March 2015 Issue Number 327 £3.50 Cooperworld ad v52.qxp_Layout 2 10/02/2015 16:55 Page 1
Body, Mechanical & Trim CATALOGUE NEW! The 6th edition of www.minispares.com our AKM2 catalogue. Check out our Completely re-written to include all models updated website Gaskets Suspension from 1959-2000. £7.50 Visit the official Gearbox gasket set AJM804B ...... £9.47 Suspension Now 219 fully MiniSpares.com Copper head gasket set - 998cc AJM1250 . . . . £12.84 Cone illustrated pages. website for Copper std 998cc head set AJM1250MS . . . . £9.30 The only If you've got a Mini pictures, Copper head gasket set - 1275cc AJM1140MS £13.40 genuine you need an AKM2 which has received rave reviews. downloads, Minispares 1275 copper head gasket GEG300 . £15.54 cone springs on the market 1275 with BK450 Head gasket set ...... £17.10 See website for catalogues, made from original Rover tooling. current prices & Engine block set ...... from £11.65 Order as FAM3968...... £40.69 CV Joints up to date prices Turbo Comp. Head Gasket ...... £79.20 special deals We will not sell the cheap, inferior CV Cometic Head Gasket C-AHT189 ...... £96.22 Mini Spares Dampers joints so readily available elsewhere. Buy on-line at Large bore manifold gasket C-AHT381 ...... £2.58 Mini Spares 28 point adjustables We ONLY sell DEPENDABLE components Silicon rocker cover gasket GUG705009EVO . . . . £9.60 - front or rear www.minispares.com EACH 1275 and 1984 on - stamped GCV1013 . . . . £30.60 or visit one of our 3 official outlets Cooper S Distributor £46.20 Early small 1.125" nut type pre 1984 GCV1105 . £30.60 Reproduction of the 40819 cooper S 23D Correct fitting inboard type GCV1102 ...... £36.00 The World’s Largest Mini Parts Stockist EACH distributor but with more advance for economy £40.80 Steering & Bearings and performance similar to MK3 S curves. Fitted with quickfit points and uprated rotor GAZ Dampers arm 12G2140 ...... £45.90 Bump & rebound adjustable - front or rear New steering racks - L/H or R/H drive As above electric NEG EARTH only 12G2140MS £70.20 KYB/Kayaba Dampers FAM7306/7 ...... £59.23 998 45/59D distributors ...... from £41.94 Std premium damper . . . .each £14.78 MPi Sportspack type race...... £71.94 Sales Showroom & Mail Order 1275 45/59D distributors ...... from £45.90 Super gas damper 25%+ Quick rack L/H or R/H C-AJJ1570/1 ...... £78.00 HEAD OFFICE (London - A1M/M25) Electronic type less points ...... from £56.65 upgrade ...... each £24.01 Genuine track rod end GSJ1106 ...... £11.42 Cranborne Industrial Estate, All the best or good quality distributors and parts KYB/Kayaba self-adj. gas shock £29.40 EACH Non genuine GSJ734MS ...... £4.80 Cranborne Rd. Potters Bar, Herts. stocked for road and race available only from us at a special price £14.78 Swivel pin kit genuine GSJ166 ...... £19.30 EN6 3JN (Close to A1M & M25) for a set of 4 (Part MSSK3015)£108.00 or our own which we recommend for any use. . . Engines Mini Spares swivel pin kit GSJ166MS ...... £7.56 Tel: 01707 607700 (UK) Timken front wheel bearings GHK1140 . . . . . £49.14 We stock all From Tel: (+44)1707 607702 (Export) G-MAX Gas Dampers Tried and tested non genuine front wheel bearings - standard £1947.89 Fax: 01707 656 786 Front or rear ...... each £21.80 with sales of nearly 5,000 per year and no and performance parts 8 Port Head Kit Email: [email protected] Bilstein B4 Dampers breakages - GHK1140MS ...... £13.80 Silicone rocker cover gasket ...... £9.60 Front 19-221694 ...... £21.59 Rear Timken GHK1805 modified - late cars . . £32.40 Visit our branches... 5 port alloy head - Road C-AHT347 . . Coming Soon Rear 19-221700 ...... £21.59 Non genuine rear bearing GHK1548MS . . . . £14.39 8 port head - original spec...... from £1947.89 Mini Spares - MIDLANDS EACH 8 port head - larger valve - race ...... £2340.00 £21.59 Plastic Interior Mirrors 991 Wolverhampton Rd. Oldbury. 1380cc built up 1/2 engine by Bill Richards . . £1090.28 W. Midlands. B69 4RJ As fitted from 1964 on Mega pistons 20/40/60 and 73.5 ...... £236.69 EACH Telephone : 0121 544 0011 Bilstein B36 Dampers Grey 24A1750 £29.40 73.5 EVO pistons 9cc dish C-STR311 ...... £189.60 £69.30 Performance non adjustable White24A2110 £30.30 Mini Spares - NORTH Camshaft EVOLUTION001 ...... exchange £68.40 Front B36-037 ...... £69.30 GREY Unit 6, 2 Freeman’s Way. Wetherby Rd. Ultimate performance cam follower set C-AEG580 £31.20 Rear B36-0380 ...... £69.30 £29.40 Harrogate, North Yorks. HG3 1DH Oil pumps . . from £15.83 to CNC race type £101.26 WHITE Telephone: 01423 881800 Forged 1.5 rocker set C-AHT436...... £133.33 £30.30 Easier to set-up IMPORTANT! Mini Spares - NORTH Alloy 1.5 hi-lift rocker set C-AHT446A. . . . . £198.00 Door Mirrors - pre ‘80s We are closing Mini Spares - North, in Duplex timing kit C-AJJ3323 ...... £27.20 Evolution Dampers Original pre ‘80s door mirrors. Harrogate, to relocate to a larger wharehouse 21A1902 Mini Spares genuine Top of the range 8 point adjustable Flat glass, stainless steel head £17.16 with easy access from main roads. It should profile engine mount £8.34 743039 ...... each £53.59 be open and 21A1902MS non-genuine Right hand - GAM215A £17.16 each ready by April 2015. EACH Left hand - GAM216A £17.16 each mounting ...... £3.00 £53.59 21A1902ST threaded mounting...... £3.78 Also fits later cars using New address will be... M90999 fitting kit £3.00 Units 2E and 2G Harwood Road Evo minimum stretch timing chains available Geometry Kits Door Mirrors - ‘80s on Northminster Business park Gearboxes & Diffs Complete kit with adjustable tie York Y026 QU. Watch for further details. bars and adjustable lower arms. Package Original white backed type as Comprehensive range of Price PAIR With correct performance bushes. fitted to post 1994 Minis. From our road/rally/race gearbox parts £84.00 £36.00 Customers... including 5 speed gearbox and Order as MSSK3008 £84.00 full kit Pair £36.00 Order as GS25320 Only 24 hours from Black also available. Order as GS25319. Pair £30.62 “This is amazing! Evolution diffs. Only RHP and Forget all the poly and uprated bushes when different lower top quality bearings stocked. arms or tie bars are fitted. What you need is an offset rubber bush All mirrors available separately order to delivery in Poland. Good job guys!” No cheap imports that fall apart! to compensate with the extra distortion caused when correcting Mk1/2 Washer Jets POLAND the geometry on Minis. Original market leading Evo crosspin diff Car set of lower arm bushes. . . . £12.26 Part No C-STR632 Made to Rover Parts Sales’ final Artur Szczegóła - Each Over 3,000 sold since 1994 .C-AJJ3385 . .£163.39 specification. Part No. GWW807 Competition baulk ring C-22A1741 ...... £23.99 Why buy from Mini Spares Centre? £4.20 Choose Genuine or Quality Hi-tech oil pick up pipe C-AHT54 ...... £27.00 Alternative Parts As the original and only true ‘Mini Spares” our sole business is to supply parts Clutches & Flywheels for the classic Mini and as the largest supplier of Mini spare parts in the world AP clutch road and race we make it our business to check the quality and fitment of all items available. • Want the plus flywheel GENUINE part? Flywheel puller for all types CE1 ...... £21.78 As a customer you have no idea what you are buying from some vendors who use original part 3 piece AP clutch assembly pre Verto GCK100AF . . . . £43.81 numbers, but you can be assured when purchasing from us the part has been tried, tested and Original UNIPART 3 piece Verto clutch pre-inj 180mm plate GCK151MS . £91.76 Swivel Pin Repair Kit £23.04 clearly described - if there are any problems we listen and react immediately - we get 3 piece Verto clutch inj 190mm plate GCK152MS . . . £98.27 part number GSJ166 professional material analysis and testing done, plus trying the parts on our own or race Minis. 3 piece turbo kit GCK371AF ...... £108.00 or Want a cheaper Verto 20% upgrade pressure, fits all C-AEG485 £64.15 If a part is advertised cheaper than ours - it is probably inferior as the market is being swamped Standard diaphragm GCC103 ...... £25.37 with cheap, untried imports. We take the spurious parts problem seriously by taking the alternative? Orange diaphragm C-AEG481 ...... £34.84 problem away from you, ensuring our prices are rarely beaten on like for like quality. Mini Spares approved Standard clutch plate GCP204 ...... £20.40 part number Race clutch plate C-AHT596 ...... £82.50 Maybe this is why we were voted No1 for Best Aftermarket Supplier, Best GSJ166MS £7.56 Clutch lever arm pre Verto 22A2204MS . . . . £12.30 Clutch lever arm Verto DAM5355 ...... £18.28 Tuning Product Retailer and Best Mini Website, by Mini Magazine readers? Clearly identified MINI SPARES part number Master cylinder GMC1008 ...... £45.50
Prices are correct at time of going to press, but are subject to change without notice. E&O.E. e-mail:- [email protected] www.minispares.com Export Tel: (+44) 1707 607702
All part numbers used are unique and intellectual propertyPrices of either are correctMini Spares at timeCentre of Ltd going or Rover to / press,X parts licensees.but are subject to change without notice. E&O.E. Magazine Publishing Guidelines Please submit all copy, including For Sale and Contents Wanted adverts, to the Editor prior to the 1st day of each month. The production of Officers, Committee & Contacts 4 a magazine starts a month before the due publishing date. Please submit copy to the Editor only. Notice Board 6 If possible please provide copy electronically by email with Word attachments. Editorial 7 Images may also be supplied electronically, but please bear in mind that the resolution Chairman’s Chat 8 and depth need to be as high as you can provide. Please supply any images as JPEG only. Please do not embed pictures or graphics AGM 9 in word documents, these should be supplied separately. Email to [email protected] Events Co-Ordinator 10 John Cooper 1923 - 2000 Handwritten or typed submissions are always welcomed with equal precedence to electronic forms. Events Calendar 10 Please keep articles to a maximum of 1500 words. Beaulieu 12 Original photographs and slides are also welcomed and will be digitally scanned and Mk1 Performance Charity Action Day 14 promptly returned. The Club will pay for all postage and packaging on returnable items. New Members 15 Magazine Copy Dates These are the latest dates copy should be 903 KRM 16 received by the Editor for publication. Recognised as a Single-Make Car Club by The Royal Automobile Club Motor Sports April magazine – 1st March Bournemouth Weekend 2015 18 Association Limited May magazine – 1st April Mini Cooper Register formed as a Club in 1986 st June magazine – 1 May Autosport International 22
The London Classic Car Show 26
Swiftune’s latest 1275GT 28
Cooper World is printed on well-managed FSC paper using vegetable-based inks. Printing plates Website and Forum Corner 32 are aluminium and are recycled, as are any surplus/ old inks while printing blankets are shredded and used for rubberised play areas and footpaths. The Minis to Ireland 32 wrapping it comes in is degradable and will break down in the soil. Letters 34
Cover Image The Archive 36 Swiftune’s race prepared Jon Mowatt 1275GT. Photo: Robert Young DEWS 2015 38
Disclaimer Registers 40 The opinions expressed in this publication are purely those of the contributors and should not be construed as the policies of either the club or committee. Whilst every care is taken MCR regional meetings 54 to ensure the information in this publication is correct, no liability can be accepted by the authors of Mini Cooper Register for loss, damage or injury caused by errors in, or omissions from the information given. Regional Co-Ordinator 56 Printed by: The Lavenham Press, Arbons House, 47 Water Street, Lavenham, Suffolk, CO10 9RN Tel : 01787 247 436 Regional Reports 58
Contents copyright © Mini Cooper Register 2014 For Sale And Wanted 62
Mini Cooper Register | 3 Website and Forum HONORARY PRESIDENT Graham W Robinson REGISTRARS Mike Cooper [email protected] Ex-Works and Competition Cars Register Robert Young - See Chairman Magazine Editor Paul Sulma Appendix K Register 7 Dorset Way, Twickenham, Middx, TW2 6NB Russell Earnshaw 0208 898 9476 (H) 8 White Ley Bank, Fulstone, New Mill, [email protected] Huddersfield, W. Yorkshire, HD7 7DL 01484 683899 Membership Administration [email protected] Sarah Monk Mini Cooper Register, Arbons House, Cooper S MK I Register 47 Water Street, Lavenham, Suffolk CO10 9RN Simon Wheatcroft 01787 249284 392 Nuneaton Road, Bulkington, Nuneaton, [email protected] Warwickshire, CV12 9RR 01827 830539 [email protected] Membership Information Cooper MK I Register Lesley Young Barbara Alexander Spring Cottage, Small Hythe, Tenterden, Kilmeston, 39 Newgate Lane, Peel Common, Kent, TN30 7NE Fareham, Hants, PO14 1BQ 01580 763975 (H) 01329 665434 [email protected] [email protected] Events Co-Ordinator Cooper S MK II Register Justin Ridyard Nick Hunter 2 Carlsden Close, Dover, Kent, CT17 0SD 01785 813693 01304 330715 (H) [email protected] [email protected] Cooper MK II Register Graham E Robinson Competition Secretary 80 Alexandra Road, Great Wakering, Peter Moss Essex, SS3 0HW HONORARY MEMBERS The Dower House, Rogate, West Sussex, GU31 5EG 01702 219298 01730 818336 (H) Rauno Aaltonen [email protected] Peter Baldwin [email protected] Warwick Banks Cooper S MK III Register Peter Browning Club Shop Simon Wheatcroft Willy Cave Sally Salter See Cooper S MK1 Registrar Ron Crellin 20 Batchelor Green, Southampton, Hants. SO31 8FJ 02380 560073 (H) Rover Cooper Register Ginger Devlin John Parnell Paul Easter [email protected] 8 Meadow Bank, Eversley Park Road, Paddy Hopkirk Bill Price Regional Co-ordinator London N21 1JE 020 8886 8226 John Rhodes Patricia Webb [email protected] Gordon Spice 45 St Leonards Hill, Queensferry Road, Coachbuilt Cooper & Cooper S Register Stuart Turner Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland KY11 3AH Steve Burkinshaw Julien Vernaeve 07834 081697 28 Loom Lane, Radlett, Herts, WD7 8AD Basil Wales [email protected] 01923 855971 Lady Watson (Christabel Carlisle) [email protected] Barrie Williams Public Relations Mike Wood Position Vacant Ex-Police Cooper & Cooper S Register David Davies Chairman Car Registrar 9 Mountway, Waverton, Chester, CH3 7QF Robert Young Peter Barratt 01244 332282 Spring Cottage, Small Hythe, Tenterden, 44 Bushey Grove Road, Watford, Herts, WD23 2JQ [email protected] Kent, TN30 7NE 01580 763975 (H) 01923 816757 Innocenti Cooper Register [email protected] [email protected] Foster Charlton 12 Queens Terrace, Wallsend, Tyne Vice Chairman Non Designated Committee Members and Wear, NE28 7QU 0191 2639019 Tony Salter Robert Clayson 01252 726618 [email protected] Richard Humphrey 01933 679617(H) 20 Batchelor Green, Southampton, Mini Super Register Ken Hunter 01344 772446 Hants, SO31 8FJ Garry Dickens Rod Chilcot 01707 650107 02380 560073 (H) Pryland Barn, Cheddon Road, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 7QT 01823 338228 (H) Treasurer 01823 337835 (W) 07519 513826 (M) Ian Hitchman OTHER CONTACTS [email protected] 20 Meadowfield Road, Barnby Dun, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN3 1LN Archivist 1275GT Register 01302 883550 (H) Robert Young - See Chairman Suzy Kinsman [email protected] 15 The Drive, Woolavington, Somerset, TA7 8EJ Heritage Liaison 07899 067025 General Secretary Peter Moss - See Competition Secretary [email protected] Kim Bromage DVLA V765 Contact New MINI Cooper Register 31 Coralin Close, Chelmsley Martyn Collins Wood, Birmingham, B37 7NE (Vehicle Registration Recovery) 121 Tamworth Road, Hertford, Herts, SG13 7DN 0121 680 1814 (H) Paul Sulma, 0208 898 9476 07989 683654 [email protected] email - [email protected] [email protected]
Please avoid phoning Committee Members and Contacts after 9pm. Display Advertising - please contact: Kay Scott 01943 461679 [email protected]
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4 | www.minicooper.org Cherished Vehicle Insurance
Classic Mini Insurance for your pride & joy
20% discount for Mini Cooper Register members.* Multi-vehicle and limited mileage policies. Free DNA+ protection kit with each policy. Simple and free agreed value service. All modi cations considered. *Subject to minimum premium and normal underwriting criteria. Terms and conditions may apply. Please ask for details.
