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Mini run

All free, thanks to you

love:mini is thie first magazine to Everything you see in love:
bring together coverage of classic mini has been contributed free
Minis and MINIs, and through of charge. All contributors have
this we hope to build stronger voluntarily given up their time Poker Day Run

bridges between the two Mini

Celebrating 50 years with
the
Mini Cooper Register Austra

to write, photograph, or send

lia
Words and photos Brett
Nosse.

communities. stuff to us.

DATE
August 30,
2009
Location
Brisbane,
T
he day started as a
beautiful summer day
at North Pine Dam until
the westerly wind came
and
blew a lot of our registration
on a navigation run in
Queensland Hinterland.
to the
The Mini Cooper Register
graciously invited the Mini
Soon everyone started
engines and departed
their
with
their navigation questions
and first poker cards for

We also want to promote the

paperwork into the water. Owners Club of Queensland a
Australia scenic drive to the first
The registration papers and Tony and Kath set about stop at
Website making this a wonderful Woodford, meandering
via the

We may not be able to pay for

had everything to do with
www.mini
this day of days which
cooper.org/ was
australia/ beautifully orchestrated
by Mini Cooper Register
Australia stalwarts, Tony
picturesque
sponsored day to raise Mt. Mee Range
funds with lots of Mini bends,
for research for the Crohns to
and collect their next poker
and Colitis Association
of card from Judy and Ray
Australia.

fun side of Mini-ing - with

and With lots of helpers and Retchless.
Kath Formosa, to undertake Unfortunately, Brian Heys’
a Poker Hand Run Day donations - particularly
which cash little beast had a clutch

your contributions, but we’re

involved the purchasing and beautiful Darling Downs
problem and couldn’t make

Motorsport
of meat from club member
varying numbers of cards
UK MINI CHALLENGE
Bob
to five) at various locations
(up Hooper of - the BBQ breakfast the trip. It was tucked up safe
was finished in record and sound at the Formosa’s
32 love:mini time. Shady Rest Motel and

comprehensive motorsport reports,

Rally:Circu it:Hillclimb:Autograss: was
Sprint Words Peter Scherer
Photos www.minichallenge.co
.uk

all about you - the enthusiasts,

driving articles and challenges. and the cars - and not the
We enjoy spirited driving and shareholders.
discourage reckless driving.
ROUND 1
Champion starts new
There can be some perks campaign in winning form
As an independent publication,
Fresh faces and fresh cars with
fresh liveries rock up at
Rockingham.

- such as free show tickets,

Rockingham

R
eigning Mini Challenge
champion just fell short
of
a hat-trick of wins in the
Knox made it into fourth
through
Turn One for the third five after an almighty
time and

we are not restricted by ridiculous

Richardson followed into scrap with
opening rounds at Rockingham Deene. the determined Allen.
, Mills was next to fall as “Loved it. I
when Chris Panayiotou Knox knew I would pick up
clinched charged by into Deene a few places

or interviewing a Mini legend

his maiden victory in the a lap later. at the start, they had the
final Up at the front though, edge over
race of the weekend. Only Caudle me at the Esses though
0.769s had everything under every time,”
secs covered the top three control and said Allen.
after cruised to a comfortable
qualifying, with Caudle’s victory. “I Chris Smith’s R56 was
new John seventh

company policies, nor do we need

Cooper Works Class car was a bit worried at the and former MG Champion
taking pole start, but I Lee
from ex-Formula Vee and think we all made a few Sullivan secured second
Formula mistakes,” in the
Ford racer, Jason Mills, he said. class leaving Steve Liquorish S

- but the limit is only limited by

with Panayiotou was a comfortable to fend
Panayiotou in third. Lee off Dean Raymond for
Allen just second, but although Knox third in class.
had the edge over Steve retained Kevin O’Connor took the
Liquorish third from lap four, he Club Class
for S Class pole and debutant had spoils by a whisker from
David Richardson on his tail debutant

to be nice about everything just to

Ogden topped the Club at the flag. David Ogden, having led
Class. Mills ended his race in all the
Caudle led the initial charge the gravel way.
through Turn One from at the Esses after an earlier
power

your imagination.
Panayiotou loss gave way to brake
and Mills. But Allen made
sensational start and charged
a had started to lose power
failure. “I Race Two
past from the Knox got the jump on
Mills into the Deene Hairpin. third lap but when the Caudle at the
As brakes failed start of race two, but the
the lead duo began to I managed to angle into Champion

MINI 2011
the gravel.

arse-lick advertisers. We can show

escape Mills But after I got out it caught shot down the inside into
recovered third as Allen alight Deene
had the under the bonnet,” he to take charge again. Panayiotou
JCW’s of Jason Richardson explained.
and Former Sport Maxx Cup grabbed third with Allen
Chris Knox in formation racer fourth
behind. Chris Oakman rounded after another demon start.
off the top

Facelift
Into Tarzan for the second
time
62 love:mini Overhau ling the MINI’s

you the real way enthusiasts work

look and two new models

Time:warp
.

UK
Social life
on their cars, give an honest review Club Profile:
Manchester Minis
1963
and opinion on topics and events,
A social club for Mini enthusi
asts, with weekly
Born not long before the Mini meets and fun for everyon makeover
was launched, Submitted by Marie James e.

The se
Martin Bell recalls his memorie
s of growing up
M
anchester Minis is in
online forum that anyone
in the world alongside the it’s 11th year and still can join
Mini.

and, with an army of enthusiasts

and there are sections
going strong, with new on there for more aggressive stance,

T
mechanical help, as well cond refresh to the MINI’s which to join the foglight
members joining every as all the may be to the liking of on the
he recent snowy weather month. all important upcoming appearance has been most
knitted by their mums to We have over 100 active events, male drivers. lower rear bumper.
members and a general chit chat revealed, along with an
got me thinking back to and would perhaps be sent to and these spread from section. The Clubman has had
keep out the cold, but I also Cornwall to At the Cheshire Line Tavern announcement of two
new
For Cooper S owners -
who its
the really bad winter & our bedroom, where there was Leeds, not just Manchester have been crying out for own tweaks with the rear
remember we still had to wear . where we meet, I often diesel models for 2011. brake light cluster confoming
snow of 1963 which started of course no TV or heating We are more than just
a Mini organise From September 2010, cooling vents - their prayers more
short trousers despite the cold quiz and raffle nights for all

at the end of the mouse, we can do

on Boxing Day 1962 and club that meets once a everyone have been answered negating to other models with a
apart from maybe a hot water month, we (I’m the Events Organiser, MINI saloon, Clubman chrome
weather! are more of a social club, so
and
the need to remove the surround, while the Cooper
lasted until March ‘63 in bottle at bedtime! If it got and we everyone kind of looks Cabrio models will be
subject front S model
meet every week on a to me for to the update, although foglights for a similar effect. has a wide opening
many places... back then we Wednesday things to do, but occasionally we between the two exhaust
FeW luxurIeS really cold then there wasat the Cheshire Line Tavern, we expect newer models to Optional xenon headlights
still had to go to school each an extra paraffin heater Cheadle. Most discussions get some nice fellows who
can be ordered with either pipes which replicates
At home few had central are arrange feature elements of the the
day, staying home and playing not Mini-related, but of their own entertainme new form of an air outlet and
heating, very often there would for the hallway which course nt so I get look. The subtle changes black reflectors or adaptive is
out in the snow would have we do have the usual Mini to just join in and take lighting which turns the bordered by chrome edging.
a step follow on from 2006’s refresh,

almost anything you’d like to see.

be ice on the inside of my ran on esso Blue or Pink chats, back). All the proceeds Inside the central facia
been considered skiving. For but just about anything
Paraffin which were always passes as go to the which again moved the headlights as you turn
the
a bedroom window when you conversation. And we have club funds which buys
things like away from it’s child-like
MINI
steering wheel - essentially has been darkened from
the
youngster, of course, snow is advertised with a catchy quite look
an woke up on a freezing
cold few technically and mechanical a flyers, gazebos, banners,
website to something more serious. enabling you to see round contrasting light grey to
black,
adventure and I can remember tune on TV in the winter ly- renewals etc. We also and a new LED display
morning! There were only two minded people, so that
helps with do autotest Overall, the cars have corners better. sits
walking through the deep snow months. any Mini or non-Mini nights once a year at touched up inside and
been
From the side the indicator within the basic speedo.
The
warm rooms in our house; the related out optional
to school in Wellington boots 1963 is also about when my the and there is also a new repeaters have been visually premium speedo now
kitchen, due to heat from the problems. set comes with a colour screen
and climbing to the top of own early memories of the Mini of colours and a new range enhanced, looking less
cooker and the coal-fired boiler We have plasticky and featuring which can be used to watch
tall snow piles at the sides of begin. At this time the Mini
wheels to tie-in with the a glass videos via an
for heating the water, which an restyling. cover with concentric circles. external device.
the roads and driveways that was just about the only front More chrome has also
had to be lit each morning with S owners are again treated
had been cleared. The school wheel drive car available, so something a little more
to been added to the interior
a dangerous-looking gas poker Starting at the front you flashy. surrounding
playground quickly became even though my dad didn’t can see the most noticeable At the rear all MINI models airvents and
by my mum. One of my pocket like on the steering wheel.
an ice palace with one slide them much, to my delight he change in appearance now feature dynamic LED Trim
money is in the colours have been revamped
stretching almost the length lower bumpers, front and
rear,
rear lights that shine brighter
jobs borrowed one and claim to be made
of the playground. The bigger
boys would run up and launch
was to The Mini had much better from his garage
which have been extended
downwards to conform
to
the harder you brake. Under
particularly hard braking
from
better materials than before.
Optional ambient lighting
fetch the
traction in the snow than and car sales they will even flash to

The lock-up
those new pedestrian safety warn is
themselves on it, hurtling along regs and prevent knee following cars that you now also available, covering
buckets business to get injury are 756 shades of colours,
at high speed and unable to
stop for anyone in the way.
It
of coal
needed
most cars of the time to work in the in the event of a collision.
in turn has given the MINI
This
braking sharply. Additionally
the reversing light has
moved
and the
interior and exterior mirrors
snow a little a Showing us your Mini are available with auto-
would give today’s health & 118 position stuff

Share it
from the light cluster
from the coal bunker out in easier — as love:mini dimming.
safety conscious school staff the Minis, with the engine weight
a back garden. The other warm
heart attack! over the front driven wheels, Bruno Cottanceau
room was the living room where
Today it seems many schools had much better traction in
we mainly watched TV and
stop children going out to play the snow than most of the rear
which had a gas fire. However,
in the snow even if they opened wheel drive cars of the time, Hello love:mini, my name
if any of us left the door to is Bruno Cottanceau. I’m
— much too dangerous…

Are you’re doing something exciting

this room open and let all the
Many boys used to wear dark
expensive heat out into the
woollen SAS-style balaclavas
hallway we were in big trouble
unless a heavy weight was single and I live in France.
54,
placed in the boot and snow
Here is a picture of my
cold chains fitted to their wheels.
MINI Cooper S, which
I have

10 love:mini 24 love:mini
The only 4x4 vehicles then were nicknamed UK GIRL!
She is a 2004 Cooper S
model, and has been treated

that you think others would be

to a few luxuries, such
as
a reprogramed ECU, JCW FEATURE
brakes, new WebSpoke
JCW injectors and airbox,
wheels, My Mini
all
of which has pushed the
bhp

Got an idea?
output up to about 200bhp.
I hope you all like my Sam Renton from its previous owner
in

interested to hear about - then share

beautiful UK Girl as much
as
I do.
Hello love:mini, Im Sam
Renton, 20 and currently
have
my own media production
company based in Stafford.
I resprayed. I replaced the
newark, the front was
the
worst but we were amazed
with the condition of the
doors
and rear. We replaced
the
whole front and had it
fully

Have you thought of a cool

am a very keen photographe rear
r subframe and sprayed

it with the wider community?

and have restored my mini it a
funky green. i have also
with my dad for the past given
2 it a retro mk1 look, to set
years. We bought it completely it
apart from other minis.
standard i hope
to spray the front subframe
and engine in the

idea for a feature you’d like to

near future

We are all about encouraging

as well

people to share their knowledge and read about? If so, others would
get more involved in the scene. probably like to read about it too.
As a digital magazine we can be We have contacts and authority 134 love:mini

very dynamic in size and style, to
accomodate any type of article.
From home-made mods
and stunning photos to club
announcements and heated opinions,
we have room for them all. Just get
in touch.
editor@love-mini.co.uk
all around the Mini industry and
if you have a good idea for an
article, we can try and help make
it happen for you.
Where possible, we would even
set it up for you to write the
article yourself, after benefiting
from any relevant experience that
goes with it.

love:mini 
 Official love:mini sticker supplier

 love:mini
 love:mini WELCOME
www.love-mini.co.uk

Four-seater (ish) Rocketman

ISSUE 2
lights our fuse.
The
mi niest MI NI SPRING
is finally here. 2011
p.58

Double-hinged doors.

A fter a great response

following the launch
of the first issue of love:mini
the long wait.
This time around the
magazine is choc-a-block full
the Bristol Mini Day on June
5, (see the Events page) and
will be branching out further
we are delighted to present to of rallying and motorsport throughout the year.
you the second issue. information to keep you
We’ve struggled to cut hooked for hours. Craig McBeth
down the number of pages, As part of our brand
as there is just soooo much to expansion we’ve also Editor
share with you. And sorry for recently agreed to sponsor craig.mcbeth@love-mini.co.uk

THIS ISSUE WAS MADE WITH HELP FROM:

John Baker, Jan Fialkowski, Tony Haslam, Thomas Wuerzi, Matt Price, Mark Lim, Matt Parkinson,
Norman Nelson, George Marsh, Mick Yates, Robin Hood Mini Club, Stuart Watson, John and Lynne
Kornbrekke, David Young, Ger Roberts, Snowdon Minis, Mel Toombs, Ruth Williams, Brian Thomas,
rallysportmedia.com, James Beckett, Ben Hamer, Mark Cowan, Louise Inch, Andy Yeomans, Chris
Ordon, Charlie Johnson, Dave Overfield Allan Faulkner, Josh Kelly, Mohammad J. Al-Harbi, Chris
Fawcett, Tanya Medcroft, Adam Nierzad, Greig Allan, Anton Gihan, James Beckett.

Copyright blurb
Copyright of all contributions remains with the original owner. love:mini produced content is copyright of love:mini. By submitting words and photos to
love:mini you agree to allow us to use and reproduce this material in any way, shape or form (in a non-offensive manner) for the foreseeable future.
We do not intentionally use copyrighted material without permission, and for the most part we have been given permission to use copyrighted material.
However, if you believe we have used copyrighted material without permission, we will do what we can to make amends. Reasonable attempts have been
made to find and contact any copyright owner whose material may have been used.

love:mini 
dash:board
7 6
www.love-mini.co.uk
Storytime

e
old.
Sharing your tales, new and

r
Sleeping under the stars.

pa
You
that has a Mini room!
room.
read that correctly: Mini
in
They actually put a Mini
to go
their hotel room. I have

LOOKING BACK
there.
there, no, we have to go
this

m
I was not yet aware that
a long
decision would lead to
quarrel.
and drawn out marital
But one thing at a time.
After reserving the room,
night
the day of days, no, the
was
of nights got closer and
the
suddenly upon us. When
the
door to our room opened,
lit up eyes of our night-time
at us
bed companion gleamed
Open
- a likeable Mini British
it’s Classic in chic black.
Even with the seats out We let our eyes sweep
going to be a tight squeeze! through the room and
were
Jack
absolutely thrilled. Union
seats,
of MINI HQ, and is known
for floor lamp, Mini racing
Sleeping in style and a starry sky over the opened

8 Timewarp
his ‘funny little accent’ it
convertible top and, believe

o
by Thomas Wuerzi representing a typical classic seat
owner, so it was no surprise or not, a Union Jack toilet
he told But we were

T
he Mini has never been
the most comfortable
to his colleagues when in the bathroom.
so first
them what he had discovered starting to get hungry,
eat.
we went to get a bite to

car to sleep in, but some
some
of us probably have at
point - whether it was
because
had
we’d broken down and
rC
to do.
and what he was about to our night
Looking forward
to
in the Mini, we returned
Pleasant surprisep.m. our room later that evening.
“Friday afternoon, 4:30

How things were

the
to wait a few hours for The weekend is finally
here
and
AA, or because the tent – and lots of rain is expected.
too
sleeping bag had become What could be nicer than
cold and wet that the bare fine
car to pick up a small but
metal cabin cell of the selection of reading material
not
was a better choice, it’s from the filling station
to
one would opt to

back in 1959.
something enjoy during my two free
do. days? Back at home I make
However, one classic myself comfortable, turn
the
enthusiast, who also happens coffee machine on and
flip
to work for MINI in Munich, through the magazines I just
did just that when he found
as bought.
a hotel with a classic Mini I could barely believe my
is
the bed. Thomas ‘Wuerzi’ eyes, there is actually
a hotel
in the halls
quite a character

fai
14 Memory
16 love:mini

Lane

May
Your classic Mini
photos pre-2000.

16 Storytime
Getting even closer
to your loved one.

Mini run

UP TO SPEED
malaysia

Unique
nation Minis’
Malaysian

18 Club Profile
road trip
Bringing together Minis from all over
the nation.
Words and photos Mark Lim

o
n the weekend of
the various Mini groups in

Meeting the crew from

November 19, a group of
DATE Mini lovers organised a
road trip to Penang from Kuala social gatherings.
November 19,
2010
Lumpur. calling themselves
LocATioN ‘Unique Nation Minis’, 22
Kuala Lumpur Minis, of various types,
to Penang, travelled down the North
Malaysia South expressway for the
group’s inaugural road trip.
Malaysia for group runs and
The group assembled at the
Jalan Duta toll early on the
19th. Forming into a long line,
the Minis, accompanied by
three support vehicles, went
down the expressway towards
their first fuel stop at Tapah.
After their second stop at
Gunung Semanggol, the Minis
arrived at the Ferry Terminal
in Butterworth at 4:00p.m.
Provided with an escort by
the Royal Malaysian Traffic
Police, the group checked in
the 1926 Heritage Hotel in

Surrey Hills.
comprising of Mkis, iis, iiis,
two Mokes, and one 1275 GT,
the Unique Nation Minis came
together to share and promote
a love of original design
Minis.
organizer and founder,

Motorsport
Gig, said that the group
was formed to promote the
social side of owning a Mini,
to share knowledge and
Rally:Circuit:Hillcl
resources, and bring together imb:Autograss:Spr int

Hillclimb
22

22 Event
love:mini

& Sprint

Reports on the PULSE

Dakar Rally
Mini fun from all Raid 2011
The MINI Countryman gets
A quick guide to starti
hillcl imbing and sprin
ng
ting by Ben Hamer
an easy and cheap way
are
to
Hillclim bing and sprints

around the world.

its first real test with a foray
in your roadgoing Mini.
through South America. start having more fun are
several classes today. There
Photos X-Raid/Dakar Speed events are a great Minis
some very fast full race

S
o what is hillclimbing many national
way into motorsport, but out there still breaking
and sprinting? are
get hooked and never move records and equally there

T
Hillclimbing and fast out
he Dakar Rally is steeped in
rollcage, sumpguard and dumping the on. If you want to drive some near standard Minis
history and has a fascinating in sprinting are basically in a competitive environment there just having fun.
a new 3-litre, 315bhp engine from same discipline and are is
story to tell. It all started back the and a friendly atmosphere Whatever you have there
in 1977 when Frenchman Thierry
BMW X3CC rally car. The final result referred to as speed events. then this is what speed
events
almost certainly a class to suit

I’m a pocket
up,
Sabine lost on in the Libyan desert
isn’t the prettiest of MINIs, but it
sure And let’s clear one thing are all about. There is
one
you and your car. Speed
events

42 Motorsport
during the Abidjan to Nice Rally.
does look tough. hillclimbing is NOT driving more thing worth mentioning allow a large variety of
cars to
that is
Experience driver Guerlain Chicherit a car up a muddy hill, at this point and that is
that
compete, ranging from
production
So overwhelemed was he by the timed
and co-driver Michel Périn were Trials. Speed events are two drivers can drive one
car
cars (with varying levels
of
up a

challenging terrain and landscape
that
he founded the Paris to Dakar Rally
brought on board to pilot the new
MINI and find and push its boundaries
rocketman
laps of a circuit or a run at any event. This is great modifications) and all types
of
hill. It is about the oldest
form
as it can halve a car budget kit cars through to single
seaters CONCEPT

It’s
which quickly found popularity and of motorsport and originated not Formula
now over 30 years later it is considered
to the limit. their cars and even if your car is (which can range from been rumoured for
from toffs racing you will ined
This year’s rally was based in South competitive in a class Fords and motorbike-eng a while, but finally
one of the most gruelling rallies in
the America, following the new formula up their driveways, well always be racing someone types to £100,000+ 600bhp
single Classic Mini sized MINI
world. This was the rally the MINI
had moving the rally since terrorist attacks
of something like that anyway. with the same equipment,
so
seaters). Few types of cars
are MINI’s small MINI
concept has arrived - and
the answer to our prayers?
chosed to put its new Countryman, Cars are run one at a time no excuses. excluded from speed events, in
in Mauritania forced the cancellation with only what style!
so it is very safe, some to resort to a squashed,

The Dakar Rally, the

and WRC representative, through WRC cars and karts are
its in 2008. Starting in Buenos Aires
in yourself to blame for an a Mini The Rocketman concept FEATURES car like
raised diagonal lines. Very
smart.
paces. that spring to mind. In
German rally experts X-Raid
Argentina, the rally would cut across accident. Events are all
run So where do Minis these days you will be
competing is a homage to everything at a glance Furtherthe Toyota iQ.
features include
Again like the classic Mini,
were tasked with getting the new
the country heading for northern
Chile on solid surfaces, tarmac
a fit into speed events? directly with cars like Novas, the classic Mini stands
for Carbon-fibre double-hinged doors, either
visibility all around is another
MINI Countryman up to scratch for
before turning south and following
the or concrete, and involve used in
Well, Minis have been Fiestas, some Japanese
small - maximum space in the feature here. The classic
was
coast and then cutting across country standing start and a flying were old rival space frame side of the A-panel to make lauded for its all-around
the enduring rally and set about speed events since they cars and even the Mini’s smallest size, and forward access easier. The rear visibility
again and over the border back in finish. You will learn more first built and are still
a very
the Hillman imp. thinking ideas, and it is lights and with hardly any obstructions
reinforcing the bodywork, adding packed double-hinged aresomething special too, with on the
a to Argentina and finishing at Bueno about the format of events in
42 love:mini later in this article.
competitive proposition full of ideas.
doors ‘handles’ of light projecting
Rocketman (including the

HRCR Mini Cup, Mini

Immediately the style of glass roof), it’s going to
the stop and indicator lights be like
car stands out with its onto
50 love:mini
carbon on display, but
flecks of Unique the body of the car.
in actual
fact the whole car is created
projected Look closely at the wheels Our View
rear lights and you will see they are Wow. Where to begin. It

58 On the Pulse

on a carbonfibre spaceframe
making it ultralight. So
ultralight, that MINI is
quoting
trimmed with a carbonfibre looks
fantastic, but you’ve got
3+1 seating hubcap - this is to ask
another fuel- how much of this would
saving mechanism, making likely
Twin-opening the make it onto a production model.

Masters Series.
jaw-dropping economy wheels more aerodynamic
figures . A full carbon-fibre spaceframe
of 94mpg. rear with At the rear the hatchback for starters sounds droolworthy
The pictures don’t do it drawer boot is pivoted right
in the enough, but what about the cost?
justice, but the Rocketman centre of the wholly glassy
Aerodynamic roof. The rear lights are a bit
is just 11-feet 3-inches The boot also has a second silly,
long, but aside from that, what
adding about 13 inches wheels storage is there
to the section in the shape of not to like? You can get
classic’s famous length. four in,

In-depth news on the biggest

today’s modern world of
In 94mpg a drawer that pulls out. just, but let’s be honest,
it’s not a
safety, On top there is nod to the family car is it? Even the

new

Gear
getting it down to this British heritage of the Mini classic
size Mini isn’t the family car
was a tough job, especially with a union jack glass it once
was - it’s a plaything, exactly
when looking to keep MINI’s roof.
^Mini
like

Bits and pieces for your

The design is actually created this will be.

