret languages have always provided an ingenious way to share information that we’d rather remained hidden, and that’s never more true than in the case of CB radio jargon. Truckers, mischievous drivers, outlaws and home-based well-wishers have been colluding from time immemorial to sneak data across the airwaves; it may not be quite at the level of the Enigma codebreakers of Bletchley Park, but the cult of ‘ten-four, good buddy’ has always been effective at keeping secrets within the right groups – if you’ve ever found yourself rolling a hot super chicken past a fox in the henhouse, then you’ll copy that. CULTURE CLASH In the same vein, car enthusiasts of a certain age share a particular clandestine shorthand when it comes to terms such as ‘cruise’, ‘modding’ and…

When was the last time you saw a classic Mini wearing three-spoke alloys, a wide-arch bodykit and a full glass sunroof? If ever, we’d hazard a guess at the answer being at least two decades ago, but this striking YRV Turbo-engined tearaway built by die-hard Clubman fanatic Pete Hughes is still a regular sight on the show scene today. It was only a few issues ago when we saw another of Pete’s wacky creations, a bright yellow roof-chopped Clubman complete with a 300bhp MG6 engine transplant, furry interior and Woody perched on the tow bar, no less. It’s a car you certainly wouldn’t forget in a hurry and it’s sure to divide opinion wherever it goes, which is just how Pete likes it. You may recall we also happened to mention…

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. 13th-16th July Goodwood Festival of Speed There’s no denying that the garden party atmosphere of the FoS of a couple of decades ago has morphed into an almighty colossus these days. A vital show on the calendar, there are always plenty of Minis up on the rally stage, plus… well, every other kind of motorsport and performance car imaginable. www.goodwood.com/motorsport/ festival-of-speed 30th July Cotswold Classic Mini Tour A run of fifty miles through glorious Cotswold countryside for classic Minis. Raising funds for local charities, the run takes in narrow winding lanes and also includes a (shallow) ford or two, with…

If you take a straw poll around the Mini Magazine office to see what everyone’s opinions are of the borderline-retro boyband Blue, you’ll get some mixed responses. Jeff loves them, obviously, because their brand of radio-friendly motherloving beats feeds into his nature as a sparkly little pop tart. Chuff has a surprising fondness for them too, having once spotted Antony Costa in a branch of Costa Coffee; the coincidence seemed like a glitch in the Matrix, and now he reckons Blue are just a pandimensional troupe of buccaneers masquerading as a slightly crap boyband. Jon isn’t really bothered either way, as long as they don’t interrupt the football. Ade hasn’t paid much attention to the hit parade for a while, all these young whippersnappers making a racket. And me? Well,…

It was particularly noticeable this year just how massive the Retro Rides Weekender has become. Ever since the first running of the show in 2018 it’s been a diverse and exciting gathering of likeminded souls, but this year the number of cars in attendance was simply mind-boggling. So what’s this all about? Well, the Retro Rides forum is a global behemoth, pulling together enthusiasts of modified classics from across the planet to share their stories, build threads and inspirational photos, and generally revel in the mutual enthusiasm of, let’s face it, pretty much the coolest hobby a retro kid can have. The all-encompassing nature of the forum has led to a blossoming real-world scene too, as evidenced by their other annual show – The Gathering – as well as any…

This Mini isn’t here because it’s perfect. It’s not your archetypal feature car, honed to unimpeachability with every detail minutely scrutinised. The doors could do with repainting to match the body, there’s some creeping surface rust about the nose, by its owner’s admission it’s a little rough around the edges – but that nittygritty stuff isn’t the true essence of this build. This is about ideas, about broader concepts. How many times have you seen turbofans on a Mini, for instance? Have you ever seen such blueness filled with such brownness? This car is an enigma, a counterculturalist, an upsetter. And for Josh Brookes, this has all been a pretty steep learning curve. “Every car I’ve ever had, I have modified in some kind of way – and naturally I’ve…

