Table of contents for March 2023 in Mini Magazine

Variety is the spice of life, or so the old saying goes. And given that we’re all still ploughing through a relentlessly chilly winter, this month’s Mini Magazine offers as spicy a stew as we can muster to warm everybody’s cockles. Ingredients herein are chunky and nourishing, with perhaps the most piquant being our cover star: Jake Lockett’s Clubman. Conceived in a café racer style, this is a show-stopping build brimming with ingenuity and youthful energy. Elsewhere in the mag we have a second appearance for Jay Cobbold’s project, reinvented with a colourful Garfield twist. We’ve got a fabulous restoration on p.52 of a Morris Cooper that was thought to be beyond saving – its impeccable finish today gives us all hope! Neatly counterbalancing that we have a couple of…

■ Held at the charming Pentewan Sands Holiday Park, the Cornish Mini Club’s flagship event – the Riviera Run – is coming back with a bang this year. With an action-packed programme of events running across the weekend of 29th April-1st May, you can expect to see live music in the bar with a fourpiece band playing on Saturday night, as well as a show-and-shine, soundoffs, engine tuning, and drive-outs through the picturesque local scenery. Booking is now open for camping slots and static caravan accommodation; you can find all the info you need on the website: cmcrivierarun.co.uk…

■ Remember the Marshall Mini we featured back in the July 2022 issue? Well, it landed in Paris in December for its European debut. The modernised take on the classic Mini – conceived to mark Marshall Amplification’s 60th anniversary – was on show in the run-up to Christmas at the CITADIUM complex, bringing timeless British style and considerable rock and roll appeal to the French capital. The boutique space – home to a curated selection of internationally renowned luxury and fashion brands – provided a suitably dramatic venue in which the public could see the (deep breath…) David Brown Automotive Mini Remastered Marshall Edition for the first time. And, unsurprisingly, it went down very well indeed. People thought it rocked, which was very much the point.…

We’re anticipating a sensational season of racing from the Mighty & Super Mighty Minis Championships, and the organisers have released the full 2023 calendar so we know where and when it’s all going to be going down. The first outing will be to the iconic Silverstone circuit across the weekend of 29th-30th April, before the series moves to the wild and windswept undulations at Anglesey on 13th-14th May. The flat-out thrills of Thruxton come next, on 17th-18th June. Then, 8th-9th July will see Cadwell Park hosting the Minis, after which they’ll be off to dive down the rollercoaster of Brands Hatch on 5th-6th August, to coincide with the Mini Festival. Donington Park is the next stop for the weekend of 23rd-24th September. And finally, the season finale will take place on…

PROJECT PROFILE THE OWNER NAME: Matt Urch AGE: 37 OCCUPATION: Welder / Fabricator LOCATION: Dorset THE CAR: CAR: Unfinished saloon project START CONDITION: Flip-fronted shell with a Honda B16 installed CONDITION NOW: Fabrication complete – just painting and assembly left to do TIME TAKEN SO FAR: 12 months ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION: Early 2023 There’s something special about the way Matt Urch does things. If you’re a subscriber to the Urchfab YouTube channel (and if you’re not, you should be), you’ll be familiar with the other-worldly manner in which he’s able to visualise unique creations and then bring them to life with impeccable quality and accuracy. He has magic in his fingertips. This Mini, though, is an entirely different type of challenge. This isn’t a case of crafting a custom…

An outstanding restoration, true testament to Jon’s impressive skills Boot board is a correct (and handy) Cooper feature Brightwork is gloriously gleaming We live in a society of disposability; of single-servings, polystyrene cups and plastic sporks. There’s no perceived need to keep things because their replacements are generally cheap and readily available – why repair that pair of scissors, lighter, strimmer or window blind when you can just throw it away and buy a new one? This ready prof ligacy of resources stretches inevitably into our car-buying habits. It’s perfectly realistic – easy, even – to acquire a reliable and decent car for chump change, scamper about in it for a year or so, ferrying the family around and taking the hedge clippings to the dump, before the thing breaks…

Touchdown! Bullseye! Hole-inone! There were sporting references galore in the Mini showrooms of 1987 when the Advantage arrived to celebrate the world of [*checks notes*] tennis. Harnessing the nation’s fondness for that perennially popular Athena poster of the tennis player scratching her bum – you know the one  Austin Rover sought to capture the excitement of Wimbledon and the French Open with a Mini that was alright and all-white. The body was finished in a crisp shade of Diamond White with matching white wheel trims, contrasted by tasteful grey bumpers and wheelarches, and the lower body sides were decorated to look like tennis nets, sort of. Some jazzy ‘Advantage’ logos appeared on the doors and the bootlid, as well as on the special seats which were trimmed in Flint Grey…