50 hillclimb
famous front end and not using the car’s structural
have The all-round visibility
and
58 love:mini
beams along the horizontal
and glass element is also a top detail
for us. We like, a lot.

issues. Table fron

caMber adjus cemod ified.com
www.raceper forman
T ToP MounTs

without having
to

guide
£195 the perfect ride Race
your MINI for mounts from
Want to set up adjusta ble top
Well these camber trick.
get all dirty? d are just the and track and
Performance Modifiebeen tested both on the road

72 Shout/Rant
making
The mounts have d from within the engine bay,
adjuste a doddle.
can be easily ry at the track ing
testing the geomet alumin ium with self lubricat
adjusting and quality billet t
is an excellen
Made from aircraft the adjusta ble top mount set
s
Teflon race bearing serious driver.
choice for the
more mmm JCW

How to get started in

goodies

door Mirror caPs

http://mybeautifulmin i.com

Your comments and gripes.

www.mini mania.com
From £55 / $225
flair to your

hillclimbing a Mini.
Add your own individual
door mirror
MINI with a set of genuine
without power-
caps. Available with or Chrome
Union Jack, Checkered,
fold you can choose from flush you might
If you’re feeling really
and Black Jack styles. covers
the very cool JCW carbon-fibre
even want to consider a mortgage
might have to skip making
but at $695 a pair you

74 The lock-up
payment.
on
bonneT scooP insulaTi

56 louise inch
www.mini mania.com
$37.50
S at high speed a lot
alTa accessPorT If you drive your Cooper
(well, that’s what they’re
for isn’t it?) then the
www.altaperformance.com has been reported cases
of the bonnet scoop
excessive heat. If you
$895 partially melting due to

Your Minis.
with insulation, then it migh
Got the urge to play around S isn’t fitted with this
The be worth considerin
your MINI’s tuning settings?
simple plug- it. Suitable for 2007
ALTA AccessPORT is a

A day with the BBC.

up to S Hatchs, 2008+ S
and-play device that hooks
allows Clubmans and 200
your diagnostics port and
device also Convertibles.
you into the ECU. This
an
claims to be able to unlock
the wheels
additional 20-40bhp at
connected.
within minutes of being


with
In-house maps are included
as you
the ability to upgrade

love:mini
car. Currently
change parts for your
for North
this device only works
but there are
American models,
Asian
plans for a European and
compatible model soon.
90 love:mini
 Schnitzer MINI
Move over
Mobility Scooter Y is growing
our first thought
was to say
that
s on this MINI?
electric-poweredthis concept vehicle
Well, whateve - still cool? Not as
, and
r your views
Pretty cool,

much?
on electric
huh? What
from AC Schnitze about if I
r is actually
love:mini
sponsors
manufacturers with oil and fuel
...electric For us petrol-h(and customers) are
prices rocketin vehicles, their popular
g, it’s easy ity
power hard coupled eads though, looking for
the sound
to
cheaper-to-run see why

just got
with a sweet alternat ives.
a combus
tion-eng ined exhaust note of the crank and pistons

serious
add to the
car. Howeve
r, before you real ambian working
of the nearest
G-Wiz start spitting ce of driving
or 20 years or Prius just think in the directio
n
time when to the
powered by most vehicles future in 10
alternat ive are likely
And althoug means to to be
h, many of fossil fuels.
think about us
electric vehiclesdon’t really want
have to eventua , if to
lly drive them, we are going to
better make then they
them to be
this Police pretty special, had
MINI is giant and
right directio step in the
n.

90 love:mini

love:mini

82
83

FEATURES
76 mayfair
lady SOCIAL SCENE
A look at the new
and classic versions
of the Mayfair. 112 After Hours
Mini in a game,
80 Country aren’t we lucky!
drive 114 Noticeboard
A reader’s first Announcements,
opinions on the stolen Minis, and
MINI Countryman. general stuff that
82 Silent police doesn’t fit elsewhere.
AC Schnitzer give 116 DIGIMINI
the MINI-E a Weird and cool Mini
police and power stuff on the internet.
makeover.
DIGIMINI
The weird and wonder
ful from the web
118 Future
Events
This snowy picture
beautiful juxtapos
of love and hate.
love
is a
ition

is the desire to decorate

one’s Mini with
a
Upcoming events for
the season.
of
preferent ial sticker
one’s personal opinion,
in
while hate appears
the
the acronym and
wording which offers
to
a derogatory term
the
anyone who reads
driving an
sticker whilst

WORKSHOP
suV. Beautifu l. Submit your articles

Snapped DIY TECH I

Showing you how it is really
done.

Objective Replacing the classic

Remove the faulty
water pump and fit a Mini’s water pump

#2
new one.
acebook Alternator off and radiator
tOOls
pages out.
AROnline

KNOWLEDGEBASE
• 2x 7/16” spanners. by Craig McBeth
on the • 7/16” and 1/2”
Celebrati ng 10 years
Considering your Mini’s
sockets engine is rusty/brown water trail,
powered by lots of little
stands I traced it
web, AROnline, which
• Flathead explosions back to the
MAgneTized Mini
(or burns for the technically- water pump. This was
has become screwdriver confirmed with the engine
for Austin-Rover,
correct), you’ll want to running
www.facebook.com/ • Possibly 10mm be make and water leaking from
king for any- sure the cooling system
is working it.
MagnetizedMini essential bookmar
socket/spanner A lack of water in the
properly. cooling
British cars • Gasket paste
one whose love of In my case I noticed a system will cause the
water leak engine to
overheat and terminally
BRiTish Mini CluB the humble and the need to top up
extends further than
time the radiator Mini’s block kill your
60 minutes every few days. So, following and likely the head
www.facebook.com/ the too. So make sure it’s all
britishmin iclub little Mini. and
working.
There is tons of useful Difficulty
4/10
the site and
Mini MOTORsPORT unique material on
maintained cOst 1. To get access to the
water pump you’re
www.facebook.com/ it is designed and Around £22 for water going to need to remove
Mini.Motorsport Keith Adams.
by motoring writer
pump and gasket the grille, alternator and
radiator.
First remove your
Mini’s grille, either

love:mini
by unscrewing it from
116 the front panel, or by
undoing the grille
buttons.

2. Make sure the

86 The Business 94 Under 106 DIY TECH II

engine is cool. If
you have been running
the Mini in the last
hour, go away and
come back in half an
hour. You really don’t
want hot water from the
radiator pissing out all
Yeah, yeah, over you.
don’t mention
the state of the
engine bay. 3. In theory it’s
probably best
102 love:mini

Finding out about construction Change your MINI’s

Blakehill Body Centre. A detailed long-term steering wheel inserts.
project diary.
88 GEAR 108 Diaries
Bits to buy for 102 DIY TECH I What people have been
t
ere
your Mini. Replacing a classic up to with their Minis.
ur
ht

Mini water pump.

ng
7+

09 S

love:mini 
 Time:warp

A sketch of a potential future city car.

The original Mini design demonstrates

how its compact design can still offer
lots of space.

 love:mini
Reliving the life of the Mini 1959
F ollowing a wave of
new model releases
from MINI, as well as
the departure of long-
term Head of MINI
Design - Gert Hildebrand
- we thought it would
be worth looking at the
original Mini design.
Issigonis’ concept was
Development on BMW’s carbonfibre monococque for maximum space in
begins in earnest.
the smallest package
- something we would
all agree the MINI
failed on. But with news
suggesting that the Third
Generation of MINIs
could be redesigned from
scratch under the new
leadership of Anders
Warming, there is some
hope of a more mini
package. Along with the
development of carbon
monocoques and three
and two cylinder engines,
this mini car could be
closer than you think...
SEE NEWS PAGES

love:mini 
 Time:warp
Austin Village
The fast expansion of the Longbridge factory
during World War I, led to a quickly built village
to house the growing number of workers.
T
he history of the Mini,
its founding fathers
and its birthplace spans
further back than just the
lifetime of the Mini. By the
time the Mini was launched in
1959 the Longbridge factory in
Birmingham had already been
standing for 54 years. Bought
as a derelict tin printing works
in 1905 by Herbert Austin, it
developed to become the home
of the very successful Austin
Motor Company, and later
the less-successful BMC/BL/
Rover.
With the outbreak of the
10 love:mini
First World War in 1914, the
factory was required to stop
car manufacturing to produce
munitions for the Allied
Forces. Such was the demand
for all types of equipment that
the factory quickly expanded.
Austin was concerned that
because of the massive increase
in the workforce that was
needed to fuel the War Effort
he had to find dormitory
accommodation. To give some
idea of the sudden increase
in numbers of employees, in
1914 the company employed
just 2500 people but by 1918
Words & it had grown to 22,000 who
copyright
were mainly women. Transport
John Baker.
was limited in wartime so
Photos he needed accommodation
John Baker and
British Motor locally, this was a problem
Industry Heritage as the factory was built in
Trust.
a very rural setting. So on
November 16, 1916 he decided
to buy 120 acres of farm land
in Hawkesley Mill Lane from
Thomas Middlemore for £7750.
Because the development need
to be constructed quickly in
December 1916 he purchased
200 Canadian cedar wood
bungalows from the Aladdin
Company, Bay City, Michigan,
USA, at a cost of $115,000.
The Company took out a
mortgage in 1917 with the
Secretary of State for War and
the Minister of Munitions,
which allowed it to have access
to a maximum of £75,000 to
develop the estate. Interest on
the loan would be at 5.5% per
annum.

To construct a new estate
involved a lot of planning,
also all the main services such
as sewers & drains, and the
supply of gas and electricity
had to laid on. As this was a
green field site, an agreement
was made with Morland &
Impey Ltd that access to the
development could be made by
using a private roadway from
Hawkesley Mill Farm.
The estate was laid out in
the shape of a horseshoe by
J W Wilson. The main road
through the estate was apply
called Central Avenue which
at one end divided into a dual
carriageway which is rumored
to be the first dual carriageway
in the City of Birmingham.
Because of the possible
fire risk twenty-five pairs of
conventional brick houses
were built to act as a fire
break (one brick pair of semi
to every six bungalows), A
Austin Village
temporary licence on
the 26th April 1917
was granted for
the erection of the
bungalows, because
the council was still
concerned about the
possible fire risk. It
was agreed between the
Company and the Birmingham
Corporation that 37 Central
Avenue would be used as a
Police Station, it appears that The bungalows had
in the end this did not happen. the following living room
Now that permission had measuring 20ft by 10ft which
now been granted, work you entered from an enclosed
started immediately and after porch. With a kitchen dining
11 months the last one was room 10ft by 10ft which
completed and occupied. As included a gas cooker, gas
the license was only for 15 washing boiler, sink and
years, the City of Birmingham cupboard space. Three bedrooms
Council continued to renew the each 10ft square, you will see
so called ‘temporary’ licenses that the accommodation was
for the wooden bungalows, not too crowded. At the back
but in the 1960s accepted that was a large garden where
after nearly 40 years they were vegetables could be grown and
in-fact permanent structures. probably a long washing line.
love:mini 11
 Rent on a bungalow including Hawkesley Farm which had building did not start till 1960,
rates was 14s 6d (£0.73). been empty since 1936 was and opened for business on the
As each house or bungalow demolished in 1947. This part 8th December 1961.
was used as a dormitory, the of the land was purchased The remaining land had been
accommodation was seven by Mitchells & Butlers Ltd, developed by the Council for
people to a bungalow and 12 who built a Pub called the housing in the 1950s. A new
people to a house, so that the Woodpecker. Work on the Church of England church
estate was able to house about
2,000 people.
After the War in the 1920s,
when the company had a
very reduced workforce, the
houses were sold to families
of Austin employees at £250
leasehold and £300 freehold.
It is interesting that the deeds
to the properties laid out for
a specific schedule of house
painting etc. which would
ensured that the village would
be well maintained even
though ownership had passed
to the individual residents.
What the deeds did allow was
that the timber bungalows
could be replaced with brick
structures on the same plots,
interestingly not one owner
took up this option.
The Company sold the
remainder of the land to
Birmingham Council and

12 love:mini
was built at the corner of Longbridge Lane and
Turves Green. Longbridge Baptist Church in
Hawkesley Crescent moved into a new church
in Turves Green in 1954. The original wooden
church was taken down and moved to the new
site to become the hall. Two semi-detached
houses were built on the vacant land opposite
Central Avenue.
In 1990 a small group of dedicated residents
held a meeting to discuss the possibility of
forming a local association with the aim of
preserving this unique estate. So the Austin
Village Preservation Society was born and in
1997 achieved conservation status.

FURTHER INFORMATION
www.austinmemories.com
www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk

Austin Village

Longbridge Factory

love:mini 13
 Memory Lane
Your classic Mini memories from 1959-2000

IN loving memory
Jan Fialkowski 1975
xxx
Hello love:mini,
May I submit a few pics of
our treasured 1972 Minivan
850cc. We travelled the length
and breadth of the UK in this
little car, and spent many a
night in it with a young family
when off camping.
Oh happy days.. My dear
wife Cher (in pics) died
of breast cancer in 2009.
She loved this wee Mini.
She bought a Mini Cooper
Sportspack in 1997, now kept
as new, in her memory...
I know you don’t want
recent images, but I MUST
send one of Cher sitting in
her pride and joy (MiniCoo) ...
as she was dying of cancer..
She died six months after this
photo was taken.
With best regards
Jan Fialkowski

2008

14 love:mini
My life of Minis
Tony Haslam
Hi love:mini, here are
some of my old Mini
pictures for you to
share with the Mini
community.
Pic 1 (below) is my
van outside my mate’s
house in Chester 1968.
Pic 2 is of my wife Jill
on a trip out North
Wales 1967, just before
SUBMIT
we met. Pic 3 was
in North Wales on 1974 Mini
Memories
holiday in 1973 when

1974
we first got together.
Pic 4 is North Wales
again, on holiday in
1974 just after we
got married. The last
picture is of my sister
Jen with a Blue 1000
Wendens Ambo, Essex
for cousins wedding in
1974.

1968

1967 1973

love:mini 15
 Storytime
Sleeping in style
by Thomas Wuerzi
T
he Mini has never been
the most comfortable
car to sleep in, but some
of us probably have at some
point - whether it was because
we’d broken down and had
to wait a few hours for the
AA, or because the tent and
sleeping bag had become too
cold and wet that the bare
metal cabin cell of the car
was a better choice, it’s not
something one would opt to
do.
However, one classic
enthusiast, who also happens
to work for MINI in Munich,
did just that when he found
a hotel with a classic Mini as
the bed. Thomas ‘Wuerzi’ is
quite a character in the halls
16 love:mini
Sharing your tales, new and old.
Even with the seats out it’s
going to be a tight squeeze!
of MINI HQ, and is known for
his ‘funny little accent’ and
representing a typical classic
owner, so it was no surprise
to his colleagues when he told
them what he had discovered
and what he was about to do.
Pleasant surprise
“Friday afternoon, 4:30 p.m.
The weekend is finally here
– and lots of rain is expected.
What could be nicer than
to pick up a small but fine
selection of reading material
from the filling station to
enjoy during my two free
days? Back at home I make
myself comfortable, turn the
coffee machine on and flip
through the magazines I just
bought.
I could barely believe my
eyes, there is actually a hotel
Sleeping under the stars.
that has a Mini room! You
read that correctly: Mini room.
They actually put a Mini in
their hotel room. I have to go
there, no, we have to go there.
I was not yet aware that this
decision would lead to a long
and drawn out marital quarrel.
But one thing at a time.
After reserving the room,
the day of days, no, the night
of nights got closer and was
suddenly upon us. When the
door to our room opened, the
lit up eyes of our night-time
bed companion gleamed at us
- a likeable Mini British Open
Classic in chic black.
We let our eyes sweep
through the room and were
absolutely thrilled. Union Jack
floor lamp, Mini racing seats,
a starry sky over the opened
convertible top and, believe it
or not, a Union Jack toilet seat
in the bathroom. But we were
starting to get hungry, so first
we went to get a bite to eat.
Looking forward to our night
in the Mini, we returned to
our room later that evening.

But then: surprise. Only one of
us fit in the Mini, the mattress
is just too narrow for two, at
least when I’m one of them!
Who gets to sleep inside it
and who draws the short
straw and has to sleep in the
normal bed? This is where
we get to the quarrel. For my
wife it was self-evident that
she would sleep in the Mini,
but not for me! So we rolled
a dice. OK, I won, but the
evening was not over yet. Life
SUBMIT
Mini
Story
is not a picnic! Despite a dirty explained everything: “As a
look I cuddled myself under passionate aficionado of the
the blanket and counted little Mini, I wanted to give like-
Minis until I peacefully fell minded people something
asleep. back in the form of a theme
room.” It wasn’t a problem
Food for thought for Dirk Boll to sacrifice his
After a delicious own black Mini British Open
Classic.”
“reconciliation breakfast” we
had the luck of being able to
ask the “architects” of the
Mini room a couple of probing
questions. The answer that
La nd hotel Beverlan
On Her Majesty’s Service.
d
Sch lichten felde 21
48346 Os tbever n
Tel. +49 02532-956
80
info@eventvera nst
alter.de
ww w.hotel-beverla
nd.de
love:mini 17

Social life
Club Profile:
Surrey Hills Mini Group
Guildford-based club likes to keep active.
Submitted by Matt Price
F
irst launched in
August 2005, SHMG
was originally called
Surrey Hills Motor Group,
with the aim of reaching
out to Mini and other
classic car owners from the
Surrey Hills area.
During late 2008 our
regular meeting place
closed down and so January
2009 saw the launch of the
re-named and re-branded
SHMG (now called Surrey
Hills Mini Group), moving
to our new location: the
18 love:mini
UK
Worplesdon Place Hotel lots of varieties throughout
and now expanding our the years of production.
catchment areas to aim As the Minis don’t like
at Mini owners across the wet weather, we also
the whole of Surrey, have many social events
North Hampshire and all including off-roading, BBQs
surrounding areas. and trips out, and so there
These days we are now are activities all year round,
one of the larger clubs not to mention
in the area with over
65 members with more
members people joining all
the time!
We have all types of
classic Minis from early
MkIs to late Coopers, and
 Social life

FEATURE
My Club

Our social events include off-

roading, BBQs and trips out

the pub meets! •R egular club news

We meet up on and info
the second Sunday •D iscount at
of every month at various Mini
the Beefeater in the shops and
Worplesdon Place motorfactors
Hotel, GU3 3RY, from •F ree or discounted
about 7.30pm. Just entry to shows,
five minutes from including club
Guildford town centre stand places
on the A322. •F ree t-shirt and
Membership is £15 car sticker (per
for a single application member)
or £25 for a joint •F ree and friendly WEBSITE
application and for advice www.shmg.co.uk
that you get: • Plus much more!

love:mini 19
19
 R Club FactFIle FEATURE
Social life My Club
S Surrey Hills Mini Group
www.shmg.co.uk

T Formed 2005 areas.

Members
U
Meeting place
Worplesdon Place Hotel, Mini owners/fans of all
Guildford, GU3 3RY ages! Currently over 65
members!
V Contact details
Club President Activities
Matt Price As the Minis don’t like the

W Secretary wet weather, we also have

Hayley Nind
X Areas covered
Surrey and all surrounding
many social events includ-
Rarest: two scamps, a woody
ing off-roading, BBQs and
trips out, and so there are traveller and a genuine police
activities all year round, not
to mention the Pub Meets!
van and a Moke

Which is the most desired

club member’s car by
Y Why should people join Lots! – including several other club members?
You’d have to ask them!
your club? magazine featured cars
Friendly people and a great social
Z scene! Project cars
Several members have projects!
Which is the fastest car/
largest bhp?
Matt’s MK1 – 138bhp normally
Membership fee
What is the most aspirated A series.
0
Membership is £15 for a single
application or £25 for a joint expensive/rarest car Paddy – when he finally gets his
application. owned by a club member? 1380 turbo finished!
Expensive: probably Matt’s MK1

1 cars of interest and Ian’s MK2 Cooper S Which is the most

popular paint colour (of
members cars)?
Red, Blue and Green are the

2 most popular colours!

Any motorsport
competitors?
3 None

Who’s in a band?

4
None

Who owns the most?

Ian (4) along with Matt &

5 Hayley (4)

Who owns the oldest?

Paddy (1962)
69
20 love:mini
Who’s the Chief? Martin
Matt & Hayley
Who is the prettiest?
Who’s the Techie? Pippa the Dog!
Ian & Matt.
Who is the oldest?
Who’s the Computer boffin? Dave Vincent
Dan P
Who is the most musical?
Who’s the Anorak? Matt
Matt
Who is the cheekiest?
Who’s the Boy Racer? Dan T
Vinny & Ian
Who is the most likely to have road rage?
Who’s the Wise Owl? Hayley
Ian & Matt
Who is the most likely carry lots of
Who breaks down the most? spares?
Leyland Job. Ian
Who is the one who always runs on Who is the BLONDEST?
empty? Tina!

love:mini 21
 Mini run

malaysia

Unique
Nation Minis’
Malaysian
Road Trip
Bringing together Minis from all over the nation.
Words and photos Mark Lim

O
n the weekend of the various Mini groups in their first fuel stop at Tapah.
November 19, a group of Malaysia for group runs and After their second stop at
DATE Mini lovers organised a social gatherings. Gunung Semanggol, the Minis
November 19, road trip to Penang from Kuala The group assembled at the arrived at the Ferry Terminal
2010 Lumpur. Calling themselves Jalan Duta toll early on the in Butterworth at 4:00p.m.
Location ‘Unique Nation Minis’, 22 19th. Forming into a long line, Provided with an escort by
Kuala Lumpur Minis, of various types, the Minis, accompanied by the Royal Malaysian Traffic
to Penang, travelled down the North three support vehicles, went Police, the group checked in
Malaysia South expressway for the down the expressway towards the 1926 Heritage Hotel in
group’s inaugural road trip.
Comprising of MkIs, IIs, IIIs,
two Mokes, and one 1275 GT,
the Unique Nation Minis came
together to share and promote
a love of original design
Minis.
Organizer and founder,
Gig, said that the group
was formed to promote the
social side of owning a Mini,
to share knowledge and
resources, and bring together
22 love:mini
The customary wave to
camera on the ferry.

Burmah Road for their three-day stay

in Pulau Pinang.
A round island trip followed the
next day, with the Minis cruising
round the streets of Georgetown
and grabbing attention wherever
they went. After a free afternoon,
a seafood dinner was laid on, with
many tales of Mini ownership being
swapped.
The Unique Nation Minis headed
back to Kuala Lumpur after lunch on
Sunday, with new friends made and
old friendships renewed.

Stunning views along the coast.

love:mini 23
 Showtime

Mini Fair 2011

Fighting the crowds to find those elusive parts
as enthusiasts prepare for show season.
UK Words and photos Matt Parkinson

A
new year is a fresh shapes and sizes, to suit Minis The concours cars on display
start for many and of all shapes and sizes. at this show normally give
the Mini scene is In the main hall, MINIs a fantastic sneak-peek at
no different, with the show were to be seen parked what we can expect from
season kicking off at the alongside classics for the the Mini scene over the
DATE British Mini Club’s Mini Fair. very first time at Bingley course of the year and the
January 30, 2011 After the lull brought about by Hall, whilst a host of traders cars on show certainly didn’t
winter, hordes of enthusiasts were able to offer enthusiasts disappoint. Dessie Moore, who
Location descended on Bingley Hall in replacement parts and
Bingley Hall,
search of bargains, cars for tempting tuning options for
Staffordshire
sale – or maybe that elusive those looking for a little more
Website bonnet badge you’d been ‘oomph’ for their pride and
www. promising yourself? joy. The British Mini Club
britishminiclub. As with previous events, also attempted to coerce
co.uk the autojumble was a hit enthusiasts to their stand with
with showgoers, many another of their popular ‘Win
of whom could be a Mini for a pound’ raffles.
seen rummaging This year, Stuart Pike
through would be handed the keys
boxes to a British Racing Green
filled Sportspack Mini Cooper
with after he was announced
parts as the winner, securing an
of all unexpected drive home.

24 love:mini

had travelled from Omagh,
Northern Ireland to show off
his newly completed Mini
Sprint. His trip paid off, as the
Sprint claimed top honours in
the 1960s category.
Steve Moore’s MINI GP
was also receiving plenty
of admiring glances, with
plenty from the judges too,
as it claimed the award for
best MINI, ahead of Linda
Bennett’s Cooper, which came
a close second.
The balcony in the main hall
was occupied by the clubs
once again, who were followed
a simple theme drawn up by
the British Mini Club this
year: “Famous Coopers.” This
allowed the clubs plenty of
freedom to use the Cooper
name as they wished. Some
used the Cooper name for a
Super
Coopers
C lubs were
competing for the
best club stand and a
nice little cheque for
their efforts.
This year’s theme
was a different take
on the Cooper, and
with that many clubs
immediately thought
of fez-totting comedian
Tommy Cooper. So it
was with great delight
that so many had made
the effort to pay tribute to
such a legendary comic.
Regular attendees
Birmingham Mini Owners’
Club, Crewe’s Missiles,
Hilltop Minis, The Elf &
Hornet Register, The MINI
Clubman Register and
others returned once again,
while some new clubs made
their first appearance, such
as MINIs Unleashed (www.
minisunleashed.com).
Birmingham MOC made
the most of their stand
space by creating a boxing
ring depicting Henry
Cooper fighting a Mini
Cooper, while another club
thought back to the iconic
denim of Cooper jeans to
stand out from the crowd.
Club cars of all shapes, sizes
and generations were getting
inolved in the show theme.
love:mini 25
 Showtime
rallying theme, whilst others
drew inspiration from Tommy
Cooper, Alice Cooper and
boxing legend, Henry Cooper.
It was Potts About Minis
who stole the show with their
stand. Their stand allowed
show-goers to race each other
using remote control Minis, Woah, that’s
or by racing each other on totally bogus
the PlayStation that had been man...
brought along by one member.
And so, with the prizes
handed out and a new owner
found for the ‘Mini for a
pound’, the British Mini Fair
came to an end. However,
M iniworld Magazine’s latest
addition to its nest is Bogus 2
- which follows on from the tragic
with the impressive quality of loss of the original KAD twin-cam
the cars at this year’s show, Bogus in 1995 when he was stolen
who knows what we’ll see this Created by Mini Sport the 130bhp
time next year? 1380cc Mini is powered by Mini
See you in 2012. Sport’s own 7-port X-flow head.

