Inhoudsopgave van August 2022 - Mini Magazine

Platinum is very much the theme of this Jubilee year, as we wave our flags and get silly with the Pimm’s. But as Mini Magazine is an inherently retro-flavoured entity, this month we’re rewinding to a jubilee of yore; specifically, 1984 and the Mini’s own Silver Jubilee. From this quadranscentennial celebration (that’s the official term, I googled it) sprang the much-celebrated Mini 25, and it’s that special edition which formed the base of this month’s sparkling cover car. It’s not all about misty-eyed nostalgia though; no, Mike Brown’s efforts here have created a forward-facing and innovative show car with up-to-the-minute ideas and executions to truly reframe the perspectives of showgoers across 2022 and beyond. If fusions of old and new are what’s doing it for you right now, the flip-painted…

If you don’t turn around and look back at your car after you’ve parked it, you’ve got the wrong car. That’s a pretty solid mantra for us all to carry with us. There are cars that thrive and flourish on the passion of their owners which will always elicit a cheeky over-the-shoulder glance as the driver walks away, and there are others that are simply functional and devoid of emotion – say, the base model 1.0 Corsas bought from Cargiant – which are merely appliances. Lock it and leave. And it’s because you’re of the former persuasion that you’re reading this magazine. It’s more than just a machine, isn’t it? It’s an emotional connection. “Every component has been replaced - fixings, bushes, seals, glass, the lot” SILVER JUBILEE Now, this…

LIQUI MOLY QUICK DETAILER From €17.09 (plus shipping) Liqui Moly may be better known for its comprehensive range of oil and additive products, but this company of German chemical whizz-kids also knows a thing or two about detailing products. This new Quick Detailer is the latest in the range, aimed at owners who want to achieve a flawless finish and do so effortlessly. The simple spray-on wipe-off formula works on wet or dry surfaces to give a deep shine and excellent water beading. For more info, head to the website. • www.liqui-moly.de MINI SPARES VAN/ESTATE REAR LIGHT LENSES From £30.60 New lenses do a lot to improve the looks of a car as well as making it more visible. Conversely, a broken or faded rear lens will be an MOT…

When Helen Ryder was offered a bright red Mini by her dad as a first car, she turned down the opportunity and instead got a Mk1 Escort. It’s a decision she’s often since regretted. Fortunately, a recent chance turn of events meant she was able to enter the world of Mini ownership with this rally-inspired 1962 saloon and those previous regrets have now been banished for good. Many of us learned to drive in a Mini; for decades it was the most sensible, practical, and cost-effective choice, so little surprise Helen’s dad had the desire for his daughter to practise her driving skills in one also. “He had his eye on a bright red saloon that he could teach me in,” Helen recalls. “My dream car at the time was…

if there’s one thing that’s sure to destroy a car, it’s to submerge it in water. Well, unless we’re talking about that unkillable Toyota Hilux on Top Gear, but that’s very much the exception which proves the rule. While cars are specifically designed to be waterproof and well sealed so that they can live outside and cope with rain, the stress-testing doesn’t extend to swimming simply because there are too many components that don’t appreciate aquatic horseplay: think of all the electrical components in a car, the miles of wiring, as well as all of the things that will act like sponges if they’re dunked; seat padding, carpets, headlining, soundproofing. When you see footage of floods on the news with cars drowned up to their rooflines, it’s a pretty safe…

Choosing a first car can be fraught with drama. Naturally there’ll be a sensible checklist you’re drawing up in your head (insurability, affordability, reliability, all that caper), but you’re young and excited and logic can fly out of the window if you suddenly see something exciting in the price range. You want a cool car, that’s obvious – no-one needs that embarrassing yellow Fiat from The Inbetweeners. You also want something reasonably dependable, so you’re not calling your mum to come and tow you home on a weekly basis. It’ll need to be cheap to run – frugal on the fuel, easily obtainable service parts and inexpensive tax. And most importantly, you want something you can afford to insure. For Sam Elliott, all of these questions had one easy answer:…

The first genuine Electric MOKEs recently rolled off the production line, ready to be delivered in time for the Great British summer. Customers in the UK started receiving their new cars in June through MOKE’s official distributor, Hendy Group, heralding a highly-anticipated return to the road for this much-loved and revered motoring icon; the first Electric MOKEs were handed over to customers in France around the same time. This summer also sees the launch of new partnerships bringing the MOKE experience to locations that perfectly reflect the car’s unique character. For guests at Beaverbrook, the quintessentially English country house estate, the MOKE Electric’s whisper-quiet drivetrain makes it the ideal companion for savouring the peaceful countryside and secluded lanes of the Surrey Hills, and on the Côte d’Azur, with its local…

