Mini Magazine December 2021
Mini Magazine: the perfect magazine for anyone who wants to get the best out of their classic Mini. Rammed with technical features, advice, inspirational feature cars and plenty of reader involvement. Please note: This digital version of the magazine does not currently include the covermount items or content you would find on printed newsstand copies
in this issue
welcome
All good things come to an end, it would seem-even a second stint as Mini Magazine's editor. Incredibly, it's been almost three years since we took the helm of MM, and I have to say, it's been great fun. True, there were a lot of differences between the scene the mag catered for in the late 90s and the one I returned to, but some things never change, and that's Mini owners-still the most passionate, friendly and charmingly unhinged bunch of enthusiasts you could wish to meet. We have to say thank you to everyone who's made putting the mag together each month such a pleasure-the owners of the feature cars, all of our contacts at the specialists around the country, all of our valued freelance photographers and writers, and of course, you,…
friends united
Before we get into the story of this stunning retro Cooper, you need to know a couple of things. Luke Smith has been here before – as in featured in Mini Magazine – and unlike most other serial feature car owners, he’s managed to make it to the page twice in just six short months. His amazing MPi Pickup took the cover spot in the June 2021 issue, and although we knew this car was in the works when we photographed the Pickup, we didn’t realise just how quickly it would come together. Secondly, Luke has a tight knit bunch of friends who are all as mad about Minis as he is. To say they encourage each other would be a massive understatement. And this car came about directly as a…
unstoppable
The last rally that Louise Thomas and Heidi Woodcock of Mini Girls Rally Team competed in together was at Donington Park, just before lockdown. “After Donington, I came back to the Isle of Mull – which is pretty isolated at the best of times. I was working in the local hospital, right through the pandemic. I was living alone because of my work. I wasn’t rallying, I couldn’t see friends or family. It was horrendous.” Though it wasn’t just the isolation that made the eighteen months between rallies particularly hard. At the end of May this year, just when they were preparing to rally again… Louise found a lump in her breast and went for a mammogram. The lump was a benign cyst, but the scan detected cancerous tissue on the…
one in a million
MINI has delivered its one-millionth car sold in the UK, just over 20 years since the start of modern MINI production began in 2001. MINI has sold over 5.1 million cars globally in the past two decades, and the UK is the brand’s largest market. The company will launch its last model with internal combustion engine in 2025 and, by 2027, the share of allelectric vehicles in global MINI sales will be at least 50 percent. In the early 2030s, MINI will be the first BMW Group brand to go fully electric.…
all the latest from bmm
The British Motor Museum has launched a new membership scheme as part of the Museum’s plans to engage with more audiences, share its collections more widely and become more financially resilient. Members will have free entry to the Museum including all special weekend show days. They will also have exclusive opportunities to preview new exhibitions, to have a private Museum tour and attend the new members’ only events. ‘Museum on the Move’ will be the first of these events and will take place in spring of 2022. An evening event, it will start with drinks and canapes served in the Museum's stunning Sky Suite, where the new members will get the chance to meet and chat with specialists from the Collections Team, before being introduced to a selection of the Museum’s cars. The…
dunlop national mini challenges rounds 11 + 12
The Mini Seven Racing Club headed to Pembrey in South Wales for Rounds 11 & 12 of the Dunlop National Mini Challenges on September 11-12. A packed weekend saw racing from from Sevens, Miglias, S-Class and Libres. As ever, the racing was close and exciting. Round 11 took place on Saturday, and in the Miglias, spectators witnessed a tight battle at the front of the pack that lasted the distance between Andrew Jordan and Endaf Owens, with Aaron Smith on a late charge. Just a few more laps may have given Aaron the chance to change the outcome… Meanwhile in the Mini Libre class, Pete Crewes held his nerve through the high speed corners in the mighty Britax-Cooper 7-port to take another class win. Richard Colburn came through in his son James’…