Mini
Magazine’s cover
car was one of the
stars of the show.

New
coupe from
Derek’s
Minis.

26 love:mini
 HEINZ
HORNET

A n ultra-rare Heinz Hornet made

This Mini Sprint,
with its chopped bodyline
and roof, won the award for
Best 60s Mini and was a real
winner with the crowds too.
Its sublime finish with deep
red interior and matching twin
body stripes, harnessed with
the racy engine is bound to
keep owner Desmond Moore
smiling for many miles to
come!
an appearance at the show on
the Elf & Hornet Register stand.
Loaded with all its luxurious
trimmings and official certificate,
it was definately one for the photo
album with just 57 ‘varieties’ of this
converted classic created and many
less still in existence.

Best ’60s Mini

Desmond Moore (Mini Sprint)
best ’70s Mini
Paul Sutherland
WINNERS
(1275GT) AUR 791N
best ’80s Mini
Ruth Lowe (Designer) F902 SNH
best ’90s Mini
Paul Taylor
(Cooper Sport) K15 POO This happy man
best New MINI
won this Mini for
Steve Moore just a quid!!
(MINI GP) H4 YGP
Best Mini Pick-up
ADO 959T
Best Elf / Hornet
TYN 823F
Mini of the Show
ABM 187L
(Rally Mini Clubman)
Best Club Stand
Potts About Minis
love:mini 27
 Showtime

Yeah right!

MINI Thunder II
Rumbling track offerings in the ultimate
West Coast driving experience. Words Norman Nelson
Photos George Marsh

USA

J
ust two days before as these determined “track
MINI Thunder II, a snow junkies” made the trek.
storm hit the west coast, Most entrants stayed in
including Washington, Oregon, local hotels in town near
and California. With over 100 Thunderhill and checked in
entries coming and many before driving the 7 miles to
having to drive through the the track.
DATE On Saturday night we had
February 19-20,
mountain passes of Oregon
2011 and California all eyes were
glued to the weather channels
Location on television. The storm
Thunderhill dumped several feet of snow
Raceway, CA and many felt they would not
Website be able to dig out in time to
www.mini get to Thunderhill.
thunderhill.com But with a little luck and
clearing skies the roads
were cleared and the Mini
migration began. Some with
New MINIs, some with
classics, some even trailered.
It rained and snowed all
the way up to Friday night

28 love:mini

Mini nutters cram
out the cafeteria.
pre-registration, dinner
and a casino gambling
night. A local gaming
company brought in the
tables, dealers, and chips.
After dinner, while
many gambled like it
was a real casino, they
all were looking for
the sponsor’s prizes to
be paid for with their
winnings. Cheers would
ring out as the ball would
drop on the Roulette
table, hitting that magic
number as the lucky
winner would jump up
and throw his hands in
the air. One would have
thought he had just won
$10,000. Others would
sit quietly at the poker
tables, staring at their
opponents and wondering
when to bluff or when to
call.
All went back to their
Place your chips!
hotels winners and eager
to come back the next
day to drive.
As dawn arrived, the
temperature had dropped
below freezing and frost
had coated all the Minis.
With a little assistance
with the choke, we fired
off our Minis and let
them run to heat up the
car and defrost the
windshields.
It took the use
of scrappers to
get the frost
off, but soon
we were all
heading for
So Cal Mini Maniacs
en-route to the venue.
Mini Thunder - what is it?
It’s an HPDE (High
Performance Driving Event)
for MINI/Minis only.
This is a driving school
taught by experienced and
qualified instructors and
coaches. All ‘Beginners’
are required to have a
coach ride with them. As
they progress they get
moved up to ‘Intermediate’
and then they can drive
on their own but with
other participants of equal
experience and skills. The
‘Advanced’ group are the
more experienced and are
given much more freedom
(such as open passing in
designated areas). Then
there is the ‘Race Prepared’
group where they are
pretty much open. It is
not a race, but as you can
imagine there is a lot of
individual battles going on.
Smiles and bragging rights
are the trophies.
Each participant
gets five - 20
minute track
sessions,
followed by
20 minute
classroom
session where
instructors would
go over the course,
critique drivers, show
videos and use chalk
boards to illustrate the
proper lines, braking
points, shifting points,
etc.
We have eight instructors
(classroom) and 30
coaches (on-track). We
also provide demo rides
by the advanced and race
prepared drivers.
Participants and guests
are required to wear
helmets and sign waivers,
then get seatbelted into the
cars and take ‘hot laps’ as
passengers. We have some
interesting cars for demo
rides, including a Ferrari
430, a NASCAR, several
exotic Porsches, Corvettes,
and even a Lamborgini.
The track is 3-miles long
with 15 turns and some
great elevation changes.
In a MINI most can get
to 100+mph on three of
the straights. Lap times
ranged from as low as 2:02
seconds to about 2:45.
The Revolution MINI is
a 400 HP GP MINI. It can
achieve speed of about
140 mph down the main
straight.
There are sponsors and
dealers in the paddock.
Vinyl wrapping by Vinyl
Styles, Mini Mania and
Seven Enterprises all with
their goods and services.
Revolution Mini Works is
also doing Dyno-Tunes.
Valley Motorwerks and O2
Motorsports are there as
sponsors and are helping
and assisting participants
with any problems with
their Minis.
love:mini 29

the road to Thunderhill. The sun
rose and lit up the powder white
snow on the surrounding mountain
peaks and the lush green hillsides
made quite the contrast.
Each entered the front gate after
signing the waivers and headed
to a spot in the paddock. Then
quickly over to registration to check
in and get their group sticker and
car number. As they entered the
clubhouse to register the aroma of
fresh hot coffee caught everyone’s
attention and the coffee pot became
“the place to be”.
Soon everyone had registered
and had out “All-Hands” drivers
meeting and those famous words
were spoken “Ladies & Gentlemen
- Start Your Engines”
Actually the 100+ entries
were
30 love:mini
Clockwise from
top left:
Pre-track clean
to remove dirt
and grit from
the road.
A change of
tyres or wheel
pressure for
extra grip.
Prep talk prior
to track action.
Minis as far as
the eye can see
in the pits.
broken up into four groups;
Beginners, Intermediates, Advanced,
Race Prepared. They all met in
groups and the first Minis were on
track at 8:00AM.
While the participants were
motoring around the 3 mile - 15
turn road course, guests and
visitors were roaming the pit &
paddock area visiting with vendors.
Jan Brueggeman of Revolution Mini
Works was performing Dyno-Tunes
for those that want to get every
extra HP out of their little “speed-
racers”. There were Demo rides
available to guests and spectators,
some of the cars included a Ferrari
430, a NASCAR, several exotic
Porsches, Corvettes, and lots of
other high performance vehicles.
The 400 HP GP MINI of
Revolution Mini Works was brought
out to the track to provide to
promo and awe for the crowds.
Ian Stewart was flown out across
country from Florida to drive this
beauty. Many other notable drivers
were there to coach and give Demo
rides such as Doug Peterson, 7-time
SCCA National champion, 24 hour
of Dayton winner and builder of
Juan Montoya’s Indy 500 winning
engine. The participants and guests
enjoyed taking rides, at speed, with
many of the experienced coaches
and celebrity drivers. I understand
that Ian Stewart in the Revolution
Mini achieved speeds of 140 MPH
down the front straight with
passengers.
Touring the pit & paddock was
an adventure as there were many
highly modified Minis and even
some owners dressed in the 1960’s
English “Hippie”
 The Minis get ready to roll
out on to the track.

400 bhp!!

attire. Something to see for

everyone.
The day closed with no
accidents, no injuries..
But plenty of smiles and
loads of “High-5’s” and talk
of returning next year for
another day at Thunderhill.
Stay tuned for MINI Thunder
III in 2012.
Keep the Rubber Side Down.

ks for
The SCMM crew - than
the great photos!

The classic Mini scene didn’t

let the side down with some
awesome examples turning up
to rival the big boys.

love:mini 31
 Mini run

1732ft asl Run to

Tan Hill Inn
Driving to the
highest pub in the
UK is thirsty work

UK
Words Mick Yates Photos Robin Hood Mini Club & Stuart Watson

I
t was a typical cold wet enthusiasts enjoyed the of snow on the surrounding
windy Sunday in February complimentary tea coffee & hills, but fortunately the roads
but that did not stop 25 cakes provided by the club. were clear.
Minis joining the Robin Hood After the much-needed All the cars arrived safely
Mini Club run to Tan Hill refreshment stop the convoy at Tan Hill for lunch and
Inn near Reeth & Richmond, snaked its way along the most people headed for the
North Yorkshire - the Highest narrow deserted twisty roads sanctuary of the pub but a
Pub in the UK. (great fun in a Mini) towards few of the group were straight
At 1732 feet above sea level Tan Hill with Mick Yates the under the bonnet of their
Tan Hill Inn is the Highest event organiser leading the Minis to carry out the usual
Pub in Great Britain and was way. minor running repairs that go
made famous in the 1970s by As the Minis got closer it hand in hand with owning a
DATE an advert for Everest Double became obvious how high classic.
February 20, Glazing featuring Ted Moult the Pub was as there was After the food, there was
2011 and his feather. an ever-increasing amount a few awards and a free
Location The feather and a photo of
Yorkshire Ted Moult are still to this day
next to the window featured
LENGTH in the advert.
100 miles Starting at Ollerton in
Website Nottinghamshire there
www.facebook.com/ were three meeting points
home.php?sk=group_
162202223817852
on the run with the last
being the services at Scotch
Corner where over 50 Mini

32 love:mini
 This family travelled all
the way from Blackpool,
so they must be used
to the cold.

Amy Hibbert wins a

baseball cap in the raffle.

raffle for prizes donated by Tracy

the landlady at Tan Hill. Doug Cardy
won a Tan Hill t-shirt and Amy A well-deserved drink for
Hibbert won a baseball cap. The the drivers and rest for
Akram family won the award for the the Minis.
furthest travelled Mini, travelling from
Blackpool in a lovely convertible with
a cool “WOW” numberplate.
12-year-old Sam Sleeman was
awarded a certificate from Alan
Tideswell, the founder member of the
club, for being the 100th member to
join the Robin Hood Mini Club.

love:mini 33

Showtime
Race Retro
All things historically race-
like to make you misty-eyed.
W
ow, what a brilliant show,
as most of the cars (and
bikes) on show were from
the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s I felt
young again! I grew up admiring
these cars.
The cars on show were all
immaculately turned out and had
people in attendance who loved their
cars and more importantly, loved to
talk about them. The Mini Cooper
Register stand (pictured) was
however a bit of a disappointment
after last year’s show with just TWO
Mini Cooper Ss on display. Not sure
if any new members were signed up
but at least they were there!
The Monte Carlo Rally stand had
Rauno Altonean/Henry Liddon’s
Morris Cooper `S’ ORX 7F, (1968
Monte Number 18) Class Winner
and third overall, on show, I have
not seen that car around for a long
time, the chairman will probably
inform me of where it is kept!
The SU stand was a real treat,
they had genuine spares on sale
for H2s H4s HS2s HS4s, and even
earlier carburettors, all displayed in
34 love:mini
UK
DATE
February 25-27,
2011
Location
Stoneleigh Park,
Warks, UK
Website
www.raceretro.
com
Words and photos David Young
a 60s period style. Swiftune had a
great stand with all the “nice” bits
on show, with Nick Swift on hand
for any advice.
Of course the highlight for me
was the live rally stage; this was
run on both Saturday and Sunday,
once in the morning and once in the
afternoon. Very wet and slippery,
lots of spins but no real damage.
Star drivers that were in action
included Will Sparrow (my hero
of Motoring News rallying days),
Russell Brookes and Jimmy McRae.
Unfortunately no Minis were driven
round the stage. The stage itself
was more like one of the Mickey
Mouse stages of the 70s RAC rally. I
had a press pass and was fortunate
enough to stand next to the track!
It would be great, for next year, if
the Register could persuade one of
the members to drive a Historic S
around - just to hear the straight
cut gears whining away would be
awesome. Maybe BFX 404B or L333
EJB could be persuaded!
A great show, well worth the visit
and I will certainly go again.

Australia Day
C
elebrations on the
Sunshine Coast followed
our familiar pattern for
Australia Day 2011. An
early start for the BBQ Breakfast at
Russell and Sally’s on Buderim Hill
saw another beautiful day with only
a few clouds in the sky and plenty
of blue – a welcome sight after the
recent wet weather we had all been
experiencing.
Russell and Sally, with assistance
from Deb n Ayre, have the sausages
and bacon sizzling when we roll up
with plenty of juice, coffee and tea
ready to go. The rest of the gang
roll in and enjoy a hearty breakfast
before it’s time to head up the hill
to marshal up for the parade.
The parade is again the shortened
version trialled last year and we
marshal up in the car park of the
Buderim Tavern. Here we have an
opportunity to have a relaxed chat
after decorating the cars and a look
at the other groups that are also
marshalling up in our area.
Lead car for this year is ‘King
James’ a 1959 Morris Minor that
has been imported from New
Zealand and restored by Russell for
his owner Janeta Grady. Once again
the reception that the group gets
from the spectators is tremendous.
Mums and dads have the special
Despite recent floods, Aussies
still find time for a barbie WORDS & PHOTOS
smile that makes you wonder just
what the sight of our special little
car has reminded them of. The kids
(no matter what their age) seem to
all recognise the Mini – especially
Mr Bean – and Morris the Labrador
(riding in Russell’s Moke) seems to
be enjoying the attention as much
as the crowd enjoy seeing him in
the Moke.
Food, glorious food
Unfortunately the recent rains
mean that the fete that is usually
held in the school grounds has had
to be cancelled and we therefore
head back to Russell and Sally’s
for morning tea. Upon our arrival
we are pleased to see that Tom has
finished the dishes and has the
makings for cuppas all ready for
us. The girls have once again been
active in the kitchen and there is a
plentiful supply of slices and such
for our morning tea. (I think there
was some fruity stuff too).
Around 11-ish we organise the
group photo and thank our hosts
and then head off for the next part
of our day. This year we head out
to Kenilworth where the local pub
is hosting a car show. Is there
a better way to get free parking
close to the dinner venue in a busy
John and Lynne
tourist town? Upon Kornbrekke
our arrival (after a
spirited drive down Tom’s favourite
Mini road) we are ushered into our
reserved parking and have a look at
the other cars before heading to our
reserved table to organise lunch. It
is a busy day but the food is out in
short time and well worth the wait.
With lunch out of the way some
of us take a walk and end up at the
cheese factory where we partake of
an ice-Cream (only ordered a small
one as they are plenty BIG enough).
The others stay at the pub and
have another chat. Upon our return
we are entertained by the V8 boys
leaving, mostly loudly and often
with tyre smoke following them
(voted by the Auricht boys as the
VERY BEST part of the day).
Our group leaves in dribs and
drabs – our Brisbane visitors head
home up over the range through
Montville whilst the Sunshine Coast
group head back the way we came.
Once again a great day out and
about in our favourite little car.
A great day made possible by the
generosity of Russell and Sally and
the assistance of lots of folk but
in particular Deb n Ayre and Tom.
Thanks to all and Happy Australia
Day.
love:mini 35
 Showtime
Autosport International
Traders and punters take in the latest
offerings from the motorsport world.
Words and photos David Young
UK
H
aving had such a great time at last
year’s show I decided to attend on the
Friday Trade day. It was less crowded
with room to move and time to study the cars
on show.
The displays were, as usual, full of young
ladies who were not wearing much in the
DATE way of clothing! If that is your scene then you
January 15-16, would have been delighted. I went for the cars.
2011 McLaren had a superb display as did
Porsche. Ginetta had their new cars on show
Location as well as the G40s and G50s, (and some near
Birmingham
naked girls).
NEC, UK
From a Mini-lover’s point of view there was
Website not much of interest. Though at 10.30 Dave
www.autosport- Richards of ProDrive was on the stage talking
international.com about the new MINI 4WD ‘Works’ Countryman
and how well they are selling. Apparently
36 love:mini
they were showing the car ‘down the road’
to journalists so they did not have one for
the show! Dave Richards was sounding very
positive and was looking forward to having a
competitive MINI available to the public.
Forge Motorsport were also showing their
version of the Countryman. It looked well put
together and fit for the road, but I am certainly
no expert, so we will have to wait and see how
successful it becomes.
From a racing point of view there was a
Super Mighty Mini of Paul Chater on show,
looking great and sure to please classic
Mini owners. I bumped into Mr & Mrs Peter
Baldwin walking around the show but alas
there were no Miglias or Se7ens to be seen.
There was one R53 Cooper S on show from
1320 Mini, used on the time attack series. I
 Snowdon Jaunt
Welsh winter run in
Words Ger Roberts
Photos Snowdon Minis the snow and sun.

S
nowdon Minis’ Geoff Owen
had some withdrawal symtoms
from the summer Mini events
and runs so in November we set
off following him along with F.A.B.
Minis’ Neil, Reuben and Wes.
Starting from Porthmadog we
used the B-road up to Beddgelert
to Pen-y-Pass for a photoshoot
with Snowdon in the background.
The roads were well gritted over
the past few days so no risk was
involved. From there we
drove along the Conway
Valley to Llandudno.
It’s such a great
pleasure to drive the
roads we have on our
doorstep in all weathers
and if anybody fancies a
tour please join us on the
Snowdon Minis Tour of
Wales in August 2011.
www.snowdonminis.co.uk

was disappointed that Dunlop did not appear

at the show, letting down both the BTCC and
the MINI Challenge series, a surprise since
last year they had a great stand and regular
speakers along with Colin Turkington’s WSR
BMW and the new MINI Challenge R56 car.
What was great is that I met up with loads
of people who I had photographed during the
year; I even bumped into Mr Clayson while
listening to Dave Richards.
I will probably go again next year as this
show does mark the start of the racing year.
But I will not lose any sleep if I can’t make it!

love:mini 37
 Mini run
New Year’s Day
London Parade
Starting the new year as
you mean to go on...
Words and photos Mel Toombs
M
y first Mini adventure
UK of 2011 started a few
months ago when
my club, London and Surrey
MOC, were asking for people
to take part in the parade that
happens in central London on
New Year’s Day. Having lived
in North West London my
whole life and never having
DATE visited the parade I thought
January 1, 2011 ‘why not?’.
So as the last day of 2010
Location rolled around the van had
London, UK
decided to behave itself and
LENGTH actually work for a change so
3 miles I set about getting it ready for
its parade debut.
Website
www. When I got it home I set
londonparade. about making the van look
co.uk festive. The theme for this
year was silver, as the parade
was celebrating it’s 25th year.
By this time it was dark, more
than a little cold and I was
rapidly running out of time.
I was due out with friends
38 love:mini
Terry and his bad
weather Shorty.
that night to
celebrate the
changing of the
years.
Getting the
van ready
is much like
getting myself
ready for a
night out, so I
gave the van a
wash and set
about putting
a few sparkly
snowflake drink and be my friends’ taxi
stickers all over the outside. for the night.
I then loaded all the balloons The night was going well,
and other silver decorations
my group were getting
I’d purchased earlier that day drunker and being sober
and put the van to bed with I was going to be able to
its cover on, now I just had to remind them what they got
get myself ready for that night. up to, which would cause me
Given the time that I had no end of amusement in the
to get up on New Year’s Day days to come. Midnight came
and like most people I’m very and went and we carried on
grumpy when suffering with partying ’til about 2am. We
a hangover, I decided not to made it home about 3am via

Approaching Elise’s were ahead of us and we only had the
Trafalgar Square. Honda Gold Wing Owners’ Club behind us so
the local kebab shop, by 3.30am I’d made my excuses
and gone to bed. The alarm was set for 7.30am, who
says you need eight hours sleep?!
As I dragged myself out of bed a few hours later I
thought to myself ‘why oh why did I volunteer myself
for this?’. We were meeting somewhere south of the
Thames on the Old Kent Road at about 10am so I was
on my way by about 8.30 and had to stop about 300
yards later as the ice had reformed on the inside of the
windscreen as well as the outside this time.
On my way again I was soon travelling through
central London with next to no traffic. The sensible
people were still tucked up in nice warm beds sleeping
through the early stages of their hangovers.
I love to drive my little van through
London when the roads are empty
as it takes it back to its heyday when
many of the well-known shops used
them for deliveries and things.
Bad weather omen
For once I made it to the meeting
point early, so early that I was the
first one there. As I sat and waited
for the others to arrive I started
to think about the day ahead. I
was hoping for dry weather so
that it was a good day for both
the spectators and participants.
That hope was shattered when
an orange Mini pulled up beside
me. It was Terry with his gorgeous
Clubman shorty that many of you would of seen at
shows with the Palmer Brothers Minis. As much as
I love this car I hate to see it at a show or run as it
almost always guarantees that it will rain.
Breakfast was consumed and once everyone had
arrived we set off for the start point of the parade.
We arrived at Hyde Park Corner around 11am and we
parked up ready for the start of the parade at 11.45am.
I set about attaching the rest of the silver
decorations I’d brought with me - tinsel and
huge foil 25 balloons. With that all done it
was time to sit and wait. It then started to
rain, this I blame entirely on Terry, hahaha!
As midday and 1pm came we still hadn’t
moved, it was only a three-mile route and
I’m sure I could have walked it by now. Not
knowing how much longer we had to wait
and the fact that I was freezing and really
starting to feel the lack of sleep from the
night before I decided to have a little sleep in
the van.
Next thing I know its 2.30pm and we are
finally about to move, the Jags and Lotus
they had saved the best for almost last.
As we drove past the Ritz and the wrong way down
Haymarket we made as much noise as the little Minis
could. There were thousands of people lining the route
and in amongst it all I saw some of my friends’ parents,
I briefly stopped to say hi and then we were off again.
I wasn’t sure how my van would handle sitting in
the stop-start queue as I’d only finished building her in
May 2010 and she hadn’t really been tested like this too
much.
But as we made our way past Trafalgar Square and
down Whitehall, Big Ben came in to sight and I knew
we were nearing the end. The rain was still falling, the
crowds were still huge, but the little van was doing
brilliantly.
As we passed the cameras and
dignitaries we came out in to Parliament
Square and it was all over. We were
handed a medal commemorating that
fact that we had taken part in the
biggest event in London on New Year’s
Day so all that was left for me to do was
head home and put the van to bed.
It was a very long day but despite the
good old British weather trying to ruin it,
I had a truly wonderful Mini adventure to
start my year!
The crowds were out in
love:mini
force despite the weather. 39

Social life
MinTech grand opening
Checking out the newest MINI
specialist in Naples, Florida Words and photos
Ruth Williams
Yum!
D
uring the afternoon and
on into the evening of
December 11, Mini Cooper
flags flew proudly in front of the
large white party tent backing
Taylor Road, 300 yards North
of Pine Ridge signaling the
location of MinTech, Naples
only independent exclusive Mini
Cooper repair, maintenance and
modification facility.
MinTech, in celebrating its
grand opening, pulled off more
than a party - it hosted a Mini car
show. Despite the cool weather 70
Minis parading onto MinTech’s
grounds.
Each Mini demonstrated its
individuality from the newer
MINIs to some classics, including
a 1973 Austin Mini 1000 owned
by Lee and Jean Dunlop named
Molly, and the highly modified
hand-built cars by Ireson
Motorsports of Fort Myers. Paul
Ireson, of Ireson Motorsports
40 love:mini
MINTECH
5567 Taylor Road #1
Naples
FL 34109-1897
239-431-7088
alan@MinTech.comcastbiz.net
www.mintechnaples.com
displayed
his two
show
Minis - a VTEC Mini and a twin-
engined Mini which has 1100bhp
in a 1800lb car. The impressive
audio and video systems installed
in these cars were provided by JL
and installed by Craig Rehard of
Audio Connection.
Alan Williams, MinTech’s
owner/operator and his wife Ruth
hosted the event. Alan’s abilities
to assist his clients, comes from
over 30 years of automotive
experience and shop ownership.
Many of his current clients enjoy
talking with him about the many
variations of the Mini.
Keith Nickols, MinTech’s lead
technician, a factory trained MINI
Specialist, opened the shop doors
for tours and answered questions
about the MINI, literally from
the bottom up, as a car was on
 Checking out the MINI
display on one of the two service lifts. Many from all angles.
clients had never seen the underside of a Mini
before. In true MINI fashion the under carriage
is as meticulously designed as the rest of the
vehicle.