0333 003 8162 Facebook “f” Logo RGB / .ai Facebook “f” Logo RGB / .ai www.cherishedvehicleinsurance.co.uk Calls to 0333 numbers are charged at ‘normal’ rates from landlines. They are also normally included in call allowances on mobiles. Cherished Vehicle Insurance is a trading name of K Drewe Insurance Brokers Limited who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England No. 00743268, Registered Offi ce: 14 Load Street, Bewdley, Worcestershire DY12 2AE. CVI 085 01/14
0286 CVI Mini Cooper Register - June.indd 1 14/05/2014 09:33 NOTICE BOARD
DISCOUNTS FOR MEMBERS OF THE MINI COOPER REGISTER INSURANCE FOR MINI COOPER Discounts may be available on production of your REGISTER ATTENDANCE AT membership card at the following firms: MINI MACHINE, DARLINGTON – 10% off the vast SHOWS majority of goods The club has an insurance policy which protects its officers and members against DSN MINI SPECIALISTS, NORFOLK – various discounts depending on the product a variety of claims. The key area it covers is ‘Public Liability’ and this means accidental injury to or damage to the property of members of the public. MINI MAIL, KILCOT, GLOS – help if undergoing a major restoration The main area of exposure to risk for the club is attendance at shows where we run a stand. There are an increasing number of shows featuring the Mini or BULL MOTIF MINI SPARES, WINCHCOMBE. classic cars generally which we are planning to attend with Committee-organised GLOS – Mini spares 1959-2000, Heritage parts, mail order stands, plus many regions already attend local shows, and there may be others from website. Discount to members on production of that we are less aware of. Our public liability insurance will, we hope, never be membership card. 01242 609598 bullmotifminispares.com claimed on, but there is always the possibility that a member of the public suffers formerly Midland Mini Centre an injury on our stand and, given the ambulance-chasing practices of many legal MINI SPORT, PADIHAM, LANCS – 10% off most advisers today, makes a claim against us. goods except for body shells and some engines That is what our policy is there to protect us for, but we can only offer that AZ MINI CENTRE, SPALDING, LINCS – 10% off protection if the club is notified in advance of a Mini Cooper Register presence. everything but will offer more depending on amount If the stand organizer lets me know (address, phone number and e-mail address purchased at the front of the magazine) they will be protected against the risk of a personal MINI SPARES CENTRE – See advert inside front cover claim by our insurance. The club cannot pick up liability after the event without for contact details. Discount available to Mini Cooper prior notification. Also, the insurance only covers risks in the UK. Register members. So if you are organising a stand, please tell both the magazine editor and me at BJ ACOUSTIC, OLDHAM, LANCS – www.bjacoustic. the same time, so that it can be publicised in the magazine, and you and your com 10% discount organising team are covered by insurance. CLASSIC LINE INSURANCE - 10% discount and agreed Ian Hitchman value on cars over 5 years old 01455 639000 Treasurer M & M MINI SPECIALISTS, WARRINGTON, CHESHIRE – 10% discount 01925 444303. www.Mini- metro.co.uk HAYNES PUBLISHING, SOMERSET – 15% off books, manuals and DVDs, with 2nd class P&P to UK 01963 Magazine 442030 Contributions OLD TRAIN HOUSE B&B, Cork, Ireland (MCR Missing Magazines member) - 10% discount 00353 25 39337 www. IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE oldtrainhouse.com Sometimes magazines go astray. Contributions must be received MERLIN MOTORSCREENS 10% discount, supply and by the 1st of the month for the supply & fit www.merlinmotorscreens.co.uk 07768 661175 If your magazine does not arrive by the middle of the month following month’s magazine. DISCOUNT ON HOLIDAYS FOR MCR MEMBERS - Studio Apartments in El Sauzal Village Centre, Tenerife, contact Sarah at Lavenhams I will acknowledge ALL Spain. www.casafloratenerife.com contributions for the magazine sent [email protected] by email, so if you do not receive HERITAGE MINI COOPER INSURANCE - 0121 246 an email back from me it almost 8089 or 0845 373 4777 or by phone (only if you do not have email facilities) on 01787 249284 certainly means I have not received or visit www.heritage-quote.co.uk it. Please telephone me after a day R.A.C.E. MOTORSPORT Unit 14 Withnell Fold Ind. Est., or so to check if you do not hear Withnell Chorley Lancashire PR6 8B. 10% discount, Jim from me. Brindle 01254 831644 Paul Sulma SUSSEX ROAD AND RACE - Unit 2, Shipyard Back Copies of the Ropewalk, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN17 5DE 01903 715341 www.sussexroadandrace.co.uk Magazine [email protected] . Mini and classic mini specialist ex JCW chief technician - will give 10% discount These are now available on line via to any club member the Website Membership THE EAST ANGLIAN MINI CENTRE, IPSWICH - at a cost of £3.50 each plus p&p The Lavenham Press administer the Discounts for MCR members, details on our regular adverts membership - see details on page 4. in CooperWorld www.eastanglianminicentre.co.uk 01473 807212
6 | www.minicooper.org EDITORIAL
ell, Christmas and the New shows on at the same time) which actually panders more to WYear celebrations seem like they where my interests lie in competition Minis as much as all the happened a long time ago now as I Mini variants, and this was the Autosports show at the NEC. write this editorial at the beginning I couldn’t realistically go to both shows but, with hind sight, of February, and we have been I think I would have gone to the Autosports show as Pete experiencing rather warmer weather Flanagan had managed to get a prominent and free of charge than we did earlier in January. Having stand at the show for an all Mini MCR display! I understand that said that, I certainly have not been stands at this show can cost thousands of pounds to hire. Not tempted to go out to the garage in the only that, but Pete has also put together an article on the show slightly warmer temperatures for any with photos and which is very much worth a read for a taste of other reason than to the get a bottle of this show if you have never been to it. screen wash and top up our family daily drivers. Roll on summer days please! In terms of other events taking place in the depths of winter and specifically organised by the MCR, the ever popular In my last editorial I mentioned that I would be checking out a new Bournemouth weekend gathering took place, once again, on ‘winter’ show that is designed to kick off the New Year called The the last weekend of January. This year it has clocked up its 33rd London Classic Car show. This show, based obviously in London as consecutive year and, as far as I am aware, has also been held the name suggests, is not too far from where I live to get to and by at the same hotel - the Hinton Firs - for all these years. My public transport for a change. All I will say about it here is that it was predecessor and mentor, Lesley Young, has switched roles from an interesting new show which tried to be different from the usual editing to writing an article on what those that attended this classic car show formula we all know and, well, sometimes love. gathering did over the weekend, with lots of photos included David Young also went to the show and he has kindly written an by way of illustration! I must admit I have never been on one of article on it so I don’t want to do a ‘spoiler’ by saying too much here these weekends for one reason or another, so I think next year other than please have a read of his article to get a feel for what this will be high time for me to go and check it out for myself. In the new classic car show was all about. meantime, please do read Lesley’s account of the sorts of things that you might experience if you are tempted to go for the first You might want to follow up on David’s article by reading Don time like I am next year too! Mitchell’s article which also covers The London Classic Car show but from the perspective of providing a display car and the experience I will end as I always do in asking for contributions to CooperWorld of doing that, with some useful advice if you are ever asked or are from all our club members so that I can continue to fill these pages contemplating lending your pride and joy out to display at this or with lots of varying, interesting and entertaining pages for all of us another such similar show. to read each month.
Then there was another show on the same weekend as The Paul Sulma London Classic Car show (not really a good idea having two large
WANTED
Committee Post Press Officer
The Mini Cooper Register needs a new Press Officer to help publicise and promote the club with specialist Mini magazines, other classic car magazines, local and national press and broadcast media.
This is an interesting, important and vital role in the successful running of the MCR, with a place on the club’s committee and a close involvement in its many events and activities.
Experience of writing would be useful but a good knowledge of the club, its cars and events are the main requirements needed to undertake this role.
If you are interested please contact the club’s chairman, Robert Young at: chairman@minicooperorg
Mini Cooper Register | 7 CHAIRMAN’S CHAT
s we head into March, our AGM circulation classic car magazines, do us a power of good, especially Ais but a few days away. We are when the journalist has the good grace to mention the club by name convening back at the Coventry Motor thanking us for our help. So well done to all those involved. Museum, where we should be making use of their newly refurbished facilities there. They have encouraged us to try and get as many of our members turning up in their Classic Mini or MINI and these will be allowed to park in front of the museum on the hard standing right by the main entrance. So it would be good to have a nice show of Minis for the visiting public to view on Sunday March 15th. We kick off at 11am and will, as usual, be supplying a buffet lunch for those attending the AGM. This is your opportunity to come along and hear what the Committee have to say about the past year and question them if you so wish. If, however, you wish to have a matter added to the Agenda, then please contact me in writing. I look forward to meeting many of you in a few weeks time.
Despite the year only being two months old, we have already had a couple of high profile shows the club has been involved in. As mentioned last month, in early January, the Autosport show at the NEC saw Pete Flanagan put on an MCR display at the request of the organisers. Pete summoned, at very short notice, cars with a connection to Cars & Cars Conversions magazine, or ‘CCC’ as it was known. Prominently placed, an attractive display was put on complete with one of the club’s gazebos. So, there was no mistaking that the club was involved in this well respected show. Well done to Pete and those who gave of their time and cars for the show. Hopefully, Pete will do a reprise of that display at Beaulieu this year, if he can again persuade the owners to bring along their cars.
At the same time that the Autosport show was on, down in the London Excel centre, (with the misfortune of a date clash with the Autosport show) the all new London Classic Car Show also had MCR involvement in the form of Don Mitchell’s car, as part of the Adrian Newey feature display, and looked superb surrounded by all of the other motoring exotica. This was, for those who didn’t attend the show, a very high end show and in no way comparable to the NEC Classic Motor Show that we are familiar with. Apart from being a fraction of the size, the value of Don Mitchell’s car graces the front cover of Classic & Sports Car the exhibits was way in excess of those seen at the NEC in November. I’m not quite sure if this show is for classic car clubs such as ours, I News of changes afoot with our club Regalia, now renamed ‘Club suspect not, but there are plans, or so I’m told, to widen the scope to Shop’. The Committee has agreed to outsource this function to a include clubs. We shall wait and see on that one. Sensibly, their date for company that specialises in car club clothing and apparel. For some next year has moved to mid February. Thanks Don for your efforts and time now, the pressure on Sally Salter in stocking and keeping control also Nick Hunter for his help. of the range of items we can offer has been both time consuming and demanding on space in her house! Now, she can have her house back, free of MCR regalia. We, for our part, will now have at our disposal a vast range of regalia, infinitely wider in scope than we could ever hope to supply. All of these items will be available with the MCR logo and therefore unique to us. Furthermore, the company will also be able to sell our regalia to a wider audience outside the club for those who want it. So the service will be both mail order and offered for sale at numerous classic car shows. Sally will, however, continue to be our Regalia Secretary and will co-ordinate with the new company to see everything runs smoothly and to ensure our interests are maintained. This new facility should be up and running in about a month, so watch out for the vastly increased range of regalia on offer. But to help reduce our existing stocks, feel free to order direct from Sally in the meantime.
Finally this month, as a reminder, we are seeking to recruit a Public Relations representative, who can fill the position left by Andrew Bond, who stepped down from this valuable role at the end of last The young Adrian Newey cleaning his father’s Cooper S year. If you are someone experienced in the PR world and would like to help the club spread its word within the press and specialist Don Mitchell’s car and, indeed, Nick Hunter’s car, both had further press, do contact me, or any member of the Committee and we will exposure on a full length feature in the February issue of Classic & do the rest. This is a rewarding role and one that does require good Sports Car with Don’s car blazoned over the front cover. This feature writing skills but minimal computing skills. I hope that we can soon was put together with help from the club and in particular by Nick fill this vital role. pulling much of it together assisting Andrew Bond, our out going PR representative, who set the ball rolling. Features like this, in large Robert Young
8 | www.minicooper.org Mini Cooper Register Annual General Meeting Sunday 15th March 2015
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Mini Cooper Register will take place at the Coventry Museum of British Transport, Millennium Place, Hales Street, Coventry CV1 1PN. Directions can be found on www.transport-museum.com Entry to the museum is free.
Please arrive at the Museum for 10.30 a.m. The Meeting starts promptly at 11:00 a.m.
We welcome members to arrive in their Minis or MINI and they will then be permitted to park free of charge on the hard standing right outside the museum entrance.
Nominations Wanted The Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. The current Chairman should receive nominations of candidates for election to the Committee not less than seven days before the Annual General Meeting. All posts are open for nomination any member may apply. All positions will all become vacant at the Annual General Meeting. Posts which you can be nominated for are Competition Secretary, Editor, Events Co-Ordinator, Public Relations, Regalia Secretary, Regional Organiser, Secretary and Treasurer. It is vital and urgent that someone volunteers for each position to allow the continued smooth running of the Club. Your Club needs you! Please contact Robert Young if you want to discuss any position. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman will be elected by ballot between the newly elected members at the next Committee meeting following this Annual General Meeting. Please include the following in a nomination: Committee Post, the nominee’s name and club membership number, the proposer’s name and club membership number and signatures of both people. Please include your reasons for applying and detail any relevant qualities, experience and qualifications. This is your chance to make a difference to the running of the Club.
Agenda Proposals Wanted Any member wishing to have an item included on the agenda of the meeting must submit it, in writing, to the current Chairman not less than seven days before the Annual General Meeting. The Submission needs to include the name and membership number of the person submitting the item a proposer’s name and membership number and the signatures of both people.
Note Admission to the Annual General Meeting will be strictly limited to current members only. Please bring you membership card in order to gain admittance to the meeting. The Committee does not recommend this meeting as a suitable place for children or pets.
Please address nominations and agenda proposals to: Robert Young, MCR AGM, Spring Cottage, Small Hythe, Tenterden, Kent. TN30 7NE Nominations and agenda proposals to arrive no later than Monday 9th March 2015.
9 | www.minicooper.org Mini Cooper Register | 9 EVENTS EVENTS CO-ORDINATOR − Justin Ridyard
he events list for this year is looking T fantastic; we still need to add the regional ones once I have them so you can see the smaller events local to you! Come on regional organisers let me have’em please!! A correction from last month on a July event, the Silverstone Classic is 25/26th July 2015 as stated but the organisers MSV have now moved The Brands Hatch Mini festival to the 28th June 2015. Please contact me for Brands at events@ minicooper.org and for Silverstone, John on [email protected] .
Well done to Pete Flanagan for organising an MCR presence at the A superb display at last year’s event, a highly prestigious Autosport Show held in the NEC at very short different line up of cars on show this year! notice with four very special Cars & Conversion cars. The stand looked amazing with a really interesting selection. We have just heard that Miniworld are holding a festival at Rockingham Raceway. The aptly named Miniworld Live is for Mini’s and MINI’s and is to I am looking forward to the trip to Heritage on the 11th March. be held on the 5th July. We are looking for someone to host a club stand at Our factory visits are always well received by the club members and this event so let me know if you can help out. I will be in Champagne with oversubscribed, more on this trip next month. the Kent Region on our annual French jaunt so cannot be there.
