Mini Magazine March 2021

We've been trying to move our own projects along this month. For me, that's been working out just how much spare cash there will be in the kitty to spend on the Elf once this lockdown finally lifts. But for another one of our regular contributors, it's been a little more immediate and wallet wrenching... We've been enjoying see Will's Downton GT really come together over the last few months, but tension was building as the day to finally stir the engine back into life got ever closer. Well, that day arrived, and let's just say, things didn't go as we had hoped. You can get up to speed on page 82. It brings you up short, and reminds you that putting a top class Mini together is never straightorward and will…

School proms... pre-Covid of course, have become big news, eclipsing the good old school discos of yore. These celebratory functions, marking significant events, are where pupils let off steam and strut their stuff in sharp suits, glitzy dresses and, crucially, arrive in fancy cars. Indeed it was a school prom that in many ways led Harry Dawes into Mini ownership. His master plan was to buy a Mini as a project which he could rebuild and use as his first car. Importantly, it could also be used to chauffeur him to his end-of-GCSE’s prom. Alas, although Harry was suited and booted in time, his Mini wasn’t. “Even though we’d done our best, it wasn’t quite ready,” he recalls. “My parents were great though. Appreciating how disappointed I was, they looked into hiring…

We've been trying to move our own projects along this month. For me, that's been working out just how much spare cash there will be in the kitty to spend on the Elf once this lockdown finally lifts. But for another one of our regular contributors, it's been a little more immediate and wallet wrenching... We've been enjoying see Will's Downton GT really come together over the last few months, but tension was building as the day to finally stir the engine back into life got ever closer. Well, that day arrived, and let's just say, things didn't go as we had hoped. You can get up to speed on page 82. It brings you up short, and reminds you that putting a top class Mini together is never straightorward…

BODY Mini 850. All-steel, Mexico front arches, one-off rears. MkI grille and moustache, halogen headlights, LR Defender front indicators/sidelights, modified Golf MkI splitter. Paint: Porsche Sport Classic Grey with black roof. ENGINE 1380cc, modified head, MED Sprint 3000 cam system, single HIF44 carburettor on MiniSpares manifold, K&N filter, Maniflow LCB manifold and system. Fletcher aluminium twin core radiator. Power: 80 bhp (est.) SUSPENSION Rayvern Hydraulics, GAZ dampers, adjustable TCA’s, negative camber brackets. TRANSMISSION Metro four-speed gearbox with KAD short-shift. BRAKES 7.5 inch front discs, standard rear drums, braided hoses. WHEELS AND TYRES Image 7.5x13 inch Image split-rim alloys with 175/50R13 Nankang tyres. INTERIOR Leather-covered MkI front and rear seats, modified loom, inertia reel front belts, DSN Classic brushed aluminium accessories, standard binnacle with Smiths dual gauge and Smiths rev counter.…

The 60th anniversary of the Mini Cooper will be celebrated with two showdowns on the ‘Greatest Hits’ line-up of races compiled for The Classic’s postponed 30th birthday party this summer (30 July – 1 August). The addition of the Mini Coopers adds even more excitement to the event’s non-stop track action with the pair of Classic Mini Challenge races building on last year’s success when The Classic marked the Mini’s own 60th birthday in style with a record-breaking entry of 60 racing Mini Cooper S models all dating back to the sixties on the legendary Silverstone Grand Prix circuit! Ensuring all visitors to The Classic share in the celebrations, the Mini Cooper entertainment will be spread over all three days at the world’s biggest historic motor racing festival. Qualifying for the all…

School proms... pre-Covid of course, have become big news, eclipsing the good old school discos of yore. These celebratory functions, marking significant events, are where pupils let off steam and strut their stuff in sharp suits, glitzy dresses and, crucially, arrive in fancy cars. Indeed it was a school prom that in many ways led Harry Dawes into Mini ownership. His master plan was to buy a Mini as a project which he could rebuild and use as his first car. Importantly, it could also be used to chauffeur him to his end-of-GCSE’s prom. Alas, although Harry was suited and booted in time, his Mini wasn’t. “Even though we’d done our best, it wasn’t quite ready,” he recalls. “My parents were great though. Appreciating how disappointed I was, they looked…