Party time
The festivities continued throughout the
evening with libations, great food and give-
aways. Southern fair of pulled pork, chicken
black-eyed peas, local greens, corn bread and
peach cobbler headlined the food table. Naples
local restaurants; Fernandez the Bull, Food &
Thought, and Sunburst Café furnished this
fine fair in abundance; the balance of which
was received by St. Matthew’s House after the
event. Theresa and Jerome Tocio the owner/
operators of Sunburst Café and long time
friends of Ruth and Alan, provided serving
support alongside Mintech’s staff.
As raffle tickets were distributed by Ruth,
she posed the question, or “pick up line” as Ruth was
calling it; “Would you like to jump out of an airplane?”.
One of the evening’s ‘great prizes’ coined in the party
invitation was a free tandem skydive sponsored by
Skydive Southwest Florida. When ticket number 328
was called out, jubilation rang from the crowd as
Michelle Augustyn; 27 year old 2010 Mini owner/lover
elatedly expressed her bliss over the gift. She calmed
down just long enough to proclaim “I’m so excited
I have to call my husband and let him know”. That
was the first prize raffled off which notched up the The
level of the groups’ enthusiasm. The Louis’s owners of majority of the winning tickets were drawn by seven-
the 2008 Mini Cooper S called “Sifter” won two give- year-old Daniela Garcia and her 12 year old sister
aways in a row which met competitive groans from Carolyne. The local Naples girls attended the party
the crowd. People sent out chants when numbers were with their father a 2006 Mini owner Tom. Less-is-more
called “higher, higher didn’t apply to the give-aways raffled off, as there
or lower, lower” were plenty to go around. The Grand Prize of FREE Oil
depending what Changes for the life of your Mini - MinTech’s Client
number they held. Rewards Program - was won by Sasha Solomon and
her 2006 Mini Cooper S.
As a Mini generally takes on
Extreme machine from the character of its motorer, so
Paul Ireson. did MinTech’s grand opening
take on the persona of its
clients and their Minis. Over
150 residents came together
with one common interest.
The majority of people did
not know each other prior
to the event but this did not
deter the lively conversations.
As the event ended people
were saying, “We had such a
good time and met the nicest
people”. It was not hard to
see that everyone enjoyed this
blow-out, roll-out event.

love:mini 41
 Motorsport
Rally:Circuit:Hillclimb:Autograss:Sprint
Dakar Rally
Raid 2011
The MINI Countryman gets
its first real test with a foray
through South America.
Photos X-Raid/Dakar
T
he Dakar Rally is steeped in
history and has a fascinating
story to tell. It all started back
in 1977 when Frenchman Thierry
Sabine lost on in the Libyan desert
during the Abidjan to Nice Rally.
So overwhelemed was he by the
challenging terrain and landscape that
he founded the Paris to Dakar Rally
which quickly found popularity and
now over 30 years later it is considered
one of the most gruelling rallies in the
world. This was the rally the MINI had
chosed to put its new Countryman,
and WRC representative, through its
paces.
German rally experts X-Raid
were tasked with getting the new
MINI Countryman up to scratch for
the enduring rally and set about
reinforcing the bodywork, adding a
42 love:mini
rollcage, sumpguard and dumping in
a new 3-litre, 315bhp engine from the
BMW X3CC rally car. The final result
isn’t the prettiest of MINIs, but it sure
does look tough.
Experience driver Guerlain Chicherit
and co-driver Michel Périn were
brought on board to pilot the new
MINI and find and push its boundaries
to the limit.
This year’s rally was based in South
America, following the new formula of
moving the rally since terrorist attacks
in Mauritania forced the cancellation
in 2008. Starting in Buenos Aires in
Argentina, the rally would cut across
the country heading for northern Chile
before turning south and following the
coast and then cutting across country
again and over the border back in
to Argentina and finishing at Bueno
 Stage Place Time Behind 1st
1 74th 03:16:17 00:57:45
2 7th 03:22:37 00:11:49
3 9th 03:55:46 00:13:26
4 7th 02:01:47 00:04:38
5 12th 05:26:12 02:26:12
6 7th 05:22:27 00:28:34

DRIVER PROFILE
Guerlain Chicherit
Date of birth:  20.05.1978
Place of birth:  Paris, France
Place of residence:  Tignes, France
S
Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit has
been driving for the BMW X-raid
team since Dakar 2006. In 2009,
the former Extreme Skiing World
Champion won the FIA Cross
Country Rally World Cup for the
first time and this marked the third
victory of its kind for the X-raid
team. Chicherit won the Abu Dhabi
Desert Challenge and Transiberico
rallies and was ninth in the 2009
Dakar Rally and fifth in 2010.

Aires again.
Stage 1’s excursion to
Cordoba didn’t get off to the
best of starts for the MINI
ALL4 team as fears over the
cooling system proved right
and the team lost almost an
hour on the lead car. With
57.45mins to make up after
stage 1, it didn’t look good as
the team sat in 74th place, but
there was still a lot of rallying
to do.
The journey from Cordoba
to San Miguel de Tucuman
was much more productive
in stage 2. With the niggling
problems supposedly sorted
Chicherit set about making up
for lost time and stormed past
the crowd to finish the stage
in 7th, 11 minutes behind the
leader.
As the team got to know
the characteristics of the
Countryman and Chicherit
got into the swing of the car,
they started to produce more
consistent results on stage 3
and 4. Stage 3’s effort to San
Salvador de Juju saw the team
come home in 9th, 13 minutes
off the leader. While on stage
4 to Calama the team placed
7th, 4.38minutes behind.
Outta luck
The previous efforts to make
up for lost time from stage 1
were hampered again on stage
5 to Iquique, when 137km in
the Countryman got stuck in
a rut which ate into the stage
time. Fellow X-Raid team-
mate, Leal Dos Santos, helped
pull the MINI out, but by the
end of the route the team were
10th and 52 minutes behind
the leader.
The final stage before a day
off saw the teams heading to
Arica. In a non-eventful run,
the MINI team finished the
stage 7th, 28 minutes behind
the leader and 9th overall,
2.45:25secs behind the leader
at the halfway stage of the
rally.
With a much needed rest
day in the offing, the team
were able to analyse the
performance and look at any
niggles the Countryman may
have developed. However,
as the team were looking
to prepare for the second
half of the rally, disaster
struck. Whilst out testing
the car Chicherit and chief
mechanic Frank Tröbs, the
MINI was flipped into the
air rolling three times and
destroying the bodywork. Both
occupants were safe, but team
director Sven Quandt took
the immediate decision not to

love:mini 43
 Technical specifications:
MINI All4 Racing
Motorsport
Max power output 315 bhp
Torque approx. 700Nm
Displacement 3,000cc
Length/width/height (mm) 4377/1994/1996
Fuel capacity approx 420 litres

“The car is very strong. There

is nothing integral on the body
that is damaged, but this is a
disappointing setback for what is
a very exciting project. We knew
the car was fast and reliable.”
rebuild the car overnight and So the first foray into
Chicherit and the new Mini motorsport for the Countryman
All4 Racing were withdrawn may not have been as exciting
from the event. as it could have been, but the
“If this had happened during company will now have a better
the race then it would have understanding of how the car
been more acceptable,” handles and responds under
said a bitterly disappointed pressure and this will have
team director Sven Quandt. been an invaluable lesson for
“But this accident happened the whole MINI motorsport
on a roll-out test after the department.
car had just been completely
rebuilt. Everything was fine.
Guerlain had just confirmed
this to the mechanic who was
in the car. Guerlain decided
he wanted to do another
25km, which is normally not
necessary and then he came
over a crest and we know
what happened next.
“There was a clear
understanding between
Guerlain and us that the car
has to go to Buenos Aires, no
matter what the position. Even
if it was slow, I did not care.
He knew that and we had a
meeting again in Arica about
this.

44 love:mini
love:mini 45
 Motorsport
ROUN D 1
HRCR Mini Cup:
Rallye
Sunseeker
Historique
New rally season gets underway with champ Clive King battling
against last year’s stage winner Eric Davis for a perfect start.
T
he first round of the
2011 HRCR Mini Cup
supported by Astran
Cargo Services Ltd, took
place as part of the Rallye
Sunseeker on the 26th
February in the forests around
Ringwood and Wareham.
The championship is for all
categories of Minis up to the
end of 1981 and is in its third
year following the launch in
2009 to celebrate the Mini’s
50th anniversary.
Currently there are 11
drivers registered, eight of
whom entered the Sunseeker.
Last year’s champion driver,
Clive King, was back to
defend his title in his 1965
Cooper S, however not on this
occasion with his regular
co-driver Bob Ward. Another
46 love:mini
very experienced co-driver, and crews must have that
‘Polly’ took the LH seat – for both driver and co-driver only
those that don’t know this suffered severe bruising. They
is a ‘he’ and the name on were running at 4 and at 5
his competition licence is was Gordon Cameron/Sheila
definitely ‘Polly’ (another Grimshaw, also in a Cooper
story). S, our oldest competing crew
Last year’s winners of the with the total age of car and
Sunseeker Historique, Eric crew over 200 years between
Davis/Russell Joseph, were them. Next up was son and
seeded at 1 in their 1970 1275 father team of Jason/Hugh
GT with King/Polly at 2. John
Brooks/Phil Harvey, last year’s
HRCR Challenge winners were
at 3. Andrew O’ Hanlon with
new co-driver Debby Myers
was returning to the series
with a new car following a
serious accident on last year’s
Welsh Rally which resulted
in the car being written off.
However it is a testament to
the safety features the vehicles

WORDS Brian Thomas
PHOTOS rallysportmedia.com
rally
vehicles, many from the
British Rally Championship.
Fame at last with some of
our crews being asked to
sign autographs and there
was much reminiscing with
members of the public, all
who seemed to have owned a
Mini at one time or another.
It was here we had the first
drama of the weekend when
the Lock/Davis car would not
tickover and there was much
pushing to get the car through
the start arch. Luckily their
mechanic found the problem
with the points and by the
start on Saturday the engine
was running sweetly.
The event was run over
eight stages, making a total
competitive mileage of the
stage 42 miles. Overnight
Thompson in a 1973 Cooper
hoping to have a better season rain left the tracks very
slippery and a there was a fair
than last when niggling
mechanical problems ruined amount of standing water. Not
deterred by this King/Polly
most of their events. Seeded
at 7 was Alison Lock in her set off at a pace taking nine
seconds out of Davis/Joseph
1967 Cooper with a very late
change of co-driver with Eric on the first 3-mile stage,
with the Thompsons just a
Davis’s son Matthew standing
in just the day before. further two seconds adrift.
Next up were Brooks/Harvey,
Rounding off the entry was
another 1275 GT, that of Nigel O’Hanlon/Myers, Cameron/
Grimshaw, Dutson/Fellows and
Dutson also with a new co-
driver in Keith Fellows. Lock/Davis. This was virtually
Ready, set, go!
the order at first service after
the first four stages, except
a scenic excursion on stage
The ceremonial start on the three for Davis/Joseph allowed
harbour side at Poole on the the Thompsons to move into
Friday evening saw all the second place, but only by
Minis lined together with five seconds. Brooks/Harvey
other historic crews and a also had an off on stage
field of around 50 modern day three which caused them to
To follow the championship visit www.hrcr.co.uk and click on the Historic Stage Rally Challenge
Motorsport
drop around four minutes in
getting going again. However
the second loop of three
stages saw the demise of
Brooks/Harvey who damaged
the clutch in extraditing
themselves on stage four. It
finally giving out on stage
five.
King/Polly stayed trouble
free and continued to
dominate. Davis/Joseph
stepped up the pace and
moved back in to second
overall by the second service
before the seven surviving
crews set out for the final
stage at the main spectator
venue at Somerly Park.
Unfortunately this stage had
been previously used in the
first loop and had cut up very
badly having had the complete
60-car entry through it, so
discretion being the better
part of valour most of the
crews settled for a safe run
through. However, this was
not without a last minute
scare for Lock/Davis when
they became bogged down in
the mud a 100 yards from the
finish, but willing spectators
helped them out and they
recorded a finish. Seven of
the eight starting recorded a
finish.
A good start to the season
with already increased
registrations this year.
The next round is at Down
Ampney for Cheltenham Motor
Club’s ‘Get it Sideways Stages’
on April 9.
RACE RESULTS
1 King/Polly 5 Cameron/
2 Davis/Joseph Grimshaw
3 Thompson/ 6 Dutson/Fellows
Thompson 7 Lock/Davis
4 O Hanlon/Myers
love:mini 47
 Motorsport

Oulton Park

ROUN D 1
Swift leads the
pack as Moreno
makes debut
Familiar names as the new season begins.

F
ormer Grand Prix racer, Getting to grips
Roberto Moreno, made with the car during
his Masters Historic race qualifying, Moreno
Racing debut at the wheel of quickly set the fastest time of any
a Mini - what else, at the Mini competitor driving the car
organisation’s opening belonging to Masters boss, Ron
meeting of the 2011 Maydon.
season at Oulton Park Moreno’s previous race start
on March 12th. prior to Oulton had been the
Tempted into 2008 Indy 500, and so the Pre
the car by the ‘66 Touring Car Race start
Masters Top proved no problem for the hugely-
Hat Event experienced Brazilian who quickly
found his way to the front of the
Mini class and hot

Manager, James
Beckett, after a
chance meeting at a track
day at Goodwood, Moreno took-up
the challenge of driving a Mini,
and didn’t disappoint.
on the
heels of the V8-powered
Mustangs. Sadly though, Moreno’s
dream debut did not last as a WORDS & PHOTOS
missed gear resulted in Maydon’s James Beckett

48 love:mini To follow the championship visit www.themastersseries.com

 RACE RESULTS
Pos N um Name
1 6 Car
Hen ry Man n Time Pts
2 53 Ford Cor ti na M kI
Dav id Hal l 1:01:47.101 9
3 86 Ford Cor ti na M kI
Dowd/Cooke +7.156 6
4 76 Ford Mus ta ng
Nick Sw if t +12.484 9
5 67 Mor ris Cooper S
Chr is tia n Devereu 1:02:36.860 9
6 16 x Aus ti n Cooper
Gly n Sw if t S +18.419*
7 58 Mor ris Cooper S 6
Ea rn shaw/Ear nsha +44.440* 4
8 47 w Aus ti n Coope
Scragg/Bussell r S +1 lap
13 72 Jaguar M kI I 3
Har rison/Ja rd ine +1 lap 4
Aus ti n Cooper S
+5 laps 2
* behi nd lead ing
M in i

View the full

MOTORSPORT
CALENDAR

car retiring to the pits with a

bent valve.
With Moreno and Maydon out of
the equation, the battle for the Mini
class became a battle between Nick
Swift and Christian Devereux.
The two battled closely as
the forty-five minute race
progressed, but at the fall of
the flag it was Swift who
held the
advantage.
Devereux kept him
honest by chasing to the flag,
with Glyn Swift third. Mark and
Russell Earnshaw were the fourth-
placed Mini home, the only other
little car to reach the end of the
race.
At the head of the field victory
went the way of Henry Mann,
his debut victory, at the
wheel of his father’s
Lotus Cortina.

WATCH IT
The race,
including
stunning
onboard footage from
Mini Coopers, can be
seen on Motors TV on
Friday April 8 at 6.55pm.

love:mini 49
 Hillclimb
& Sprint
A quick guide to starting
hillclimbing and sprinting
Hillclimbing and sprints are an easy and cheap way to
start having more fun in your roadgoing Mini.
S
o what is hillclimbing
and sprinting?
Hillclimbing and
sprinting are basically the
same discipline and are
referred to as speed events.
And let’s clear one thing up,
hillclimbing is NOT driving
a car up a muddy hill, that is
Trials. Speed events are timed
laps of a circuit or a run up a
hill. It is about the oldest form
of motorsport and originated
from toffs racing their cars
up their driveways, well
something like that anyway.
Cars are run one at a time
so it is very safe, with only
yourself to blame for an
accident. Events are all run
on solid surfaces, tarmac
or concrete, and involve a
standing start and a flying
finish. You will learn more
about the format of events
later in this article.
50 love:mini
by Ben Hamer
Speed events are a great
way into motorsport, but many
get hooked and never move
on. If you want to drive fast
in a competitive environment
and a friendly atmosphere
then this is what speed events
are all about. There is one
more thing worth mentioning
at this point and that is that
two drivers can drive one car
at any event. This is great
as it can halve a car budget
and even if your car is not
competitive in a class you will
always be racing someone
with the same equipment, so
no excuses.
So where do Minis
fit into speed events?
Well, Minis have been used in
speed events since they were
first built and are still a very
competitive proposition in
several classes today. There are
some very fast full race Minis
out there still breaking national
records and equally there are
some near standard Minis out
there just having fun.
Whatever you have there is
almost certainly a class to suit
you and your car. Speed events
allow a large variety of cars to
compete, ranging from production
cars (with varying levels of
modifications) and all types of
kit cars through to single seaters
(which can range from Formula
Fords and motorbike-engined
types to £100,000+ 600bhp single
seaters). Few types of cars are
excluded from speed events,
WRC cars and karts are some
that spring to mind. In a Mini
these days you will be competing
directly with cars like Novas,
Fiestas, some Japanese small
cars and even the Mini’s old rival
the Hillman imp.
What Car to Use
It is important to state at the
outset that the definitive guide to
rules and regulations are set out
in the Motorsports Association
(MSA) ‘Blue Book’. You will
receive a copy of this book
when you get your competition
licence. In addition, organisers
of championships and the events
publish their own supplementary
regulations, which must also be
followed before being able to
take to the track.
As a beginner with no racing
experience and a ‘B’ Class
licence (see later - how to get a
Timing beam splitter
Classes Minis
fall into
Minis fall into several classes
depending on what engine
you have. In general though
Minis will be in the up to
1400cc class, be that roadgoing
or non-roadgoing (modified
production).
Added to this are the classic
classes in which older minis
can also be eligible. Worth
noting is that there is a 1.4
multiplier for forced induction
engines. Therefore a 998cc
turbocharged or supercharged
engine can be used. However,
a 1275cc or higher capacity
engine that is turbo or
supercharged is not be
allowed. This is because the
Mini was never manufactured
Motorsport
licence) you will be able to drive
all types of production and kit
cars. In a Mini you will only run
into problems if you have a non
A-Series engine or a spaceframe
car where you will be put into
sports libra where the eligibility
is more complicated.
For now we will assume that
4
A number in the back
we are all competing in original
Minis with A-Series engines!
window is low cost
1
with greater than a 1400cc Get, or make, a sticker showing
engine so can’t run in the which way to turn the engine off.
up to 2000cc class. This may
seem odd, but it is the rules so
you have to work within them.
Roadgoing Classes
If you want to use a roadgoing
car, be that your weekend
toy or everyday road car
- and many people do - then
you will need it to satisfy
a number of safety and
competition requirements,
these are as follows:
1. H ave a sticker on the
ignition key or cut out
switch indicating which
way to turn it off
2. Have stickers indicating the
location of the extinguisher
love:mini 51
 3. A rollcage must be fitted to
Motorsport The basic rules are below. This
is not an exhaustive list but the
the standards specified in the
‘Blue Book’.
ones I feel are most pertinent: 4. No modification to the
1. The engine, head and unitary construction can be
toggle (if fitted) and
gearbox must be externally made between the wheel hub
tow points
recognisable as the original centres. In practice this means
3. H ave a yellow
type of engine fitted to the car. that the front wings can be
battery earth cable.