We are at Brooklands on the 29th March, the Thames Valley region, That’s all for now! once again, representing the club at one of the earlier events in the calendar, so fingers crossed for a dry day. You can look around the Justin Ridyard museum and there are always plenty of trade stands and interesting Tel: (01304)330715 cars at the event so don’t let a cold or wet day put you off. Tel: [email protected]
The club are at the LSMOC London to Brighton in May, all club tickets are sold out but feel free to come and say hello to us on the stand if Remember to Like the MCR Facebook page at http://www.facebook. you are down. Let’s hope the weather is a good as last year, we can com/minicooperregister or scan the QR code with your smart phone to promise a great selection of cars again on display for the club. visit the page. EVENTS CALENDAR
Key April Event: Donington Historic Festival Date: 2nd-4th May Bold = National MCR event or Club stand Event: Coleford Carnival of Transport 2015 Location: Donington Italics = Regional MCR event/attendance Date: 6th April 2015 (Easter Monday) Contact: Jerry Filor - [email protected] Location: Coleford, Gloucestershire, GL14 2015 Contact: http://www.colefordcarnivaloftransport.co.uk/ Event: British Mini Day March Date: 10th May Event: Pride of Longbridge Location: Himley Hall, Dudley, DY3 4DF Event: Visit to British Motor Heritage Factory Date: 18th April Contact: Mick Rowley - [email protected] Date: 11th March Location: Cofton Park, Low Hill lane, Longbridge, Location: Witney, Oxfordshire B31 2BQ Event: London to Brighton Mini Run 2015 Contact: Justin Ridyard - Contact: [email protected] Date: 17th May [email protected] - Event Full May Location: Ends Madeira Drive, Brighton Event: Brooklands Mini Day Contact: Justin Ridyard - [email protected] Event: Blyton Park – MK1 Action Day Date: 29th March (Now a Sunday!) Event: Beaulieu Spring Autojumble Location: Brooklands Motor Museum Date: 2nd- 3rd May Location: Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. Track day at Date: 16-17th May Contact: www.brooklandsmuseum.com Location: Beaulieu, Hampshire Ken Hunter, Thames Valley Region Blyton Park for MK1 Mini’s Contact: http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/beaulieu- [email protected] Contact: http://mk1-performance-conversions. co.uk/action-day.htm events/spring-autojumble Event: Practical Classic’s Motor Show Event: Stirling and District Classic Car Show Date: 28th and 29th March Event: Miniworld Riveria Run Location: NEC, Birmingham Date: 1st-4th May Date: 17th May Contact: http://www.practicalclassics.co.uk/ Location: Newquay, Devon Location: Bridge of Allan Contact: www.miniworld.co.uk Details: Over 700 classic cars and autojumble Event: MCR Scottish Region Club Meeting Contact: Geoff Marr, MCR Scotland Date: 29th March Event: DEWS Classic Car Show & Classic Run [email protected] Location: The Conservatory @ Norton House Hotel, Date: 2nd – 3rd May (2nd Classic show & 3rd Run) http://www.sdccc.co.uk/index.php/show.html Ingliston, Edinburgh EH28 8LX. Meeting at 12 PM. Location: Brian Whitehead Sports Ground, There may be an optional, impromptu run in advance of Downton, Wilts Event: Dose of Vintage Classic & vintage Fair the meeting (which will be announced the week prior) Contact: www.dewsc.org.uk Date: 23rd May depending on the weather! MCR Club Stand Contact: Wilts. & Dorset Region Location: Basingstoke Road, Alton, Hampshire Contact: Scottish Region [email protected] [email protected] Contact: www.doseofvintage.co.uk 10 | www.minicooper.org Event: Kent Region get together and picnic! At the Deal Event: Miniworld Live (for Mini’s and MINI’s) Event: Ham Sandwich Run (Touring assembly) Classic & Motor Show! Date: 5th July Date: 30th August Date: 24th May Location: Rockingham Raceway, Corby, Location: Kent Location: Walmer Green, Deal Northamptonshire NN17 5AF Contact: Kent Region. Justin & Annmarie Ridyard - Contact: Kent Region, Justin & Annmarie Ridyard, Contact: http://www.miniworld.co.uk/ [email protected] [email protected] Event: Wheels of Yesteryear Rally September Event: Thistle Run Date: 5th July Event: Bo’ness Hillclimb Revival Date: 24th May Location: Mining Museum, Newtongrange and Date: 5th-6th September Location: TBC finishes (via Glenkinchie distillery) at Lennoxlove Location: Bo’ness Circuit, Kinneil House. Historic Contact: www.miniclan.com House. Rally, static show and concours. Contact: http://www.wheelsofyesteryear.org.uk/ hillclimb, static car show, concours. Event: International Mini Meeting (IMM) 2015 events.html http://www.bonesshillclimb.org.uk/ Date: 22-25th May Contact: Scottish Region [email protected] Location: Greater Island of Lake Zarasas, known as Event: Glamis Castle – Vintage Vehicle Extravaganza. Little England, in north east Lithuania Date: 11th - 12th July Event: Beaulieu International Autojumble Contact: www.imm2015.lt Location: Glamis Castle, Forfar, Angus. Autojumble, Date: 5 & 6th September Rally, static show and concours. Open to all MCR Location: Beaulieu, Hampshire Event: 27th London to Brighton Classic Car Run and members and marques of Mini’s. Attendance Details: One of the UK’s largest autojumble’s 15th London to Brighton Kit & Sports Car Run can be one or both days. Contact: http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/beaulieu- Date: 31st May Website: http://www.glamis-castle.co.uk/events.cfm events/international-autojumble Location: Royal Park at Greenwich to Madeira Contact: Scottish Region. Ben & Patricia Webb Event: Goodwood Revival Meeting Drive, Brighton [email protected] to reserve a place! Contact: http://www.classicmotorevents.co.uk/ Date: 11th-13th September Event: Lavender Run Location: Goodwood June Date: 19th July Contact: www.goodwood.co.uk Event: Thirlestane Castle Historic Motoring Extravaganza Location: Worcester Event: Stanford Hall National Mini Day Date: 7th June Contact: http://www.rdcc.org.uk/lavender.aspx Date: 13th September Location: Thirlestane Castle, Lauder. Over 500 classic Event: Classic Nostalgia at Shelsley Walsh inc. Hillclimb Location: Nr Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Static car cars expected for 2015. Static show with concours Date: 18th-19th July show, concours and autojumble. Website: http://www. judging. Also includes an autojumble. It is open to all Location: Shelsley Walsh, Worcester miniownersclub.co.uk/stanford2007.htm marques of Mini’s Contact: http://www.shelsley-walsh.co.uk/events/ Contact: Jerry Filor - [email protected] Contact: John Heatlie, MCR Scotland. content.asp?s=21&ei=406&nei=25 Email: [email protected] Event: Minis to Ireland Event: Kent Region get together and picnic! At the (Event Full - Reserve List Only!) Event: Wilton Classic and Supercar Show Bearsted Classic Car Show for Kent Air Ambulance. Date: 17th – 24th September Date: 6th and 7th June Date: a July Location: Ireland Location: Wilton House, Wilton, Northants SP2 8PX Location: Bearsted Green Nr Maidstone. Contact: [email protected] Contact: http://www.wiltonclassicandsupercars.co.uk/ Contact: Kent Region, contact Justin & Annmarie Event: RAF Mini Club – Battle of Britain Run Ridyard, email: [email protected] Event: MCR National Mini Cooper Day Date: 19th September Date: Sunday 14th June Event: Silverstone Classic Location: Various – Watford to Folkestone Location: Beaulieu. Static show with trade stands Date: 24th, 25th and 26th July (Club presence Sat Contact: RAF Mini Club on Facebook. and concours judging. Also includes an autojumble. 25th! One day only!) Event: Rally Car Day It is open to all marques of Minis/MINI’s. Location: Silverstone, Northamptonshire Date: TBC September Contact: [email protected] Contact: John Price [email protected] Tickets: http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/beaulieu- Location: Castle Combe events/club-rally/mini-cooper-rally Event: Cambridge Mini Chill Contact: Brian Davage - [email protected] Date: 31st July – 2nd August Event: Double Twelve Motorsport Festival Location: Marley Eternit Social Club, Whaddon Event: Manchester Classic Car Show Date: 13th-14th June Road, Meldreth Date: TBC September Location: Brooklands Motor Museum Contact: Trevor [email protected] Location: Event City, Manchester Contact: www.brooklandsmuseum.com Contact: Mick Cooke, Lancs Region or August Pete Flanagan Event: Mini Festival 2015 Date: 20th June (TBC) Event: Helmingham Hall Classic And Sports Car Show Event: MiniWorld Action Day Location: Oulton Park Date: 2nd August Date: TBC September Contact: Oulton Park Location: Helmingham Hall, Suffolk Location: Castle Combe http://www.mini-festival.co.uk/ Details: over 800 classic and sports cars Contact: www.miniworld.co.uk Contact: Suffolk region Ian MacPherson Event: Eridge Park Classic Car Show [email protected] October Date: 21st June Event: Croft Nostalgia Event: Northumberland Borders Rally Location: Eridge Park, Tunbridge Wells Date: 17th October Contact: [email protected] Date: 8th – 9th August Location: Croft Circuit near Darlington. Historic Location: Newcastle area Event: Festival of Speed racing championships and static classic car and Contact: Niall Cook – Newcastle & Durham Region Date: 26th-28th June military vehicle show [email protected] Location: Goodwood Contact: http://www.croftmilitary.co.uk/ Event: British Mini Fair 2 Contact: www.goodwood.co.uk Event: Mini Festival 2015 (North) Date: 18th October Event: Mini Festival 2015 (South) Date: 8th August Location: Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire Date: 28th June Location: Oulton Park Contact: Worcestershire Region. Mick Rowley - Location: Brands Hatch Contact: Oulton Park [email protected] Contact: http://www.brandshatch.co.uk/ http://www.mini-festival.co.uk/ November [email protected] Event: Mini in the Park Event: MCR Club Meeting – Scottish Region Event: MCR Scotland Breakfast Run & Meeting Date: 15th August Date: 1st November, 12 PM Date: 28th June Location: Santa Pod Raceway, Northants Location: The Conservatory @ Norton House Hotel, Location: Start: Powmill Milk Bar (near Dollar) 9 AM. Contact: www.minishow.co.uk Ingliston, Edinburgh EH28 8LX Finish: Murrayshall Hotel, Scone, Perth 12:30 PM. Event: Biggar Rally Contact: Scottish Region [email protected] Open to all marques of Mini’s. There will be a meeting Date: TBC 16th August at 12:30 at Murrayshall Hotel for those that just want Event: NEC Lancaster Classic Car Show Location: Biggar. Rally, static car show, concours and to attend a meeting and not the run. Date: 13-15th November autojumble. Camping also available. Contact: [email protected] Location: NEC Birmingham Website: http://albion-trust.org.uk/albion-rally Contact: Justin Ridyard - [email protected] July Contact: Scottish Region [email protected] February 2016 Event: Champagne Run (Touring assembly) Event: MCR Coopers at Castle Combe Track Day Date: 4th-5th July Date: 22nd August Event: London Classic Car Show Location: Champagne Region, France Location: Castle Coombe, Chippenham, Wiltshire Date: 18-21st February 2016 Contact: Kent Region. Justin & Annmarie Ridyard - Contact: Graham Robinson Location: ExCeL London [email protected] [email protected] Contact: http://www.thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk/ Mini Cooper Register | 11 National Mini Cooper Day, Beaulieu Sunday 14th June 2015
Beaulieu 2015 will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the RSP Mini Cooper; the car that saw the rebirth of the official Mini Cooper in 1990. Although only about 1100 were made, the Cooper models that followed carried the classic Mini through to the 21st century. As a part of our celebration of these cars there will be space reserved in the main arena for all RSPs that attend the show. Selected cars with their owners will be asked to parade in the arena at lunch time. There the owners will also be interviewed by Graham Robson, our commentator for the day. Graham is a noted car historian and author of many books shedding light on the inner workings of the car manufacturers of the 1960s. Also occupying space within the arena will be a selection of cars that featured in the iconic Cars and Car Conversions magazine from the 60s, 70s and 80s. These were cars that had their exploits recounted in the magazine and were used in competition by many well known drivers of the time. Then just outside of the arena we will have a display of Ex-Works and Special Tuning cars that are bound to attract the usual gathering of honorary members and interested enthusiasts. The concours, probably one of the best Mini only ones in the country, will be positioned back in the arena and promises to feature some of the best cars from the show circuit. John White and his team of Judges will be searching for new winners of the nine classes of awards and the two major trophies. Classes remain the same this year, but entry will be allowed on the day, providing that the class has not been filled by pre- booked entries. Pre-booking will be cheaper at £5.00 per car plus the cost of an advance ticket @ £9.75. Entry into the concours on the day will be £7.50. Please go to www.minicooper.org and follow the Beaulieu link. From there the concours form can be downloaded. We are looking for more trade stands and in particular autojumble ones. Following on from the last couple of successful years there will also be an area reserved for private autojumbling. This will be for a small cost but there will be neither vans allowed nor tables. This is for those people who are simply clearing out a collection of parts to be contained in one area (which will be sign posted). This is for non trade sellers only and will be policed as such. We hope this will give more prominence to those who have excess stock to get rid of and give buyers more choice. Prices have been held from last year and advance tickets can be bought via the link on the website www.minicooper.org then follow the Beaulieu link. Please remember that an entry ticket also includes admission to the National Motor Museum and other Beaulieu attractions. All this and the usual swathe of Minis old and new, many and varied, means Beaulieu is the place to be on the 14th June this year if you are a Mini enthusiast. Please note that any non Mini (not booked into the autojumble) coming into the show will be directed to a car park away from the show area. Club and regional stands are welcome, please book your advance tickets via the ticket line and visit the website to download a copy of the clubs and regions form. We will also need help with marshalling duties, so please see the separate advert for details. Hope to see you there! Tony Salter
Discounted Advance tickets are on sale now. Online at www.minicooper.org
12 | www.minicooper.org Beaulieu volunteers TRUNK TRADERS
We are looking for more trade stands, in Our National Show at Beaulieu particular Autojumble. We will have an is but a few months away area reserved for private autojumbling from and volunteers are required to a non Mini or MINI. This will be for a small help with the parking duties. cost of £15 in advance, or £20 on the day, for a 10ft x 10ft pitch, in addition to your In return for two to three hours work you normal entrance ticket. will receive free entry to the show and all the Beaulieu attractions. We will also supply There will be no vans allowed and no a meal and drink ticket and should the tables. This is to allow those people who weather be very warm (let’s hope so!) plenty are simply clearing out a collection of parts to drink of the non alcoholic variety. to be contained in one area (which will be sign posted). This is non trade and will be policed as such. We hope this will give more If you are interested in prominence to those who have excess stock to get rid of and give buyers more choice. helping your club on the day: please call me, Tony Salter, on 02380 560073
alternatively email me on Pitches may be booked in advance through [email protected] Tony Salter (02380 560073).
MEMBERSHIP DIRECT DEBITS
BEAULIEU CONCOURS SAVE MONEY AND TIME
The booking form for the Concours This is a reminder that you are able to renew your membership by Direct Debit. is now available to download from our website www.minicooper.org and send to You will receive a Direct Debit form Ken Hunter (details on form). with your renewal notification, if you have not already signed up to this If you do not have access to a computer form of payment. call Ken on 01344 772446 and he will post you a form. Once this has been filled in and returned you will not have to worry about renewing Booking in advance costs £5 per car in the future as this will be plus the cost of the entrance ticket. done automatically. Not only is this easier and quicker but you will also
If there are places left you may book on SAVE £3 A YEAR ON YOUR the day when it will cost £7.50 SUBSCRIPTION!
Mini Cooper Register | 13 Mk1 Performance Charity Action Day 2015 2nd & 3rd May
The second Mk1 Performance Action Day takes place on the 2nd and 3rd of May at Blyton Park circuit in Lincolnshire, with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Society. This year there will be two full days of classic Mini track action, special display cars, Works Minis, MCR display, Maximum Mini display, show and shine, car clubs, Mini only parking, trade area and more. Special guests this year include some legendary drivers such as; Gordon Spice, Warwick Banks, Anita Taylor, Barry Hawkins, Barrie Williams and BMC Works navigator Mike Wood who will be treating us to one of his colourful Works slide shows on Saturday evening. Camping facilities on site, restaurant and a kart track for the kids!
We will be running two different ‘open pit’ track layouts this year, one on each day, and limited spaces are still available at £119 per day from Javelin Track Days. A password will be required, available by contacting me on [email protected] Pete Flanagan
14 | www.minicooper.org NEW MEMBERS
We welcome the following new members who joined during January
Brian Bradley, Exmouth Jason Galvan, APO, AE, USA
Harvey Edwards, Bromsgrove, Worcs Debra Hickman, Kineton, Warwickshire
Stephen & Angela Alsop, Eastbourne, East Sussex Paul & Sharon Fitzpatrick, Hawkhurst, Kent
James Brailey, Fareham, Hants Jo Delfgou, Wickford, Essex
Mark & Lucy Draper, Brighton, East Sussexz David Blundy, Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
Edward Davies & Neil Burner, Hutton, Brentwood Jo Hampshire, Skelton, Cleveland
Robert Bass, Fort Worth, Texas, USA James Slade, Chichester, West Sussex
Harvey Warner, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire John Powrie, Chippenham Wiltshire
Jeff & Ian Hooley, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Simon Couzens, Heacham, Norfolk Mini Cooper Register | 15 Richard Bourne, Charwelton, Northamptonshire Shane & Anne Gamble, Perton, South Staffordshire
Mini Cooper Register | 15 EVENTS 903 KRM at the London Classic Car Show: A Moving Experience By Don Mitchell
`Would you loan your car to be displayed on an Adrian Newey tribute stand at the new London Classic Car Show?`
couple of months ago the search was on for a Mini Cooper MK1 in ATartan red with a black roof, similar to the one that Adrian Newey and his father had when Adrian was a boy. Efforts had been made to locate not only this original car but also a second Mk 1 1275 Cooper S but painted Tartan red with a white roof which the Newey family once owned too. Unfortunately, all trace of these two original cars had been lost – a real shame. Consequently, the show organizers contacted Robert Young, and then via Nick Hunter asked for the loan of my car. I must admit that I was surprised that a red & black Mk1 S was not available closer to the London Docklands than Staffordshire! I had never shown or loaned a car out before and it sounded an interesting exercise, so I readily agreed. Who wouldn’t?
The conditions of the loan were agreed with the show organizer, Stuart Fennimore. This is an outline of how it was organized and what happened.
Transport It was agreed that the car would be collected and redelivered by a fully insured specialized car delivery firm using a covered truck – and what a truck. It was the driver’s first collection of the day, and the Mini looked a bit lost at the top of the ramp on the top deck of his eight car enclosed transporter.
Insurance The show organizers arranged comprehensive insurance from the moment it was collected from me until the car was safely returned. A few thoughts if you go this route; ensure that you have a copy of the valid insurance before releasing your car, make sure that the registration number is noted correctly and that you are satisfied with the valuation. Whilst it all worked out well for me in the end, it was a concern that not all of those points were in place when my car was collected.
Security Once the car was on site it was looked after by 24 hour security guards as well as extensive CCTV coverage. The venue was locked down at night.
The Show Using my complimentary guest ticket (the only financial plus) I met up with son James and we made our way to the Adrian Newey tribute stand, to find the car beautifully waxed, polished and roped off, standing on a white carpeted tiles. I had forgotten to mention the slight engine oil leak to them, but nothing was said afterwards!
It was very pleasant to be standing near the car and to hear the (mostly) positive remarks. The guys that were discussing the less than perfect fit of the doors understood better when I explained that it was a budget restoration carried out by an enthusiastic amateur - me.
The eagle eyed will have spotted that my car is an early 997 Cooper and not the S that it was purported to be (upgraded with a couple of small S badges glued on). But I know that, and now you know that, so what the heck - I might just leave them on.
