Tabla de contenidos para September 2020 en Mini Magazine

There's something about Q-Cars that really appeals to me. And a sleeper Mini is, of course, the best - as the car which is most readily identified by the general public as 'cute', 'lovable' or even 'quirky', it has the greatest potential to surprise the unsuspecting when it leaves them for dead in a swirl of tyre smoke and exhaust fumes... Nigel Death's 1966 Morris Cooper is our cover star this month and it looks every bit the perfectly restored mid-60s Mini. OK, it's on Minilites and it sits on the road just so, but beyond that - the Almond Green paintjob, the perfect chrome and trim, even the fresh Porcelain Green and Dove Grey interior - it all looks very factory. What isn't so factory is the Swiftunebuilt 1460cc…

With coronavirus ravaging the classic motoring calendar, the organisers of the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, are pulling out all the stops to do everything possible to increase the chances of the November event happening in 2020 once government gives its approval. The organisers are looking at extending the show opening times but allocating a dedicated time for entrance along with a specific hall from which to enter the show. This will reduce the amount of people arriving at the venue at the same time, with shuttle buses running with managed capacities and controlled volumes in the communal areas. Upon arrival, all visitors and exhibitors will undergo mandatory temperature checks, and there will be isolation rooms available for anyone showing cause for concern. There will be a queuing…

• The new MINI John Cooper Works Countryman brings its qualities to bear both on the road and on unpaved terrain. As well as featuring the most powerful engine ever used in a standard MINI, the enhanced driving experience comes from the four-cylinder turbo engine with 225 kW/306 hp, 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission, ALL4 all-wheel drive and race track suspension technology. With four doors and a large tailgate, five full-size seats, a variable-use interior and ample luggage compartment, the new MINI John Cooper Works Countryman can not only master daily transport tasks in city traffic, but also meet all comfort demands on longer journeys. Brand new exterior colours of White Silver metallic and Sage Green metallic (as well as the optional Piano Black), add to the appeal. Thanks to a…

AGENT ORANGE Name: Alfons Gil Car: 1974 Authi Mini Cooper Location: Barcelona, Spain • Alfons’ 1974 Authi Mini Cooper has remained in Spain, since it was first made by Leyland Authi. When restoring the exterior, Alfons went for the original orange with black stripes “reminiscent of the Britax Cooper, but a little softer.” The wheels are original Dunlop D1s which have also been lovingly restored. In the interior, the seats have been reupholstered. Alfons has also rebuilt the twin carburettors and the two-speed wiper motor has been brought back to life. The car has been in the family for over 30 years, and with the attention given to it we think it has plenty more life in it yet. A LITTLE RITZ Name: Enzo Van Pé Car: 1985 Mini Ritz…

Obsession. The dictionary describes it as “something that a person cannot stop thinking about, a preoccupation, a fixation, something all-consuming, compulsive or controlling.” That’s Bernie McEneany and Minis in a nut shell. “My mother always had a Mini. Of all the Minis she owned I especially remember a Speedwell Blue 1960 848cc and a Surf Blue 1962 Austin Countryman. After that she had a succession of Countrymans and Clubman Estates. I passed my driving test and naturally I started off in a Mini, a 998cc with the three clock binnacle but that wasn’t my first.” Bernie explains, “I lived on a farm and as soon as I was tall enough to reach the pedals I started to drive round the fields in old MoT failures. I have to admit to…

“A dramatic improvement in ride quality can be achieved by simply changing the standard original springs” TOO HARSH Q I love the handling on my Mini, but after years of suffering with a bad back, it’s now getting to the point where every drive is followed by days of serious discomfort – I think the ride may be too harsh for my ageing spine! A I really can’t bear the thought of being unable to drive my Mini – or worse still, having to part with it – so are there any changes you could recommend to make the ride just a little more comfortable? Richard A You don’t say how old your Mini is, so we’re assuming it’s fitted with dry, rubber cone suspension. Hydrolastic suspended cars were lauded…

It was just one of those things that I’ve always wanted,” says Nigel Death, standing next to the stunning Almond Green Cooper. “When I was seventeen, I learned to drive in a Mini and then I had one as a first car, but back then, a Mini Cooper or even a Cooper S wasn’t the car that everyone wanted so I moved away from them for a while.” The Death family connection with Minis is a strong one. Brother, Harvey, is a seasoned car builder and top flight racer. “He’s an engineer and what he doesn’t know about Minis isn’t worth knowing. When he was 16, he bought a Mini Cooper S, LSY 283, in boxes and a bare shell, which he rebuilt into his racing Mini.” He’s also the…

• Each year, Atwell Motor Museum run a raffle to help keep the museum going. The prize is always a classic car, and this year’s offering was a beautiful 1983 Austin Mini Mayfair 998cc. Every year, Aidy Brown, from Radford in Somerset, is convinced to buy a ticket by his eleven year old son, Baden, who is a real Mini fanatic. They were hopeful last year, but sadly went home empty handed… except for a ticket for this year’s draw on 12th July. The year’s wait was worth it for the Brown family, as they joyfully went home with this year’s prize! Aidy has kindly donated the car to Baden, who is absolutely delighted. “We had a very exciting weekend after a quiet few months with all that’s been going…

