Sommaire pour December 2022 de MiniWorld

Whether electric conversions of classic cars is the most viable way to ensure longevity of use or not, there are many companies offering this as a solution to lowering emissions. Mini Sport is a long-term supporter of the Mini scene and they, together with MINI and Zero EV, have come up with a bespoke conversion for original Minis. I know that there are many among us who will not entertain such changes to a Mini but MiniWorld has a duty to report the latest Mini scene news so we were keen to try out a Recharged Heritage Ltd development Mini. As you’ll see on pages 70-73 they have come up with a very driveable and well put together alternative to the A-series. Mike Cooper and Brightwell Motor Company are producing…

Metal sliding window catch set Metal sliding door window catches were replaced with plastic ones on Minis in 1963 so second-hand metal ones are scarce. Mini Spares now sells these reproductions which are suitable for all Minis and derivatives with sliding windows in the doors. The set comprises: four chrome latches; four white plastic parts; four rubber seals; four chrome screws; four chrome nuts. £288.80 (Ref: MSSK015METAL) +44 (0)1707 607700 www.minispares.com Rod-change chromed gear lever If you have a resonating rod-change gear lever, it is possible that the ball end is worn, which allows unwanted movement. Mini Spares can provide a new chromed gear lever which comes with a fitted dome washer, spring, rubber and new ball end. Mini Spares can also supply the eye-rod extension yoke (22G2792) should that…

His Plan A had been to restore a rare Mk2 Mini saloon so he could rebuild it as a concours rally replica. His friend Alex did the metalwork but, while the Mk2 project was progressing, James still needed a Mini as a runaround. He noticed a Racing Green LE in a local paper in 2005. “On viewing the car, before buying, it looked reasonably good and had been looked after by the previous owner. There was evidence of normal MOT-related fixes but no real signs of restoration. It had a dent in the O/S wing, some slight rust. It was mechanically in very good condition. Though the bodywork was in good, roadworthy condition I wanted a concours Mini. Originally the car was bought to be a daily drive while working…

The classic Mini is a popular choice for conversion to battery power, perhaps down to its size and past popularity as a city car. Going electric may well be the only way to use a classic car in built-up areas in a few years. What is different about this particular conversion, though, is the collaboration between MINI, Mini Sport and ZERO EV and the development of bespoke technology. MiniWorld has tested several Mini EV conversions to date so we’ve been keen to get our hands on the RHL offering, especially because Mini Sport knows Minis so well. Thus far most conversions have either used existing technology or changed the structure of the converted car. We’ve also tested a few other brand-new EVs. This conversion started from scratch with new batteries…

A white butterfly flits between food vans and disappears into the blue sky over a WWII living history tent. A man dressed in tweed munches his sandwich while sitting on the ground in the afternoon sun, back against a fence, suitcase by his side, as the roar of cars resounds around the track. It can only be the Goodwood Revival. This year’s event, at Goodwood Circuit in Chichester, West Sussex, took place over the weekend of 16-18 September. In the Earl’s Court display area were 621 AOK, the first production Morris Mini-Minor to leave the Cowley production line in 1959 (on loan from the Gaydon museum) and S677 JKP, the Paul Smith MINI Recharged Mini. It’s a 1998 Paul Smith LE converted (reversibly) to electric by MINI in conjunction with Recharged…

The Mini Car Club of NSW, based in Sydney, Australia, began with a small group of five people in the Bankstown garage of Norm and Vera Killeen, not long after the Morris 850 was released in Australia in 1961. The first official meeting was held on 27 April 1962 at the Oceanic Hotel, Coogee. Gus Staunton, owner of a small trophy and sporting goods store, attended with the intention of selling some badges and left as President of a club then known as Morris 850 Car Association of NSW. In 1964 The 1100 Association was incorporated into the 850 Association. By 1972 there were three ‘labels’: Mini Car Club, Morris 850 Car Association, and Morris Mini Car Association of NSW. From 1976 the name changed to Mini Car Club of…

2022 November 11-13 Classic Motor Show Excellent annual multi-marque classic car event covering many halls of Birmingham’s NEC. Displays, live demonstrations, trade stands, autojumble, auction, concours, many car club stands, plus a variety of food and drink outlets. www.necclassicmotorshow.com 20 Normous Newark Autojumble Multi-marque event at Newark Showground, Notts. +44 (0)1507 529430 www.newarkautojumble.co.uk December 3 Mod 'n' Mini Meet At London’s Ace Café on the first Thursday of every month. Good food, good atmosphere. +44 (0)20 8961 1000 https://london.acecafe.com 11 Normous Newark Autojumble Multi-marque event at Newark Showground, Notts. +44 (0)1507 529430 www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 2023 January 29 Wirral to Llandudno Mini Run Annual Mini event organised by Wirral Minis. Starts at Bromborough, Wirral and travels to the spectacular scenery of the Great Orme and ends at Llandudno Prom where Minis are…