Regular readers may recall our testdrive of an Electrogenic-converted Mini in the July 2022 issue. The company has now expanded its range of drop-in conversion kits with a costeffective ‘plug and play’ solution. This EV tech comes pre-assembled and pre-tested on a Heritage subframe that simply replaces the old subframe with its petrol engine. It features a 60bhp water-cooled electric motor, delivering 100lb.ft of instant torque to the wheels through a fixed-ratio drivetrain. Costing from £15,000 plus VAT, the conversion is powered by 20kWh of brand-new, densely packed OEM-grade batteries, also pre-mounted on the subframe and all wired in. The electrified Mini offers 80 miles of in-town range; the Euro Type 2 charge port is pre-mounted and can be accessed via a range of bespoke replacement front grilles. Electrogenic…

We’ve been lucky enough to catch up with another circuit saloon car racer who was a very familiar name on the grid with previous Racing Lines interviewees. Paul Taft had many spells behind the wheel of a classic Mini, be it in a 1275 GT or at the Nürburgring in a British Motor Heritage Mini Cooper 35LE. However, Paul was keen to point out that he learnt throttle control and balance on a scrambling bike – “When I got to four wheels it was easy…!” What was the first Mini you raced? It was a Special Saloon 1300. The engine was built by Motospeed in Erdington, Birmingham. The engine was full-house developed later into a short-stroke. It was on slick tyres and standard layout suspension. A very fast Mini. What…

We’ve had to wait an awfully long time for an International Mini Meeting – it’s the best part of four years since IMM Bristol in 2019. Originally, the trip to Italy was meant to take place in 2021, but the pandemic meant a postponement until 2023. And when the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola the weekend beforehand was cancelled due to horrific flooding, we feared the rescheduled event might not happen either. While our thoughts go out to those affected by the floods, neighbouring Tuscany had fortunately fared far better. It had been a decade since the IMM was last in Italy, that time at a rather soggy Mugello, but this time the organisers picked a stunning venue in the Hu Norcenni Girasole campsite that would surely have coped…

There was an inherent mischief to the Jet Black right from the start. A City-based special edition launched in 1988, it was notable for its oh-soeighties fusion of inky black and lipstick red, and among its plentiful charms the model came complete with a mixtape of ‘original soul and chart hits’. Which you couldn’t play in the car because it only came equipped with a push-button radio. Buyers were, however, furnished with their own Jet Black Sony Walkman, presumably to listen to as they buzzed about the metropolis with onlookers wondering why they were driving around with their headphones on. It’s this cantankerous devilment that no doubt drew the Jet Black to Steve Watts, owner of the scary woodland creature you see scampering about before you today. “As cheesy as…

While many of us love the idea of tackling a full restoration, sadly only a small percentage see it through to the end. There’s no shortage of abandoned projects with mentions of ‘not enough time to finish’ among the classifieds and it’s totally understandable, this is a huge commitment to take on after all. People’s circumstances change or that perfectly planned-out free time somehow disappears leading to the regrettable sale of a project, often at a financial loss. Fortunately, Neil Sanders was prepared to be in it for the long haul, whatever was thrown at him when he felt the time was right to tackle his first ever major project. Wisely, he chose to focus his singular attention on a classic Mini. Effectively, Neil could have opted for any make…

Genuine survivors don’t come along too often. As the years creak by and metal shows increasing keenness to slowly return to the elements from whence it came, original examples of solid and unrestored Minis become increasingly few and far between. Which makes Tom Ashby’s late-nineties Sports Pack-equipped Cooper particularly special. “I am the car’s second owner, and have owned it for fifteen years now,” he explains. “I got it for my 18th birthday, and back then it had just 26,000 miles on the clock.” Peeping at the dash today, we see that those little numbers have only spooled around to a mere 34,000. That works out to an average of around 530 miles a year throughout his ownership, which goes some way to explain its extraordinary tidiness and solidity. It lives…

let me tell you a story about this car. A few years back I was writing a feature for Octane magazine, twin-testing the Bristol Fighter and the Marcos TSO, and I took the R53 up to Henley where we were shooting the cars; the photographer asked if we could use my MINI as the tracking car, given that it’s a hatchback and he could hang out of the boot. (It didn’t occur to him until too late that the exhausts exit from the centre of the car, thus surrounding his face with a fug of burnt 99-RON fumes along with the amusing staccato of pops and crackles.) The previous week I’d had the suspension entirely replaced and upgraded by Sussex Road & Race, who’d treated it to the revered secret…