2
2. The interior fittings must
Yellow tape works
remain. This means all seats,
wonders here.
doorcards, dashboard, etc.
4. H ave your race
Worth mentioning here is that
number on the sides
the seat can be changed for
of the car. Magnetic door
more racy type seats for safety
squares are available or
reasons, but the number of
stick some numbers on a
seats must remain as original.
white background in the
3. Induction is free, i.e.
rear windows.
carburettor, injection, forced
5. A timing splitter. The
induction, etc.
measurements and
4. Suspension must be of
location of the splitter are
the same type as original,
defined in the ‘Blue Book’.
upgrading parts is fine.
6. S ecure seats. Particularly
Basically so long as the top
worth noting this one as
and bottom arms, at the front,
most standard seats fitted
are mounted to the same parts
to Minis are not great.
of the subframe then you are
7. T wo throttle return
free to change things. Rubber
springs.
springs can be changed to coil
8. A generally good-
springs or coilovers could be
condition car.
fitted, etc. The rear must remain
9. If you are entering a
of a radius arm type.
roadgoing class then the
5. Tyres are restricted by the
car must have a valid
MSA list. These are referred
MoT, road tax disc and
to as List 1A and 1B tyres.
insurance.
Check that any tyres you buy
are eligible for the events/
Modifications are allowed
championship you are entering.
in roadgoing classes. These
are fully detailed, in cryptic
form, within the ‘Blue Book’. Non-Roadgoing
Classes (Modified
Production)
If you want to properly modify a
car or build a non-roadgoing car
then the regulations do get a
lot more complicated. Again the
regulations are all in the ‘Blue
Book’. These are the basic rules:
1. The engine and gearbox
must be externally recognisable
as the original type of engine
meets the specificfitted
regulations.
to the car. The head is
free and this is why you see lots
of 16v Minis at speed events
and this is another reason why
the BMW bike head is very
popular.
2. The interior can be
completely stripped.
52 love:mini
removed in front of the front
wheel hub centres. This has
been a hot topic in the past so
before you get the angle grinder
out do some research.
5. Opening panels can be
replaced with other materials,
i.e. Fibreglass boot, bonnet and
doors.
6. Induction is free, i.e.
carburettor, injection, forced
induction, etc.
7. Suspension must be of the
same type as original. For
example you can fit coilovers
to the rear, but the suspension
must still be a type of radius
arm.
8. Tyres are free, slicks are
predominantly used.
Both the lists above are just
what I think are important.
Speaking to a competitor
and reading the Blue Book is
advised before you start your
build. Make sure that what
you are building fits into the
regulations. If you just build
something and then try and
compete in it you may find it is
not eligible. One thing that will
stop you competing is the noise
of your car. Every circuit had
different noise levels that your
car must be below and if your
car fails the noise test you will
not be allowed to run. To be
honest the noise limits are quite
generous and you should have
no issues in a Mini.
If you want to buy a
car already modified for
hillclimbing then you should
ensure that any non-roadgoing
car has an MSA logbook.
Logbooks are essential for
non-roadgoing competing
cars, although they are easy
to obtain, buying a car with
one gives some security that it
 “A typical single day event
will involve two practice runs
and two timed runs”
What happens
at an event?
The day is split up into several
parts; Signing on, Scrutineering,
Practice, Lunch and Timed Runs.
The day will start early with
signing on and scrutineering
typically starting around 7.30 or
8.00am. To sign on you need to
take yourself, your licence and
any club and championship ID
cards to the signing-on office.
Every event seems to have a
different method for how this
works, but all are generally
explained in the joining
instructions, failing that just look
for the queue.
Then it is time for scrutineering.
Scrutineering is nothing to be
scared of. Your car and personal
safety kit will need to be
inspected by an MSA scutineer to
make sure that they are suitable
and safe. Before your first event
it is worthwhile having your
car looked at by someone with
experience to make sure that it
is ready for competition. Respect
the scrutineers opinions it is
very, very rare that cars are not
allowed to compete and if you
do have a problem you will more
than likely be fighting off help
from fellow competitors rather
than having to look for it. After
scrutineering there maybe time
to walk the course. Walking the
course is encouraged for first timers,
however, you will find that even
the most seasoned competitors will
walk the course in the morning. It
gives you chance to see the layout
of the track and talk bollocks about
the lines you plan to take, inevitably
they will be nothing like the ones
you end up driving. At many events
there will be a drivers’ briefing.
All the drivers will be called to
a meeting where the clerk of the
course will explain how the day is
to be run and what is expected of
everybody. Make sure you attend
these, especially if you are a new
driver.
After all this excitement it is
finally time to get in the car and
do your practice runs. The first
cars will start at around 9.00am.
If you are in a roadgoing Mini you
will most likely be in the first few
classes so make sure you are ready
to run when you are called. You will
Motorsport
probably now join a queue down
to the start line. When it is your
turn you will need to drive to the
start line where the marshals will
line your beam splitter up with the
starting beam. Then you just have
to wait for the green light and off
you go. A point of note is that the
green light does not indicate that
the timing has started, merely that
the course is clear for you to go. You
can therefore take your time and
go when you are ready, don’t take
too long though marshals can get
impatient!
Each event is different, but a
typical single day event will involve
two practice runs and two timed
runs. The practice runs are just
that, a practice. Take time to learn
the course and the conditions. You
will be given a time for the practice
runs so you can compare times to
other competitors and see how you
are improving. These time will not
count at the end of the day. The
timed runs are what count so make
sure that they do.
love:mini 53
 Motorsport
Personal Safety
Equipment
The minimum you require
is a suitable fireproof helmet
some fireproof overalls and
gloves. Additionally you can
buy fireproof underwear,
balaclavas and racing boots;
these are not necessary but
it’s all added safety.
Safety equipment has to
comply with specific BS
standards. These are listed
in the ‘Blue Book’ but anyone
selling such equipment should
be able to help you out.
Getting a
racing licence
...and a Copy of the
Competitors’ Yearbook (Blue
Book)
All UK race licences are
issued by the Motorsports
Association (MSA). As a
beginner you will need a
“non-race National B” licence.
In most instances you will not
require a medical, just your
doctor’s name and address
and then a passport photo of
yourself. The license lasts for
one year from January 1 to
December 31.
Every licence is issued with
a copy of the Competitors’
Yearbook, more commonly
referred to as the ‘Blue Book’.
Once you start competing,
you can work towards getting
your licence upgraded by
54 love:mini
Why do
I need to join
a car club and
why the HSA is
ideal?
To gain entry to events you
will need to be ‘invited’.
This basically means
that events are only open
to members of clubs or
specific championship
competitors. Who is invited
to an event is listed in the
supplementary regulations
issued with entry forms
by the organising club.
Obviously not all events
are open to all clubs and
championships.
The HSA as a national
club is invited to many
speed events throughout
the year and throughout the
country. The Richard Egger
HSA Speed Championship
visits many of the best
hillclimb venues in the
country and is an ideal way
to get invited to enter such
events.
getting it signed at events to
say that you competed in a
safe and satisfactory manner.
How MUCH?
Most entries are between £80 and £130. Then
you just have to think about getting to the
venue, petrol, tyres, etc. Some events are all
weekend, where you get to practice on the
Saturday and the timed runs on Sunday.
All venues have camping facilities so even
accommodation is cheap.
Membership to a club is in the region of £40
and a championship entry can be a similar
amount. A race license is also around £40. The
biggest cost to a beginner will be the race suit
and helmet. I would say you will need around
£200 to get the basic kit from a budget brand.
Further information
• www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk
• www.gurstondown.org
• www.bjautobits.co.uk/dews-speed-
series.htm
• www.prescott-hillclimb.com
• www.harewoodhill.com
CONCLUSION
And that is about all you need to know. I
highly recommend going along to spectate at
a local event. It is the best way to see what
the sport is all about. You will find competitors
very helpful and happy to talk about their cars
and the sport. There is an interactive map
on the HSA website that shows where all the
major speed events are located with links to
organising club websites.
In the Pit
Mark cowan
Name: Mark Cowan
Age: 41
Occupation: Company Director
Racing Team: “Coward
Racing” – Vickers Race
Engines
Sponsor: Remco Graffix
Limited
www.remco-graffix.com
Current racing series: Mini
Miglia Championship
Car number 99
Car details: Blue 1300cc
Best series position: currently
8th
Racing since: 1990 – 1994 then
restarted in late 2008
Racing history: Started racing
100 National Karts in the early
’90s for the London Karting
Club in Tilbury, Essex
How did you first get into racing
and then racing with Minis?
My family raced Motorcycles and
Sidecars for in the 80’s and 90’s once
I started to earn reasonable money I
brought my first Kart which was a used
works Tony Kart with a Black Face
Rotax engine. After 2.5 full seasons I
moved to Suffolk with work and started
a family. In 2007 my best friend Mark
Smith had been racing minis for several
years and invited me alone to watch.
I decided to rent a car from Rightline
Motorsport for the last round in 2008
at Rockingham. In 2009 I brought Gary
Shipton’s car and set about building a
competitive car for 2010.
What appeals to you about racing
Minis over other cars?
The best car ever made, everybody
loves mini’s FACT! Everyone has a story
about a mini adventure FACT!
The best and closest motor racing after
bikes in my opinion.
What type of character are you in
the pit?
I’m a really tech head, I need to know
everything about everything. I never
stop thinking about how I can improve
my performance. My team mate Rob
Howard likes to be the loudest person
at all times.
It’s a strange environment because you
have say 4 drivers with egos looking for
an advantage. Even signing on in the
morning becomes a competition and
I’m not joking.
With who do you have racing
rivalries and why?
Obviously my Team Mate Rob Howard
we have an ongoing bet each race
where the loser buys the curry in the
evening, so fat Rob has lost every time.
Describe your best driving
experience?
Pembrey 2010 great race see here on
youtube http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=jegsmkpPdhc
And you’re scariest driving
experience?
My accident at Snetterton in 2009
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=u8iwLfJF3B0
This wrecked my cars front end.
What is your dream car?
A McLaren F1 Road Car!
Who is your hero and why?
Ayrton Senna simply the best in my
opinion. His passion and love for the
sport was always there to see. He raced
the pants off his cars every lap of every
race. When he deliberately hit the pit
wall in qualifying at the French GP to
get pole this showed he was made of
the right stuff!
Who would you most like to race
against?
My Brother good old sibling rivalry.
Unfortunately Paul lost the use of an
arm after a massive motorbike crash
several years ago. Now he just tells
me what I’m doing wrong and how he
would have done better.
Do you have any superstitions
or rituals you do before racing?
(lucky pants?)
I have noticed some drivers have a few
minutes time out before the race. I get
nervous myself but I focus on the final
parts of my race preparation. I always
go to the toilet a few minutes before
getting into the car, just in case.
What is your road car?
We have VW People Carriers at home;
having four children makes having an
exotic German/Italian toy unpractical.
But my wife has asked for another car
for the shops so I might change my
mind.
What tips do you have for others
wishing to try racing?
Don’t do it!!! Seriously come and watch
first. Visit the paddock meet the teams
and drivers. I don’t know a single
driver in the Mini 7 Club who wouldn’t
give you advice. I would also strongly
recommend joining the Mini 7 club it’s
only £18 a year online at www.mini7.
co.uk and take your first step into
motor racing.
Set a budget and keep to it. We all
want to go faster but you have to be
realistic with your money. Our club has
races throughout the field so everybody
has fun!
love:mini 55
 Motorsport

Mighty Mini Champion 2010

love:mini joined Louise Inch for
an interview with the BBC as
she battled to become champion
of the Mighty Minis.

W
hilst in the midst of battle during
last year’s Mighty Minis season,
Louise Inch, and father Paul,
called on the local BBC News crew to
boost her profile as the sought to take the
championship title. She also invited love:
mini along for moral support.
25-year-old Louise only
started racing in 2008,
and we

Paul Inch Engine Services Ltd have been avidly following her
progress over the seasons.
Unit 1
After getting a feel for racing in
St John’s road 2008, and learning her trade for
Cattedown consistency with team-mate and 2009
Plymouth Champion, Chris Morgan. Following
Devon Chris’ success and promotion to the
PL4 0PA Super Mightys, 2010 was her time to
01752 255563 shine. We joined her and dad, Paul
louiseinch1@hotmail.com Inch, at Castle Combe for filming.

56 love:mini

Smile!!
Getting set for filming
and Louise and her dad
had trailered up their pink racer from
Plymouth to Castle Combe circuit, which
had allowed for on-track filming during
the lunchbreak of its scheduled events.
After getting the off-track shots of
Louise getting in and driving off and
dad doing checks, we all jumped into
the parade car whilst Louise followed
us, enabling the cameraman to get some
tracking shots.
Retreating to the parapit Louise
completed two more laps so we could
Louise was going full
pelt during filming so the
dangers were very real!
Mighty Minis info: www.mightyminis.co.uk
Sitting down in the back and bracing
myself to allow the cameraman to
film was a bit nervy!
film her crossing the line,
before an interview in the
pitlane.
Whether it was the boost in
confidence, the pink livery scheme or just WATCH THE FINAL VIDEO
good old fashioned hard work, it paid off,
and Louise managed to keep her results
consistent and finish the series as leader
and champion. For Paul Inch Engine
Services, that is two years running they
have produced Championship-winning
cars. Here’s to 2011, all the best Louise.
An unscripted on-camera
interview put the pressure
on like a tailgating rival.
love:mini 57
 on the PULSE
CONCEPT
It’s
been rumoured for
a while, but finally
MINI’s small MINI
concept has arrived - and in
what style!
The Rocketman concept
is a homage to everything
the classic Mini stands for
- maximum space in the
smallest size, and forward
thinking ideas, and it is packed double-hinged
full of ideas.
Immediately the style of the
car stands out with its flecks of
carbon on display, but in actual
fact the whole car is created
on a carbonfibre spaceframe
making it ultralight. So
ultralight, that MINI is quoting
jaw-dropping economy figures
of 94mpg.
The pictures don’t do it
justice, but the Rocketman
is just 11-feet 3-inches long,
adding about 13 inches to the
classic’s famous length. In
today’s modern world of safety,
getting it down to this size
was a tough job, especially
when looking to keep MINI’s
famous front end and not have
58 love:mini
I’m a pocket
rocketman
Classic Mini sized MINI the answer to our prayers?
to resort to a squashed, raised
FEATURES car like the Toyota iQ.
at a glance Further features include
double-hinged doors, either
Carbon-fibre
side of the A-panel to make
space frame access easier. The rear lights
aresomething special too, with
‘handles’ of light projecting
doors
stop and indicator lights onto
the body of the car.
Unique
Look closely at the wheels
projected
rear lights and you will see they are
trimmed with a carbonfibre
hubcap - this is another fuel-
3+1 seating
saving mechanism, making the
Twin-opening wheels more aerodynamic.
rear with At the rear the hatchback
boot is pivoted right in the
drawer
centre of the wholly glassy roof.
Aerodynamic The boot also has a second
wheels storage section in the shape of
a drawer that pulls out.
94mpg On top there is nod to the
British heritage of the Mini
with a union jack glass roof.
The design is actually created
using the car’s structural
beams along the horizontal and
diagonal lines. Very smart.
Again like the classic Mini,
visibility all around is another
feature here. The classic was
lauded for its all-around visibility
and with hardly any obstructions
on the Rocketman (including the
glass roof), it’s going to be like
Our View
Wow. Where to begin. It looks
fantastic, but you’ve got to ask
how much of this would likely
make it onto a production model.
A full carbon-fibre spaceframe
for starters sounds droolworthy
enough, but what about the cost?
The rear lights are a bit silly,
but aside from that, what is there
not to like? You can get four in,
just, but let’s be honest, it’s not a
family car is it? Even the classic
Mini isn’t the family car it once
was - it’s a plaything, exactly like
this will be.
The all-round visibility and
glass element is also a top detail
for us. We like, a lot.
 The wheels are fitted with
aerodynamic hubcaps to
get the maximum mpg.

Double-hinged doors
make access easier.

The fourth seat will be in a backpack behind the

The interior carries over
driver which unfolds. The front seats and dash
many familiar elements
can move forward to give more space in the rear.
while introducing new ones.

driving a cabrio without the iQ.

messing up your hair.
The real challenge for
the designers was inside
though. The classic seated
four, and the Rocketman
seats... four. Well, 3+1
according to the press
release. This means that if
the driver and passenger
push their seats all the
way forward, you can
get four in. The fourth
seat is a foldaway item in
‘backpack’, much like in
A redesigned movable The hatchback pivots from
dashboard features a the centre of the roof and a
removable control unit drawer pulls out at the back.
which allows owners to
load sat-nav maps, music
and other digital content
to the car. Significantly, all
controls the centre console
are now located on the
steering wheel (except the
joystick) and a new digital
clock is situated in the
driver’s eyeline behind the
wheel.
love:mini 59

on the PULSE
NaIAS premieres
CONCEPT MINI paceman
Ah
yet another
exciting year
at the North
American International Auto
show, but what sets this year
apart from any other year is
we were introduced to the Mini
Paceman.
Although many of the
concept design features, such
as the gas tank leather tab,
aren’t likely to make their way
to production, it was a great
addition by the design crew to
really display Mini’s aesthetics.
Mini has a minimalism
approach to their design and
it’s something I always applaud
because it speaks of a niche
market that doesn’t require
flash to sell its products,
although you could always add
as much flash as you want.
As has been described
before, the Paceman is like a
three door Golf, of sorts, but
already looks to set itself apart
from that category with better
design and potentially better
power.
The Paceman concept sat
60 love:mini
Seventh MINI family member confirmed.
beautifully on a turntable
displaying its mesmerizing
green colour and copper
accents all the way around.
Starting with the grille, the
lines just add a swoop design
that angles everything back,
over the hood and to a sloped
roof. Next to the driving lights
sit sleek intake nostrils for the
air system. The front fenders
have a wonderful splash of
brushed copper accents leading
to the five-spoke wheels that
have the inner rim painted
with the same copper accent.
During his launch speech,
Sales and Marketing Director,
Ian Robertson, said: “This
car captures the typical MINI
characteristics – unique
design, clever functionality and
signature driving fun – with a
new level of agility. It combines
an athletic, masculine
coupé appearance with the
dimensions of the MINI
Countryman. It has more of
WORDS Andy Yeomans
PHOTOS Chris Ordon
a horizontal orientation than the
MINI Countryman – which gives
it a very dynamic expression.”
And it doesn’t stop there, “And
with the 1.6-litre John Cooper
Works twin-scroll turbo engine
under the hood, there’s real power
in this car. As it’s based on the
Our View
It’s a smaller Countryman and
perhaps the future of the MINI
brand? We’re still undecided. It
moves further away from the small
car concept with its larger platform,
and it’s not as friendly or cute to
look at as Minis should be. Is it
going to appeal to women drivers?
We all know the love MINIs.
There’s no doubt the
functionality and technology will
be great, but we’re not so sure
about the blacked out windows
and limited visibility with the
slanted bodyline cutting out a lot
of vision. And the headlights are
too Countryman-like and should
be rounder.
The raked bodyline gives a more aggressive
look but also compromises visibilty.

MINI Countryman, this car

can also have MINIALL4,
which is MINI’s all-
wheel drive.”
Just to top it off,
Robertson confirmed
that the Paceman will
make it into production
dubbing it the first
Crossover Coupé in
the premium small
car segment.
“I’m thrilled to tell
you now, for the very
first time, that there
will be a seventh The Paceman could
member of the MINI
become the basis for
family – and we will
the next generation
base it on this concept!”
of MINIs.

love:mini 61
 on the PULSE
CONCEPT
Ever
imagined
the day
when
scooters would be cool again?
Perhaps the day is sooner than
you think, after MINI showed
off its latest concept at the
Paris Motor Show, this October.
Three electric scooters have
been on show, with funky,
luxurious and retro looks.
An electric motor is
housed in the rear wheel
with a lithium-ion battery. A
retractable cable, like the ones
on vacuum cleaners, can be
plugged in to a conventional
socket to recharge it.
On the handlebars is the
familiar circular binnacle
which includes the on/off
switch. Cleverly the console
can also incorporate a
smartphone which can be
used for music, navigation or
telephone calls - and no doubt
much more once the apps
developers get cracking.
The style of the scooters
has all the hallmarks of the
MINI brand; from the funky
bold, contrasting colours, to
62 love:mini
Scooter
Surprise
The urban commute will never be the same again.
the retro-styling, additional
spotlights, large MINI badge,
chrome and MINI-style
headlight - it’s unmistakably
MINI.
There are two different
Smart’s idea versions (in three styles), the
of an electric
two-seater and the solo-rider.
scooter.
The single-seater has been
It looks a bit
Sinclair 5-ish given a more luxious fitting
with a comfort-shaped seat
to us.
with leather upholstery and a
British Racing Green livery, in
a nod to its British heritage.
Both versions also make use
of another design feature, from
the Countryman. The inside
of the front of the scooter has
a centre rail running from the
handlebars to the heelboard.
This is just like the one in
the Countryman, meaning
accessories can be switched
between the two vehicles.
Funnily enough, Smart also
unveiled an electric scooter,
smartphone enabled concept at
the Paris Motor Show.
Our View
The idea surprised many,
including ourselves, after what is
such a clear deviation from what
the classic Mini was.
But looker harder at what the
Mini was, and what MINI is,
and you begin to see it is about
innovation, being cool and having
fun. No one can deny that is
what the classic Mini was. MINI
has taken that philosophy and is
basically applying it to various
markets.
Scooters, generally, are not
very cool - unless you have a
mod-style Lambretta or Vespa,
but look at these, they’re fresh,
funky, stylish, modern and killer
feature - eco-friendly electric,
(well, as far as the government
are concerned).
Who can’t imagine a city of
metropolitan urbanites in their
stylish gear and scarfves quitely
zooming around the streets.
As far as business goes, MINI
has hit this one right on the head.
 on the PULSE

Recharging the lithium-ion battery is easy with a retractable The contrasting colours and bold MINI-style
power cable that fits domestic plug sockets headlight and indicators make this scooter
unmistakably MINI.

The centre binnacle enables the rider to use their British Racing Green and a comfortable ‘worn
smartphone to interact with the scooter. With the addition leather’ seat are reserved for the ‘sporty’ scooter.
of a bluetooth helmet, integration is complete.

You want us to sit

where? But it’s
just a one-seater
- you tease.

Plug your
smartphone in.

love:mini 63
 BACK i n t h e g a m e
40 years on.
MIN I retu rns to ra lly ing
rALLY
It’s been a
long 40-year absence from
the rally scene since the last
official Works Minis competed,
if you discount Rover’s aborted
attempt in the late 1990s that
is, but all of that is about to
change as MINI announced its
entry into the 2011 World Rally
Championship.
Using the new Countryman
model, which has been given
the ‘works’ by Banbury-based
rally experts ProDrive, the
team will enter a limited
number of events (6/13) in
2011 to get a feel for the
competition and make any
tweaks in preparation for a full
assault on the title in 2012.
British driver, Kris Meeke,
has been recruited to pilot
the official WRC MINI, while
ProDrive will also be making
64 love:mini
customer versions of the car
available for independent
teams to use if they are
interested.
Powering the championship-
chasing AWD car will be
the BMW-developed 1.6 litre,
four-cylinder Di turbocharged
engine, shifting through an
Xtrac 6-speed sequential
gearbox.
www.wrc.com
Our View
Although there is criticism about the lack
of competition in the WRC at the moment,
we think it’s a positive step to get the MINI
back into official motorsport. And with the
experienced hands of ProDrive at the helm,
success should be a real possibility.
Kris Meeke
The man chosen to lead the
MINI into battle is British-born
Kris Meeke. Aged 31, he is the
2009 Intercontinental Rally
Challenge champion.
Meeke started as a designer
for rally-prep team M-Sport,
before trying his hand at
competitive driving in 2000.
Mentored by Colin McRae,
Meeke had a couple of seasons
in JWRC racing Corsas, and a
few races in the WRC, before
moving to Peugeot for full
seasons in the IRC for 2008-10.
 on the PULSE

MINI WRC 2011

ENTRY DATES
5-8 May  Rally Italy
28-31 July 
 Rally Finland
18-21 August 
 Rally Germany
8-11 September
 Rally Australia
29 Sept-2 Oct
 Rally France
20-23 October
 Rally Spain
10-13 November
 Rally GB

love:mini 65

Q&A:
David Richards
Chairman & CEO Prodrive Group
At the launch of the WRC MINI at the Paris Motor
Show, Prodive head-honcho David Richards talks about
the new car and its chances in the competition.
Paris. After studying
accountancy,
David Richards became a
professional rally co-driver,
finishing his competitive
career by winning the World
Rally Championship title
with Ari Vatanen (FI) in 1981.
Following the 1981 season, he
devoted his time to developing
his business interests, which
led to the formation of his own
rally team and the creation of
Prodrive in 1984.
In this interview, the
chairman and chief executive
of the Prodrive Group talks
about the development of
the MINI WRC and MINI’s
contribution to this process.
Mr Richards, what does
working together with MINI
mean to you?
David Richards: “I have
been involved in the World
Rally Championship for
more than 30 years, firstly
co-driving Ari Vatanen and
then subsequently managing
several teams. I can honestly
66 love:mini
say that in all this time, I
have personally never been
so excited or seen so much
interest in a new entrant,
as we are seeing today
with MINI. In the 1960s
the original little red and
white MINI captured the
imagination of the world and
won what was then the most
challenging motor race in
the world, the Monte Carlo
rally. More than 40 years on
and people still talk about
this achievement with great
fondness.”
Is it possible to add a further
chapter to MINI’ success story
in rallying?
Richards: “I firmly believe
the new MINI WRC car will
capture the imagination of
today’s generation of rally
fans just as it did then and,
as in 1964, this interest will
spread well beyond the world
of motorsport. I have had so
many people coming up to me
and say that they had read
about the new programme
and would be cheering us on.
I’m therefore sure that MINI’s
participation will lead to a
rejuvenation of interest in the
World Rally Championship and
bring a whole new audience to
this spectacle.”
When did you start to develop
the MINI WRC?
Richards: “While we are only
now unveiling the new MINI
WRC, Prodrive has been
working on its development
since the beginning of 2009. It
is the most well prepared and
best engineered rally car we
have ever built, and in its first
tests, it is already exceeding
the targets we set ourselves
for the project. I have to be
honest and say that when we
started on this road towards
designing a rally car to the
new 2011 WRC regulations, we
never thought we would be
working with MINI. Right at
the beginning of this journey,
we established a small but
focussed team of engineers
with the task of developing
a new car with complete
freedom to design the ideal
rally car to meet the new
2011 rules. For the first three
months we did nothing but
analysis. We mathematically
modelled every aspect
of a rally car.”
Why was the MINI
Countryman such a good
basis for a WRC version?
Richards: “This initial
work threw up some very
interesting findings and
fundamentally changed the
way we approached the
design of the MINI WRC car
and also where we focussed
our engineering resources.
We analysed more than a
dozen cars from various
manufacturers, measuring
key elements like wheel base,
centre of gravity, weight, track
etc. It was only then that one
of my team mentioned he
had heard about a new MINI.
Having run race and rally

Prodrive’s premises
in Banbury (main) and
Warwick (below).
programmes with BMW in the
1980s and 1990s I was still
in touch with many people in
the company and they were
able to confirm that this was
indeed the case. A few quick
measurements of the new car
and we soon realised that it
would be a great base for a
World Rally Car.
How does MINI contribute to
the development process?
Richards: “By the end of last
year our focus was totally
on the Countryman. MINI
shared all its technical and
engineering data on the car
and we began applying our
generic rally car design to
the Countryman. I have to
say that the support from
both the engineering and
commercial teams in Munich
is extraordinary. At the
early stage there was only
a gentlemen’s agreement in
place, but since then there
has been commitment to the
project from all levels within
the company.”
Q&A: David Richards
On which areas of the car did
you put particular focus on?
Richards: “One of the key
tasks we set the engineering
team was to make the car
practical and economical to
use for private teams without
in any way compromising
its performance. The car will
be produced in reasonable
volumes, in motorsport terms
of 25 to 30 per year, and thus
it has to be easily maintained
in remote locations across
the world. As a result, if you
look at the new MINI WRC,
its design is very clean and
simple and, in engineering
terms, that has taken a lot
more time and effort. For
instance, all four uprights
are interchangeable as are
the anti-roll bars, so our
customers don’t need so
many spare parts to run their
cars. There are also many
innovative features around
the rest of the car including
the roll-cage design which
will make the MINI extremely
safe.”
Are you happy with the
results of your team’s work?
Richards: “I am very proud of
what our team of engineers
has been able to achieve
and the early testing results
are extremely promising. By
combining the experience
of David Lapworth our
technical director, who has
been with Prodrive since
the very beginning, with
the inspiration and new
ideas from a team of young
engineers we have been
able to produce a radically
new car. However, let’s not
underestimate the challenge
that faces us as I’m sure
our competitors are working
equally hard on their new
cars for 2011, but if you are
going to be a new entrant to
any championship, there is no
better time to join than when
there’s a new set of technical
regulations and a new tyre
supplier.”
Words courtesy of MINI
Photos courtesy of Prodrive
love:mini 67
Back soon, but
not as soon as
expected. EVENTS

TVMOC quits
IMM2014 bid
Goodwood talks
breakdown.
business T hames Valley Mini
Club has announced
it is withdrawing its bid
MINI United Cancelled for IMM2014 following a
breakdown in talks with its
2011’s big event is no-goer after preferred venue, Goodwood.
problems at final approval. A shortened version of the
club’s press release reads:

Top news of the

season is
that MINI has cancelled
runs into the MINI team
too. Having spoken
to MINI, they too are
2011’s plans for MINI desperately sad that the
United. The firm says event will not be going
they wanted to make the ahead this year, so try
event bigger and better not to hold it against
than the 2009’s 50th them too much. There
anniversary celebrations must have been a pretty
at Silverstone and that good reason for the late
they need more time to announcement.
be able to do this. So The statement reads:
MINI United will return “In 2009 you rocked
in 2012. 50 Years of MINI in
No further details Silverstone – it was
behind the reasoning awesome – and really
have been revealed, but raised the bar. We are
we can speculate that is preparing MINI United
must have been a pretty at a whole new level,
big issue considering and need more prep
only in February MINI time to go BIG. Thanks
had released the date for your understanding!
and regional location of Stay United. It all goes
the get-together. down in France, 2012.”
Naturally there are Following comments
many disappointed fans, on its Facebook Page,
but that disappointment MINI United replied:
motorsport
Dani Sordo joins WRC team
“The MINI United
Team is listening to
your every word and
“It is with much regret and
disappointment that Thames
Valley Mini Club announces
completely understands the withdrawal of their
the distress about MINI aspirations and much vaunted
United’s move to 2012. bid for the 2014 International
We live MINI, drive Mini Meet at Goodwood Motor
MINI and are passionate Circuit.
fans just like you. We This announcement comes
were as excited as you following advanced stage talks
to have it all go down revealed a significant disparity
in 2011 and share your in a key area between the
disappointment with IMM 2014? requirements
the fact that the MINI and Goodwood’s own vision
Challenge and MINI of the event. Both TVMC
United program will be and Goodwood have worked
postponed to the first to overcome the issue but
half of 2012. ultimately have found little
Big events go through room for the negotiation of a
numerous approval suitable solution.
stages. We wanted this Thames Valley Mini Club
BIG MINI United festival has investigated a number
for you, but we failed to of alternative venues and
deliver and for that we possibilities but has not found
are deeply sorry. a site that sufficiently meets
Stay United, the criteria for an anniversary
Your Heavy-Hearted event. The Club has therefore
decided to withdrawal its bid
rather than present a lesser,
alternative option to that
previously advertised.”