Virtually without exception, when a Mini is being restored, the outer sills will be replaced. In fact, in most cases, the sills will have been replaced previously and, very commonly, more than once. Where oversills were fitted (common practice in the past), the jacking points disappeared under the oversill. This meant that the standard factory jack was no longer useable so many a Mini went around without any means of being raised for a wheel change in the event of a puncture. In more recent times, mercifully, original-type outer sills are normally fitted but, although a factory jack in many cases could be used, it is best not to do so as the jacking point becomes scratched and, as the sill is not that strong anyway, the metalwork can become…

Over the years my wife Emilia and I have made several road trips in our Mini Cooper, Popsie, accompanied by our friends Patrick and Louise, which have been documented inMiniWorld. Our friends would try to keep up with us in their slow, but rather nice, Citroën 2CV. We had planned this latest trip for the summer of 2020 but, as we all know, along came Covid and foreign travel became almost impossible. I managed to cancel our hotel reservations and put the ferry crossings on hold and then we waited and waited. At long last, after what felt like a lifetime of groundhog days, we decided to try again. I worked out a different itinerary and rebooked our ferries. The Mini was prepared, documents gathered together, vaccination records checked and…

After a break of two years, the ever-popular Dales Run returned, from 9-11 September. With a new base at Woodhouse Holiday Park at Winksley, near Ripon, the run welcomed Minis for a weekend jam-packed with fun and activities. Minis arrived from the Friday night and the event kicked off on Saturday with a well-planned route out into the Dales, taking in some of the best roads the region has to offer. Even the best-laid plans sometimes go awry as an unexploded hand grenade prompted an unexpected tight U-turn mid-way through the route. Fortunately, military bomb-disposal experts were on hand and the event carried on seamlessly. Sunday saw the return of the ever-popular treasure hunt, entrants being tasked with gathering all sorts of challenging items. The stakes were high for the…

Roger Hill is currently on his 35th Mini restoration so you may think he’s been in the motor trade for quite some time but sticky buns were more his line of work. “I’m a baker. My family business was baking. Playing with cars and bikes was a hobby but it later became a living. There was no other choice.” With a passion for Minis and motorsport, Roger sprinted Minis in the 1980s with his late wife, Helen. Then, in the 1990s, he moved to circuit racing in Minis and Modified Production racing. Through racing, a close connection grew with Essex tuners Atspeed, which is where the initial idea for this 1275GT came from. “I’ve known Ian Thorndyke since he was a kid. I’m Uncle Roger to him. He said: ‘you…

Cooper Car Company’s motorsport history Charles Cooper and his son John began working on Cooper 500 race cars in 1946 and The Cooper Car Company Ltd., based in Surbiton, Surrey, was incorporated and registered on 19 December 1947. They developed a racing team and began to dominate motorsport with their revolutionary mid-engined, single-seater racing cars. In 1959 they won the Formula 1 World Championship, with Jack Brabham behind the wheel of a Cooper T51. In 1960, in a T53 Cooper Climax, Jack won the title again and Coopers won the manufacturer’s title. Cooper Car Company’s Ginger Devlin began work on a project which led to BMC producing the Mini Cooper in 1961. Continued engine development by BMC’s Eddie Maher led to more powerful A-series engines, which John used in Formula…

“My first exposure to Minis was with Cooper Ss back in the day,” explains Guy Monty, whose first car was a Mini Moke. “I took my test in a 1967 green Moke,” he recalls. “You never fall out of love with Minis. It’s like driving roller skates, just fantastic. In my day we did hundreds of thousands of miles in Minis. They always needed a higher final drive ratio, though, and they started to become available in the late 60s. For example, Jack Knight made them, not for Minis but for Unipowers. Then you had 2:9s and 2:7s and then you really could go quickly in them. I remember, in my dad’s Traveller, we did a genuine 122mph in it at 6,000 revs. It was absolutely perfect.” His dad, Geoff…

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Steyne Gardens in Worthing, West Sussex, was the place to be on 4 September for a fine day out on Worthing’s seafront. The annual free-to-enter event is organised by West Sussex MOC as a fundraiser for St. Barnabas and Chestnut Tree House hospices. Money is raised from charity buckets, a raffle and an auction and this year’s event impressiveley raised £2,000. As well as a yummy cake and coffee stand there were also a few stands selling autojumble and car models. There was a bouncy castle for the kids too. A number of Mini clubs had stands and members enjoyed getting together in the warm late-summer weather. In the afternoon prizes were awarded for some stand-out Minis. Find out more at: www.wsmoc.co.uk…