Like most of its ilk, when our feature car, a Morris Mini Deluxe, rolled off the production line in 1963 it was powered by a rather humble 848cc A-series which had all of 34 bhp to pull it along the road. However, thanks to Z Cars engineering excellence and vision, plus the willing and enthusiastic participation of this Mini's new owner, Olivier Boeuf; it has undergone an automotive about turn. A rather impressive and potent one as it transpires. GET IN ORDER "Back in January 2018, I placed an order for a ready-to-drive, turnkey Mini from Z Cars in Ashford, Kent," says Olivier. "I was determined to have an early Mini and was fortunate in being able to source a 1963 MkI Mini which David Rose, boss of Z Cars,…

It’s hard to imagine Karl Powell’s Mini being any other way than as it is now. It’s full of street racer attitude, from the way it hunkers low over those wide Minilites, to the full rollcage, full list of trick ally bits, and even the moody Tweed Grey paint (which you can glimpse in the boot, under bonnet and the almost complete interior…). But it looked a little different when Karl first laid eyes on it around six years ago. Finished in the very 90’s shade of Equinox Purple, with colour coded arches, Karl enjoyed it as bought for a few months before a touch of tinworm saw the Mini come off the road for a little attention. Some remedial work on the rear subframe quickly spiralled into a full…

COST Depends what you pay for your replacement engine! TOOLS REQUIRED Socket set, hammer, chisel, ball joint splitter, engine hoist, jack, axle stands, and oil and water catcher. TIME TAKEN A day if you are lucky and work really hard! CONTACT Sleaford Mini Centre 01529 460049 www.sleafordminicentre.co.uk DIFFICULTY Converting an automatic Mini to a manual gearbox is a fairly straightforward exercise as long as you replace the complete unit – that is the engine and gearbox in one go. It is possible, with considerable work, to modify an engine from an auto Mini to go onto a manual gearbox but if you can pick up a complete unit, it just isn’t worth the hassle. The front subframes on both cars are different but, with the use of some adapter plates…

I spent the entire virus thingy working more or less on my own. This meant almost no time for my toys and playing, just attending to others and their toys. However, I did manage to dig out both my racers from the barn, dust the ‘66 car off and put it under our magnificent oak tree. Also by way of showing off my latest “Mini”, I took some shots from the air with it; it’s a Mavic Mini drone. It’s in the same mode as our eponymous hero; small and light, lacking all the frills of larger and more expensive models and will do most things that they do and some they will struggle to do. In the spring, the only race that I had put my name down for…

• One of the most vital tools in the battle against this virus has been the use of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment). It is now widely recommended and even essential in some cases for businesses to be operational again. Mini Sport is world-renowned for their design and engineering prowess. An external team wanting to produce protective screens for the healthcare sector approached Mini Sport, wanting to produce a more suitable, cost-effective and robust solution than those previously available. The team, together with Mini Sport’s Engineering Director Daniel Harper came up with the solution to separate healthcare staff from patients, creating a moveable barrier screen. These PPE screens have been rolled out in many other environments, including office environments, allowing yet more businesses to return to work. This PPE has been…

• Due to the unprecedented global Coronavirus pandemic during this year, the original race dates calendar for the 2020 Dunlop Mini Challenges supported by Mini Spares has been drastically affected. With virtually all of the original dates either postponed, cancelled or taken over by other high profile race series, under force majeure it has been more practical to arrange a completely new set of race dates with re-numbered sequence of championship rounds. Round Circuit Date Organiser National 1 + 2 Donington Park 11 July MGCC (Car club championships) National 3 + 4 + 5 Brands Hatch GP 8-9 August BARC (BTCC support) National 6 + 7 Snetterton 300 19-20 September BARC (Club meeting) National 8 + 9 Castle Combe 3-4 October CCRC (Autumn Festival) National 10 + 11 Thruxton 24-25…

When you’re brought up into a world of building rally cars, it’s highly likely you’ll become a life long petrolhead. Josh Barker may only be 25, but already he’s been involved with modifying cars as long as he can remember, and he shows no signs of slowing down. “I’d often help my Dad build rally cars which were usually MkI/II Escorts and Mitsubishi Evos and I couldn’t wait to have my own car,” he recalls, “I ended up choosing a Mini which sadly got written off, ever since then I’ve always fancied getting myself another Mini.” That first Mini which met an untimely fate was a late Cooper Sportspack, which Josh had already begun to upgrade, swapping the shock absorbers and exhaust. “I passed the word around I was looking…

Picture this: a young man gets a Saturday job at a garage with a reputation for rolling road tuning and race set-up. He loves it so much that when he gets home from school he rides there on his bike to work for nothing until they close, late in the evening most nights. He becomes apprenticed to them and continues learning at the feet of a tuning master. A story from long-lost 70’s Britain, right? Wrong. This is Ben Hudson’s story and he left school just 17 years ago. And now Ben runs his own rolling road and tuning company, BH Performance. I went there a few weeks ago on the recommendation of Kevin Taylor (sometime contributor to these pages). Kevin’s a perfectionist. It’s rumoured that he has not one,…

It was the sight of a lose wire hanging around the steering column that got me thinking. So when I put my hand under the dash to trace the wire to its source and I hit a Scotchlok, it was time to stop thinking and start doing. The GTM is a fibre glass kit after after all, and although they have no particular reputation for electrical faults the smell of burning wires that can go with with, it was definitely a case of safe rather than sorry. Also, in the car’s defence, every other aspect of its build was clearly to the highest level so I had no real reason to doubt the wiring. Peering under the dash with a worklight revealed a bundle of low weight wires and a…