Spanish driver follows Meeke to MINI.

The second driver to

be announced
to join the official MINI
JCW WRC team is WRC
experienced Spaniard Daniel
‘Dani’ Sordo.
“There has been a
great deal of excitement
68 love:mini
surrounding MINI’s return
to the WRC, so to be part of
this new team is a fantastic
opportunity for me,” says the
27-year-old Sordo. “I’m sure
MINI has a big future in the
sport. I’m looking forward to Minis will not be returning
working with Kris Meeke.” to Goodwood in 2014.
LAUNCh
,
And that s a wrap
French owners treated to LE.
MINI France launched the MINI
Mat in January, a Limited
Edition run of 250 units of Matte wrap for
hatchback models.
The custom wrap covers the bodywork, with
mirrors and antennas in contrasting chequers.
Side vents, key fob and key insert slot will
also receive special numbering to highlight
the LE factor.
Underneath the wrap is standard paint
meaning that the MINI can be restored
to a factory look once the two-year wrap
guarantee comes to an end.
And the cost for the Mat package, a mere
€2800. For UK fans, it might be worth
hopping over the Channel to sweet-talk a
dealer into doing one for you.
EVENTS
Thong run 2011 cancelled
Dwindling numbers force a rethink.
The Clubman Estate Register
(CER) has taken the
difficult decision to cancel this year’s
Thong Run. In a statement, club
chairperson, Liz Rogers said
“The Clubman Estate Register have
held a charity Thong Run annually
since 2005, and over this time have
raised over £6K for charity and had a
great time in the process.
However, a number of factors
have led to a decision to put the
event on hold for 2011. Although
history
Oldest unrestored MINI
Buy a rusty undrivable car for just £11k!
An advert appeared
earlier this year
claiming to be selling the
oldest unrestored Mini in the
world. At £11,500, it might
seem a bit steep for some
rusty metal, and what is
the new owner likely to do
with it? Restore it? Making
it just like any other restored
Mini. So what would you do,
keep it as original, rusty and
unusable, just so you can
have the kudos of having an
original, unrestored Mini?
Or would you restore it?
Either way, £11k, plus the
restoration cost is likely to
set you back the best part
of another £40k if you get it
done by a professional. Deep
pockets at the ready then.
The advert states:
“The 1959 Mini sports
chassis number A/AS27-108,
the 8th Austin Seven Mini
built. Known history states
it was built on May 15, 1959
known as the first pre-launch
hand built car made that day,
and dispatched to Car Mart
the event has a small group of
regular (and devoted!) attendees,
falling attendance has gone hand-
in-hand with a general reduction
in involvement from existing CER
members, of whom there are circa
600. The Thong Run team would like
to thank all those who have attended
since 2005 and it is hoped that the
event will return in a different form
in the future, with the full support of
the CER membership.
http://clubmanestateregister.yuku.com
in Colchester on July 31. A
Farina Grey DeLuxe, 108 has
had two owners from new and
been in its current ownership
since 1986. Off the road since
1985 it is in very original
unmolested condition but will
require a full restoration. The
front subframe and engine
all matching numbers, were
removed in 1986 to gain
access to the inner wings
and do remain with the
car. A replacement driver’s
door aside 108 appears very
complete with only a few small
items having been replaced
over the years. Only two earlier
Austins are so far known
to exist, HUE 627 and KEG
77 are both in Japan so 108
could be the earliest Austin in
Europe. Comes with original
registration number and a host
of paperwork including the
Heritage certificate.”
Amazingly it did sell, and
more amazingly to Autoblog
UK writer, Richard Bremner.
He is currently undecided
what to do with it.
love:mini 69
 marketing

Let it Snow
Countryman introduces
itself to America.

Outside of Macy’s in
New York’s
Herald Square is not a bad place to
draw attention to yourself, so that’s
exactly where MINI USA placed
a giant snowglobe with a MINI
Countryman inside.
It was one of many marketing
stunts employed to signal the arrival
of the Countryman in the US in
January, emphasising its all-weather,
all-terrain capabilities. Times Square
was also plastered with MINI ads.

personnel
hillclimb

DEWS Warming in as head of

dates design leaves 10 years on
Hildebrand moves on after 10 years in charge.

Bidding
17 APRIL a fond left the company.
Bournemouth MC
Clay Pigeon Sprint During his time Hildebrand
farewell after 10 years in saw the MINI family expand
14 MAY charge of the MINI Design to include the Clubman,
Torbay MC studio, Gert Hildebrand, 57, Cabrio, Countryman,
Wiscombe Hillclimb has passed on the mantle to Roadster and Coupe models.
21 MAY Danish designer and head Warming began his career
Woolbridge of Exterior Design at BMW at BMW Designworks USA
Wiscombe Hillclimb Anders Anders Warming, 38. in 1997 before moving to
Warming
Hildebrand took control Munich in 2005. In 2007 he
22 MAY replaces Gert
Hildebrand
of the MINI’s design and took over as head of Exterior
Woolbridge
Wiscombe Hillclimb who leaves development during the Design, at BMW. Under his
after 10 years. 2000s after the original leadership, the Z4 and new
25 JUNE designer, Frank Stephenson, BMW 5 Series were created.
Torbay MC
Mamhead Hillclimb business
A Paul Weller designed MINI has
26 JUNE
Torbay MC
Mamhead Hillclimb
keep the mini mini been auctioned off for charity.
The month-long auction saw the
MINI sell for over £20,000. Charities
BMW chief warns on MINI size. War Child and Nordoff Robbins
20 AUG will share the proceeds.
Torbay MC
Mamhead Hillclimb Klaus
Draeger, BMW’s
some of BMW’s senior
management are
‘cautious about the
21 AUG development chief, likely success of the
Torbay MC has warned that the Countryman’.
Mamhead Hillclimb MINI brand should not However, early sales
build too many large for the Countryman
2 OCT cars, because it could are good, and overall
Bournemouth MC damage the brand, sales for MINI saw
Clay Pigeon Sprint according to Autocar. their highest ever sales
The magazine says figure in 2010.
www.dewsc.org.uk
70 love:mini
rally
Mini wins the monte
(again)!
Aaltonen wins centenary rally for MINI team.
Mini legend, Rauno
Aaltonen, has
won the Monte Carlo Rally
Historique celebrating 100
years of the rally.
Supported by MINI, the
former rally winner started
out from Marrakech in a
1969 Cooper S, covering over
1600 miles just to get to the
starting point in Monte Carlo.
However the master was of
the snow tackled whatever
the mountains could lay
down before him and the
team romped home in first
spot. A fitting win for the
anniversary of the rally.
Rauno said of the
custom mini
Hampton is MINI YOURS
Clubman shows off new customisation program.
MINI Hampton
introduced
MINI Yours. This uniquely
styled Clubman is a leading
example of what future MINI
owners will be able to do to
their cars as they are
built from the factory.
MINI Yours is a
new customisable
options scheme that
expands the current
customisable options
available, and allow
owners to make their
mark more individual
experience: “A lot of things
look much the same as in
the 1960s,” “Then it was
all about top speed. In the
Monte Historique regularity
is the key, although the
required 50km/h is very
difficult to achieve on some
sections.”
Some regulations have
changed too, as he continued
to explain: “Up to the mid-
1960s there was no limit
on spikes,” he said, “and I
had as many as 600 spikes
on a wheel. Plus, we had
1200 tires ready and waiting
on rims for our three
competition-trim cars.”
than ever before.
With countless combinations
of paint, interior and exterior
trim, wheels and gadgets,
MINI Yours has taken
customisation at the factory to
Hythe have brief
moved
Hythe Performance
news
Parts have moved over
the New Year period. Their
new details are:
Hythe Performance Parts Ltd
Classic Mini Parts Specialist
Unit 1, 6 Fairfields, Off Free Prae Road,
Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 8EA
01932 567373
sales@hytheperformance.co.uk
New MED website
Classic Mini engineering gurus, MED, have
relaunched their redesigned website. Check
it out at www.med-engineering.co.uk
W&P on Facebook
Classic coachbuilders turned restorers and
parts suppliers, Wood & Pickett, has joined
the digital world of Facebook and has moved
from its original page to www.facebook.
com/woodandpickettltd
Paceman gets
production
Dr Klaus Draeger, BMW Board member has
stated that the new Paceman concept will go
into production, and it will be alongside the
Countryman in Magna Steyr, Austria.
Tattooed todger
A man in Germany has won a brand new
$32,000 MINI Cooper after having the word
MINI tattooed on to his penis.
Andreas Muller, 39, said: “Once I’m sitting
in the car, it won’t matter anymore. Then
the pain will be gone and it’ll be alright,” he
said.
love:mini 71
@@ @@ @@ @@ @ @
@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @
@@our@Sho@ut @ @ @
Y@ @ @ @ @ @ editor@love-mini.co.uk www.love-mini.co.uk

@@ @ @ @@ @@ @@
G o t a pin ion? Sh@
n o@ a re it!

@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @
@@ @ @ @ @ @
@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @
@@ @ @ @ @ @
@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @
@@ @ @ @ @ @
@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @
positive, so please keep your was most delighted at it not bumping
contributions coming. the premium up AT ALL. Every
Up and running modification is declared on MinBin

@@ @ @ @ @ @
Just wanted to say Hello &
congratulate y’all with this fabulous Flood damage
and none have added anything to
the policy.
So don’t be scared, mod and

@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @
web site!!!!!!
The Australians and New declare! Not every insurance
Just received your site info from
Zealanders haven’t been having company will charge the earth!
Shirley & Phil Blahak. I am a (very

@@ @ @ @ @ @
inactive) loyal mamber of the AMO too much luck with mother nature Emz
Club in Arizona & live in Fountain in recent months, and the usually
Hills, AZ (65 Fahrenheit @ this pristine Minis have been taking a

@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @
battering as shown in this picture Thanks for this Emz. We’re
moment today).
sent to us from Steve Wright of currently in the process of
Just to make sure that the classic
putting together a rough guide of

@@ @ @ @ @ @
Innocenti 1300 Mini Cooper won’t Queensland, Australia.
The floodwaters that left a lot of insurance prices for Mini/MINI
be sold, I have transferred the
Brisbane 6ft deep in the wet stuff owners, so keep your eyes on our
“Title” to my oldest Grandson some
website for when it arrives.

@@ @
also managed to ravage this local

@@ @@ @@ @@
time ago. But rest assured that it
stays with me until I give up driving Mini garage leaving oil and liquids all
the “Beastie”. over the place, and interiors ruined

@@ @ @ @ WIN!
Cheers, and unusable.

@@ @@
Hans Schmid
GET A

@@ @@ @@ @@ @
Hi just been reading the online mag STAR
Moss vouchers
and think its great have you got any GOOD DEAL LETTER
www.moss-europe.co.uk

@@ @ @ @ @ @
plans to put it in to print i for one Heya Craig Classic British car parts restoration
would be a convert from mini world Well, everyone specialist, Moss-Europe, is kindly
and mini mag is looking for the best deal and offering a £25 voucher to the best letter

@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @
David Gamble coverage for their mini. I think I may sent in to us each issue.
have found it. Lancaster Insurance. No matter where you are in the world
you can still get your

@@ @ @ @ @ @
Thanks to David, Hans and all
the other well-wishers who got
int ouch to wish us luck with the
Having been involved in a “crash
vouchers, and then
for cash” scam, Lancaster were spend them on high
right behind me from the offset. And quality bits for

@ @ @ @ @
magazine. The response has been today i phoned to enquire about the your Mini.
amazing and overwhelmingly cost of a Stg3 head and a turbo .. i To be in with
a chance, just
72 love:mini email us a letter!
@@ The
RANT
@@
@@What real@ly gets our goat
@@ @@
Trend
Bitesize chunks
from the scene

@@Don’t @
THIS ISSUE:

@@
believe the hype HOT
@ @
@@There
@@ @@ @@
comes a Is it better than Forza Motorsport?
time in life I’ll agree that the sheer build-up MINI Rocketman
when we’ve and news on the game did mean - we like a lot,
provided a good service and are after that the bar looked to have been and signals from

@@ @@ @@
others to do the same and meet our raised from previous games, but the up high suggest it
own high standards. comments that were appearing on a WILL be put into

@@ @ @
This came across my mind while
discussing the outlook of our
websites with a fellow classic car
number sites suggest people wanted production.
more than what they were given.
Rauno Aaltonen
As with many driving games, the
wins the historic

@@ @@ @
enthusiast, and what perspectives
we take and plan to do during 2011.
To say he had a lot planned over
game is flawed in some areas but
Monte Carlo
makes up for in others – in this case
rally. A great
the handling is far better than Forza,

@@ @ @
the coming years would be quite
an understatement, whether it be
driving more classic cars or owning
achievement.
while the AI graphics are poor in
places. I’m not one who goes along Early indications
with hype, so went about making from the first

@@ @@
some quite eccentric cars. My plans, the comparisons to what I know best events of 2011 show
compared to his, are quite different, rather than expecting more than I crowds returning to

@@ @
but we do know I’ll the scene.
run two very get.
dissimilar As an Third party entries
websites overall into the WRC with

@@ @
with different package MINIs should give
intentions. the new the official team a

@@ @ This brings Gran run for their money.

me onto Gran Turismo
MINI United
Turismo is a good
cancelled. The big

@@
5, recently all-round
party is on hold for
released on game
another year.

@@
Playstation where
3. It would driving is MINI Scooter
be fair to Picture Rabisuke @ flickr the focus seems a bit too far
say the hype rather than removed from the

@
surrounding some of brand at this stage.
the game was marking out it to be the minor visuals, but does miss out

@@ exactly what it said on the case ‘the
ultimate driving simulator’. I’ll admit
I was late to the party on playing
the ultimate petrol head driving
game, where the anticipation was
with the glitches online. So does the Fuel prices are
publicity that surrounds particular rocketing to
sectors of our lives cause us to think unaffordable levels
that what we are getting is going to and nothing is
better than it is? I’m not so sure, but being done about it.

@
of the highest. That wasn’t down to
me, my order was delayed. However,
before I had even had a chance to
play it, opinions about the game
had surfaced around the internet.
Was it worth the price? How does it
compare to previous Gran Turismos?
I can certainly see that the creators
of the Gran Turismo series have left
some previous players unpleased.
Well you can’t please everybody can
you? NOT
Submitted by Charlie Johnson

love:mini 73
 The lock-up
Showing us your Mini stuff
Dave Overfield and was up for 10k. A
bargain and I had it.
Since having the car
Hi love:mini, here is I have only done a few
my MINI. It is a 2006 mods to it these are
2nd Gen MINI Cooper including, interior-centre
with a Pepper pack but arm rest, Alcantra
it has all the features of gear gaiter, parrot
the Chilli pack bar the bluetooth, checkered
steering wheel. dash, checkered roof,
The car started off as a checkered numberplate
learner car before I had surround, checkered
it from Rybrook MINI in A-panels (now changed
Worcester. The car had to mimic the WRC MINI
a full service history graphics - thanks to Sign
Allan Faulkner’s Mini Pick-up
74 love:mini
my Ride in Worksop),
brake callipers painted
red and the petrol cap
surround painted white.
Mods I have planned
include a K&N airfilter,
an engine remap, some
new alloy wheels (now
fitted!) and a bigger back
box.
So far it’s has gone
to many shows from
Himley Hall to L2B and
MINI united with many
more to come.
Out of Action
Submitted by Josh Kelly
T his MK2 Riley Elf
had been sitting
in the same spot for
around nine years when I
rediscovered it.
When I was about 10,
a wrong turn on my bike
led me to find a Riley Elf
and a MkI Mini sitting in
an open-front garage. I’m
not sure how long they
had been there before
then. Back then, I wasn’t
really into photographing
neglected Minis, so went
home and forgot about it.
But last year, I decided to
try finding these two cars
again, and by luck one of
them was still there!
It is a 1964 Riley Elf
Mohammad J. Al-Harbi
MINI Cooper
MkII, which was an
unfinished project.
Sitting on a frame was
protecting the tyres from
being damaged. The
engine was missing, as
was the grille. No other
parts were missing but
the hubcaps and other
parts were sitting inside
the car. Recently, I
decided to make a check-
up on the car, and to my
surprise it had finally
been moved, hopefully
it is on its way to being
restored! In its place
was a Mini-based beach Gone
buggy, will be interesting but not
to see how long this one forgotton.
stays in there!
Broken
but
smiling.
One
dead MINI. love:mini 75
 Mayfair Lady
The name Mayfair just oozes high class and following MINI’s
launch of its own LE of the smae name, we compare old and new.
Words & PHOTOS Chris Fawcett
Back in
model of the Mini arrived
1982,
a new
on the scene. The Mayfair
reached out as an upmarket
version of this classic and
favourite. A lot has changed
in that time but the Mini
following is still as strong as
it has ever been.
In the year of its launch, The
Falklands War saw the biggest
troop movement the UK had
seen since the Second World
War, Prince William was born
and classic movies Blade
76 love:mini
Runner and ET hit the big
screen, plus Channel 4 was
launched.
luxury Mini brought about
a whole new definition of
luxury. Out went the vinyl and
When the original Mini brushed nylon that graced the
Mayfair debuted in 1982 seats and doors and in came a
it immediately new Raschelle
earned a reputation fabric. This,
for being one the
most luxurious
Drums stayed until 1984 along with
reclining seats
Minis money
could buy at a
when 8.4-inch disc with head
restraints and
price of £3630,
approximately
brakes came as standard a new cut pile
carpet, made
£13,600 in today’s the whole
money. seating experience for driver
On its launch, the new and passengers much more
comfortable than in previous
years. To enhance the driving
experience a new four spoke
steering wheel and a moulded
handbrake grip replaced the
old plastic. In came two door
storage bins and a modern
LW/MW Radio. Out went the
traditional centre speedometer
and in came the Clubman-
style Binnacle in front of the
driver.
The exterior of the car
saw some improvements,
with two door mirrors fitted
as standard, new painted
matching bumpers and grille.

This was matched up with a
new trim stripe and Mayfair
motif, and the luxury of a
locking fuel cap. The windows
got a small upgrade with the
inclusion of new tinted glass
and to help with passenger
comforts, opening rear quarter
windows. The optional extras
list was pretty small with only
optional clear coat metallic
paint, automatic transmission
and optional Alloy wheels
from the Mini Special model.
The specifications gave the
feel of the Mayfair, being a
car for the more discerning,
a great improvement over the
City. On its launch it still ran
on drum brakes all-round,
wrapped with 10-inch steel
rims and styled road wheel
covers. The drums stayed
until 1984 when 8.4-inch disc
From mid-’95
brakes came as standard
fitment across the entire range
and the wheels grew to 12-
inch rims. The brakes received
their final upgrade with the
fitment of a servo in 1988. The
engine started with the 998cc
and slowly evolved up to the
The definition of
‘premium’ has changed
a lot in 30 years.
Mayfair 1982
Engine 998cc single SU carb
Power 40bhp @ 5000rpm
0-60: 17.5secs
Top speed: 82mph
MPG: 40
Transmission Four-speed
Length: 3054mm
Brakes Drums all round
Wheels 3.5x10-inch steel
Interior Single central speedo
dial
Price: £3363
Mayfair 1992-1996
Engine 1275cc single SU
carb (SPi from Aug ’94)
the Mayfair
Power 50bhp @ 5000rpm
(53bhp from Aug ’94)
interior was
fitted with 0-60: 13.4secs (13.1secs from
Windsor Aug ’94)
fabric in Top speed: 87mph (88mph fron
Stone
Aug ‘94)
Beige, with
matching MPG: 35
doorcards. Transmission Four-speed
Brakes Front 8.4-inch discs,
rear drums
Wheels 4.5x12-inch steel
Interior Full length walnut
burr dash (from ’93)
Three-clock
binnacle, radio,
clock, Metro seats,
internal bonnet
release

love:mini 77
 Mayfair Lady

The family resemblance

is clear to see.

1275cc towards the end of its a presence; standing on the

life. 12-spoke 17-inch Infinity
Stream alloy wheels tying in
with the roof in classic white,
Modern Life with run flat tyres giving a
Jump forward 27 years and
firm but sound road holding.
lots of things have changed
The new mirror covers with
in the world. Barak Obama
a striped pattern of brown
is inaugurated as the first
and black link the exterior
African-American President
to the matching dash trim
of the USA, Michael Jackson
details, and are another
died and Avatar was the big
unique feature to the MINI 50
hit on the movie screens.
models.
In 2009 as part of the 50th
The interior brings back the
anniversary, MINI released a
luxury feel with full toffee-
special edition bringing back
coloured leather seating with
the Mayfair. The new car
white piping to contrast,
takes is styling cues from the
and matching detail on the
classic Mini, but adds some
gear stick, dash rail, door
modern twists to bring a car
panels and steering wheel
for the 21st century.
over a black trim. This is a
When you read that the
big improvement over the
car was being launched in
original plastic and soft cloth
Hot Chocolate Brown, you
of the classic and in keeping
think back to the old classic
with modern motoring. Air
Russet and Clove browns of
conditioning helps keep
BL, which are now classic in
the comfort at a high level
there own right, but the new
especially on the sunny day
colour is a metallic which
we took the photos.
sits nicely with its white
The finishing details
roof and contrasting Toffee
making the car stand out
metallic bonnet stripes. The
include a new Mayfair logo
colour is something other
on the indicator panel and
manufacturers have started to
stainless steel sill protectors.
imitate.
The special MINI 50 logo
The MINI 50 Mayfair has
badge, accompanied with

78 love:mini
 twin spotlights on the grille
adds to the style and brings a
piece of nostalgia.
Performance comes from the
whole range of Cooper including
the Diesel and S specifications,
giving everyone a power and
performance package to suit
their needs. Prices start at
£18,415 for the Cooper up to
£21,280 for the Cooper S.
We would like to thank Jon
Betts and Laura Hutton of
Scotthall MINI Hampshire for
the loan of the Mini 50 Mayfair
Cooper and to Karen Dawson,
chairwoman of P&SMOC for her
classic Mayfair “Rosie”.

