Table of contents for Summer 2022 in MiniWorld

Welcome to this special Buy, Restore, Improve issue which we hope will inspire newcomers to get into Minis and help regular readers to enhance their Mini experience by restoring and improving their Minis where appropriate. Mini ownership can bring so much joy and working on your own car can be extremely rewarding. Restoring a Mini can be a full-on project, depending on the car’s model and the level of work required, so it’s a job that needs considerable thought, time and also a fair budget. There are plenty of things that can be done at home to offset the costs of a professional resto so why not roll up your sleeves and get on with it? Also, in just a weekend, you can tidy up your engine bay or enhance…

A lucky customer in Canada has taken delivery of a Mini Remastered Oselli Edition car. It was built by David Brown Automotive in conjunction with Oselli Engineering who built the 1450cc engine. It’s the first example in Old English White with a Heritage Green colourway and Carbon Grey accent stripes. These models were launched in 2019 to celebrate 60 years of the Mini. This car is a four-seater but they are also available as two-seaters with a rollcage. See: www.davidbrownautomotive.com…

Get in touch Email: mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk www.facebook.com/miniworldmagazine Post your letter to: MiniWorld Inbox, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, UK Mini modifications In Steve Nicklin’s letter [Sparking Debate] on July issue’s Inbox page he stated that he would cancel his subscription to MiniWorld due to your ‘promotion’ of the electric conversion of the classic Mini. Fair enough, that is his choice. However, I would argue that Minis have been altered from the early days of production, for example with engine capacity, wheels body, shortening, lengthening – look in any MiniWorld! Steve goes on to claim: “Just imagine if someone was to rip out the boiler of the Flying Scotsman and replace it with a bank of batteries,” in this he and I are in…

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As we only have another month or so of the UK summer, it is time to begin thinking of preparing your Mini for the winter or partially or fully laying it up, as most Minis are no longer used throughout the winter. It is also time to think about what will need to be done over the winter and to organise your storage space and workshop area. If you have a garage it is a great time to clear it out while there are (in theory) still dry days and it’s an ideal time to paint the floor. In reasonable temperatures floor paint dries off quite quickly and can be driven over in fewer than a couple of days. Leave it until November and that drying time could be closer…

John Porter is no stranger to the challenges of a Mini in need. We featured his Australian Mini S in the Summer 2017 issue of MiniWorld and, at the time, mentioned that he was restoring a Pick-up. It’s now complete and looking as good as new, although this one started in much worse condition than the aforementioned, square-front Aussie S. Having found the 1969 Pick-up in Lancashire in 2014, close to where he lives, John thought he was buying a Mini that was in reasonable condition. The seller had imported the vehicle, which had been built in 1968 and registered in South Africa the year after. South Africa manufactured Minis right up until 1983, making some of the parts themselves to avoid import taxation rules. Consequently, John’s Pick-up has doors…

“Modifications would have incurred an extra charge so I’m confident there was nothing extra.” In 1992 Michael Goodwin bought a Mini Thirty for commuting from his home in Hayling Island to his job as a lecturer at Portsmouth University. “He saw it in a local garage,” explains his son Andrew. “He’d always liked Minis and decided he would treat himself.” However, Andrew wonders why he bought this particular Mini, especially as it was a rare Automatic Thirty. “Mind you, he did have an Austin Princess in the same colour and that was automatic.” The fact that he lived on an unadopted road should have put him off. “There was no tarmac in sight on the road, it was made up of shingle, stones and sand. In the winter there were…

SEPTEMBER 2022 ISSUE ON SALE 19 AUGUST TO ADVERTISE IN THIS ISSUE CALL +44 (0)1233 228751 OR EMAIL: LIAM@TANDEMMEDIA.CO.UK DON'T MISS OUT! GET THE NEXT ISSUE DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR ORDER TODAY! Order online at https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/MW02210 Call now on +44 (0)1959 543747** Terms and conditions apply. *Delivery is included for UK customers only. An additional £1 will be added to any overseas addresses. **Lines open Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:30pm (BST). Calls charged at your standard network rate. Front cover for illustration purposes and subject to change.…

Contact us Send club, trade, motorsport and all other Mini news to: Email: mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk Post: Mini Scene, MiniWorld, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL UK Electrified Paul Smith LE British Fashion Designer, Paul Smith, has had a limited edition 1998 Paul Smith Rover Mini, to which he gave his name, converted to run on electric batteries. The car is part of the MINI Recharged project. The work was carried out by Recharged Heritage Ltd, which uses technology developed by Zero EV. Mini Sport, of Padiham, was involved in the project too. “We have made a 1990s car totally relevant for today,” said Paul Smith. “What a great thing to be able to take your favourite car and turn it into a car that…

It all started back in 2017 when a friend asked if I’d like to purchase their rusty old Moke shell. I wasn’t too sure at first but, after a couple of hours, I decided to go all in and just do it. I’ve grown up around cars and car shows from a really young age, where my job was always cleaning the wheels on my parents’ car. I was never interested in Minis at all and I was more into muscle cars and V8s. That was until I met my husband, Kyle, who had Nissan Skylines and a Mini Cooper S. It was a long and exhausting three-year build to complete my very own dream car to the standards that I had imagined. I worked full time so every weekend…

