Innehållsförteckning för October 2023 från MiniWorld

We’ve had a great response to our new Readers’ Rides section, which debuted in our September issue and hits its second instalment this month, with Geoff Foster telling us all about his Australian-assembled Cooper S and its long-term restoration. Although now living in Queensland, Geoff began his working career as an apprentice at Longbridge back in 1959, just before the launch of the Mini – and he’s been a fan of Issigonis’ bestseller ever since. By coincidence, Nigel Barfoot, the owner of this month’s 1980 Clubman Estate, was also a Longbridge apprentice, starting at ‘The Austin’ in 1967. Although he’s retired now, he remains a prominent figure in the Austin Ex-Apprentices Association, whose 1000-plus members all underwent training at the Longbridge plant. Check out the feature on Nigel’s super-blooking Clubman…

Just two years after opening, Great British Car Journey – the interactive car museum based in Derbyshire – has been named as one of the top new tourism businesses in the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2023. Great British Car Journey was one of 48 winners selected from hundreds of tourism businesses across England, including hotels, self-catering accommodation, B&Bs, glamping operators, pubs, restaurants and museums. Accepting the bronze award for New Tourism Business of the Year, Richard Usher, founder of Great British Car Journey, said: “We knew we had something special when we opened the museum in May 2021, but to have it confirmed is wonderful.” Since opening amid Covid restrictions, the museum has been a hit, welcoming more than 60,000 visitors through its doors. It now boasts more than…

Like so many of us, Brian Lidgard’s first car was a Mini: “I bought it in 1989 and I’ve owned lots more over the years. Minis are special to me as it was the first car that I remember my mum and dad having. And my brother Mark and I grew up watching Minis rallycrossing on TV in the 1970s.” Restoring that first Mini helped Brian to get his first job, setting him off on a career path in the automotive industry. “I spent a month as a university graduate working on the assembly line for the original Mini and Metro,” he recalls, “and then from 1993 to ’95 I worked on the R3-gen Rover 200 from concept to launch at Longbridge.” Next came work on development of the new…

I am building up a 998 engine with a modified 12G940 head and hotter cam along the lines of the Mini featured in ‘Keeping Your Mini Alive’ a number of years ago. As in the feature, I would like to fit an HIF44 SU carb and inlet manifold. I would also like to keep interior noise levels down, so do you know if anyone manufactures an air filter housing for an element-type filter for this carb? Craig Eden Most people use a cone-type filter with the HIF44 but, as you say, these do tend to increase interior noise, especially at higher speeds and during enthusiastic driving. If you want a filter housing, then you could fit one from a carburettor Cooper made between 1990 and ’91 (if you can find…

When the Mini was launched back in 1959, it was (like all other cars of the time) equipped with an ignition system that comprised a distributor with points and a condenser plus the other required components, including a coil, high tension leads and spark plugs. The same basic set-up was used into the 1990s and, when maintained correctly and regularly, it works well. When neglected, however, it becomes a major reason for breaking down. An issue affecting early Minis was water finding its way into the ignition system, resulting in the car coming to an abrupt halt. The problem was caused by the distributor being located just behind the radiator grille, which meant it was often doused with water in wet weather. The problem was reduced when a distributor protection…

The Mini Spares Fastest Mini in the World race, now in its 29th year, provided plenty of excitement when it took place at the Brands Hatch Mini Festival on Sunday, August 6, with each of the competing cars running on Sustain Classic 102 RON synthetic race fuel – a ‘first’ in club motorsport circles. This year’s race had new driver entries and newly built cars, with international racers also joining the grid. Without reigning champion Harvey Death and his V8 Powertech-powered Mini, a new name would grasp the Fastest Mini in the World (FMitW) trophy this year. And the same applied to Classes B, C and D, with a great grid made up of lots of new entries all vying for victory. The Mini Festival started early for FMitW entrants,…