Thirty years on and the new
Mayfair boasts over three
times as much power.
Mayfair 2010
Engine 1598cc
Power 122bhp (Cooper)
184bhp (Cooper S)
0-62: 9.1secs (Cooper)
7.0secs (Cooper S)
Top speed: 126mph (Cooper)
142mph (Cooper S)
MPG: 40.9 (Cooper)
38.7 (Cooper S)
Transmission Six speed
Length  3699mm (Cooper)
3714mm (Cooper S)
Wheels 7Jx17-inch alloys
Price: £18,785 (Cooper)
£21,810 (Cooper S)

love:mini 79
 Looking mean on the street.
My MINI Countryman
Review
love:mini reader borrows his local MINI dealer’s
demo Countryman and gives us his thoughts on it.
The Country
not be everyone’s cup of tea but it
man
may
should be welcomed in the great Mini/
MINI family.
On first impressions it’s big yes. Big,
but put next to a MINI saloon and it
doesn’t look that big at all. It is ideal for
anyone who has to move up to a bigger
car from their classic Mini to new MINI
and want to stay with the scene.
The Countryman I have test driven
is the Cooper S with its sporty stance
and mean-looking front grille.
From the outside the car has a
bigger front end with a similar grille
to the hatch but again, slightly bigger.
Its ride height is up high which is good
for looking over other cars giving a
good all round view of the road.
The four doors open wide giving
easier access for people to enter
in the front of the car and for the
passengers in the rear. The bootlid
has an impressive MINI badge which
also doubles up as the boot handle,
something seen on VWs. Once open
the boot space is large and better
80 love:mini
“
WORDS & PHOTOS
Dave Overfield
Compared to o
and not much
than the hatch and with the rear seats
dropped it turns it into a small van.
The alloy wheels that come on this
model are the 18-inchers and in black
they look mean.
The interior is the same as the
standard hatchback with its large
centre speedo, rev counter behind
the steering wheel. The seats are
comfortable and hold you in while
driving it hard around corners.
This model had the two rear seat
option which gives the rear passengers
there own seat separated by the centre
rail. This in-turn has a mobile phone
holder, two cup holders and sunglasses
holder.
han
Driving the Countryman really p a ce t m
s m
surprised me because I thought it g g age n? Hm
u
e l lubma
would be slower and wallowy but Mor C
it was not. The acceleration was M INI
a
very good with the car being able to
pull away very quickly and on the
motorway pull past others with ease.
On normal roads it handled very
well, and with its high up position you
can see clearly over the other traffic.
On country lanes the car lived up
 MY Countryman Review

,
other SUVs it s not big at all,
“
h bigger than a MINI hatch
to its name as I pushed it round the
twisty roads with ease. The only
difference was the size as I had to be
wary of other traffic due to its size.
The handling overall was good but
not as good as the hatchback.
The other good point was the fuel
economy driving the Cooper S with all
Mission
its power and size hardly touched the
fuel, driving it at high speeds on the control. Ready
motorway, normal traffic and country for launch.
lanes.
Above all it is a good car to have
perfect for someone who wants a
bigger car and wants to stay in the
n Mini family. Is it a MINI? No to be
m. honest. It is a little big but would sit
comfortably in the family range.
The car I drove was the Cooper S
Countryman All4 with Chilli pack.
Cost £30,000
The car to go for would be the
Cooper or Cooper D, The All4 costs
an extra £1200 and in my opinion is
really not needed.
Thanks to Rybrook Worcester for the
loan of the Countryman.

love:mini 81
 Move o v e r
Mob i l i t y S c o o t
...electric power
just got serious

82 love:mini
 Y
our first thoughts on this MINI? Pretty cool, huh? What about if I

ter
was to say that this concept vehicle from AC Schnitzer is actually
electric-powered - still cool? Not as much?
Well, whatever your views on electric vehicles, their popularity
is growing, and with oil and fuel prices rocketing, it’s easy to see why
manufacturers (and customers) are looking for cheaper-to-run alternatives.
For us petrol-heads though, the sound of the crank and pistons working
hard coupled with a sweet exhaust note add to the real ambiance of driving
a combustion-engined car. However, before you start spitting in the direction
of the nearest G-Wiz or Prius just think to the future in 10
or 20 years time when most vehicles are likely to be
powered by alternative means to fossil fuels.
And although, many of us don’t really want to
think about electric vehicles, if we are going to
have to eventually drive them, then they had
better make them to be pretty special, and
this Police MINI is giant step in the
right direction.

love:mini 83
 This is actually AC
Schnitzer’s sixth annual
concept car and as well as
putting forward food for
thought on the future, it gives
the MINI Specialist tuning
firm to show off its latest
goodies.
The principle focus for the
concept is to demonstrate
See you in a
that you can have high-end
few hours.
performance from an electric
vehicle - although this still
hasn’t overcome the age-old would make it ideal for
problem of durability and discreet approaches at night
range. If this were to be and its reduced weight should
adopted in its current state by make it launch like a rocket
police, we reckon they would and certainly ensure it has
very quickly be given the enough oomph to keep chase
runaround with crims keeping with the outlaws.
the cops on the chase until Under the chassis is a
the batteries died and the selection of Schnitzer’s best
car rolled to stop. And with bits with cool front and rear
a charge time of hours, the skirts, 4-pot callipers and
crooks would be long gone adjustable racing suspension.
before the electric MINI got Shiny aluminium goodies adrn
back on the road. the inside and a lovely set of
On the other hand, if you Mi2 Schnitzer wheels add real
suspend reality for moment, character. Blue underbody
the MINI’s silent approach lighting is also a neat touch.

TECH SPEC
Base model:
Engine:
Performance:
Max. torque:
Max. speed:
0-100 km/h:
Consumption:
Accumulator:
Charging time: 

Cruising range: 

Suspension: 
Lightweight aluminium
goodies deck out the Aerodynamics: 
interior, along with a
matching Police Blue Wheel/Tyre set: 
colour theme.
Interior: 

Exterior:
84 love:mini
 The principle focus for the
concept is to demonstrate
that you can have high-
end performance from an
electric vehicle

C
MINI E (R56)
Electric motor Underbody
204 bhp (150 kW) lighting gives
220 Nm more presence
152 km/h (electronically limited)
8.5 seconds on the road.
approx. 15 kWh / 100 km
Lithium-Ionen, 35 kWh, aircooled
2.4 hours (230 V, 50 A)
3.8 hours (230 V, 32 A)
10.1 hours (230 V, 12 A)
160-180 km during realistic
conditions
AC Schnitzer racing suspension,
height adjustable, AC Schnitzer high
performance brake system, front axle
AC Schnitzer front skirt, AC Schnitzer
rear skirt, AC Schnitzer bonnet vents
AC Schnitzer wheels Mi2, 7.5J x 18”
with tyres 225/35 ZR 18, HANKOOK
Ventus S1 evo tyres
AC Schnitzer aluminium handbrake
handle, AC Schnitzer aluminium
pedals, AC Schnitzer aluminium foot
rest, AC Schnitzer footmats, velour
by FOLIATEC
love:mini 85
 The
Business
Getting to know your Mini vendors
Blakehill body centre
Classic Mini enthusiast starts up his own Mini
service and respray business to fuel his passion.
When you
send your Mini off to be
worked on then you want
someone who understands the
‘Mini thing’ that we all have
with our Minis. Fortunately,
despite the decline in classics,
there are still talented
enthusiasts out there starting
up businesses and offering
services for the time short
or mechanically challenged
owner.
Blakehill Body Centre owner,
Rob Medcroft, has been
involved with Minis practically
his whole life, having grown
up with them as family cars.
At the age of 12 he took up
grasstrack racing where he
was told “if you want to race,
then you must work on the
Mini” to which he jumped at
the chance - and there his
real passion for working on
Minis began.
86 love:mini
•
Services
General service
• Pre-MoT check
• General repairs
• Welding
• Resprays
• Restorations
• Free pick-up &
delivery within
20-miles
He raced until he was 19,
during which time he was
also taking a mechanics
Family members
are cheap labour,
apprenticeship. A few years but they all love
later he also went on to do Minis, so it’s ok.
a body repair and spraying
course, which gave him all
the skills to start his own
business.
With his wife, Tanya, they
have two daughters who
have also been brought up
alongside of Minis. When they
were small the family would
amaze people in the streets by
fitting two adults, a toddler, a
baby, a baby seat, a booster
seat, a pram and a buggy all
in the Mini.
Now the eldest daughter has
just turned 16 and already
the proud owner of a Mini.
“She cannot wait to get out
and drive it at the end of this
year,” says mum Tanya.
In 2009 Rob was working in
a well known motor factory
Rob does all the
work himself
to ensure it is
to his own high
standards.
Tricky headlining? No problem.
Prepped and ready
for a full spray.
where he was a team leader.
As news broke out that
they wanted people to take
redundancy Rob and Tanya
saw the opportunity for Rob
to fulfill his lifetime dream of
opening his own bodyshop,
where of course he would
specialise in classic Minis.
With a lot of hard work
and support from his family
his dream became true as
in April 2009 Blakehill Body
Rustproofing in all
the cavities.
CONTACT
Blakehill Body Centre
Unit 1, Blakehill Business Park,
Chelworth rd, Cricklade, Nr
Swindon, Wilts, SN6 6RB
01793 759399
Rob@blakehillbodycentre.com
www.blakehillbodycentre.co.uk
Business
Profile
Centre was opened.
You are guaranteed a Do you run a
personal service as Rob takes Mini-related
business?
charge of every step of the
Contact us for
job, from the quote right your free DPS
through to the final polish. profile and let
Rob happy to chat about our readers
Minis, especially if you ask know what
you’re about,
about his 1966 Cooper he is and what
restoring. Then next on his services you
list is a respray for his wife’s offer.
Mini which I’m told is set to A state of the art spraying
booth does the business. editor@love-
be a real head turner!
mini.co.uk
love:mini 87
 Gear
classic
Bits and pieces for your ^Mini

heel
Lightweight Steel Flyw
w w w.m in ispares.co.u k
£140+VAT mping
d ste el fly wh ee l is mach ined to increa se cla
Th is lighte ne tor ring
ing po ten tia l clu tch sli p and the tim ing reluc
pressure reduc power.
ine d int o the fly wh eel to produce ma ximum
is ma ch and often
me tal rel uc tor rin gs were lia ble to move
The origin al tra power
po we r so th is fly wh eel shou ld give you ex
caused loss of th SPi and M Pi.
oth er ad jus tments. Available for bo
wi tho ut an y su re Plate or C-
ee ls M US T be used with a Va leo Pres
Thes e fly wh engine wi ll
i Sp are s 20 % up rat ed pressure plate or the
Stainless steel AEG485 M in ce.
ing slot wi ll be out of pla
not sta rt because the tim
grille buttons Single point injection ord
er as C-AEG425
order as C-AEG424
www.smiffysbits.co.uk Mu lti Point injection -
£12.50 per pair
Expanding on his successful range of
shiny Mini embellishments, Smiffy has
Money box
started manufacturing these stainless www.frost.co.uk
steel grille buttons. They’re a bit more £15.83
expensive than the chrome ones, but Whether it’s an
you can bet they will last a heck of a addition to your
lot longer before rusting or becoming hoard of Mini
unusable. Grille buttons - great for collectables or you
quick access to the front of the engine. just think it’s a cool
gift for someone, this
silver-plated Mini money
box looks great and would be the
centrepiece of anyone’s mantelpiece.
Not only that, but you can also put some
money in it to save for your next parts.

Silicon hose sets

www.minispares.com
£127.66 (SPi); £172.60 (MPi)
Mini Spares can now offer top quality silicon coolant hoses for all
MPi and SPi Minis.
The kits contains the all the hoses need for your injection Mini in
a choice of shiny blue, red or black silicon that should last forever
and not degrade with heat, age and underbonnet environment.
These kits are ideal for both the owner who never wants a failure
or the daily driver that wants to forget about hose problems forever,
88 love:mini
 S/S tower bolt covers
www.smiffysbits.co.uk
£17.50 per pair
If there is one bolt that stands out in the engine bay,
it’s the big-assed front subframe tower bolts. They’re
not exactly high on the priority list of things to replace
to tidy up the engine bay, and over time they will start
looking dull again. Fortunately Smiffys Bits is now
manufacturing these stainless steel tower bolt covers
to keep the engine bay
looking tip-top.

Autotees classic mini t-shirt to this

www.autotees.co.uk
£12.99
We know you can’t get enough of your Mini
from this
clothing, but to avoid ending up wearing the
same stuff as your mates, why not take a look
at Autotees where there is a decent selection
of t-shirts for Mini and retro car enthusiasts.
MINI owners are also catered for with a
couple of designs featuring the Mini’s big
brother.
Available in black, red, navy blue, bottle
green, burgandy, plus ladies and youth sizes.

lubman
Stainless Steel C
bonnet catch
o.uk
w w w.sm iff ysbits.c Locking Petrol Cap
£19.50 ot ton www.minispares.com
have not been forg
Clubman ow ners iff ys £11.50
depa rt ment as Sm
in the sh iny bits eel With petrol prices at record
ased a stai nless st
Bits ha s now rele w ill it levels it makes sense to
catch. Not on ly
Clubman bonnet y, it guard your fuel, and now,
to your engi ne ba
add some sparkle item s thanks to Mini Spares the
ill al so la st lo ng er than standa rd
w en ing. classic locking petrol cap for
smooth-act ion op
for many years of Minivans and early Mini
saloons is available again.
The original style vented
cap is suitable for all Mini
Pick-ups, vans, estates and
MkI/II Mini saloons. The factory changed to a
non-vented cap on the MkIII saloon.

BMC A series DVD

Classic Engine Rebuild
w w w.frost.co.u k
£16.24 to disma ntle and
DV D sh ow s you, step-by-step, how
Th is 40 -m inu te show ing how to
s en gin e. Al so included are gu ides
renovate an A- Se rie engine and
the ca rbu ret tor an d dis tri butor and set the
str ip and serv ice engineer.
n tim ing . A us efu l ad dit ion for any budd ing
ign itio
love:mini 89
 Gear
new
Bits and pieces for your ^Mini

ts
Camber adjustable front top moun
ww w.raceper formancemodi fied.com
£195
per fect ride wit hout hav ing to
Wa nt to set up you r MIN I for the
stable top mou nts from Race
get all dirty? Wel l these cam ber adju
trick.
Per formance Modified are just the
on the road and track and
The mou nts have been tested bot h
the eng ine bay, ma king
can be easily adju sted from wit hin
at the track a doddle.
adju sting and test ing the geomet ry
min ium wit h self lubricating
Made from aircraft qua lity billet alu
top mou nt set is an excellent
Tef lon race bea rings the adju stable
choice for the more serious driver.
mmm JCW
goodies
Door mirror caps
http://mybeautifulmini.com
www.minimania.com
From £55 / $225
Add your own individual flair to your
MINI with a set of genuine door mirror
caps. Available with or without power-
fold you can choose from Union Jack, Checkered, Chrome
and Black Jack styles. If you’re feeling really flush you might
even want to consider the very cool JCW carbon-fibre covers
but at $695 a pair you might have to skip making a mortgage
payment.

Bonnet scoop insulation

www.minimania.com
$37.50
ALTA AccessPORT If you drive your Cooper S at high speed a lot
www.altaperformance.com (well, that’s what they’re for isn’t it?) then there
$895 has been reported cases of the bonnet scoop
Got the urge to play around with partially melting due to excessive heat. If your
your MINI’s tuning settings? The S isn’t fitted with this insulation, then it might
ALTA AccessPORT is a simple plug- be worth considering
and-play device that hooks up to it. Suitable for 2007+
your diagnostics port and allows S Hatchs, 2008+ S
you into the ECU. This device also Clubmans and 2009 S
claims to be able to unlock an Convertibles.
additional 20-40bhp at the wheels
within minutes of being connected.
In-house maps are included with
the ability to upgrade as you
change parts for your car. Currently
this device only works for North
American models, but there are
plans for a European and Asian
compatible model soon.
90 love:mini
3D badge holder
http://new.minimania.com
Mount from $27.50, outer ring
from £7.95, badges £27.50
Brighten up and personalise your
MINI’s grille with these uber-cool
3D badges. Express yourself by
selecting from a range of graphics to
fit the badge holder and add another
bit of flair to your motor.
There are currently over 20 styles
available with many more also
available in standard magnetised
and domed badges.

Tow-hook licence plate

www.cravenspeed.com
$60
Are you one of those MINI
owners always on the look out for
something different to set your
car apart from others? Are you
always looking to start the next
new trend? Well how about a
licence plate affixed to your front
tow-hook instead of centrally
placed? We’re not sure how UK
law officials would think of it, but
in the US it seems to be a bit of a
cult trend.

Rennline aluminium cockpit

www.mossmini.com
From $99
If you like your MINIs fast and like
them to look fast too, then you’ll do
well to find better than Rennline’s
aluminium accessories for your
MINI. More well known for its
Porsche accessories, Rennline’s dip
into the MINI market looks rather
fruitful. Whether you go for a pedal
set, track mats, pedal guard or
one of the many other lightweight
products, they will look great
individually or part of a seamless
set.

love:mini 91
 Brushed Stainless gear Knob
ww w.cravenspeed.com
$99
ven speed, is
Renowned afterma rket supplier, Cra
nless steel gea r
fina lly able to offer a bru shed stai
on the stick
knob. The item sits slightly lower
its lightweight
ma king shif ts slightly shorter and
thermore,
design ma kes it a dream to use. Fur
a new mec han ism
Craven speed have developed
t launchi ng it
wh ich releases the gea rknob wit hou
into the sun roof!

Driving Theory Test app

http://t heorytestapp.co.uk
£1.79
apps for sma rtphone users,
Focus Mu ltimedia has released two
ir Theory Tes t, wit h every
wh ich allows them to practise the
cial DSA questionba nk; or a
question and answer from the offi
vides a driv ing simulat ion
Hazard Perception Tes t, wh ich pro
as they appear.
where users mu st identify hazard s

Rear mudflaps
www.minimania.com
Rear wiper delete kit
www.minimania.com
From $53
$27.50
Hot off the production line
in North America are these Looking for a clean look to
aftermarket mudflaps for the the rear of your MINI? This
newly-launched Countryman. kit will remove the rear wiper
These items will ensure that and replace it with a tidy,
your spangly new MINI’s inconspicuous grommet.
underbody stays protected Installation takes just 20
while you’re kicking up the minutes and is completely
dirt and also give you a reversable should you want to
styling variation over other refit the wiper.
new Countryman owners.
Kris Meeke Intercontine
ntal
Rally Challenge Champ
w w w.veloce.co.u k
ion
£19.99
The first M IN I W RC dr
iver to
be an nounced, Kr is Me
eke, ha s
coincidenta lly had a bo
ok about him
relea sed. As Br itish Int
ercontinental Ra lly
Champion the book loo
ks at his progress,
from his mentoring by
Colin McRae to
his never-say-d ie att itu
de proven by a
host of fightbacks. If yo
u wa nt to get
a better backgrou nd on
the ma n now
representing M IN I, pic
k th is up.
92 love:mini
TOOLBOX Elbow
Essential equipment
Grease
Engine cleaning gun Givin’ it
£40.95
www.lasertools.co.uk some hard graft
If you like to drive your Minis hard then
it is inevitable that you will get a nasty
build-up of dirt and grime in your engine
bay over time. This handy cleaning gun
delivers a high blast spray of water (up Alldrive Go’thru Socket Set
to 120psi) to blast away the crud in your £46.95
engine bay. It’s got a 0.75-litre tank with www.lasertools.co.uk
a long nozzle and trigger spray action,
How cool is this? A ratchet that you
making it easy to use. Autoglym Perfect Palm
can put an extension bar through
or over deep nuts and bolts to £7.66
get to the fixing. This innovative www.moss-europe.co.uk
idea comes from Laser Tools and Car polish experts Autoglym are
combines with their patented offering this comfortable palm
Alldrive system that works on
Metric/AF and many other fittings.
pad as the best way for cleaning
It’s an incredibly and polishing your pride and joy.
clever design and one
that should relieve
lots of stress for
Prima Car Care
those lucky www.cleanyourcar.co.uk
owners. From £12.99
Prima Car Care is a unique
Parts washer
£11.95
family of auto detailing products
www.lasertools.co.uk ranging from complete paint
Every classic Mini owners needs one of
protection systems to interior
these - a parts washer. Trust me, when you dressings and protectants.
get the grubby bits off to put a replacement The products have been
part back on, you’ll want to clean all the designed and formulated
reusable nuts, bolts and other parts. It’s
with the most demanding
made from rustproof stainless steel with
and special coating to prevent scratches. auto aficionado in mind. Each
All you need is some solvent cleaners and product complements another.
you’ll soon be the proud owner of some Whether it be the silky
shiny nuts again. concourse finish of our Nero
Plastics/Vinyl protectant and
the soft natural leather look of
Nourish Leather Conditioner,
or the depth and gloss from
x
Ma our Epic paint sealant topped
ulti-
mel
M m t,
.99 t.co n cu
Dre £159 direc ic h ca sks with Hydro spray and wax.
l- h
From .dreme ol w r ta minute
g to othe The end result is a range of
www c il latin e and ns per
s
s o scrap cillatio
dles , os all
car care products that were
Cor , sand 1,000 ryw
d
grin 0 to 2 a nd d cut made to exceed the highest of
d
30
0 woo l flush
,a
s : e c ase d meta g pad, e expectations.
de ag an din hre
Inclu rt stor a wood op san ood, t attery
lo w b
sma blade, k and rs for spare
o e
saw e, a ho g pap paint,
in
blad e sand ers for
p
thre ing pa
d
san

love:mini 93
 UNDER
CONSTRUCTION ON
Courtesy of Adam Nierzad

O
ver two years ago Adam Nierzad, or
Deathrow to TMFers, started work on his
Mini - Elliot.
Having used it for an everyday car and a
runaround, it had got to the stage when it needed
a serious overhaul, in all areas.
After years of Mini ownership, Adam felt he
had the confidence to tackle whatever challenges
were to come his way, and with the help of
other TMFers, he knew he had a helpful and
knowledgeable group of enthusiasts who were
always willing to offer advice and opinion.
With this in mind, in autumn 2008, Adam
started what was to be a mammoth rebuild.
What makes this tale even better is that he is not
using simple replacement panels, and in many
cases is dealing with each problem as it arises.
Obviously if money allowed, then we would
all like to use Heritage panels, but the reality is,
this is how many owners repair their Minis. And
as long as it is done to a good standard, there is
nothing wrong with that.
The epic challenge is still ongoing for Adam,
over two years later, but is coming into its final
stages. We are picking up the build from the
very beginning to entice you in and want to find
out more. You can see where he is today and to
make a comment, by visiting the build thread by
clicking the project picture in the top right of
this page.

94 love:mini
ON DEAT
courtesy Adam ‘Deathrow’ Nierzad

Ada
m
M i n Nierza
HRO
W
i ha
s ju s d’s si x m
t pa
ssed ont h f i x
its t -
wo y up for h
ea r i
a n n s deter io
ivers
a r y. rat i ng e
ver y
day

love:mini 95
 UNDER
CONSTRUCTION start condition Flitch panel.

UND
Front wing.

SEPT 1, 2008

areas of attack
Rear side window. Oversills.

S T R
Doors.

C O N
Doorstep.

Front panel.

Doorstep.

96 love:mini
 Chopping bits off Photoshop mock-up

DER
SEPT 18, 2008 FEB 6, 2009

DEC 23, 2008

R U C T I O N
New RSP block.
Front mock-up

Exacton wheels

MAR 31, 2009

Oversills = bad. APR 13, 2009

Bulkhead/flitch
patching

At this stage Adam is

planning a flip front, Exacton
wheels and 1275 engine to
replace the Elliot’s 998 block.
love:mini 97
 APR 11, 2009
ENgine strip
Making a flitch
‘catch’ tab for APR 13, 2009
the flip front.

Bent
rocker
posts.

Sorted.
Head off.

98 love:mini
 After acquiring a
1275cc engine from
another TMFer,
Adam set about
giving it a good
clean and looking
at all the bits that
would be fitted to it.

APR 16, 2009

block clean
APR 17, 2009
Bagging the loom.
MAY 19, 2009

MAY 3, 2009

MX5 seats.
MAY 24, 2009

With the good weather now turning up now and again, Adam
began to find more time to work on Elliot, and real progress
was being made. After cleaning the new block, the gearbox
was cleaned and reassembly began. In the meantime, some
Mazda MX5 seats turned up and Adam stripped the bulkhead.
love:mini 99
 JUN 23, 2009 JUN 29, 2009 JUN 26, 2009

New bits!

Bit of patching. JUL 2, 2009

JULY 11, 2009

JUL 3, 2009
Adam took the time to refurb
his newly obtained centre
binnacle, cleaning up the
housing and wire brushing and
respraying the metal parts.
A change of Plan
“Because I need to pay for my Uni
accomodation next year, it forced me
to sit down and evaluate what I’m
spending on the Mini and where
and whether or not it’s really worth
the money, a bad idea I’m sure you’ll
agree. Fortunatly, most things, such
as the MX5 seats and other stuff
came up well and I felt that they had
been worth what they cost. Now, the
one thing that did come up as not
being worth what its costing me, is
the engine.
So now, the engine parts I’ve
collected are being sold, starting with
the biggest first but then following
on to the smaller bits I don’t need
anymore.
The new plan is to strip my 998
down, clean, paint and rebuild it so
it’s nice and pretty and then that’s
going back in. I might have a play
with some mild tuning. I have a
spare unleaded head that I might
have a play with and try out just for
a bit of fun, using Vizard’s yellow
bible.
Now that’s not the end of it,
Elliot will still be going 1275, but
only when I’ve managed to find a
complete, running low milage engine
which I can just paint up and install,
rather than have to build, tweak,
check, do a dance, check again, run
in, have set up, etc. so that’s the new
direction.”

100 love:mini
 cracking on JUL 23, 2009 998 clean

JUL 16, 2009

Bit more JUL 11, 2009

patching.

Nice smooth Click here to follow

bores. Adam’s progress online

END

love:mini 101
 Submit your articles

WORKSHOP
Showing you how it is really done.