restore • modify • enjoy mini magazine ■ ISSUE: 337 Kelsey Media, 5 Yalding Hill, Downs Court, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL ■ EMAIL: minimag.ed@kelsey.co.uk ■ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/minimagazine EDITORIAL ■ EDITOR: Daniel Bevis Email: daniel.bevis@kelsey.co.uk ■ ART EDITOR: John McAllister Email: hijohnmac@yahoo.com REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Adrian Brannan, Jon Cass, Jason Dodd, Jeff Ruggles, Tim Harber, Martyn Collins, Nigel Death, Andy Saunders, Ian Shaw ADVERTISING Ad Manager: Robin Dean Tel 01732 445328 Email: robin.dean@talkmediasales.co.uk PRODUCTION Production Executive: Katie Hollands Tel 01732 445325 Email: production@talkmediasales.co.uk MANAGEMENT Chief Operating Officer: Phil Weeden Retail Director: Steve Brown Audience Development Manager: Andy Cotton Brand Marketing Managers: Debra Hagger & Nikolas Lovely Events Manager: Kat Chappel Print Production Manager: Georgina Harris Print Production Controller: Kelly Orriss Subscription Marketing Director: Gill Lambert Subscription Marketing Manager: Rochelle Gyer-Smith SUBSCRIPTIONS 12…

Great Northern Classics (GNC), due to open in summer 2023, is set to offer an exciting and diverse new automotive destination for motoring enthusiasts. Based at the former Victoria Ironworks foundry in Derby, this is a specialist hub for the classic vehicle industry, providing workshops for businesses in the sector as well as presenting a calendar of enthusiast-led events. The site will bring together thirty specialist restoration and fabrication companies, with a visitor centre and event space that will cater to the curious as much as customers – with attractions including a wire frame of Thrust SSC. Shaun Matthews, founder of GNC has, inspired by his own career journey, placed apprenticeships at the heart of the site with resident businesses contributing to a not-for-profit training school that promises to hone…

The world’s most famous comic-strip cat, from whom this vividly-hued Mini takes its name, is the polar opposite to Jay Cobbold, the project’s owner and creator. Garfield’s world centres around lethargy and laziness, interspersed with regular infusions of lasagne and coffee, and characterised by an irrepressible disdain for Mondays. Jay, on the other hand, is a go-getter, an achiever, a man who gets things done. We didn’t enquire as to his feelings either way toward Mondays (or, indeed, lasagne), but we do know for sure that laziness is very much not on the agenda for this guy. The pace of evolution in this project is a case in point. Regular readers may remember seeing this car featured in Mini Magazine as recently as October 2020, when it appeared here finished…

We’re all aware Minis aren’t exactly cheap to buy these days, while the costs of taking on a bargain basket case as a project will soon add up. Yet there is an alternative route into classic Mini ownership, as Ben Ambrose was lucky enough to discover. Thanks to a fortunate competition win, this stunning 1993 limited edition Italian Job with a cool selection of retro mods ended up costing him just £23.97! As a motorsport fan from an early age, Ben’s always had a passion for fast cars. “I guess I have my dad to thank for that,” he smiles. “Among the many race meetings we spectated at, we’d often see Minis dicing with other cars you wouldn’t expect.” Numerous friends and family members also happened to own classic Minis,…

MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI Club 53 My journey with car. MINIs started at the beginning of the pandemic. Covid- 19 hit and I figured it would be smarter to go by car to the university, instead of taking the crowded train. In hindsight, this reasoning was more an excuse to finally cave in to my childhood dreams of owning a I started to look around for older hatchbacks (around 1995- 2006), looking at VW Golfs, BMW 1 Series, Audi A3, SEAT Ibiza, you name it. However, none of the cars in my price range really sparked my interest and joy. If I were to buy a car it would have to be a fun-to-drive and great handling car equipped with…

MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI For hot hatch enthusiasts, there was much to like about the ‘New’ R50 MINI Cooper, which was launched alongside the One back in July 2001. Highlights were the sharp steering and playful chassis, but with just 120bhp, this MINI offered warm rather than hot performance. However, a faster version was always on the cards and, sure enough, the performance headliner with one of the most iconic classic Mini performance badges on the boot, Cooper S, was launched in July 2002. Outside, BMW deliberately didn’t change Frank Stephenson’s attractive 2000s redesign. The big giveaways were the letterbox vent on the bonnet, feeding air directly to the intercooler, and the classic Mini-style centre twin exhaust, with its two…

As many of us do, we remember the cars we used to have fun in back when we were in our early twenties, and this is what happened to 59-year-old Chris Jones back in 2011 when he decided one car he would have liked at the time was a Mini. The search started by scouring the internet, followed by viewing a few. It was soon decided that the ones Chris was considering had been restored to some level, but not the level he would have expected for the price, and they seemed just a little too expensive for what they were. This led to the idea of buying a project Mini, and it was a friend of Chris’s son Nick who came up trumps with a potential car. A visit…