I don’t know about you, but the first thing that springs to mind when I think of Mini Clubmans (besides my nan’s rotten old Bronze Yellow Traveller) is Nick Swift’s unforgettable 1275 GT regularly running rings around the much more powerful competition at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting. If that car alone, drifting around the outside of the huge V8-powered Camaros and Thunderbirds – often on three wheels – doesn’t put a smile on your face then I don’t know what would. In fact, I’m doing everything in my powers right now to resist heading to YouTube and watching a clip of said footage. That very car also goes a long way to explaining exactly why somebody would wish to own and devote the best part of eight years into restoring…

The Retro Rides Weekender: a vibrant event at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, packed with old-school modified cars. So, so many cars. And the airfield is live, so there are random biplanes buzzing about. Glorious sunshine. Ice creams. This is the tonic we’ve all needed. So what’s this all about? Well, the Retro Rides forum is a global behemoth, pulling together enthusiasts of modified classics from across the planet to share their stories, build threads and inspirational photos, and generally revel in the mutual enthusiasm of, let’s face it, pretty much the coolest hobby a retro kid can have. The all-encompassing nature has led to a blossoming real-world scene too, as evidenced by their huge annual show – The Gathering – as well as any number of garage communities and regional…

Darling of Carnaby Street and resplendent in crisp monochrome, this was always the special edition Mini that had the wrong name. It was conceived in tribute to the celebrated designer Mary Quant, she of the miniskirt who made a seismic impact on 1960s culture and society – a name that will always go hand-in-hand with the Mini itself – although the marketing department evidently had a last-minute wobble and decided to call this special ‘Mini Designer’ instead of ‘Mini Mary Quant’. It’s still got the Mary Quant badge on the nose though, and the overall specification is rather lovely: those snazzy deckchair seats are the really exciting part, endorsed by Quant herself and treated to some blood-red piping to break up the black-and-white. Her trademark daisy badge also featured on…

We were just starting to gear up for a fresh new millennium back in November ’98 as the countdown began toward the last ever year to begin with a one. The Offspring’s Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) became one of the best-charting punk singles ever, while Cher was busy ruining pop music for future generations by introducing us all to auto-tune with Believe. The much-underrated Very Bad Things had just hit the cinema, the BBC confirmed that Bianca would be leaving EastEnders, and Ian McEwan won the Booker Prize for Amsterdam. It was all happening up in space too, with NASA’s Voyager 1 probe claiming the record for the most distant man-made object from the solar system (it reached 1.03849×1010 km away, if you’re counting), and Russia launched a…

GET FEATURED Want to get featured? Send photos of your project to: minimag.ed@kelsey.co.uk David Scholes is no stranger to working on Minis, or car restorations in general for that matter. With over forty years of experience in a bodyshop which included the restoration of at least thirty Minis, there’s little he doesn’t know about these cars. That’s just as well, as this neglected 1967 Morris Mini 850 was never going to be a project for the faint hearted. “I’d known the car for many years and already had a good idea what the project would entail before I bought it,” David tells us. “Unforeseen problems can still arise, but so far it’s all proving to be relatively straightforward.” All the rust has now been removed and David has made swift…

When did the world turn greyscale? Look out of the window right now, we can guarantee that about ninety-percent of the cars you can see will be grey, white, black or silver. Where’s the fun in that? It used to be the case that the most popular choice was ‘resale red’, but the buying public are far too conservative these days. That’s not to say that manufacturers aren’t having their fun, of course. While the Smiths next door may be most likely to spec their Qashqai in something anonymous and inoffensive, there are still plenty of unusual paint shades populating the colour charts if you dig deep enough; the enduring popularity of matte and satin finishes means that BMW will happily sell you an M4 in Frozen Grey, Bentley offer…

The essentials for keeping your Mini on the road. Let me start this feature by saying that we cannot hope to turn a complete novice into an expert welder in just a few pages. It is surprisingly easy to get started with a MIG welder, but welding is definitely a skill that improves with experience. There are some tips and tricks that can help straighten out that learning curve a little though, and these are what we hope to share with you here. Just please do bear in mind that our focus is on structural repairs, and there is a clue in the name as to how important it is to get them right – structural repairs are not cosmetic, they need to be strong because they contribute to the…

hate is a strong emotion. Equally as passionate as love, it can take you to some damaging places – but it also has the potential to steer you, if you’re sufficiently open-minded, in wonderful new directions. “Honestly, I hated the new MINI,” Richard Everitt recalls. “Hated the fact it wasn’t Rover-produced, hated the way the brand had been taken, I had no love for the car at all. However, my mom was given an R53 Cooper S for a few days from MINI; I took the car out for a drive and that was me sold, there and then. The stiff shell, the feel of the suspension, the supercharger singing under the bonnet and the quirky interior meant that a few weeks later I had myself a 2004 JCW.” If…