DIY TECH I
Objective Replacing the classic
Remove the faulty
water pump and fit a Mini’s water pump
new one.
Alternator off and radiator out. by Craig McBeth
Tools
• 2x 7/16” spanners.
• 7/16” and 1/2” Considering your Mini’s engine is rusty/brown water trail, I traced it
sockets powered by lots of little explosions back to the water pump. This was
• Flathead (or burns for the technically- confirmed with the engine running
screwdriver correct), you’ll want to be make and water leaking from it.
• Possibly 10mm sure the cooling system is working A lack of water in the cooling
socket/spanner properly. system will cause the engine to
• Gasket paste In my case I noticed a water leak overheat and terminally kill your
and the need to top up the radiator Mini’s block and likely the head
Time every few days. So, following the too. So make sure it’s all working.
60 minutes

1.
Difficulty To get access to the
4/10 water pump you’re
going to need to remove
Cost
Around £22 for water
the grille, alternator and
pump and gasket radiator.
First remove your
Mini’s grille, either
by unscrewing it from
the front panel, or by
undoing the grille
buttons.

2. Make sure the

engine is cool. If
you have been running
the Mini in the last
hour, go away and
come back in half an
hour. You really don’t
want hot water from the
radiator pissing out all
Yeah, yeah, over you.
don’t mention
the state of the
engine bay. 3. In theory it’s
probably best

102 love:mini
 4

to remove the alternator first, but we

5
disconnected the top radiator hose first.
Make sure the radiator cap is off, and then use a
flat-headed screwdriver to undo the jubilee clip. Don’t
completely undo it and leave it on the hose for easy
re-attachment.

4. Disconnect the power connector on the alternator.

Then, using two 1/2 (13mm) spanners, undo the
three alternator bolts. Once undone, remove the bolts,
extract the alternator and belt from the engine bay
and set them aside in a safe/dry place.

5. Next you need to remove the radiator. Start by

unscrewing the radiator cowling (the rubbery bit
that fits on the outside of the radiator). There are four
7/16 (11mm) bolts that hold it on. The rear ones are a
tight squeeze for access.

6. Once done, you can undo the radiator support

brackets, one on the top, one on the bottom. The
top one is y-shaped and holds the radiator to the head,
while the bottom one connects to the engine mount.
The top bracket bolts we found to be 2x 7/16 (11mm)
and 1x 10mm. The bottom radiator bolt is 1/2 (13mm).

7. With the bracket

bolts removed
the radiator should
lift out a fair way. Be
careful not to catch
the fan blades on the
radiator fins as this could
damage them. Whilst lifting
the radiator, you should have
better access to the bottom
radiator hose clip. Using a
flat-head screwdriver, undo

6
the jubilee clip and pull off

7
the hose. Water WILL go
everywhere so be prepared.

love:mini 103
 MP
REPLACE WATER PU
8. Carefully remove the radiator/fan shroud and
cowling. Then to remove the fan, use a 7/16 socket
to undo the four bolts holding the fan and spacer and
pulley onto water pump. Place the fan, spacer (if fitted)
and belt to one side. The pulley can often be wedged
onto the water pump so may need some lubrication (on
the inside) and persuasion to come off.

9. Undo the jubilee clip, with a flathead screwdriver,

holding the hose to the pump. Again, there may
be some water (the clue is in the name!). Use the 7/16
(11mm) socket to undo the four bolts that attach the
water pump to the block. There should be two long

8 bolts (at the rear) and two shorter bolts. With these out
the pump should lift out and clear exposing the inside
of your block.

10. Take a breather,

you’re half done.
Have a look at the old pump
and compare it to the new
one to ensure they are the
same. Our impellers were a
different style, but of the same
10 dimensions, so this was not
likely to cause any issues.

11. Clean up any parts that you will be refitting to

the car. Scrub any rusty bolts with a wire brush.
You can also clean off any rust that might be forming
on the radiator or its shroud, and give it a lick of paint if
you like. Wash and dust off the fan. A clean fan is more
efficient and will provide better cooling.
12

13
12. Now that you’ve had your break, you’ll need to
scrape away any old gasket that remains on the
block. Be careful not to let any gasket fall inside the
block.

13. Get the new water pump and position the new
gasket correctly. If you have a gasket compound
then you can use this on both sides of the gasket, Use
a bolt or two to keep it into position while you refit it to
the block. Remember
the long bolts go at
the back.

14. Do the bolts

up loosely in
an alternating order
before tightening,

14
and then torquing up
to 14-19 lb.ft.

104 love:mini
 15

15. Refit the water pump hose and

tighten up the jubilee clip with a
flat screwdriver.

16. Refit the pulley, spacer (if fitted),

belt and fan using the four 7/16
(11mm) bolts. Make sure your fan is fitted
the correct way round, otherwise it won’t
work effectively. Don’t forget the fan belt!
17. Put the radiator cowling into position and refit the
long 1/2 (13mm) bolt that holds it in place on the
engine mount underneath.
19. Reattach the radiator and cowling to the shroud,
again being careful of the fan blades on the

18. Get the radiator and hold it in

position. If you have a friend
radiator. The four bolts are 7/16 or 11mm.

handy, get them to hold the radiator

while you grab the bottom radiator hose
and force it back on. The hose should
20. Attach the top y-
shaped retaining
bracket and also the top
have some leeway in it so it can be radiator hose, and tighten
pulled up higher. Once attacted, tighten the jubilee clip with a
the jubilee clip with a screwdriver and flathead screwdriver.
then carefully guide the bottom hose and
radiator into position.
21. Refit the alternator
and connector and
ensure the belt is as tight

21 as possible. As a guide
the belt should not be able
to rotate by 90 degrees.
If yours can, it needs
adjusting.

22. Fill the radiator with coolant - a mix of water

and antifreeze. Hand pump the top hose to
pump some air out and refill the radiator. Repeat as
necessary.

23. Once complete,

refit the grille and
22 you are ready to go. After
running the car for the
first time, allow it to cool
and re-check the coolant
levels. A squealing noise
will mean the alternator/
fan belt needs tightening.

love:mini 105
 Submit your articles

WORKSHOP

Photo credit: Berthil (MINI2)

Showing you how it is really done.

DIY TECH II
Objective Replacing the MINI’s
Remove and replace
the MINI’s steering steering wheel inserts
wheel inserts.
Simple styling for your interior. by Greig Allan
Tools
• Flat-bladed
screwdriver Just like the classics the MINI is carbon-fibre look, then you wont
• T20 torx pretty much totally customisable, want those dull original inserts
screwdriver even going as far as enabling ruining your theme.
• Something short you to change the grey inserts on Follow our simple guide to
thin and pointy, the steering wheel where all the replacing them with your own
like a 3mm Allan buttons are. choice of inserts, remembering to
key If, for example, you’re going for a disconnect the battery first.

Time

1.
20 minutes First of all

3
disconnect the
Difficulty
negative of the battery
1/10
before doing this routine.
Cost You will be fiddling
Cost of the inserts. around in the area of
the airbag, so you need
to ensure the power is
disconnected to prevent
accidental activation.

2. Adjust your MINI’s

steering wheel so
it is pulled out as far as
possible. This will give
you greater access to the
areas you need.

3. Using a T20 Torx

bit, unscrew the
two screws behind each
steering wheel spoke.

4. Behind the bottom

steering wheel spoke
is a push button which
releases the steering

106 love:mini
 6

7
5
wheel centre (including the airbag). Use an Allan key or
similar object to push the button and release the centre.

5. Gently pull the centre of the steering wheel towards

you to give you access to the connectors behind it.

6. From here you should be able to remove the

steering wheel inserts to reveal the connectors. On
the left-hand side should be just a single connector, and
a double one on the right-hand side.

7. Disconnect the connectors to allow you to fully

remove the inserts and replace them with your new
items.

8. Reconnecting is the reverse of disconnection. When

putting the steering centre into place, line it up first
and push firmly until the bottom spoke locks.

9. If you have disconnected the airbag the horn won’t

go off, if not it will only be a short blast.
7
love:mini 107
 diary

Anton Gihan
Sri Lanka Do it yourself
Out in Sri Lanka, Anton Gihan has
had to build his own Mini and
salvage whatever parts he can find.

W
hen I first got the them and go back to the
1990 Mini shell of the Mini old method.
it was in two Other than that I have
(Red Cutie) pieces. So I had to weld it to fix the air conditioning,
Spec: Carburrettored back together and build because we had to remove
1275cc A-Series with it from the scratch. It me the condenser to fit the
HIFF44 carb.
took nearly three months new engine. I’m looking
I’m Anton, a 24 to finish the job and get forward this and hope to
year old marine her running. Then recently finish the job this week.
engineer. I’ve been I found this Mainstream The main problem we
into Minis since I Cooper engine by chance face here in Sri Lanka is
was a kid, thanks and decided to replace the the lack of spare parts.
to my dad. previous 998cc engine. Parts are very expensive.
I’ve owned The engine swap took me
my Red Cutie about three or four days,
for about seven but I’m really happy with
months now. It’s the performance difference.
a 1990 Rover, I have also repaced the
painted in light rubber cones with coil
red colour. springs. These were hard
Originally she springs though, I got them
came up with a for a cheap price and
1000cc engine. fitted them, but it is a big
But I recently mistake. The conditions
replaced it with a of majority of Sri Lankan
1991 Mainstream roads are poor, so it is very
Cooper engine - difficult to drive with them
1275cc with HIF44 and do the corners well
carb. - so I’m going to remove

108 love:mini
love:mini 109
 diary
I should have
my own parking
spot I come
here so often!!

Waiting for
the sun
Bruce’s bodywork needs
a little TLC before a full
respray, but the MoT is first.

Craig McBeth

S
o the winter weather
hasn’t been very kind
on Bruce and there
are bubbles of rust coming
up on his rearquarters
where I haven’t resprayed
him properly. This is now
1991 Rover my medium to long-term
Mini Cooper concern. Funds are tight
Spec: Carburrettored for everyone at the moment
1275cc A-Series and resprays aren’t cheap.
with Stage 1 kit, Even a home respray job
Falken Ze912 with rattle cans would cost
tyres. Standard a fair bit with cans costing
mechanicals.
£6.99 each. You’ve got to
Now named Bruce, think about priming, the
he has been in my
coats of paint and then the
ownership since
lacquer, and then there’s
2007 and was my
first car. the time of taking him off
Bought for a the road for too long.
bargain with tax Well that’s something
and MoT he needed my mind will be thinking
serious welding to about for a little while. In
get through the the meantime the MoT is
next test. coming up and there are
Friends from lots of little issues to fix.
Wiltshire Avon Mini
The clutch slave cylinder
Owners (WAMO)
finally gave up the other
helped out and the
mechanicals were day so I had to pop to
rebuilt (except the Somerford Mini for one.
engine) before
finally passing a www.facebook.com/
retest early 2010. cmcbeth
That was £35 - the same from Somerford.
price as the MoT. It looks like a simple job.
I picked up a new wiper Rear cable goes from side
box from Minisport at to side and the cable from
Bingley Hall and me and the handbrake grabs the
mechanical Mike spent the other cable in the middle
day fiddling about with to hold it tight. However,
that. I would have done a I hadn’t looked at the
guide on how we did it, quadrants that the cable
but I’m not sure I would rests in and they were
recommend that people do caked in grime and it was
it the way we did. a bit of a mission prying
Getting the wiper box it out of them and through
back on to (or even off) the the subframe. As it turned
bloody spiral cable was a
right pain and I think in
the end we had to prise
open the opening where it
attaches to make it fit.
There was a bit of
laughter while we were
replacing my handbrake
cable too. It hadn’t been
working for ages and we’d
tried tightening it and The door
adjusting the drum shoes
check strap
to no avail. Eventually we
figured the cable must has been
have stretched too much re-welded.
and again I picked one up
www.love-mini.com www.facebook.com/loveminimag
http://loveminimag.blogspot.com

110 love:mini

Rusty bits
are appearing
everywhere.
out, the cable had actually
snapped on one side, solving
the conundrum of why it
wasn’t working. In the end
I got some cutters and cut
through the cable to get it off
more easily.
Once
off it
was my biggest challenge
just a
case of is a little bit of
feeding
the new wiring for the
cable
through headlamp pilot bulb
the
subframe and guide points
and giving a good coating
of grease wherever it made
contact. Then it all needed
adjusting and trying to get
a new tight cable on the
handbrake was an effort
too, so what we’ve done is
to attach it and stretch it,
gradually tightening it up.
We’ve put a new CV boot
on the driver’s side, and
cleaned out the CV joint of
crud, but now I’m getting a
horrible grinding noise on
occassion and I think for
some reason the joint has
now died, despite looking in
good shape on inspection and
being heavily regreased.
Oh my, back in January I
got the
steering
re-
aligned
after
fitting
some
new
track rod
ends. I’d
obviously mucked it up and it
was quite noticable, so it was
well worth the £20 to get
them realigned. The tracking
was off already so that’s why
I thought to change TREs
before getting it realigned.
My mate’s dad, who is
panelbeater and welder fixed
a couple of little bits such
as the wobbly and absent
door mirrors. The holes in
the door had become too big
and so the fixing had become
loose. I think he solved
this by using a rivnut type
device and while he was
there he fixed a broken
bit on the door strap
and rewelded where the
handbrake attaches to the
crossmember as this had
come away too.
Added to that I’ve got
some electrical demons
which keep affecting my
‘accessories’ such as the
stereo, horn, brake fluid
light etc, but it’s not the fuse
or connection and we’ve
cleaned up the earth and
fitted a new earth strap.
Nightmare eh? But my
biggest challenge left before
the MoT is a little bit of
wiring for the headlamp
pilot bulb. It’s an odd
connection for a Wipac
Quadoptic lamp and it’s
never really sat well in the
lamp, so I tried to straighten
it so it would sit better, but
it broke. And I’m not sure
where to get another one
from. Somerford say it’s
part of a later MPi section
of loom but I don’t want to
buy a whole front end loom,
so I’ll have to contact Wipac
direct.
This rubber
pilot light
connector will
only fit these
lamps but I
can’t find a
replacement
connector.
love:mini 111
 Games
ALL HOURS
Extra curricular activ
itie
Let’s get dirrrty
The next big game to get
the Mini bug.
There aren’t many
games
coming out nowadays that
feature the classic Mini, so
when one does we want
it to be awesome and not
some cheap cash-in like
others we could mention.
Fortunately this
forthcoming appearance
is in the reknowned DiRT
series, DiRT 3 in fact,
which is out in May (if not
delayed), and judging from
the teaser shots it looks like
it is going to be awesome.
And it’s not just the Mini
that has got us excited. Ken
Block’s amazing Gymkhana
112 love:mini
s
Sweeeet!!
OUT
MAY 24
Ford Fiesta is featured as
well as some other iconic
cars including the Audi Sport
Quattro Rallye, Lancia Fulvia
HF and MINI WRC driver, Kris
Meeke’s 2009 Intercontinental
Rally Championship winning
Peugeot 207 S2000.
Developer Codemasters
has said they have worked
closer with manufacturers
and racing drivers to improve
the physics of the games
and make weight shifts more
realistic.
There is also a wider range
of cars available, double the
number of tracks and over
60% of rally content. Bring it
on we say!
GAMER
TAGS
Hook up with other
Mini friends on your
favourite games
Liam Andrew
liam123mini
Dave Hackney
Beetle boy
Adam Banner
adamsmd
WANTED!
Global writers & photographers
• Are you a budding photographer or writer?
• Want to build a portfolio for future work?
• Looking to hone your skills?
• Want free show tickets or to interview a legend?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then
contribute to love:mini. We can’t pay you, but can offer
perks and real-world advice for your development. 

INTERESTED?
If you’ve got a camera
or notepad and want to
try your hand...

email us:
editor@love-mini.
co.uk

love:mini 113
 d
love.m

o a r
i

Notice b
T
SUBMI

ni
ote

@g
My N

m x.co
m

g e s a n d ot h e r b its and bobs.

Your messa

Appeal
for stolen
Minis,

T
information aiwanese land scaper,
Announce Lia ng Nai-yuan, has
club bui lt this fou r-metre tall
changes, Tra nsformer from discarded
company bui lding materia ls and scrapped
special classic Min is.
offers, The robot is based on bot h
advertise Bum blebee and Opt imu s Prime
and has been attract ing ma ny
Mini-
tou rists. Nai-yuan spent over
related three months creating the art
jobs, births, piece, dismant ling two Min is
deaths and before welding the pieces back
marriages together to create this amazing
Send scu lptu re.
birthday,
good
luck or
anonymous Look closely and
personal you will see this
messages Transformer
is made from
classic Mini
parts.
Club Announcements

Hilltop Minis have moved meeting this screeng rab shows

place to the New Inn at Storridge,
Malvern, WR13 5HB.
www.hilltopminis.com
A new club and forum has been
launched under the guise of Minis
Unleashed. We met them at Bingley
and they’ve got a cool logo.
www.minisunleashed.com
S
pot ted on one of the Min i foru ms,
fort hcoming Disney
what appears to be MIN Is in the
Pixar ani mated mov ie and sequel
- Cars 2.
k cars and not a cha racter
from the picture they look to be stoc
tly sur prised. Find out this
in the film, but we maybe plea san
sum mer.

NI-Minis.co.uk has got a new design,

give it a try and see what you think.
There’s still loads to do to finish it,
so perhaps send your comments and
suggestions.
www.ni-minis.co.uk

114 love:mini
M
INIUSA released this set of

STOLEN
universal hand signals alongside
the launch of the Countryman.
Some obvious ones are missing, but overall
it’s a good effort.

Appeal for your stolen

Minis here!

W
e all know the Elf/Hornet, we’re
classic Minis a little stumped at to
are small, what to presume. Is it
but when we saw this a legitimate car driven
picture we just had to by a tiny person or just
share it. Small is not conveniently left on
the word for this mini the road to look like a
Mini. Looking like a real car? Send us your
miniaturised version of thoughts.

love:mini 115
DIGIMINI The weird and wonderful from the web

This snowy picture is a

beautiful juxtaposition
of love and hate. Love
is the desire to decorate
one’s MINI with a
preferential sticker of
one’s personal opinion,
while Hate appears in
the acronym and the
wording which offers
a derogatory term to
anyone who reads the
sticker whilst driving an
SUV. Beautiful.

Snapped
#2
acebook
pages
AROnline
Celebrating 10 years on the
Magnetized MINI
web, AROnline, which stands
www.facebook.com/
MagnetizedMINI for Austin-Rover, has become
essential bookmarking for any-
British Mini Club one whose love of British cars
www.facebook.com/ extends further than the humble
britishminiclub
little Mini.
MINI MOTORSPORT There is tons of useful and
www.facebook.com/ unique material on the site and
MINI.Motorsport it is designed and maintained
by motoring writer Keith Adams.

116 love:mini
 Web Threads
Are you flashing at me?
Night-time driving and blinding headlights in classic
www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=185013

Proof Bini’s Can Look Cool!

Trying to convince some classic owners MINIs can be cool too
www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=177942

Wasted money on options?

totalMINI discusses which optional extras are worth the money
www.totalmini.com/forum/9-general-discussion/17936-wasted-
money-options.html

Advanced driving techniques

We all love driving our s0ggyrice, as he goes
Minis, but if we could by on YouTube, has few
improve our driving driving videos, showing
skills then would everything from basic
could also improve our driving techniques
enjoyment too. to clutchless shifting
Fortunately another and other advanced
Mini enthusiast techniques.
has mastered a few Even if you don’t want Mini Kit Car, Custom,
advanced driving to try it yourself, it’s Hot Rod, Collectors V8
techniques and has worth a look to see what Item number:
filmed himself for others a Mini is capable of in a 120693013660
to learn/enjoy. confident set of hands. Location: Newport,
Shropshire, UK
www.minion9.blogspot.com Most Mini owners
BLOG Follow what a Mini restoration shop in
want our Minis to look
Malaysia does with its Minis.
a little different but with
this beauty you would be
driving the world’s lowest
road legal car at just 24
inches high.
Using a 1967 Mini the
body has been stretched
to 14ft 4-inches, with a
custom rollcage and 6-
inch windscreen. It uses
Mini balljoints, hubs and
steering, Jaguar brakes,
12x5 Superl

love:mini 117
 Coming up... Bristol Mini Day, June 5
sponsored by

event preview

Date  June 5
Location  Washingpool Farm, Easter
 Compton, Bristol, BS35 5RE
Price £??
Highlights  Great new location
Website  www.bristolminiday.co.uk

T
he Bristol Mini Show
has had a topsy-turvy
history, and even
more so of late.
In the past five years
alone it has been held at
three different locations,
and two of those weren’t
even in Bristol!
However, last year
signalled the turning of a
corner as the organisers
tried out another new venue
- this time within the
Bristol boundary and with a
whole heap of pluses.
The journeyman
reputation hasn’t done
wonders for crowds either.
A fea years ago the
show was held at Bath
Racecourse, which wasn’t
a bad venue, despite being
out of Bristol, but this was
just a temporary measure.
Then there was the
soulless field in Weston
Super Mare which
seemed to be cursed with
bad weather too. The
atmosphere wasn’t great
and the area was desolate
and severely lacking in the
character that Mini shows
really need to be a success.
So it was with great
relief that 2010 was such
an amazing turnaround.
The new location at
Washingpool Farm in
Bristol is just a couple of
minutes from junction 17
of the M5, opposite Cribbs
Causeway, and is set in a
lovely little West Country
village, providing a heap
of character, and the
atmosphere was boosted
by a good venue which can
accomodate more acitivites
that the organisers have
been planning.
Last year saw the
introduction of club
games, which was a big
hit amongst the crowds,
and there was also the
opportunity for youngsters
to experience grasstracking
in a demo car on the back
field.
The Bristol Mini Show
now seems to have found
its home, and everyone
seems to like it. Somehow
the magic of it attracted
back the crowds for the
best turnout for years, and
the sun even hung around
for most of the day, which
was nice.
This year we’re hoping for
more of the same and a few
new additions to the show.
It’s gonna be great.

118 love:mini
 SUBMIT

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APRIL 3 APRIL 25
lancashireminiregister@
SHMG Polly Run NI Minis Drivetime Run gmail.com
Worpleston Place Hotel, Guildford www.ni-minis.co.uk
www.lancashireminiregister.co.uk
www.shmg.co.uk
APRIL 29-MAY 2 MAY 22
APRIL 9-10 Mini Splash Dash Surrey Mini Show
Florence & Mugello Mini Meet www.cumbriaminicruisers.co.uk
www.classicshows.org
Mugello circuit, Florence, Italy
www.miniemotomaniaci.it APRIL 29-MAY 2 MAY 28-30
Riviera Run Minis on the Prom
APRIL 8-10 www.rivierarun.co.uk
www.newportminiowners.co.uk
South West Mini Brakes
Combe Martin, North Devon. APRIL 30
swminis.forumup.co.uk MAY 29
Back to Downton Norfolk Mini Day
Wick Lane, Downton SP5 3NS
APRIL 10 Fakenham Racecourse,
www.dewsc.org.uk
www.drive.to/nmoc
Malvern Mini Show
The Malvern Showground, MAY 1
Worcestershire, WR13 6NW MAY 30
Teddy Bears’ Picnic Knebworth Mini & VW
www.classicshows.org Standedge Visitors’ Centre
www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/ Show
APRIL 15 - 17 event.php?eid=124808357582899 www.classicshows.org
Minis on the Bay
Silverdale, Lancashire MAY 2 JUNE 5
www.oldhamminiclub.org.uk East Midlands Mini Show Bristol Mini Day
www.classicshows.org Washpool Farm, Easter Compton
APRIL 16 Bristol
Pride of Longbridge Rally www.bristolminiday.co.uk
MAY 8
Cofton Park B31 2BQ. 10am to Himley Hall
4pm JUNE 5
Himley, Staffordshire, DY3 4DF
www.austinmemories.com www.britishminiclub.co.uk East Lothian Classic Car day
Vogrie Country Park, near
APRIL 17 MAY 14-15
Edinburgh
Suffolk Run www.elmoc.co.uk
The Rally Show
www.buryminiclub.co.uk Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire
JUNE 10-12
www.therallyshow.org
APRIL 17 IMM 2011 Switzerland
Lincoln BIG Mini Day www.imm2011.org
MAY 15
Held at Brayford Waterfront, London to Brighton
www.trentvalleymoc.co.uk JUNE 12
Crystal Palace, London to
Madeira Drive, Brighton MCR Mini Cooper Day
APRIL 24 www.london-to-brighton.co.uk Beaulieu Motor Museum,
H2H Run Hampshire
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire www.minicooper.org
MAY 20 - 22
www.hamoc.co.uk Moorland & JUNE 19
Coastal Mini
i Colchester Mini Show
e:min
APRIL 25
Run lo v
k the or the
SHMG Easter Run www.colchesterminiclub.co.uk
Rosedale
C h e c
Worplesdon Place Hotel
ite f best
webs
Campsite, North
www.shmg.co.uk n d JUNE 19
York Moors
e s t a
National Park Bigg i event
Normanby Hall Mini
APRIL 25 m i n Show
www. gs
East Coast Mini Run northernminis.co.uk listin Normanby Hall, Scunthorpe,
www.eastcoastminiclub.co.uk Lincs
www.trentvalleymoc.co.uk

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