All of us at MiniWorld were extremely saddened to learn that Peter Baldwin, a man synonymous with Mini motorsport and rolling road tuning, passed away on August 13 at the age of 82. Born on April 8, 1941 in Newmarket, he began his motorsport career 20 years later rallying a Mini before moving to circuit racing in 1967 and winning his first championship in 1970. His Ford BDA-powered Mini BB4 was one of the most successful special saloon cars of the 1970s, followed by less outlandish machinery during the 1980s and ’90s when he raced in the Metro Challenge series before driving Rover 216 GTIs and the 220 Turbo Coupe. Peter later teamed up with Graham Churchill to compete in the European Historic Touring Car series with an Appendix K…

Kirsti Waddell has been in touch with photographs from her family’s latest Mini road trip, something that she says has become an annual event. “We have always enjoyed various club-run events across Scotland and the rest of the UK,” explains Kirsti. “In recent years, though, retired twin brothers, Robert and Malcolm Waddell, created a smaller-scale Mini run for our family, with several of us taking our Minis on a pre-planned route across the country roads of central Scotland.” Kirsti tells us that this year’s run took them south, with pit stops at Abington and Broughton. Five family-owned Minis took part, comprising a fully restored Mini RSP, a 1992 Mini Neon, a couple of Japanese-spec Mini Automatics and a 1964 Austin Cooper that was painstakingly restored to its original spec by…

Upgraded Paul Smith Of all the special-edition Minis launched in the ’90s, the Paul Smith remains one of the rarest and most sought after in the UK. Released in 1998 with a limited production run of 1800 cars, only 300 would be made available in the Mini’s home market, all of them finished in the same Paul Smith shade of blue specially selected by the renowned fashion designer. This particular survivor looks superb, featuring the many details that made the Paul Smith MPi stand out from the crowd – including charcoal grey Minilites, twin spot lamps, a 24ct gold-enamelled Paul Smith bonnet badge, full black leather trim, colour-coded dashboard with Paul Smith instrument graphics, plus a citrus green glovebox interior, petrol tank and boot liner. The car left the factory…

A trio of Minis will be looking for new homes on Saturday, September 30, as Classic Car Auctions (CCA) hosts its Autumn 2023 sale at the Warwickshire Event Centre. Oldest of the three is a 1965 Austin Mini MkI, finished in the Cooper-esque colour scheme of Almond Green with an Old English White roof. The Porcelain Green interior features a leather-rimmed dished steering wheel, and the car’s said to have excellent chrome. It also comes complete with a small history file showing invoices dating back to 1988. CCA reckons that “a few hours of detailing would take this Mini to the next level”, and is suggesting a guide price of £10,000-£12,000. Carrying the same estimate is a modified 1980 Mini 1275GT that’s fully restored and features Tahiti Blue bodywork with…

After a day-long tussle with never more than a few seconds between the top three cars, Andrew O’Hanlon and Kevin Hogan (Car 51) put in a great effort on the last stage to take top honours in the latest round of the Mini Cup series on the Port Talbot MC, Tour of Epynt (Sunday, July 30). Using roads to the northern end of the ranges gave crews some long and very challenging stages over classic Epynt territory, and the early leaders (Clive King and Anton Bird, Car 53) set a blistering pace on the first stage. A dropped valve on their 8-port engine on Stage 2, however, brought their day to a premature end. O’Hanlon/Hogan then took over the lead but were being pressed hard by Eric Davis and Russell…

When the Mini was launched in 1959, it immediately became famous for its kart-like handling, a reputation that has deservedly been maintained for nearly 65 years and counting. Throughout the 41 years of production, there were a number of fairly large technical changes, two of which were suspension-related and had an effect on the ride and handling. The first was the introduction of Hydrolastic suspension, a change that was hailed as revolutionary at the time. The ride, when the suspension was new and fully pumped up, was significantly more comfortable; and although the handling was affected, it made little difference on the road. The Cooper S models were fitted with uprated displacers and even in competition, when fitted together with BMC Special Tuning bump stops, the Cooper S handled well.…