All in all it`s been a fun exercise, and I have some more documents and photos for the file to add to the car`s history. Don Mitchell
16 | www.minicooper.org Somerford mini LimiTed SERVICING l SPARES l RESTORATION OTHER SERViCES Mini RESTORATiOn Although our name is synonymous Being a small company guarantees that our customers with restoration we offer other receive the best personal service throughout the services as well - anything from stages of their car’s restoration, from start to finish! replacing an indicator bulb to Usually, one car is assigned to one restorer, enabling preparing a race car, in fact the the work to be carried out with ease and perfection. CoMPlETE SErVICE for the Mini We are able to draw on our vast stock of both new and enthusiast. second-hand parts, including very specialised body panels which are not widely available, enabling us to l MOTs hand build a Mini that is ‘better than new!’. l Servicing l Accident Repair l Steam Cleaning l Valeting l Performance Conversions l Race Preparations l Restoration l Refurbishment l General Repairs l PARTS DEPARTMEnT Rust Proofing l We boast one of the BIGGEST and most comprehensive Valuations l All Spares and Accessories parts departments In ThE World! We cater for All l Customising Minis and variants from 1959 to 2000. If you want your Mini restoring, We carry 10,000 stock lines many of which are our team can do it. If you are doing GEnUInE rover parts. From a trim clip to a bodyshell, it yourself, we can supply all of we have everything covered and we manufacture a the parts and advice. If you are growing range of our own parts. Visit our WEBSITE, looking for expertise, knowledge, www.somerfordmini.co.uk which lists over 13,000 experience, quality, honesty and parts and is the best resource tool in the industry! the most complete service you will find anywhere then look no further... come and talk to the experts!
SOMERfORD Mini LiMiTED Unit 2 Broadfield Farm, Great Somerford, Chippenham, Wiltshire Sn15 5El Tel: 01249 721421 Fax: 01249 721316 Email: [email protected] Website: www.somerfordmini.co.ukMini Cooper Register | 17
SM050 Portrait A5 Advert.indd 1 24/09/2013 14:27 EVENTS
Bournemouth Weekend 2015 By Lesley Young
he last weekend in January is traditionally the time that a group On Saturday morning cars gathering for the run out, this year to Tof MCR members make their way to the Hinton Firs Hotel in Salisbury Cathedral with the route once again organised by Alan Bournemouth for a break from the dull, uneventful month of January, to Booth. Thank you to him for doing this at what I understand was meet up with friends and have some fun. This year was no exception rather short notice! Not everyone goes in a Mini or MINI of course, with around 80 members attending. The weekend officially starts so those that don’t are sent to the back of the field - well we can’t Friday afternoon in time for dinner in the evening, but over the years have our favourite cars sullied with other makes. We were lucky more and more people have taken the opportunity to arrive a day early to cadge a lift with Phil and Sue Dyson in their MINI so we didn’t and make an even longer weekend of it. This year around 40 people have to go at the back with the riff raff. Salisbury Cathedral, if you were there on the Thursday, including Robert and me. haven’t been, is a stunning place. It is usually home to one of the original Magna Carta documents but as 2015 is the 800th anniversary Josh Bromage, with a little help from his family, was again running the event of the signing of this very important document all four copies have and a very good job he made of it. He arranged a speaker for the Friday been taken to the British Library for a special exhibition, so we were evening, persuaded Alan Booth to organise another road run for Saturday only able to see a copy. morning, and asked Lyn and Barry Wood to put together one of their entertaining Kwizzes in the afternoon and everything flowed along nicely. After lunch at the Cathedral we headed back to the hotel for the Kwizz put on by Lyn and Barry. Seven teams of six people took The weather over the weekend was really very good. OK it was cold part with a wide variety of questions to stretch our brains. Lyn and but what do you expect at the end of January? When Robert and Barry had a hard time keeping control of a very rowdy lot querying I walked down into Bournemouth on Friday morning the sky was the answers but, fortunately, this year Barrie Williams was not Mediterranean blue without a cloud and it stayed dry all weekend. It did there as he is usually one of the most voluble hecklers. Our team feel at times as if the wind was coming from the Arctic, but that’s what came second (not for the first time that ‘we was robbed’) with the gloves and scarves were made for. winning team ‘The Infamous Five’ taking first prize and Team Frank taking the wooden spoon. Friday evening saw the rest of the party arriving and time to catch up with old friends and also meet new members including Andy and Lesley McLean, Then the fun really starts when everyone goes back to their rooms who had travelled up from Devon to see what went on at an MCR event. to change for the evening. The theme this year was the 60s and I just Bournemouth is obviously not your typical Mini Cooper event, but I know hope that we didn’t really wear clothes quite as outlandish as that that they enjoyed the weekend and were welcomed into the MCR fold, to in the 60s but perhaps we did. All generations think their fashions the extent that they have signed up to go again next year. We all enjoyed a are great but the 60s was particularly colourful or so it would seem very good meal before being entertained by Warwick Banks to a slide show judging from what people were wearing on the Saturday evening. It and talk about the various cars that he has been involved with in his life. was enough to put you off your dinner to see ex-Chairman Peter Warwick and Jane are regulars at the Bournemouth weekend so it was nice Barratt in bright red, shiny shirt and a long grey wig resembling a to have a bit of ‘in house’ entertainment. collection of Brillo pads complete with scarf tied round it. Some
18 | www.minicooper.org EVENTS
people were almost unrecognisable under their long wigs and pink sunglasses. Perhaps that was the idea! It’s a long time since I saw such a large collection of hippies gathered together in one place.
I was in my teens and early twenties in the 60s - I know it is hard to believe - so very much of an age when I wore mini skirts and hotpants. However, for everyone’s sanity I refrained from doing so at the weekend - now that would really have put you off your dinner. Everyone made a fantastic effort and if there had been a prize for best costume then it would most certainly have gone to Stella and Frank Willis who came as Mary Poppins and George Banks respectively and fantastic they looked too.
Dinner was followed by the annual raffle which is quite a cunning business plan if ever I heard of one. Everyone brings prizes, and then spends pounds on raffle tickets to win them all back. By the end of the weekend we had made over £400 for charity.
The evening was rounded off with dancing to Roy Gudge’s ‘Roy’s Record Machine’, obviously with sounds of the 60s and he managed to get plenty of people on the dance floor to recapture their long lost youth.
Sunday morning dawned bright and clear again so that everyone was able to head off after breakfast for a bracing walk along the cliffs either into Bournemouth or Boscombe. Our group even sat outside and had a coffee - not bad for the 1st February. The weekend then finished with lunch, farewells to friends and the journey home.
I am sure all who attended would want me to thank those involved in the organisation of the weekend. Here’s to next year - make a note in your diary for 29th to 31st January 2016 - when we will be back to black tie and posh frocks for Saturday evening. Lesley Young
Photos by Robert Young
Mini Cooper Register | 19 EVENTS
20 | www.minicooper.org EVENTS
Mini Cooper Register | 21 EVENTS BournemouthAutosport International Weekend –2015 The Racing Car Show 2015 By Pete Flanagan
The MCR debut at the 2015 Racing Car Show
22 | www.minicooper.org EVENTS
Derek and Nick Wilkins’ C&CC Cox GTM
Works MG Metro Turbo as raced by Patrick Watts in the 1984 BTCC
Swiftune’s cut-away race engine
Nick Swift’s Longman replica, soon to return to Goodwood!
n late November I was offered the opportunity to put together a Idisplay of cars to celebrate 50 years since the birth of the iconic Recreating its appearance at the 1966 Racing Cars and Car Conversions magazine at the 2015 Autosport Show, Car Show was Pete Flanagan’s Unipower GT a show not known for inviting classic car clubs, so an opportunity I thought not to be wasted. As many will remember, the magazine was The Firefighters Racing Team Mini regularly furnished with Mini related articles, conversions, reviews and motorsport during the heyday of the title in the 1960’s, even to the point of the occasional spiky letter of complaint from the odd disappointed Jaguar owning reader!
‘Triple C’ first appeared on news stands across the land in 1965, having been refined from its previous incarnation ’Cars Illustrated’ and was in print until its demise in 2003, when the demand for home car tuning and modification evidently hit the buffers in favour of more glamorous alternatives.
Held at the NEC, as it has been for 25 years now, the Autosport Show was set to take place on the 9th and 10th of January. This meant that, realistically, I had about three weeks to make arrangements and locate some appropriate cars, and as the only
Mini Cooper Register | 23 EVENTS
Maria Brown’s Mighty Mini
Peter Lewis’ ex Richard cars I knew that were actually competed Hudson Evans rally car by the magazine staff were all either Minis, or Mini derivatives, I thought it a good opportunity for the MCR to host the display.
Ian Hitchman worked quickly to provide a gazebo, a Triple C banner was hastily designed and ordered and, with the Christmas break looming closer, I set to work to collect the cars before the carol singing set in..
First to jump in with both feet was Derek Wilkins, with his recently repaired ex Richard Hudson Evans Cox GTM, now looking resplendent once again after its recent skirmish. Next was another car competed by the former magazine editor – Richard’s famous 1963 Austin Cooper S rally car: ‘3000 KV’, now owned (and rallied) by Peter Lewis (as it has been for many years!). Another car to add to the group was a 970 powered special saloon racer belonging to young Jordan Pickup. This heavily modified 1959 Austin Mini was built and raced by Triple C’s Fred Game in the early 70s, the build of the car being extensively covered in the magazine and was only purchased by Jordan in 2013. Both Jordan, and pal Luke, are now researching the car’s history and have already been in touch with Fred himself. Last but not least was my own 1275 ‘S’ powered 1966 Unipower GT; a race car all it’s life which was originally displayed at the
24 | www.minicooper.org EVENTS
The ex Fred Game 1959 Special Saloon racer
1966 Racing Car Show, owned and raced from new by Janspeed’s Geoff Mabbs and hillclimbed and sprinted in 1968 by Triple C’s ad manager Brian Harvey, again with reports in the magazine. Donington Sadly, the ex Will Sparrow C&CC rally car couldn’t be with us but the four cars drew lots of comment throughout the weekend and raised many a smile from former readers of the magazine, with many Historic Festival a membership form also being handed out. Many thanks go out to Nick and Derek Wilkins for all their hard work, Peter Lewis and Jordan Pickup for bringing their cars and for their excellent company over the Sunday May 3rd 2015 weekend. A first as far as I know for the MCR at the Autosport Show but who knows, maybe not the last? I am again offering to organise an MCR presence at Pete Flanagan this marvellous Midlands racing circuit on Sunday May 3rd. I am after members who would like to show their vehicles at this meeting, and it will be on a first come first served basis as space is always limited due to all the classic car clubs who take part.
Details of discounted ticket deals for attendees will follow. More general information is available from the official Donington website www.doningtonhistoric.com To contact me phone 01664 566614 and leave a message or email me on [email protected] with your contact and car details.
Thank you. Jerry Filor
Mini Sport’s Monte replica
Mini Cooper Register | 25 EVENTS
The London Classic Car Show By David Young
o soon after the New Year, no motor racing to watch, weather a bit The first exhibit I came across was half a Mini, it took me 10 minutes Schangeable, so no outdoor photography to do, so what happens? to take 3 pictures of it as there were people everywhere and they Two shows about Racing Cars in the same week - decisions, decisions. kept walking in front of me. So, I decided to go round the show Well The London Classic Car Show at the Excel Centre in London won anti-clockwise. The next exhibit was a black Jaguar SS100, it looked out being nearest to home and more of a chance to meet some new like it had just come out the factory at Coventry for the first time. customers. I did miss going to the Autosport Show though, especially What a car, I was in love! Back down to reality, and there was a red as the MINI Challenge had a number of cars and drivers at the show. and white Ex Works Mini Cooper S, registered 8 EMO, owned and Well looking at photos on Facebook made me feel that I should have loved by James Martin. Next to that was James’s Pre 66, Appendix K, gone! In my opinion the Autosport Show is too big and aimed at either Mini Cooper S in dark blue, then opposite to that was another of his racers or petrol heads, hopefully I am neither of these; I just have a love loved cars the Ex Works Mk2 Mini Cooper S OBL 48F. All of his cars of everything Mini. on display were beautifully finished, gleaming with their bonnets up for all the world to see. I also managed to bump into the Chairman Getting to the London Excel exhibition Centre is extremely easy from of the MCR (my bruver), his wife ( my sister in law), Paul Sulma (no anywhere in the UK, a trip to London (South of Watford), Jubilee line relation) and a few other familiar faces. to Canning Town, DLR to Prince Regent and you are at the Excel. £25 was the entry fee, £22 online or free if you have a press pass or know Over the other side of the Hall was a large display of Adrian an exhibitor or two. Newey’s ‘motoring toys’. Of note was a red and black Mk 1 Cooper ‘S’ (actually a 997 Cooper dressed up as an S) belonging to Don My first impressions upon arrival at the show were it’s a bit small. Mitchell. The car was sourced by the MCR to represent the ‘S’ that Well, I should have expected that I suppose, the Excel is spread Adrian’s dad once owned in the 60s, sadly retired to a scrap yard or over a 100 acres, the press releases harked on about that fact a few recycled into a Fiat! times. In another exhibition hall next door there also happened to be the Boat Show on at the same time. After spending a while James May had his own little area set aside for his favourite cars finding the entry point N9, I was finally inside the show. All very and autographs. However, the highlight of the show was the ‘Grand modern stands, predominantly black, shiny cars everywhere, Avenue’ with some of the most valued Classic Cars, F1’s, BRM261, loads of reflections and lots of people on a Friday morning with an Lotus 87 JPS, Maserati, McLaren M23, AC Cobra, Oldsmobile, average age of about 65. Lagonda, Jaguar S1, Bentleys (4 and 4 ½ Litre) and a Morris 8! At
26 | www.minicooper.org James Martin’s Racing Appendix K Cooper S EVENTS
Half a Mini various times during the day some of the cars were driven up and Don Mitchell’s 997 Cooper dressed down the avenue, one of those being the Camel Lotus 101 F1 with a as Adrian Newey’s Cooper S Judd engine at 130db! LOUD!!!!.
The other great display was the Le Mans –The Icons. A Bentley from 2003, a Porsche 956, a Ford GT40, a Jaguar XJR9 Silk Cut from 1988( I was there) and a Ferrari 512S owned by Nick Mason.
I went round the whole show twice; it took less than 2 hours. It was a bit too small, the quality of cars was superb and that is the thought I took away. For a first time of running I am sure the organisers have a lot of notes of things to change for next year and some to leave alone. Location was spot on, quality of the cars was spot on, exhibitors very good but must try harder to get more. The date it was held not sure. They must try and not coincide with the Autosport show or, maybe (just a thought) run the two shows together at the same location and rename it The Autosport Show in London Excel incorporating the Classic Car Show. A bit like the Racing Car show used to be!
Looking forward to next year already! A great show. David Young
OBL48F Ex Works MkII Cooper S of James Martin
Under bonnet view of James’s 8 EMO
Mini Cooper Register | 27 MEMBERS’ ARTICLES
Swiftune’s latest 1275GT By Robert Young
fter the storming performance of the Patrick Motors’ 1275 GT replica that Swiftune built for Alast year’s Goodwood 72nd Members’ Meeting, it was only to be expected that they would rise to the challenge and build another for the 73rd Goodwood Members’ Meeting.
However, rather than replicating a well known contender from the 70s, this year a private entry 1275 GT from those heady days of Mini racing was to be built. The car in question is one that was owned by a privateer, Jon Mowatt, who raced the car at the Grand Prix saloon car meetings in 1978, 79 and 80. Swiftune actually sold the car for Jon in the 90s and after it passed through numerous hands it ended up abroad. It is now owned by Swiftune. Jon Mowatt, the first owner, was delighted to see the car when it was brought back to the UK last year and was even more delighted to hear that his old car would be racing once again.
Glyn Swift, the father figure literally of Swiftune, and an old friend of Jon’s, was entrusted with the build of the car and, perhaps therefore, a brief history of Swiftune and Glyn in particular would not go amiss here.
Jon Mowatt had a rolling road tuning business premises very close to Glyn Swift’s first garage Glyn Swift just off the A127, at North Benfleet in Essex, where Swiftune had moved to in the early 70s. Nick Swift, on his father’s knee, at the tender age of four was working stripping gearboxes off the engine blocks even back then! Well, in fact Glyn would crack the nuts and the young Nick, in this white coat trailing on the ground, would then, massive spanner in hand, slowly but surely undo each and every nut – little acorns! Early employees at Swiftune’s Benfleet premises were Dave Mountain, who went on to be a fine engine tuner and no mean driver himself, setting up Mountune and also, dating back to the early days, was Colin Pagan who, to this very day, is still working three days a week at Swiftune and is responsible for helping fitting up much of this new car.
Glyn was, to earn extra money whilst still running Swiftune, employed by Ford, in Essex obviously, at their engine branch. However, having the luxury of working the night shift, the eight hour shift was spent hurriedly getting through his Ford commitments and spending the rest of the night working on Mini engines at the Ford facility, until Ford suggested that perhaps he’d be better employed elsewhere!
Glyn had started playing with Minis almost from the beginning, using a Mini Van in Autocross after having become disillusioned with scrambling motor bikes, reckoning cars would be safer. He soon graduated to a 997 Cooper and saw much success. This was soon to evolve into running his own Cooper S, first in a 970 then a 1275 to run in the first of the TV Rallycross programmes in the late 60s. However, the car’s constant thirst for drive shafts led Glyn to head to the race track in the early 70s.
28 | www.minicooper.org MEMBERS’ ARTICLES
The desire to escape to the country life however beckoned and meant Glyn and his family moved to Devon to take up farming. The life of a farmer proved neither idyllic nor lucrative, so Glyn took on work building Rallycross Fiesta engines for a few very successful drivers and, of course, was still building Mini engines and also modifying cylinder heads. At about this time Nick Swift was showing potential charging around the farm in a Mini and so Glyn built an 850 Mini Cross car for the young 16 year old. This would be the start of Nick’s success in Minis, as he was a formidable opponent and notoriously rolled the car into a ball when leading a race by over half a lap! To widen the competition from the local sand-races and autocross, the couple would regularly travel to Kent and Essex to compete, always with their own built machines. It was therefore logical that Glyn and the family would move to Kent and in 1986 he bought a bungalow, with some land, on the A28 near Bethersden, and Swiftune was born again.