List your Mini or classic car event for free: Email: mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk Post: MiniWorld, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, UK Check with event organisers for any last-minute changes 2022 July 24 Summer Classic Gathering & Autojumble Multi-marque event at the brilliant Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey. www.brooklandsmuseum.com 30-31 Firle Beacon Hillclimb and Rally Event Multi-marque hillclimb and rally event at Firle Beacon, Lewes, East Sussex. Rally paddock, supercar paddock, quarter-mile sprint, club stands and celebs. www.firlebeacon.com August 5 Mod 'n' Mini Meet At London’s Ace Café on the first Thursday of every month. Good food and good atmosphere at this iconic venue. https://london.acecafe.com 5-7 Cambridgeshire Mini Chill Laid-back gathering of Mini owners at Eternit Sports & Social Club, Royston. Pay £20 per person on…

No matter how accommodating people can be, especially friends, there comes a point when you’ve outstayed your welcome and need to move on. Fortunately, 32-year-old Dan Rooney seems to have avoided this potentially awkward situation when he stripped, rebuilt and transformed the Clubman seen here into a wolf in sheep’s clothing… in just over seven months. Look inside and the seating is standard along with the instruments, except for a Smiths 8,000rpm tacho. There’s no gearshift for an automatic box, just a standard-looking remote-shift manual gear lever. From the outside the offset reverse rims, along with the Leyland Special Tuning badge on the boot, offer a hint that this Mini isn’t exactly standard. Under the bonnet, only the larger 1¾” SU carburettor gives any indication, although it’s surrounded by a…

You are correct in thinking that Minis manufactured from 1989 were compatible with unleaded fuel. So, as long as your engine is from a 1990 car and the cylinder head is the original or a same-spec. replacement you should be safe to run on unleaded fuel. However, you cannot be absolutely sure of this so I would recommend that, if possible, you remove the cylinder head and have it reconditioned. This is a very good idea anyway with a replacement used engine as the bores can be inspected and the head will give a good indication of the condition of the engine. At the same time the head can be inspected and checked for the hardened exhaust valve seat inserts which are required for unleaded fuel use. You can have them…

The 2022 HSRCA Sydney Classic, at Sydney Motorsport Park, was held in perfect Sydney winter weather on 11 and 12 June. It was a welcome change after months of rainy conditions. The meeting brought a large variety of cars out of hibernation. The long hiatus was caused by long lockdowns and uncertainty about events going ahead in the past few years. Some Morris Cooper Ss were racing in the Group N category. The racing kicked off on the Saturday morning with qualifying, followed by three sprint races. Group N was dominated by American muscle cars like the Camaros and Shelbys. However, the Minis held their own against Mustangs, Holden Toranas, Ford Escorts and Cortinas. Tom Tweedie’s Cooper S was the pick of the bunch, finishing 16th in the trophy race,…

Blue skies and sunshine greeted Minis as they arrived at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire, on 12 June. With the car park almost full before the event officially opened, it was set to be a memorable day at Beaulieu for Mini owners. The show’s organisers, the Mini Cooper Register, ensured that visitors were wowed by a display of over 30 superb historic motorsport Minis which were arranged in a circle in front of their membership stand. Traders were arranged around the edge of the showground selling spares and some rare, collectable items. The 'trunk traders' area was packed with folk emptying out their garages. Beaulieu is a very prestigious event, attracting former BMC Competitions Department employees and rally crews. We spotted Deputy Competitions Manager Bill Price, co-driver Paul…

Portsmouth And Southamption Mini Owners Club is an active club on the south coast of England. “We’re the longeststanding club on the south coast and this year we’ve fully emerged from our pandemic hibernation," explained member Keith Burton. "We’re proud to have been one of the first all-Mini clubs and for more than a decade we have welcomed every model from 1959 to the present day,” “To encourage members to get back into the habit of attending events, we’ve designed a Club Passport which is free to members. At each event, members can get their passport stamped by a committee member and, at the end of the year, we’ll see who has been to the most shows. There will even be a prize,” he added. Club members receive copies of…

One of the criticisms of the Mini from launch was the very small boot capacity. Considering that Minis were family cars the capacity did cause problems, particularly after the hinged number plate was dropped on the Mk3 and the ability to drive with the boot lid open, with the luggage sticking out, was lost. However, I do not remember many people using this facility. Although there was more internal storage in a Mini than just about any of its rivals, the areas were only really suitable for small items and there was nowhere to store large-ish bags, let alone suitcases. The way most people got around this was to fit a roof rack and carry suitcases on the roof. They were usually wrapped in polythene to help cope with the…

Show off! To get your Mini on these pages, email mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk with photos of you and your Mini, plus some information (put ‘My Mini’ in the subject box) or post to: MiniWorld My Mini, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, UK. Mike Taylor (MiniWorld contributor) 1959 Mini-Minor My wife Janet has been having a turnout and came across these pics of my Mini (shame about the quality). It was a 1959 model which I bought in ‘64. It soon had a throaty straight-through exhaust, followed by seat extenders and a spotlight on the boot lid. I recall one particular day when out with my ‘Mini friends’. We stopped for a drink and the sister of one of the guys looked over at the number…

Minis arrived to a rainy start at the British Motor Museum on 5 June to meet up with their Metro cousins. The weather didn’t deter the Cooper 35 Register who, once again, put on a fine display. A number of other clubs supported the event and were glad to have brought a gazebo. The concours and show ‘n’ shine were full of fantastic Minis competing for prizes and there was a thrilling stunt show by Stunt Drive UK. The beauty of this event is that a show entry ticket allows access to the fantastic museum so there is plenty to see, come rain or shine. The museum houses an impressive collection of Minis including the three official Monte Carlo Rally winners and many more interesting examples. The museum’s displays are…

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