Automotive designer Dick Burzi was tasked by BMC to design ‘posh’ new derivatives of the Mini, with the company keen to capitalise on the newcomer’s success by utilising two of the upmarket and historic marques that it had in its portfolio. The result was the October 1961 launch of both the Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet – two cars that went against everything Alec Issigonis had put into the design of the brilliantly basic Mini of two years earlier. For these two new models, Burzi chose upright front grilles, extended rear wings and walnut dash facias. They would also receive more elaborate paint schemes than those available to Mini buyers. The opulence of these vehicles had to be evident when compared to » Minis, and so the bodyshells weren’t to…

Rebecca East, better known as Art by Bex, is expanding her services via a commission-based art series aimed exclusively at Mini owners. Launched as the Classic Icons Collection, it enables owners to have their cars immortalised in individual artwork, with each piece coming certified with a plaque in the name of the car owner. Each Mini owner will have creative freedom to design the canvas together with Bex, and can then watch her progress via videos on the Art by Bex website and social media. “If you’re a classic Mini owner, this is your chance to own an unparalleled piece of art that encapsulates the spirit of your cherished vehicle,” explains Bex. There will be two sizes of canvas to choose from, with prices starting from £795. A 20 per…

When we received an email from reader Matthew Dille regarding his recent experiences as best man at the wedding of his friends, Luke Packham and Helen Fitzsimons, we couldn’t resist reprinting it here, together with photographs kindly supplied by Ben Anderson Photography. “Ahead of the day, Luke had this mad idea of doing Bedworth Parkrun in fancy dress on the morning of his wedding. As Luke’s best man, I wanted to make sure he could make as many memories as possible on his big day, so why not travel to the Parkrun in style – and I’ve got the perfect car for the job. “I decided to fit some wedding bows and make some signs for the roof and boot of my Mini, with the help of my wife, Hannah.…

Mini specialist Paul Higgs has recently added a 1969 Austin Mini Super Deluxe to his stock of cars, priced at £14,995 and described as “one of the nicest and charming MkII Minis that I’ve had the pleasure of owning, driving and working on.” This 58,000-mile example had just one family owner until 2000, and was based all those years in Jersey. It’s a car with “excellent provenance”, says Paul, coming complete with its original handbook, buff logbook, previous V5s, a Heritage Certificate, Passport to Service book, and a large pile of invoices and receipts. The Mini was restored to a high standard some years ago, with its original engine being rebuilt at the same time. The gearbox is said to be smooth and precise, as is the ride thanks to…

Five-speed ’box Mini Spares has announced its new close-ratio MSG03 five-speed gearbox featuring special heavy-duty second and third, laygear and a first motion shaft to match. This combination is said to provide a quiet road ’box suitable for naturally aspirated engines producing up to 125lb.ft of torque. The MSG03 incorporates Mini Spares helical-cut extra-strong gear teeth, using the same design as the well-proven C-STN48 four-speed ’box but now available for the first time as a five-speed set-up. An X-pin 3.44 final drive diff is included. The MSG03 is sold on an exchange basis, with a £400 surcharge being refundable upon return of the old A-plus unit in suitable condition for converting. £4114.12 +44 (0)1707 607700 minispares.com Protect your Mini With classic car thefts on the rise, Mini owners are understandably…

The latest outing for this annual tour of the Cotswolds took place at the end of July, with another fun-filled adventure into the countryside for a great line-up of Minis and their owners. Beginning at Farmor’s School in Fairford, this year’s route took the 73 Minis on a 55.8-mile route around Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, taking in favourite spots and new roads alike. Organised by a dedicated group of friends, the Tour has built itself an admirable reputation for providing some of the most detailed route notes of any Mini event, featuring triangleabouts and suspension-busting pothole warnings, as well as highlighting some of the best pubs and inns around. The ever-popular Shilton Ford once again featured on this year’s run, with a diversion route over a nearby bridge for those who…

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