From there, their business flourished and Glyn continued to race as did Nick, all from a large, comfortable and well equipped 800 square foot shed at the side of the house. With business on the increase, a move to their present premises, a few miles away, three years later was a logical move. Glyn and Nick continued to build the business, based on their racing success and that of the growing number of customers and with the upsurge of interest in Historic racing doing the company no harm at all.
In 2005, Glyn ‘retired’ from day to day working at Bethersden as in 1998 he had bought a large old strawberry farm near Lydd airport on Romney Marsh. This he turned into a thriving mobile home and caravan holiday home business. But you can’t keep an old dog down and Glyn has now built himself a very impressive workshop and garage where the latest car is being built and it was here that I visited Glyn and Colin in early February as they rushed to complete the build of the car for its first shake down test later in the month.
The car looked splendid in its fresh gleaming white paint work and with its period graphics applied, complete with period sponsors decals, it looked every bit a car from the seventies. Of course the multi point welded in rollcage gives the game away. The car is powered by a Swiftune built 1300 engine running on split Webers and giving around 140bhp on the dyno. The crank is one of their SC3 billet crankshafts with an additional counter balance to smooth the revs out. Their SW23 full race cam shaft is obviously fitted, as is Swiftune’s recast 940 cylinderhead. The three branch manifold is wrapped and has a side exit with no silencer. The dog box runs a 3.9 diff with an LSD and is rod change. The block is dry decked and fitted with a high torque starter and light weight race alternator. It has to be remembered that this is definitely not an Appendix K racer and is run under the guidance of the Goodwood organisers.
Mini Cooper Register | 29 MEMBERS’ ARTICLES
Running 13 inch wheels, on Minator Minilite rims fitted with Avon tyres, the car runs four pot calipers and vented discs and the lower arms and tie rods are adjustable. The suspension is dry with Koni shock absorbers, complete with early original HiLo adjustable struts. The rear end runs adjustable camber and caster brackets and has a sizeable rear anti roll bar fitted. In the boot is a Swiftune aluminium fuel tank across the floor. Inside the car a neat Stacks instrument panel is carefully fixed over the standard 1275GT instrument pod behind an OMP suede steering wheel. A gel battery sits on the floor along with the mandatory LifeLine plumbed in fire extinguisher. A beautiful lightweight loom has been crafted by Si-Leck from New Romney and looks superb.
Hopefully, when the car gets its shake down, it will be ready for the Goodwood Members’ Meeting when Glyn will be partnered by Jason Plato – I just hope he treats the car with just a little more respect than he does his BTCC mounts. I doubt Glyn will want to bring the car back in a carrier bag. Thanks to Glyn and Swiftune for their hospitality and it will be interesting to see father and son lock horns on the hallowed Goodwood track (as they have done on many occasions) as Nick, accompanied by Andrew Jordan the 2013 BTCC Champion, will also be contesting the Gerry Marshall Trophy Salon Car race in last year’s Patrick Motors car – should be fun. Robert Young
30 | www.minicooper.org Telephone 01984 629540
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Mini Cooper Register | 31
WEBSITE AND FORUM CORNER
Website and Forum Corner By Graham W. Robinson - Webmaster
ell I’m pleased to say that the forum has settled down nicely There is one thing that I have spotted that I am curious about. I will say now Wnow and we continue to attract new members, particularly that I don’t really have an answer, maybe an MCR member reading this has. from abroad. Of particular note are; John Sprinzel, who now lives in Hawaii, and Tom Seal who lives in France, both having joined We now have around 570 registered users of the forum and I can tell you that recently and are very welcome members to the forum. Hopefully, around 50% of the total are MCR members. However, when you look to see other well known Mini personalities will join us in due course. Their who is doing the posting it’s probably 80-90% who are MCR members. Just to future contributions to the forum are no doubt going to be eagerly remind you, MCR members user names come up in red and non-members come anticipated I am sure of that. up in blue. Save for a few regular ‘blue’ posters does that mean that the rest of the ‘blues’ join the forum but either have no intention of posting anything or In general though, more and more discussion and comments have don’t like to because they feel they are an outsider? Is it that they are simply been posted and I have been delighted with both the number and looking for information and nothing more than that? I don’t know. quality of photos that have been posted. We’ve also had quite a few photos, particularly of racing and rallying Minis dating back to the Can we do anything to get the ‘blues’ to contribute more? Probably not but I 1960s that are new to many of us. Keep up the good work everyone! wonder if anyone else would like to comment on this?
As well as some small alterations to the forum one new feature we have There’s a rider to this. Since posting it I checked on a few of the regular introduced recently is ‘Tell a Friend’. As the name implies if you have forum users who had their usernames in blue to discover that they were a friend, MCR member or not, who you think would enjoy belonging actually MCR members but had failed to give their membership number to the forum you can now easily let them know. Fill in their name and when registering! So, as an MCR member reading this, if you have email address along with your own name and off will go an invitation registered for the forum and your user name appears in blue then please from you for them to join the forum. It’s as easy as that. contact me with your membership number. I’ll then get it changed over so that your username appears in red. You’ll then be able to see what you have We have also uploaded more back editions of CooperWorld for you missed under the ‘MCR Members only’ section of the forum! As I’ve said on to look at. In due course we hope to go as far back as we can with the the forum we need to get you changed over from litmus blue to litmus red. pdfs that are available. I’m hoping that by having as many back editions You will have passed the acid test! as possible on the forum we build up a sort of reference library that will be of use to all members. It will also be of interest to members We’ve made a few amendments to the website. In particular ‘Minis who have recently joined. They will be able to read articles that they to ….’ and the Home page have been updated, the latter with more have not previously seen. photos that I believe help to show more of what the club is all about. Please have a look and a read. The following is a repeat of something I posted on the forum during January. If you haven’t seen it before here’s what I said. That’s it for this month. I’m now off to have a byte!
As you might expect I continue to monitor this forum to see how it is going Graham W. Robinson Webmaster and try and spot any problems or trends. [email protected] Minis to Ireland 17 September – 24 September 2015
The Mini Cooper Register will be promoting our second Touring Assembly to Ireland in 2015. The event will run along the lines of our much acclaimed Minis to Monte format, with a fully detailed Tulip road book and back up service provided by the organisers. The event will start and finish in the UK at the Fishguard ferry port, where we will journey over to Rosslare in Ireland to begin our seven day tour, using some of the best and scenic motoring roads Ireland has to offer. This year we are majoring on the spectacular peninsulars on the west coast of Ireland. This is the planned itinerary for the approximate 1200 mile route: Thursday 17 September - 2.30 pm boat from Fishguard to Rosslare in Ireland, staying in Co. Wexford. Friday 18 September - Leave the hotel and travel across to the west of Ireland staying outside Kenmare at Sneem for three nights. Saturday 19 September - Circular tour taking in Healy Pass, Mizen Head etc. on the western peninsulars and returning to Sneem. Sunday 20 September - Circular tour, this time on the Dingle peninsular and returning to Sneem. Monday 21 September - Leave hotel and travel via the Tarbut Ferry up to Connemara to stay two nights at the Renvyle House Hotel. Tuesday 22 September - Circular route to Westport and Achill Island returning to the Renvyle Hotel. Wednesday 23 September - Leave hotel and travel south west staying at the Ferrycarrig Hotel near Rosslare. Thursday 24 September - Leave hotel early for 9 am boat from Rosslare back to Fishguard, UK. The entry fee per car, including the ferry crossing, for two people sharing a room, staying seven nights in premium quality hotels, including dinner every night and breakfast will be £1395. The entry is being restricted to 40 cars and holding deposits of £295 are now being taken to secure an early entry. Credit card payments are accepted with two further stage payment being required at the end of March and June. Regulations will be available to download from the MCR website or can be requested from the Secretary of the meeting, who is now taking deposits. Secretary of the Meeting, Robert Young, Spring Cottage, Small Hythe, Tenterden, Kent, TN30 7NE. 01580 763975 or [email protected]
32 | www.minicooper.org Mini Day at Brooklands
Sunday 29th March, 2015
The Mini Cooper Register will be attending this event and has reserved space for 20 cars.
If you would like to represent the club and are willing to display your car Please contact Ken Hunter, Thames Valley Region
Contact Ken Hunter on 01344 772446 email [email protected]
Mini Cooper Register | 33 LETTERS
Bournemouth Weekend 2015 If you do not have an MOT certificate it is now the owner’s responsibility to ensure these pre 1960 cars are roadworthy.
Just thought I would jot down a few words of thanks etc. after our This change in the MOT legislation shifts responsibility for wonderful weekend at Bournemouth – staged at the Hinton Firs roadworthiness from the MOT station to the owner. Insurance Hotel for the 33rd consecutive year!!! companies told me that if a pre 1960 car was involved in an accident without an MOT, it would have its insurance invalidated if I would like to first of all thank everybody who supported the the insurance investigator considered the car to be unroadworthy. weekend and helped me make it another excellent event. My heartfelt thanks go to Warwick Banks for his fascinating look There are a very small number of pre 1960 Minis, but this MOT into his life, both motoring and aviation for which I have a passion change has far reaching implications for the classic car market, with for both. Great photos Warwick! a number of classic cars on the road registered before 1960.
Many thanks also to Alan Booth for again arranging a superb route It would therefore, seem prudent to still get an MOT certificate to and drive to Salisbury Cathedral – as mentioned in my after dinner ensure your vehicle has insurance cover in the event of an accident. speech it was perfect timing for us as the scaffolding came off the Rather than save the cost of an MOT, then having to argue with an Cathedral a few weeks ago for the first time in 14 years – so we insurance assessor about the cars state of roadworthiness. were lucky enough to see it at its best. Richard Pengelly Thanks again goes to Lynne and Barry for heading up the popular Saturday afternoon quiz – well attended as always!!! John Cooper Garages conversions – New MINI Thanks also to Roy Grudge for putting the finishing touches to our 60s themed crazy fancy dress by putting on a great performance with It was interesting to read John Parnell’s comments in the January his music till the early hours – the dance floor was not left empty all CooperWorld regarding the inconsistent record-keeping and night and I think the foundations of the hotel received a battering as numbering of the various John Cooper Garages conversions and well! As always without your help it would not be easy to keep a full Peter Laidler’s response in the February issue. programme of entertainment going for the whole weekend. The same problem is now apparent with the early versions of new Thanks of course go to all of the staff at Hinton Firs for continuing Mini conversion kits offered by JC Garages as well as the BMW to put up with us crazy people for a whole weekend. But I think dealer fitted JCW’s conversions. they secretly enjoy it as much as we all did! All Minis fitted with these kits should have an engine plate and matching It was good to meet some new friends this year – I know you had numbered certificate with the dealers stamp and Mike Cooper’s a great time – pass the word around and lets go for a completely signature. However, fake copies of both of these are readily available full house next year, although as always, we were almost the sole on the internet. It is very difficult for any potential purchaser to tell by occupancy of the hotel yet again. visual inspection of the engine alone if they are buying the real thing.
And finally, thanks to all of you who so generously participated in In my case I have a very rare 220bhp conversion fitted to my the monumental raffle and for the generous prizes donated - all 2003 R53 Mini Cooper S. This was fitted by Tony Franks (MINI proceeds go this year to Alzheimer’s Research. Thanks to all who Motorsport Centre and Ex JC Garages) who has authenticated it helped sell, fold tickets, and distribute prizes….it is a marathon task for me. However, it was fitted some years after a 210bhp JCW’s to get through in a short space of time. conversion kit was fitted by the supplying BMW dealer. So, I now have a signed and stamped JCW’s certificate for the original 210bhp conversion Hopefully most of you have already completed your Priority Booking but the engine plate has a different number because it was fitted for the Form and handed it back to the hotel to secure your place for 2016. If later 220bhp conversion and no certificate was issued for this. not do not worry – just contact the hotel as soon as possible to reserve your place. Just to remind you next year’s dress code will be ‘Black Tie’. However, the plot thickens because the engine plate number is 72 but having spoken to Tony Franks and Mike Cooper who As I already start to make preparations for next year’s event, if you have both confirmed that they only ever built about six of these have any special requests please let me know so I can try to include very expensive 220bhp conversions. When I discussed my car’s them in the weekend’s events. history with Tony Franks, he confirmed that they basically supplied an engine plate and matching numbered certificate at random I know some photos have started to be added to Mini Cooper with each kit that was manufactured. So, there is still no logical Facebook and the forum – please add some more so everybody can sequencing of the engine codes and no formal records were kept. see what we were up to! As I do not have a copy of the original invoice for the supply and fitting If you need to reach me for anything I can be contacted on 07950 of the 220bhp conversion, it is now very difficult to authenticate the 753299 or via email [email protected] engine without the benefit of Tony Franks expert knowledge of my car.
Josh Bromage At least with the original JC Garages conversions for the Rover Mini, I’m guessing there are plenty of visible clues to the authenticity Cars registered before 1960 of the engine including cylinder head number/colour, carbs, manifold etc as well as the chassis plate on cars like the RSP ‘S’.
During a visit to the Classic Motor show at the NEC last November With the passing of time, it will become ever more difficult to I had the opportunity to talk to a number of insurance companies. authenticate the originality of the modern John Cooper Works conversions for pre-BMW factory built Mini’s without the full Cars registered before 1960 now do not require an MOT documentation and original invoice being retained with the vehicle. certificate. Cars with an MOT certificate have by implication, a certificate that says the car is roadworthy, valid for 12 months. Ian Hughes
34 | www.minicooper.org classicline* FOR LITTLE RISKS INSURANCE
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Mini Cooper Register | 35 THE ARCHIVE − Robert Young
Broadspeed Cooper S
s we’ve not had much sent into the AArchive recently, I did a ‘lucky dip’ into the Archive and retrieved an article that our good friend, and the one person who has contributed more to the Archive than any other member, Philip Splett had sent in. The article I picked out was from AutoCar and the December 1965 issue, where they road tested the Broadspeed Cooper S, BOP 243C.
These very successful Broadspeed cars were always painted in their attractive and distinctive colour scheme of metallic maroon with a contrasting silver roof. The accompanying Rose-petal wheels were invariably black with a spun alloy rim, all very racy. This colour scheme saw Broadspeed through their Mini phase and onto Ford Anglias and latterly Escorts. A wonderful era.
The interior of BOP showing the unique Broadspeed driver’s seat and a spare can of oil in the rear pocket for that heavy oil consumption.
It was not all sweetness and light however, as not only was the diff less than reliable (the last Broadspeed race retirement was due to LSD failure) it was a handful on anything other than smooth tarmac. Rougher roads, or worse still, a road with damp patches, saw the car darting all over the place. Not good for the blood pressure. I guess this must have been the result of putting a huge preload on the diff to make it work so effectively on the track. John Fitzpatrick reckoned however, that the diff alone was worth an extra 2 seconds a lap around Silverstone. The diff ratio used on the car was a rather short 3.94:1, which was the ideal ratio for Silverstone, apparently, BOP 243C, fresh from the race track and now used on the giving, with the 8500 rev limit, a top speed of 121mph. The shorter 3.7 road - very exciting. diff would return 130mph, but not offer the same acceleration. All this performance gained from an 118bhp engine, consisting largely of mass- But of course it was not all looks with the Broadspeed cars; they were produced components, and running on H4 SU carbs. Most of the specialist also well engineered, very quick and invariably the fastest of the group race components were from the BMC Special Tuning Department. 2 Minis on the track. However, the all important cylinder head was a very special home grown item from Broadspeed. To stop this lot, the brakes were largely standard The Autocar testers were warned not to use more that 8500 other than the fitting of harder pads and brake linings (DA6 pads and VG95 rpm with the car and to use the set of race plugs provided for linings). It was noted by Fitzpatrick that this was not such a problem as the any performance testing they needed. The car had come straight brakes were only used infrequently when racing! from the racetrack and only had a set of dipping headlamps fitted, plus an exhaust box to make it road legal. And so the AutoCar scribes were let loose with the car. However, running the car through the Birmingham traffic proved to be no problem. The car reportedly was happy to trundle along at 2000 rpm with no fuss or lumpiness – this from an engine with a 649 race camshaft and 12.2:1 compression. No choke was fitted to the car and so starting was effected by pouring neat fuel into the open carb intakes. Once warmed up, the car started faultlessly.
For the track, the car was fitted with an early limited slip diff, which was available as a special order from Abingdon at £59. The diff took the testers by surprise with the clonking and jerking resulting from the transmission when turning slowly. However, once the car was driven ‘correctly’, the performance gain from the diff was said to be remarkable. The car seemed to exhibit no understeer whatsoever, the driving technique used being to arrive fast at a corner, give a quick tweak of the wheel towards the apex of the corner, then floor the throttle, whilst simultaneously paying off the tail slide with opposite lock. Power on in mid corner merely seemed to pull the The Broadspeed engine compartment with its trademark front wheels further into the apex. chrome rocker cover. 36 | www.minicooper.org Interestingly the car was also fitted with Broadspeed’s much modified hydrolastic suspension, which was reportedly very harsh. Coupled with the Dunlop R7 race tyres (run at 52psi front, 48psi rear), albeit on magnesium wheels and that diff, did make the car a handful on public roads, which I suppose is only to be expected for a race car out of its normal environment. A ‘road’ version was available from Broadspeed with virtually the same specification but with a slightly lower compression ratio and carb changes at £100 including fitting (which I guess would also exclude the LSD). 30 S 1985 YEAR 2015 To this basic £100 kit could also be added the special Broadspeed bucket seat fitted to BOP, along with the larger oil cooler and straight cut gears – all of which I think I would have been wanting on such a car, so I’m not sure what the final bill for the car’s ‘extras’ The ‘BEST’ Deal In would run out to on top of the £100 kit. But, by today’s figures, it all seems a bit of a bargain to me! CLASSIC MINI INSURANCE Looking for a NEW policy or just a great deal on your RENEWAL, our classic car policies deliver exceptional cover at very affordable premiums
The tail end view of BOP - the view most people will see. Single Car from Special Rates Policies £70 for Collections As for the performance figures, well, AutoCar screwed in that set of Champion N60R spark plugs, and off they went to burn Multi-Car up to FREE Agreed Value % some rubber. The figures were remarkable. AutoCar stated that Discounts 50 the car was quicker in all departments than their V8 Sunbeam FREE Breakdown & Tiger, and nearly as quick as their 4.2 Jaguar E-type. For the Modern & Classic Recovery record, 0-60mph was reached in 8.2 seconds (11.2 standard), Cars on One Policy more remarkable was the 0-90 time of 19.3 seconds, a full All Minis 10 years 15.4 seconds quicker than a standard 1275 S. With the short MCR Member Discounts & older gearing, but the high rev limit, the maximum speed in the gears were 47, 68, 98, 121 mph, the standard car giving up at 33, 54, Terms & Conditions apply 74, and 97 mph respectively. This all came at a price of rather poor fuel consumption of 25.5 mpg, although the standard car’s PBIS only uses High Quality Insurers. consumption was not quoted. However, more alarmingly was the oil consumption at a staggering 75 miles per pint – the car Classic Car - Modern Car - Classic 4x4 must have been running like a 2 stroke! Classic Military - Classic Bike - Classic Commercial I’m not sure just how many of the super quick cars Broadspeed sold for road use, as most would perhaps have been destined for the race track anyway. I believe few, if any, have survived - and if any have, has the oil consumption improved with age?