■ Bicester Heritage’s popular Scramble events raised £20,691 for their charity partner StarterMotor during 2022, the charity’s largest donation to date. Based at Bicester Heritage, StarterMotor aims to put the next generation in the driving seat, and is a firm favourite at the Scramble events, offering rides around the site to young enthusiasts and their families in cars from their fleet. The donation will provide valuable funds to StarterMotor, who have an action-packed calendar of career awareness days, representation at classic car events and work experience opportunities lined up. 2022 was a busy year for the charity, having sent a team to Shelsley Walsh in April and with four Ambassadors driving two cars for the London-to-Brighton Veteran Car Run in November, with numerous adventures in-between. In October, the charity welcomed…

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-5th February Retromobile Paris isn’t too far away by train (or, indeed, by car), and Retromobile really is a sight to behold. Held at the Paris Expo centre, it’s huge and eclectic and always entertaining. www.retromobile.com ■ 24th-26th February Race Retro If you want to get right up close to some live rally action, this is the place to be. Legends of motorsport abound. Wear a coat. https://www.raceretro.com/ ■ 23rd-26th February Retro Classics This massive indoor show takes place in Stuttgart – which might seem like a bit of a trek, but the venue is right next to the…

Send ‘Your Minis’ pictures to minimag.ed@kelsey.co.uk  TURNING JAPANESE Send ‘Your Minis’ pictures to minimag.ed@kelsey.co.uk Name: Martin Farrar Car: B16 Mini Location: York ■ Awonderfully vivid green Mini here, and this one’s certainly not shy with its eye-popping Kawasaki paint. It’s not allmouth-and-no-trousers either, as Martin’s put a heck of a lot of work into this project to turn it into a proper hellraiser. The shell was fully stripped and sand-blasted before being built up with all new Heritage panels, and the running gear is something else: a Honda B16 serves up the shouty power, its native gearbox neatly transplanted in, with beefy 4-pot brakes to haul it up. With its Miglia arches, JBW thirteens, Cobra seats and carbon dash, it’s every bit about the ‘go’ as the ’show’. Keep your…

There’s a certain tang to the air on the North Circular. You know the bit, just up from Hanger Lane where the A406 winds toward Brent Cross? Nowadays it’s a permagridlocked vista of grey-on-grey misery, but the tang isn’t fresh from the diesel fumes; no, it’s a historic sensation, more a vibe than a scent, of ancient wisps of two-stroke stirred by post-war outlaws hellbent on hedonism. The cult of the café racer was born here, the ton-up boys tearing from one tea stop to another as fast as possible, just for the sheer hell of it. Their machines were pared-back, stripped-down and souped-up motorcycles, shorn of unnecessary adornments and honed for immediate point-to-point speed. And as the legend passed from deadbeat miscreant to underclass hero across the generations, so…

Mini TECH The essentials for keeping your Mini on the road. 80 PRODUCTS A variety of Mini-centric bits and bobs for you and your car 82 OUR MINIS The latest from our Mini fleet, this time featuring updates from Tim’s classic adventures, Martyn’s R50 and Ian’s boxfresh EV BEFORE STARTING The first rule of working on cars and using tools of any kind is don’t be stupid. Make sure personal protective gear – goggles, gloves, ear defenders, masks and a set of overalls - are hanging on a hook in your garage and use them wisely. If you’re working with power tools, protective gear is essential. Never attempt to work under a car without supporting it securely using suitably strong axle stands. If you haven’t got a fire extinguisher,…

The rain was beating down in biblical style on October 3rd back in the year 2000, the relentless deluge showing no signs of letting up as people across the country grew increasingly concerned about the state of their carpets. As the f loodwaters rose, low shelves were cleared and doorways dammed as the aquatic onslaught offered little mercy. Portentous of something seismic, perhaps, were the gods angered? Maybe so, as a significant milestone was set to reveal itself the very next day: on October 4th, the very last ever classic-shape Mini rolled off the production line at Longbridge. In an orchestrated ceremony which echoed the drama that was beating against the windows, pop star Lulu was meant to be driving the Mini on its final journey, a neat symbol to…

MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI it’s hard not to fall for the charms of the R56, with that punchy turbo engine, its still-compact size and its incredibly capable chassis. It’s the handling in particular that sold Ronnie Michelini on what would become his Cooper S - not that he needed much convincing, mind. “I have always appreciated the MINI styling. Then my dad got a 2016 Cooper S, and I definitely liked the way that car felt driving down the road,” he smiles. And while he’s owned and modified a selection of cars over the years, including a pair of 2006 V6 Honda Accords, and the BMW E36 3 Series project he’s just started, it seems he was fated to own…

MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI • MODERN MINI m INI has a lot to updated thank Frank Stephenson for, with his iconic exterior and interior design. His rationale was that the R50/R53 MINI should be a continuation from the 1959 original if Austin and Rover had more regularly it. Even twenty years on, the short overhangs, f loating roof, and that curvy one-piece bonnet still look sharp and modern, bringing new fans into the fold – some who had never considered a MINI before. Wayne and Zoe, the owners of this distinctive Chili Red R50 Cooper, are perfect examples of this. Although they both admit they have grown up with them, this is their first MINI, and they chose it because they just like…