Mini Magazine April 2020

We may well still be in the depths of winter, but we've had a great time this month catching some exceptional Minis on camera. Some you'll find in this issue, others will be appearing soon. It's easy to feel that the whole scene goes into hibernation over the winter months, with the only respite being shows like the NEC Classic Car Show and the British Mini Club's Minifair (see page 30 for our report). Thankfully, this just isn't true and Mini owners are just as busy, just maybe not so visible... We travelled down to Southwest Wales to meet Luke Billing and his incredible turbo'd Mini. Take a look at the pictures of this car and you'll see that, obviously, it's never going to be in daily use. The omission of wipers…

Even when you think you’ve figured out Marcus Hubbard’s Cub, I guarantee that it will still have a surprise or two that you’ve yet to notice. The immediate statement is Mad Max meets Desert Storm. It looks rough and ready, it’s got the biggest rally ready tyres you could imagine fitting under the arches, but then there’s the supercharger, the hydraulics, the PA system… Marcus’ Mini owning habit goes right back to his earliest days of driving. When he first passed his test he drove a Beetle but he says ‘it felt antique’, and he very quickly moved on to Minis. Several have come and gone over the years but one of them, a 1972 Cooper S replica, has been with him since 1989. This has been on the road in…

We may well still be in the depths of winter, but we've had a great time this month catching some exceptional Minis on camera. Some you'll find in this issue, others will be appearing soon. It's easy to feel that the whole scene goes into hibernation over the winter months, with the only respite being shows like the NEC Classic Car Show and the British Mini Club's Minifair (see page 30 for our report). Thankfully, this just isn't true and Mini owners are just as busy, just maybe not so visible... We travelled down to Southwest Wales to meet Luke Billing and his incredible turbo'd Mini. Take a look at the pictures of this car and you'll see that, obviously, it's never going to be in daily use. The omission…

BODY AMC Cub galvanised bodyshell. Nudge bars, canvas bikini roof. Custom fold down front screen. Steel sump guard. Painted desert sand with added rust. ENGINE 1310cc A-Plus. VMAX Supercharger conversion. Weber 40DCOE carburettor. Gavin Fox ported and flowed big valve head, 35.7mm inlet, 31mm exhaust valves. 1.3 rockers. Kent K500 camshaft. Omega 18cc dish pistons. SPi crankshaft, MED lightened flywheel, centre main strap. Turbo oil pump. Aldon Amethyst mappable ignition, electronic distributor. Maniflow LCB and RC40 exhaust. Mini Spares two core sports rad, Concept Racing special order coolant expansion tank, oil catch can and auxiliary fan. Approx 120 bhp TRANSMISSION Guessworks gearbox with straight cut gears, straight cut drops, cross pin differential and 3.9 final drive. KAD quickshift moke gear lever and Mini Spares third gear bias. SUSPENSION Rayvern hydraulic adjustable suspension with…

When you think of Somerford Mini today, it’s a successful business which now boasts a vast spares department alongside the original restoration business. Manned by restorers with a deep passion for (and vast knowledge and experience of) the Mini, their workshop enjoys a reputation as one of the country's leading Mini restoration centres. With the Spares and Restoration Departments together as a team, Somerford have long been a British Motor Heritage Approved Specialist and are justifiably proud of this accolade. The business was started by Peter Hines in 1990 from modest beginnings, it was just Peter, his toolbox and £2000 savings. Somerford now stock over 10,000 lines, with more being added all the time. Their latest product is a Mini Pickup tilt cover. They have taken the time to develop them…

Even when you think you’ve figured out Marcus Hubbard’s Cub, I guarantee that it will still have a surprise or two that you’ve yet to notice. The immediate statement is Mad Max meets Desert Storm. It looks rough and ready, it’s got the biggest rally ready tyres you could imagine fitting under the arches, but then there’s the supercharger, the hydraulics, the PA system… Marcus’ Mini owning habit goes right back to his earliest days of driving. When he first passed his test he drove a Beetle but he says ‘it felt antique’, and he very quickly moved on to Minis. Several have come and gone over the years but one of them, a 1972 Cooper S replica, has been with him since 1989. This has been on the road…