Until next month 30 YEARS OF QUALITY CLASSIC CAR INSURANCE Robert Young
01376www.peterbestinsurance.co.uk 574000
Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
Mini Cooper Register | 37 COMPETITION DEWS 2015 Hill Climb and Speed Championship By Barbara Alexander
egulations for the DEWS R2015 Hill Climb and Speed Championship are now available, with a variety of classes for all Minis, from standard road going, right up to a fully modified race car. Also included is a class for the BMW Mini and a free class for any other car. Several MCR members have competed in previous years and the DEWS club has been well received by other motor clubs who organise the events. Whereas currently the majority of the events are based in the South West, the club is keen to expand to other areas of the country with events now further afield to include Goodwood, Prescott, Loton Park and Harewood.
Fancy having a go? Don’t worry if it’s all new to you, this year DEWS is offering a ‘Buddy’ system where an experienced member can help and guide you on your first few events - maybe even show you a few secret ‘lines’ to take! So if you are interested then please contact Mike Mark by email [email protected] or have a look at the website www.dewsc.org.uk for further information.
Ian Jarman and other DEWS competitors waiting to start at Goodwood 38 | www.minicooper.org COMPETITION
EVENTS
Newbie Malcolm Francis enjoying himself at Gurston Down
Preliminary dates are:
9th April Clay pigeon sprint 25-26th April Wiscombe Park hill climb 9th May Llandow sprint 16-17th May Wiscombe Park hill climb 16th May Goodwood sprint 13-14th June Charmouth hill climb 20th June Castle Combe sprint 27-28th June Prescott hill climb 18-19thJuly Gurston hill climb Tony Salter at Loton Park (Green Rover Cooper) 19th July Clay pigeon sprint 25-26thJuly Wiscombe Park hill climb 1-2nd August Harewood hill climb 1st August Goodwood sprint 29-30th August Loton Park hill climb 5-6th September Wiscombe Park hill climb 12th September Wiscombe Park hill climb 26-27th September Charmouth hill climb 4th October Clay pigeon sprint
Barbara Alexander
01473 740148
83 Dales Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 4JR
Mini Cooper Register | 39
Mini Cooper Register | 13 REGISTERS REGISTERS
very limited volumes and high production costs there had to be a Ex-Works and Competition Car Register compromise and the current SP44 is the result - and one in just a summer compound. However, after discussions with Chris he now tells me that it would most definitely be possible to manufacture Avon Arctic steels the SP44 in a different compound, all they need is enough people interested in it, and some advice as to what compound would be I was contacted recently by Chris best. The current stock of the standard summer type compound Marchant of Vintage Tyres at Beaulieu will run out in the next few months and so a new batch will likely be with the news that they were perhaps ordered and the opportunity will then arise to manufacture the tyres thinking of reintroducing the Avon in perhaps alternative compounds. Arctic Steel 145 x 10 off road tyre. The story goes that the original moulds of To reaffirm, the current prices of these tyres, the 145SR10 Dunlop the Arctic Steel recently turned up at SP44 is currently available at £129 each + vat. As a guide, they the Avon factory, so the question was anticipate the unit cost of the Avon Arctic Steel to be just below £100 posed about remanufacturing them. each largely because a usable mould exists, plus production could be These tyres, of course, were never underway relatively quickly if the demand is there. Incidentally, we have used on Works Minis but were used by been offered a 5% discount off these prices if you tell them you’re clubmen as an alternative to the tried Robert Young from the MCR. So, if you are interested in the Avon Arctic Steels do and tested Dunlop SP44s. The benefit of email Maria at Vintage Tyres. If you’d like to persuade Chris to make the Avon would be that it is easily able the SP44 in a winter compound, email him at [email protected]. to take studs and they would be made available in a winter compound We should be pleased that we have these options and top marks for if the demand was there. The other added bonus would be, unlike the Vintage Tyres for giving us the choice. Do give them your views. SP44s, the mould already exists and, hence, the cost per cover would be appreciably less. You will recall that drawings and the moulds had to James Martin’s Minis be remade for the SP44 before manufacture could take place. Attending the all new London Classic Car Show at the London Excel in January, it was good to see club member, and celebrity chef, James Martin displaying all three of his Minis - the two Ex-Works Minis, 8 EMO and OBL 48F and the Appendix K historic race car. All three were on display at the ‘James Martin’s Classic Cafe’. This was, as you can imagine, the eating area at the exhibition and apart for James concocting the recipes for the food carts, he made an appearance there, dashing between his other commitments at the Cruise Show in an adjoining hall. He must have been exhausted after three days of that. It was really nice to see these three cars together and the attention that they received, amongst all of the other cars around was gratifying and in no small part ensured (if you stood there long enough) that all the MCR members at the show congregated together.
Arctic steels to be remade?
I have my reservations, that despite the lower price, the Under bonnet detail of 8 EMO remanufacture of the Avon will be viable. I only have a distant memory of driving a car with these fitted, an Escort I believe, with Peter Smith, James’ stepfather, was in attendance, chaperoning the cars these tyres and around that time the Goodyear Ultragrip was the and it was good to catch up and chat some more about the cars. It’s off road tyre of choice for many, and so the Avon was a lower been a while since I’d had a good look around 8 EMO and despite the cost option then. Whether the lower price of the Avons will be an car being regularly used at Goodwood Festival of Speed, on that less attractive alternative to Dunlop SP44s I’m not too sure. For a tyre than forgiving rally stage, it is still in good order. I don’t like the addition that was not fitted as standard, nor used widely in competition, I of the front cage but well understand why it is there. I was also fooled by feel the demand might not be great, despite the price. But let’s not the upward opening driver’s door handle - probably one of the best anti prejudge it, you can decide. theft devises I’ve seen! Under the bonnet, sensibly the carbs had socks over the ram pipes - almost essential for that dusty Goodwood stage and Compounds are another issue. In fulfilling the demand for the SP44, although Abingdon invariably used open ram pipes, no matter what the it soon became clear to Vintage Tyres that there were two different conditions, engine life expectancies were only ever for one event. More types of customer, one that was simply interested in authenticity and modest mortals prefer their engines to last just a bit longer. the other purely interested in a rally type competition tyre. With 40 | www.minicooper.org REGISTERS
This meant that the float chamber was now vertical. Thus now REGISTERS no need for the extensions you would think. However, their use persisted and has persisted to this very day. Talking to Nick Swift, he tells me that he takes advantage of the extra fuel height that is available to ensure that he adjusts the fuel level to exactly the top of the jet. That way the needle works as it should as soon as the throttle is opened and the needle rises in the jet. To ensure that the carb does not flood, the fork which acts on the brass float bowl, and by that shuts off the needle valve and the fuel supply, needs careful adjusting to make sure the fuel level is just right. This then, seems to be the modern take on why float chamber extensions are used - unless someone can tell me otherwise?
Robert Young
Appendix K Register
OBL 48F at the ‘James Martin’s Classic Cafe’ FIA Appendix K Touring Car Races 2015 Still on the subject of carbs, (twin SU H4s) the subject of float chamber extensions came up. These, nearly always fitted to the float Last month I promised a calendar of chamber are shrouded in mystery and mistruths. Many tales expound race meetings where you will have the about them preventing frothing of the fuel (which is rubbish in my opportunity of seeing FIA Appendix K view) additionally, the notion that it prevents fuel starvation from Mini Coopers racing in 2015, and so fuel surge on hard cornering (highly unlikely). The real reason for here in these pages is the calendar. these, in my understanding, is that the early twin SU H4s came from another car and likely an MG of some description, perhaps an MGA. At almost all historic touring car race These float chambers, from another car, were at a different angle meetings, particularly the Masters - and so to ensure the fuel level was correct, float extensions were Series and U2TC events, you will see provided. So far so good, however, SUs were to remedy this malady several Mk1 Mini Cooper Ss racing for and manufactured the now common (but these days hard to find) up to one hour against other types of AUC4814 and AUC4815 float chambers manufactured at the correct Russell Earnshaw saloon cars, such as Lotus Cortinas, Alfa angle to suit a Mini manifold. Romeos and the like which they raced in period between approx. 1960 and the end of 1965, the heyday of the Mk1 Cooper S in touring car racing.
The exception to this will be the two Mini Festivals. Firstly, at Brands Hatch where on 27th and 28th June there will, again, be three amazing races for FIA Cooper S types only. Expect to see full grids of immaculately prepared cars, some from Europe, racing flat out. A great spectacle and fantastic friendly atmosphere in the paddock is in store for you, well worth making a special effort to attend with lots of other Mini only races and displays around the circuit. Same again, but on one day only at Oulton Park in Cheshire on 8th August, hopefully with larger grids this year, though last years racing was close and exciting.
Another event where you can see only Minis on a track but not a race meeting will be the Mk 1 Performance Track Day at Blyton Park near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, on the Weekend May 3rd and 4th. This was a great day out last year and promises to be even better this year. There may even still be a few places left for the opportunity to get on the track yourself, check out the Mk1 Performance website under Blyton. This event could be combined with a visit to the Donington Historic Festival over the same weekend where the Historic Racing Drivers’ Club is staging the second of the races in celebration of the history of the formative years of the British Touring Car Championship 1958 to 1966. This will be a mixed bag of cars that regularly appear in the St Marys Trophy Race at the Goodwood Revival Meeting every September, where this year it’s the turn of the pre66 Touring Cars so expect to see Minis again there near the front.
Otherwise the HRDC ‘all stars’ races feature a mixed bag of pre 66 Appendix K Sports, GT and Touring Cars with sometimes a Cooper S or two all in one race thereby successfully recreating the atmosphere of 60s and 70s clubman race meetings.
First race meeting of the year for fans of historic touring car racing will be the Goodwood 73 Members’ Meeting on March 21st and 22nd March where you will be able to see again the replica Richard Longman, Patrick Motors Group 1275GT racer which did so well last Float chamber extensions - needed or not?
Mini Cooper Register | 41 REGISTERS
FIA Appendix K Touring Car Races 2015
date circuit series 21/22 March Goodwood 73rd Members Meeting 29 March Snetterton Masters Pre '66 Saloons 4/5 April Dijon-Prenois, France Maxi 1000/Mini Classic 4 April Silverstone HRDC All Stars 4/5 April Thruxton HSCC 17/19 April Barcelona, Spain Masters Pre '66 Saloons 25 April Silverstone HRDC/BTCC Celebration 2/3 May Blyton Mk1 Performance Track Day 2/4 May Donington Park HRDC/BTCC Celebration 2/4 May Donington Park U2TC 16/17 May Silverstone HSCC 22/24 May Spa, Belgium U2TC 23/24 May Pau, France Maxi 1000/Mini Classic 23/24 May Brands Hatch Masters Pre '66 Saloons 30 May Donington Park HSCC 5/7 June Dijon-Prenois, France U2TC 13/14 June Snetterton HSCC 6 June Brands Hatch HRDC All Stars 20/23 june Charade, France Maxi 1000/Mini Classic 19/21 June Monza, Italy Masters Pre '66 Saloons 27/28 June Cadwell Park HSCC Two Cooper S FIA Appendix K race cars prepared by Philippe Quirière at his ‘Mini World Centre’ near Pau in south west 28 June Brands Hatch Mini Festival France, where racing is enthusiastically supported for the 4 July Oulton Park HRDC All Stars ‘Trophee Mini Classic’ a five race series 4/5 July Donington Park Masters Pre '66 Saloons 10/12 July Monza, Italy U2TC year driven by Nick Swift, who should this year be accompanied by 11/12 July Brands Hatch HSCC (& Mini Classic?) his father Glynn in another historic racing 1275GT. 24/26 July Silverstone, Classic U2TC 1/2 August Copenhagen, Denmark Classic Grand Prix The HSCC is again running its series of ‘sprint races’ for Pre ’66 8 August Oulton Park Mini Festival touring cars. Here expect to see Coopers S ‘s though most will 8/9August Croft HSCC be running in the HSCC’s own modified class, they look like FIA 28/30 August Zandvoort, Netherlands Masters Pre 66 Saloons Appendix K cars but are allowed more extensive modifications, of 29/31 August Oulton Park HSCC which the most obvious is usually a Weber 45DCOE carburettor rather than the H4 SU’s mandatory in appendix K racing. 5/6 September Nogaro, France Maxi 1000/Mini Classic 11/13 September Goodwood Revival Meeting I have included some of the historic Touring car races which take 17/20 September Spa, Belgium U2TC place in Europe just in case you want to sneak off for a peak whilst 18/20 September Spa, Belgium Masters Pre 66 Saloons the family are on the beach. But be aware however, some of these 19/20 September Spa, Belgium HSCC are less well supported than the races in the UK. 26 September Mallory Park HRDC All Stars 26/27 September Brands Hatch HSCC The Trophee Mini Classic which previously ran as a FiA Cooper S only 2/4 October Dijon-Prenois, France Masters Pre 66 Saloons series, is being promoted again in France, this by Philippe Quirière of 2/4 October Castellete, France U2TC the Mini World Centre, but amalgamated in a special class 3 with the Maxi 1000 race series for under 1300cc cars of various makes and 10/11 October Ledenon, France Maxi 1000/Mini Classic ages. You will see from the calendar that one of the races in the series 17 October Silverstone HSCC may be at Brands Hatch with the HSCC in July. 23/25 october Portimao, Portugal U2TC
I must apologise to MCR members in Scandinavia as I do not currently have dates to include in the calendar for the excellent and well supported Appendix K races that take place there each summer. I Cooper Mk 1 Register understand a number of 970S cars take part, and it would be nice to see a well supported up to 1000cc class in the UK races. Well, now that the dust has well and truly However, I have the date of the historic Grand Prix meeting in settled on the TV series ‘For the love of Copenhagen which Andy Harrison and James Martin will, most likely, be cars’, it’s probably the best time to feature taking part in again this year, Andy says they had a great time last year. 539 KYI in a little more detail before it became one of last years’ TV stars. So, there you have it, a surprisingly long list of events. Even if you can only make it to one of these meetings, I am sure you will be This car has been on the register since amazed at how quickly the little cars go, often snapping at the heals 1988, being added at the time by its owner of the larger more powerful cars on the narrower twisty circuits; Mr S. Cornwall from Ireland, having just particularly in the wet where an overall victory is often on the agenda. been purchased after a ‘chance’ observation See you around the circuits this summer? whilst waiting at a junction. After a re-visit and negotiations the car was bought for Russell Earnshaw £1,000 from its second owner Mrs C Lynch. Barbara Alexander KYI started life as an Austin 998 Cooper finished in almond green
42 | www.minicooper.org REGISTERS
with an old English white roof and was built in the 2nd quarter in 1964 and owned from new by a Mr JMD Hughes. You can probably see by now a common theme of no first names on any paperwork relating to the car! Anyway, this car was not originally supplied to Ireland and started life registered in the UK as L J M 909. It would appear that a year or so after Mr Hughes bought the car, he had plans for it by way of a ‘Downton 998 Touring Conversion’; not a race engine though as the TV programme would have you believe, nor, indeed, was it owned by a lady driver from new! This kit however, was not fitted at the Downton works but, I assume, by a local motor engineer near to Mr Hughes in the Lake District and work was completed on the 1st May 1966. Interestingly, the invoice also showed the fitting of the ‘Knighton’ seats, which were still in the car when it was featured in the programme. Also fitted was the ‘Kenlowe’ fan, and the special alloy mounting bracket can still be seen in the engine bay in the photos taken of the car in 1988.
From the paperwork on file it would appear that the car was in Ireland by April 1967, as a reply letter from Colin Fisher at Downton highlighted that the sole agent for their products was Messrs Kane Ltd from Comber in County Down. In another reply letter from Downton dated 1969, Mr Hughes had enquired about replacement exhaust valves, hinting that the car was probably driven ‘keenly’ at times. However, Downton’s reply informs Mr Hughes that these are standard size 998 exhaust valves and that it is the inlet valves that differ from standard. It’s good to see such positive customer service from Downton, especially as they did not actually fit the ‘Touring’ kit initially.
Mr Hughes sold the car in 1979 and from which time it did spent a few years off the road. The photos of the car date from 1988 clearly show a standard looking car from the outside, but note the lack of a stick on registration plate on the bonnet. The only exterior modifications would appear to be the fitting of twin fuel tanks and 4.5j Cooper ‘S’ wheels together with wheel spacers, and hence the reason why the wheels stick out so far. Additionally, you ‘Kenlowe’ fan is still clearly fitted. The interior also still had those will see that the car has been fitted with an Mk3 boot lid. Albeit ‘Knighton’ seats and different trimmed door cards. Apart from the that the bodywork looks to be sound, it does appear that a recent addition of an upper dash rev counter all looks more or less standard. repair perhaps to the driver’s side ‘A’ panel may have been carried The steering wheel looks like one of those low budget items available out. Under the bonnet shows a pair of H4 SU carbs but fitted with from ‘Les Smith’ at the time; the giveaway is the plastic boss which is an oversize pair of mesh air filters. As previously mentioned, the supposed to substitute as a horn push. This would probably explain the addition of a long arm flick switch close to the steering wheel. I would take a guess that not much happened to the car after 1988 and the rest, as we say, is history.
Finally, just a quick search request, does anyone know the whereabouts of 997 Mini Cooper registered 3817 MX, as a previous owner is enquiring of about the car since it is still on the DVLA site but has not been on the road for some time. Any information on it would be greatly received.
That’s all for this month,
Barbara Alexander
Cooper S Mk 2 Register
Some more feedback has arrived from December’s pictures of cars from the past. Colin Pearce has contacted the register to say that he was, and still is, the owner of the very nice snowberry white and black Austin registered SRY 413G. If you remember, this is the car that had Wood and Pickett extras and a Downton engine conversion. Colin has kindly filled in some of the cars details.
SRY 413G was built in August 1968 and then sent on a private export license to Singapore by a Mr C.H. Yu. The Nick Hunter car remained in Singapore until 1977 Mini Cooper Register | 43 REGISTERS
when it returned with Mr Yu to the UK where it was re-registered SUW 244R. It appears that the Wood and Pickett extras and engine conversion were added on the car’s return in 1977. A huge £6,261 was spent on the extras and upgrades - see the break down on the invoice pictured. In current day values that is a shade over £39,000, so Mr Yu clearly liked this car a lot. Converting some of the individually priced items to today’s money is an eye opener:
1977 Price Today’s price Respray gold £650.00 £4,087.53 Margrave interior retrim £995.00 £6,257.06 Margrave dash and fittings £625.00 £3,930.31 Wool carpeting of interior £235.00 £1,477.80 Electric windows conversion £295.00 £1,855.11
This perhaps shows that current restoration prices are quite good value.
First page of Wood & Pickett invoice for conversion carried out Colin Pearce’s Wood & Pickett converted ‘S’ SRY 413G on SRY 413G
SRY 413G note the moulded in Wood & Pickett wheel arches
SRY 413G with expensive Margrave dash Wood & Pickett invoice page 2
44 | www.minicooper.org REGISTERS
EWE 187H front suspension gets the once over
Wood & Pickett invoice page 3
EWE 187H additional front shock absorbers fitted
EWE 187H engine bay approaching completion
EWE 187H nearly ready for inflation of suspension
Since the car’s return to the UK in 1977 and Colin acquiring the car in 1990, some of the Wood and Pickett fittings had been removed, notably the doors with electric windows and quarter lights and the colour changed back to snowberry white, but most of the main items remain intact. Colin also had the car re registered on a more appropriate age related ‘G’ plate. A coincidence here is that the car is fitted with one of the SPQR throttle cable/carb linkages I mentioned as a mystery part a couple of months back - what are the chances of that? I’m not going to go into any more detail regarding the car here as Steve Lovely virtually standard interior of EWE 197H note the Burkinshaw, our Coachbuilt Cooper Registrar, is going to feature this aftermarket wire door stays car in depth later in the year, something to look forward to for sure. Mini Cooper Register | 45 REGISTERS
Dave Johnson has kindly contacted the register with an update on his searching and chatting to a couple of club members, Kevin and almond green and snowberry white Morris registered EWE 187H. Samantha have decided to plough on. You may remember the feature on this car a while ago, it’s the sister car to mine (EWA 172H). Both cars were supplied in early 1970 Sadly, every restoration has its nightmares. For everyone that by Kennings in Sheffield; it is thought they are likely to have shared has done one, it’s a bit of “Déjà vu”. I’m afraid once you start showroom space together. Last time the car was off the road awaiting looking for what needs doing, it just gets worse. The only way is a sympathetic recommission. to cut back to good metal and renew from there. Frightening!! You bet!! It’s a big mistake where people hoping to make a big Dave is well on with the process now and as you can see from profit come a cropper. If you are doing the restoration because the photo the car is looking really good. His aim is to maintain as you love the car and intend to keep it for the long term to enjoy much originality as possible. In the engine bay he has replaced the it, then no problem. It may look bad at the when in the middle cosmetically incorrect master cylinders, coil, horn and air filters of restration but once it is finished it will be well worthwhile. and removed, cleaned, fettled and refitted a few parts including the carbs, fuel pipes, radiator shroud, a few hoses and replaced Hang in there Kevin and Samantha and I look forward to your numerous nuts and bolts. Interestingly, the filter box is believed next update. to be the car’s original and, whilst it is the ‘thicker’ version, it has the squared off edge found on the mk3 ‘thinner’ version. All parts are the original or correct slightly patinated replacements to be in keeping with the otherwise generally untouched appearance. Replacing the noisy clutch release bearing revealed that the clutch case and engine mounting had never been undone, even the pesky bolt in the very bottom of the cover was still in place. The clutch itself was left undisturbed bearing in mind the car’s low mileage (46,000 from new) and its smooth operation.
The suspension has had a good going through with the front knuckle cups replaced together with 0.060” spacers to level the ride height. Front dampers have been fitted to smooth out any hydrolastic ‘pitching’ and, with the replacement of a couple of ball joints and arm bushes, the suspension is all ready to be re-inflated. Dave has been pleased to see that all the dated parts that he’s checked, removed or replaced so far, have been correctly matched to the car’s 1969 build date (e.g. radiator, wiper motor, solenoid, coil etc). The interior has been left as is with just a little tidying of the aftermarket carpets. The more eagle eyed of you will have noticed the aftermarket wire door check straps, these appear Rear seat panel before Shot Blasting to have been fitted way back so will be left in place.
In Dave’s view the car is not a concours contender, the quality of the car for him is in its general originality, and this is what he wants to retain and preserve. I think Dave and I have a similar viewpoint when it comes to preserving a car and its history, as the old saying goes, a car is only original the once. Hopefully, you’ll be able to see EWE and EWA together at a show later in the year, thanks to Dave for the update.
No activity on the register this time so that’s all for now.
Nick Hunter
Cooper Mk 2 Register Graham Robinson My inbox has been very quiet recently so I am very grateful to Kevin and Samantha Robinson for sending me an update on their restoration project. Rear seat panel after Shot Blasting
It’s been a long time in the planning and after a couple of false starts they have bitten the bullet and started the restoration of their 1969 MKII Cooper. Their initial plan was to give their car a bit of a ‘makeover’ but, the more they got into stripping it down, as ever, the more was revealed. Even without too much stripping back it was clear that there were some unpleasant repairs undertaken on in the past. These are a legacy of doing what was necessary to keep a car on the road. So, with all the interior and external body fittings stripped out it was off to a local welder to survey the extent of the work.
First off, cut away the obvious problem areas, front wings, both sills etc and then off to the shot blasters. I know people are not always sure about shot blasting but done carefully there should be no issues other than those it reveals. Well, it revealed plenty and for a week or two they wondered what to do next as the repairs and new panels required to do the car were more than originally thought. Isn’t that always the case? But after some soul Shell back from Shot Blasting 46 | www.minicooper.org REGISTERS
And finally, I can’t believe I am asking this already. By the time On the subject of late Spi cars, P185 UUF was registered with the you read this Beaulieu will be but only a few months away. I DVLA on 2nd October 1996, the day after the launch of the Mpi Mini. have 3 FREE places up for grabs at the Premier Mini Event of It’s chassis (VIN) - bearing the familiar SAXXNNAYCBD Cooper the year. If you would like to volunteer to represent the MKII prefix - certainly marks it as a late production car, but it is still over Cooper Register please let me know. I also need a couple of 1,100 vehicles short of the last official Spi, 134454. The nearest I have reserves. So don’t delay, email me today. to that magic number is 134364 belonging to a car first registered on 31st August 1996, offering proof, if ever it was needed, that Mpi Well that’s about it for now!! production had started well ahead of its 1st October launch date.
Happy Coopering. Just how far in advance is indicated by the chassis (VINs) found on Mpi publicity cars. The trio that trumpeted the Mini’s final Graham Robinson incarnation, P750 KWK, P751KWK and P752 KWK, all fall within the range 132,000 - 133100 placing their production dates into late June or July 1996 if similarly numbered Spi cars are anything to go by. In all likelihood, these three vehicles, plus at least five others, including Rover Cooper Register three Mini Mayfairs, were plucked from the production line and converted to Mpi specification by hand. Amidst the discussion on the numbering of the John Cooper Conversion Rover While the `134455’ introduction of the first Mpi Mini is repeatedly Coopers, I received an email from Garry documented in the AKM 1184 and later AKM 1217 parts microfiches, Dickens, our Mini Super Registrar. the changeover to the Mpi engine is conspicuous by its absence. A Garry has worked in the classic car thumb through the engine section of either parts list initially refers to trade throughout his working life and recently sold a late model single point injection (Spi) Rover Cooper that has an interesting background.
I had never heard of Talking Newspapers but, as I have now discovered, they provide a valuable audible newspaper service to those John Parnell with impaired vision.
In the summer of 1996 Talking Newspapers ran a raffle to raise money in aid of the blind. The prize on offer was a beautiful Flame Red/White Diamond Rover Cooper supplied by John Cooper Garages and came equipped with their 80bhp performance conversion. For an added touch of luxury, the car also featured grey leather `Grand Prix’ seat covers and matching interior liners with their distinctive `ruche’ pleating. Combine this with the walnut cappings, Cooper door furniture, additional instruments, leather- rimmed Mota-Lita steering wheel and alloy gear knob; it was no The interior included top of the range `Grand Prix’ seat covers boast to state that the value of the upgraded interior fittings alone and liners was £2,000. The full-length electric sunroof was however, a later addition to the car.
Talking Newspapers raffle prize - one of the last JCG Spi conversions
Carrying the registration P185 UUF, the car has the conversion number 98, supposedly out of a limited run of 100. When the revised Spi Cooper S conversion was unveiled in early May 1995, there was no reference to a limited run, but given that the new Mpi Mini was less than eighteen months away, it is safe to say that P185 UUF was one of the last Spi conversions to emerge from John Cooper Garages. The car was clearly a good crowd puller because the raffle raised Publicity gem - P750 KWK was a pre-production Mpi car £48,000 for Talking Newpapers’ core charity. (MiniWorld picture) Mini Cooper Register | 47 REGISTERS
this as occurring at `97 M/Y’ (M/Y = Model Year) before the scribes which I am looking for three presentable standard looking RSP Rover at Rover eventually retreated to the safe, if rather circumspect, Coopers to fill. The only condition is that one has to be red/white, territory of `134455’. This begs us to ask that if such a significant another green/white, and the third black/white. Entry into the show vehicle actually exists, then why not quote its engine number? for the chosen cars will be free. Please email me a picture of your car if you wish to be considered. The answer to the question only becomes apparent when viewing lists of vehicle details in the form that we have on the register. Until next month... The engine prefix for Spi Rover Coopers changed to 12A2EJ02 in approximately August 1994 and remained in place until the Don’t forget that the clocks go forward an hour for the start of BST changeover to Mpi power units, at which juncture it became on Sunday 29th March - Brooklands Mini Day! 12A2LK70. The highest Spi engine number I have recorded is 342809; whilst the lowest Mpi engine number is 343005. Logically, John Parnell that puts the changeover at approximately 343000, or 343001 depending on Rover’s preference for commencing numbering sequences. The only difficulty arises with the small number of Mpi publicity vehicles where the engine numbering was generally in the Coachbuilt Cooper and Cooper S Register 339900 - 339950 sequence. Members wishing to read more about Rover Mini engine prefixes can find details on pages 38-40 of the January 2013 issue of CooperWorld. There can be very few Mini Coopers that have remained with the same owner An exercise like the one above is only possible thanks to the many from new for 47 years, and that was the members who have registered their cars with us. The power of the case until recently with a 1966 Morris collective offers so much more information than can be gleaned Cooper S, registered GOY 758D. Its from parts lists alone. The fact that the register has been recording famous owner was the late Peter O’Toole Rover Coopers since the first RSP hit the streets in July 1990 has who died in 2013 aged 82 and who was enabled us to capture the development of these cars literally as it most famous for his starring role in the happened. There are still numbering sequence gaps to be filled or film Lawrence of Arabia. explained and for that reason every vehicle that gets keyed into the car register system is a valuable piece of the jigsaw. The only sad Minis, and especially Coopers, played a part is the volume of cars that, through the passage of time or the big part in the swinging 60s with many regrettable 2009-2010 Government vehicle scrappage scheme, are celebrities of the time owning one of no longer in existence. these cars as their favourite transport. Steve Burkinshaw Although O’Toole went on to own And finally... many luxury cars, including Rolls Royce and Bentleys, the humble Cooper remained with him until the This year’s annual event at Beaulieu (Sunday 14th June) will be end, a fine tribute we all might agree. Apparently, his chauffeur celebrating the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Rover Cooper. I would also drive him in the car as he sat in the back of the Mini; a have three designated spaces for Rover Cooper registrar’s display for cigarette lighter was attached to the back of the side pocket so he could ‘light up’ in the back!
Although the car is not strictly speaking coach built, it started life from the factory in the autumn of 1966 as an almond green/white roof car but before O’Toole took delivery of it he had Stewart & Arden, who supplied the car, strip and re-spray it British Racing Green, which I gather was a Jaguar Mk2 formula cellulose paint colour.
Peter O’Toole at this time was living in fashionable Hampstead, a popular area for thespians, and still is, and so it’s more than likely S & A in Temple Fortune, three miles away, were the dealers. I still clearly recall looking through their elevated showroom window and drooling over a brand new Minisprint GT in silver, on display some years ago now. With my interest in registration numbers, the O’Toole’s car registration number plate, GOY 758D was probably issued at the same time as the Minisprint brochure car, GOY 764D, and back in the 70s I owned a black Minisprint registered GOY 600D. To date, I still have
Wanted - Three RSPs in red, green and black for our Beaulieu display Peter O’Toole’s 1275 S Just after a respray
48 | www.minicooper.org REGISTERS
no positive figures of the number of cars S & A converted, unlike Rob Walker Sprints; they only converted new Coopers and S’s. I wonder what became of all that lovely interior they discarded when they changed the interiors to sporty black vinyl and for only £20 extra!
Apart from the car’s colour change to mono green, other extras included a black rear seat, Karobes perforated black vinyl front seat covers, a wooded dash similar to the Riley Elf type, tacho, ammeter, front cigarette lighter, deep-dished leather-rimmed wheel and a 60’s style centre console over the front tunnel. On the outside a pair of Lucas spot and fog lights were attached by brackets bolted to the over riders, not the neatest fitment compared to the very rare 4.5“ Mk1 Cosmic alloy wheels with the correct offset for a Cooper S that were supplied new to the car. Across the front of the gearbox a factory supplied short sump guard was fitted. When the car was a year old, it went back to S & A who changed the gearbox to an all- synchro type, probably a popular improvement at the time with the new improved synchro on first gear, especially around London.
Four years ago GOY 758D came up for sale with an O’Toole family Peter O’Toole taking delivery of modified car from Stewart and Arden friend handling the transaction. MCR member Dave Boswell viewed the car and agreed a price, but for some reason O’Toole decided to With such fast progress Dave plans to get the car ready for Beaulieu keep the car and left in storage where it had lain unused for 24 years. and I’m sure Peter O’Toole will be looking down with pleasure; In 2013 Peter O’Toole passed away and his family contacted Dave somehow I doubt its new owner will be keeping it for forty seven to discuss the sale again in the light of it being entered in a London years though! classic car auction. A deal was struck and Dave has worked on the project for the last eight months, stripping the rust-free body to bare metal and spraying it in numerous coats of BRG cellulose with a Steve Burkinshaw superb depth of colour and a period finish. A new rear sub-frame has been fitted with all components overhauled as with the original front sub-frame. The Hydrolastic suspension has been retained including Innocenti Register competition bump stops. Because of the very low mileage, only the clutch, cast-iron water pump and gaskets have been renewed. This month we have a couple of cars to report on.
Firstly, there is the Mk3 Innocenti Mini Cooper belonging Dave Nutland. Dave has finally completed the restoration of this little rarity and, as you read this, he will hopefully have gained a fresh MOT certificate for his car. Dave’s 998cc Mk3 Cooper has been off the road for nearly 25 years, but the restoration was an ‘on- off’ affair over this period as and when Dave could juggle the spare time to work on his car due to work, family and ‘life in Foster Charlton general’ commitments over this time. Looking very nice in its Bianco body with Nero roof, it makes a change having a car both in this colour scheme and a model that is not the more common Cooper 1300 Export variant.
Centre Console The car has gone through an extensive restoration, with Dave addressing the usual Mini rust areas and replacing with new metal and replacement panels along with an engine and gearbox rebuild. Dave’s last job is to paint the Firsat wheels the correct shade of gunmetal grey metallic.
MK1 4.5 inch Cooper S Cosmic alloys with centre caps Lockheed split circuit front to rear master cylinder
Mini Cooper Register | 49 REGISTERS
two Innocenti Coopers were beautiful restorations, but were sold to make way for the project he’s working on at the moment. New panels and repairs have been carried out to the bodyshell and paintwork has just been completed by the sisters Timara and Christina Whight of Whight Classic Restorations in Northants. Now normally, I’m not a great fan of the colour shade of Verde Chiaro 74 (Kermit the Frog green), but on seeing this car with fresh paint and a black roof, it looks absolutely stunning. Although this project is a secret, those of you who know their Innocenti Mini history, will recognise a couple of tell tale additions to this particular Innocenti Cooper. It’s a bit of an understatement to say I’m waiting to see this one finished in all its glory. Hurry up Rog !
Just a word of warning before you purchase that New Old Stock Correct unequal fluid chambers brake master cylinder used on the Leyland Innocenti Mini Cooper 1300 Export from 1973 to 1975.
The (front to rear) split circuit master cylinder made by Lockheed is available in two different versions, but both look identical. They also have a different part number, originally used by both Lockheed and British Leyland, but are more widely recognised by the part numbers GMC 159 and GMC 160. The GMC 159 is the master cylinder number which is the correct version for the front to rear split circuit, and the other is the diagonal split circuit master cylinder. The Lockheed seal replacement kit for the GMC 150 master cylinder was SSB.927. The British Leyland part number for the correct master cylinder was 37H8059 and the seal replacement kit was 18G9063.
Bearing in mind that original packaging and boxes can’t be relied upon 100%, the best way of checking you have the correct master cylinder is to remove the reservoir lid and physically look at the Dave Nutland’s Mk3 Innocenti Mini Cooper brake fluid chambers inside. The correct split front to rear master cylinder has chambers of unequal sizes, whereas the diagonal split Dave’s Mk3 Innocenti Cooper is a very late model and shares a circuit master cylinder has equal size chambers (See photo). It few features with my own 1275cc 1972 Innocenti Mini Cooper goes without saying, that if you are to fit a new old stock master 1300. The Innocenti Mini Cooper in Mk1, Mk1 ½ (interim), cylinder, then it is wise to fit a new hydraulic seal kit. Don’t Mk2 and Mk3, were all 998cc due to Italian engine taxation and forget, that these master cylinders have been sitting around on a insurance costs, and the (1275cc) Cooper 1300 model was shelf for over forty years. finally put into production in 1972 after a relaxation of these costs, mainly due to most other Italian car manufacturers offering That’s all for this month. engines around the 1300cc as the norm. Foster Charlton Currently, there are around five Mk3 Innocenti Coopers I know of, so it is a fairly rare car within the Innocenti Cooper register. Of those five cars, only two of them are in a restored Mini Super Register roadworthy condition. I’m really looking forward to seeing Dave’s car in the metal at some point this year. Great job Dave….well done! I must apologise for the lack of a proper report this month. I do not The next car to report on is the Leyland Innocenti Cooper 1300 really have much material at the Export belonging to Roger Agate. As most of you know, Rog is moment but hope to have more now on his third Innocenti Cooper restoration project. His other available for next month.
No new Supers have surfaced either, for a while. There must be many more cars out there waiting to be either discovered or correctly identified.
I am already looking for three Supers to line up at Beaulieu for this year’s Mini Cooper Day. Each driver will have Garry Dickens a free entry ticket. So please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to display your Super.
Remember, if you own, have owned, or know of a Super, or have any stories involving one, then please let me know, even if the car no longer exists.
Garry Dickens
Roger Agate’s freshly painted Cooper 1300 Export
50 | www.minicooper.org REGISTERS
1275GT Register Folks ask me for advice about specific details, engine specs or what to look for when buying a 1275GT. I admit to being cuffuffled, especially on the earlier models. I appreciate information exists in books and magazines, but it tends to be bits Colin Johnston from Belfast sent in and bobs all over the place, combined with interweb comments of some lovely photos of his pride and varying accuracy. I’m happy to help collate information together, joy which he has owned for about but I need some assistance to point me in the right direction of three years. He discovered BVO where the most factual details are. As with the invaluable Mini 149H locally in Northern Ireland, Cooper Buyer’s Guide, I think the MCR is the right home to store where a chap had bought it to sit such a resource in one place. amongst his collection of various cars. A friend pointed it out to Colin, and he saved it from being turned into a rally car.
The Mini was undersealed when it was brand new, and this forethought has proved to be priceless because Suzy Kinsman the car still has all its original panels. His car has done only 20,000 miles, and has all its old MOT certificates, service book and handbook. This GT has shown its pristine credentials by winning first in class at the Causeway Coast Mini Club show at Portrush two years running. The judges criticised the underseal but, as Colin pointed out, it probably wouldn’t still be as in original condition without it.
Time for some feedback. In the January 2015 issue, I passed on a question ‘where does the red line start on the rev counter on an Australian 1275GT?’. Well, a big thank you to John Holloway from Australia who responded. The answer is 6500rpm. So compared BVO 149H belongs to Colin Johnston from Belfast to the home market’s 6000rpm red line, presumably BL either thought that Aussies have a heavier right foot, or that the Outback has no speed limit!
Are you sitting comfortably? Alan Booth sent me in a story about his 1275GT experience. In 1978 he went and bought his wife a surprise birthday present of a brand new 1275GT. It replaced their 850 Super Deluxe which was getting long in the tooth. XYH 878T was metallic blue and it came equipped with Denovos.
However, the car came from factory with the added bonus of gremlins, and thereafter follows a tale of woe. After only 1000 miles an engine rebuild was necessary because the tappets tragically failed. The car leaked badly inside, and the source of the leak was never found. One day, after trying to dry out the sopping wet interior with a fan heater, the door closed, trapping the heat and melting the inside of the car. The headlining and dash rail were destroyed... accompanied with black smoke and a dreadful smell. “A hell of a mess” as Alan describes it. After the repairs, they decided to get rid, but the bad luck didn’t stop there. The final chapter was, as the purchaser reversed out of Alan’s drive, he only went and clobbered the gate post. Thankfully, there is It only has 20,000 miles on the clock a happy end as far as the MCR is concerned, because, although Alan waited nine years to buy another Mini, he still has the Mk2 Cooper S he then bought.
Here’s another little story. We are all very excited about Swiftune preparing another fabulous racing 1275GT for Goodwood 73rd Members’ Meeting. This time it will be the Jon Mowatt GT, resplendent in white bodywork with go-faster black and red stripes. But, of course, daddy Swiftune himself, lovely Glyn Swift, appears on one of the most well known pictures of a racing GT you’ve ever seen. Have you got a 1970’s Scalextric 300 set? Yes, that’s actually Glyn, driving the 1976 red Mini in the lead! Can you spot the Swiftune livery down the sides? I was chatting to Glyn at a Goodwood event, and he smiled as we chatted about the coincidence. He was quite put out that Scalextric changed the colour of his helmet! So please bear in mind as you hoon your old plastic GT round the electric track, trying not to fling it off at the corners, that Glyn is the real driver there.
Now for some homework, because it’s time we bring our 1275GT facts and figures together into one place. Something we can all contribute and freely share. Maybe we’ll all learn a little along the The car was undersealed from new way. Can you help with MISSION GEE-TEE? Mini Cooper Register | 51 REGISTERS
New MINI Cooper Register
This month I received a very enlightening email from New MINI Cooper Register Member Ian Hughes, who owns an interesting 2003 Cooper S fitted with a rare 220bhp John Cooper Works (JCW) conversion. After doing some research on his car, he had been looking at the inconsistent record- keeping and numbering of New MINI John Cooper conversion kits fitted both by Cooper Garages and MINI dealers. Glyn Swift was the lead racing driver on the Scalextric 300 set Martyn Collins I’ll let Ian take up the story: “All Minis fitted with these kits should have an engine plate and matching numbered certificate with the dealer’s stamp and Mike Cooper’s signature. However, fake copies of both of these are readily available on the internet. It is very difficult for any potential purchaser to tell by visual inspection of the engine alone if they are buying the real thing.
In my case I have a very rare 220bhp conversion fitted to my 2003 R53 Mini Cooper S. This was fitted by Tony Franks (Mini Motorsport Centre and ex- John Cooper Works), who has authenticated it for me. However, it was fitted some years after a 210bhp JCW’s conversion kit was fitted by the supplying BMW dealer. So, I now have a signed and stamped JCW’s certificate for the original 210bhp conversion but the engine plate has a different number because it was fitted for the later 220bhp conversion and no certificate was issued for this.
It is becoming more difficult to authenticate MINI JCW conversions Nice and complete Scalextric 300 set
However, the plot thickens because the engine plate number So, let’s kick off with some easy stuff: is 72, but having spoken to Tony Franks and Mike Cooper they both confirmed that they only ever built about six of these 1. What paint and trim colour combinations were available in what very expensive 220bhp conversions. When I discussed my year? Let’s add the right colour stripe that matches with the car’s history with Tony Franks, he confirmed that they basically relevant paint code. supplied an engine plate and matching numbered certificate at 2. What are the exact gear ratios and final drive throughout the GT’s random with each kit that was manufactured. So, there is still production, and when did they change? no logical sequencing of the engine codes and no formal records 3. When did the very last GT roll off the production line? were kept. 4. Were 10” Rostyles the only standard wheel up to the point when they changed to 12” Denovos. And when did they change to the different As I do not have a copy of the original invoice for the supply 12” plastic wheel trims (similar to the smaller Clubman and HL)? and fitting of the 220bhp conversion, it is now very difficult to authenticate the engine without the benefit of Tony Frank’s expert If you can help get me started, please can you email me at 1275GT@ knowledge of my car. minicooper.org . There is also a topic on the Forum in ‘our’ section. At least with the original John Cooper Garages conversions for Suzy Kinsman the Rover Mini, I’m guessing there are plenty of visible clues to 52 | www.minicooper.org REGISTERS
Here’s the new MINI Challenge 210 Edition, designed to celebrate MINI’s involvement in the 2015 racing series
Here’s Ian’s 2003 R53 Cooper S fitted with the rare 225bhp JCW Conversion the authenticity of the engine, including cylinder head number/ colour, carbs, manifold etc, as well as the chassis plate on cars like the RSP ‘S’.
With the passing of time, it will become ever more difficult to Some of the unique parts fitted to the Challenge 201 Edition authenticate the originality of the modern John Cooper Works conversions for pre-BMW factory built Minis without the full Want the JCW Pro Tuning kit, but not on a Challenge 210? No documentation and original invoice being retained with the vehicle.” problem, as the same kit will apparently be available on new, or used F55 and F56 models. You’ll spot a Challenge 210 Edition Thanks for sharing this Ian, so the message is that if you’re the owner by its Moonwalk metallic Grey finish, twin black viper stripes, of an early JCW converted Cooper or Cooper S; make sure you keep “Challenge 210” side stripes, carbon fibre bonnet scoop and wing hold of all your paperwork! mirror covers, spotlights, black detailing for the head and tail lights, plus 18-inch Cup Spoke alloys. Turning now to news of yet another new MINI limited edition, on top of MINI finally announcing the Sport Pack that Inside, this edition is as well-equipped as it is special, with I mentioned for F56 three-door and F55 five-door MINIs, I standard kit including the head up display, Media Pack XL, leather bring you news of the MINI Challenge 210 Edition. Designed trim, MINI alloy interior trim, rear parking sensors and reversing to celebrate MINI’s involvement in the 2015 MINI Challenge camera. All this extra kit does come at a cost however, manual Series, the MINI Challenge 210 also sees the debut of a new models cost £29,990, with the auto costing £31,315 and it’s due to performance kit that’s likely to be rolled out throughout the F56 go on sale next month. and F55 ranges. Until next month, keep adventuring. Firstly, the reason for the Challenge 210 name, on top of the MINI Challenge involvement, is the debut of a dealer-fit JCW Pro tuning kit, taking the power to 210bhp, with torque up to 300Nm. Martyn Collins Designed, I think, as a stop-gap between the Cooper S and forthcoming JCW performance range-topper, the kit consists of an ECU reflash, freer-flowing air filter and the JCW Pro Exhaust with its carbon fibre tips and adjustable sound.
Mini Cooper Register | 53 MCR REGIONAL MEETINGS
Regional Co-ordinator - Patricia Webb - 45 St Leonards Hill, Queensferry Road, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland KY11 3AH - 07834 081697- [email protected]
Region Time of Meeting Location Contact
Cheshire 1st Monday (if Bank Harvester Stanney Oaks, Stanney Lane, Little Stanney, David Davies 01244 332282 (West) Holiday then 2nd Monday) nr Ellesmere Port. CH2 4HT
NEW Derbyshire & 7.00 pm 2nd Monday of Bluebell Inn (A 515) DE6 1NH Andrew Shadforth 07812 350409 VENUE Nottinghamshire the Month [email protected] Essex 1st Monday Hawk Pub, Battlesbridge Mick Willson 01702 530731 At 8:00pm On the A130 SS11 7RJ [email protected] Gwynedd 1st Wednesday Glan Aber Hotel, Betws-y-Coed David Roberts At 8:00pm Gwynedd LL24 0AB 01248 811109 Hampshire 3rd Thursday George and Falcon at Warnford Sally Salter 02380 560073 At 8:00pm [email protected] Herts & 2nd Wednesday The Duke of York, Ganwick Corner, Barnet Road, Ian Chilcot 01438 716823 or 07790 678683 London (N) At 8:00pm Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN5 4SG [email protected] 0208 440 4674 Frank Willis 07743 577344 [email protected] Jersey 3rd Tuesday St Marys Country Pub, St Mary JE2 3PD Mark Le Gallais 01534 858082 [email protected] Kent 2nd Wednesday of each The Park Gate Inn, Ashford Road, Hollingbourne, Maidstone Justin and Annmarie Ridyard month. 7.30pm ME17 1PG [email protected] 01304 330715 Lancashire Last Tuesday Hoghton Arms, Blackburn Road, Whithnell, Mick Cooke At 7.30 Chorley, Lancashire, PR6 8BL 01282 866195/07976 932192 [email protected] Midlands 1st Tuesday New Inns Public House, off the A451 Darren Carr (West) At 8:00pm Stourbridge DY8 3YQ 01384 254311 [email protected] Newcastle and Durham 1st Monday The Dun Cow at Bournmoor, Niall Cook 07770 796049 At 8pm near Chester-le-Street, just off Junction 63 on the A1M. 0191 4133606 DH4 6DY [email protected] Norfolk 1st Sunday The Bell Inn, Salhouse NR13 6RW Jim Redburn 01603 720049 At 1:00pm [email protected] Oxfordshire 3rd Monday The Plough, Appleton, OX13 5JR Colin Woodage 01235 772525 At 8:00pm [email protected]
NEW Scotland Sunday 29th March The Conservatory @ Norton House Hotel. Ben & Patricia Webb 07834 081667 DATE At noon Edinburgh eh28 8lx [email protected] Somerset Region Please call for details of next meeting Pete Hiscocks 07742 770333 [email protected] Mid Staffs 1st Monday, 7.30pm The George and Dragon, Meaford, Stone ST15 0PX Pete Cresswell 01785 760211 or [email protected] Suffolk Region First Thursday At 7.30 Greyhound Inn, Pettistree, Nr Wickham Market IP13 0HP Ian MacPherson 01728 831956 or 07749936274 [email protected] Sussex 2nd Tuesday The John Selden, Salvington Road, Worthing, BN132HN Peter Hodges 01273 454440 or 07663 00122 At 8:00pm [email protected]
Thames Valley Last Wednesday At 8:00pm The Phoenix, Hartley Wintney RG27 8RT Robert Clayson 01252 726618 [email protected] Ken Hunter 01344 772446 Warwickshire Region 4th Wednesday each Phone for details Simon Wheatcroft 01827 830726 month starting at 8:00pm [email protected]
Worcestershire Every Monday The Blue Bell, Mick Rowley At 7.30pm 35 Upton Road, Callow End, Worcester, WR2 4TY 01905 428378/07791 624783 [email protected] Wiltshire & Dorset January 14th at 8pm The New Queen Pub Ringwood Road, Avon, Christchurch, Brenda Harris Dorset BH23 7BG [email protected] Yorkshire 3rd Tuesday at 8.00pm The Fox and Grapes Public House, York Road, LS15 4NJ, James Harrison 07831 217 335 A64, Just off the A1 [email protected] Australia www.minicooperorg/australia John Heselwood [email protected] France [email protected] or [email protected]
54 | www.minicooper.org This meeting is claimed to be ‘The World’s Biggest Classic Motor Racing Festival’, whether or not it is, a super opportunity exists to see cars that are part of our motor sporting heritage, racing and in preparation in the fully accessible pits; Honorary member Peter Baldwin is always good to watch.
After I mentioned this to the MCR it was suggest that I pursued it, bearing in mind it is the same weekend as the Mini Festival at Brands Hatch. In conjunction with Justin Ridyard, I have registered the MCR for 2015 and will co-ordinate enquiries for those who might wish to attend.
Bearing in mind it is a 3 day meeting the MCR decided to treat 2015 as trial run and to concentrate on Saturday 25 July to see what the level of support is. At this stage it is not intended to run a club stand, just book, turn up and enjoy the cars, atmosphere and racing day. If you would like to know more about the event, please look it up at http://www. silverstoneclassic.com
If you would like to attend please email me at [email protected] for booking instructions and let me have your Name, Membership Number, Registration and Model; this will help with assessing the event for another year.
The event can be thoroughly recommended, is well organised, a free classic bus service runs between the National Pits, near where the clubs are located, and the International Pits making it possible to visit all areas easily.
Email [email protected] or call Justin or Annmarie on 01304 330715
Mini Cooper Register | 55 REGIONAL REPORTS REGIONAL CO-ORDINATOR − Patricia Käsehagen Webb
ear all Regional Coordinators, Don’t forget we also have banners. They cost £200 each, but we will D reimburse £100 of this cost. A couple of things to note this month: If it’s not something your region can afford this year, please start Regional Handbook planning your budget for next year! We now have an MCR Regional handbook to provide some helpful hints on how to run a region. You can find a copy on the forum, and this was also sent through to the current Regional Coordinators.
New region start ups Some members may feel there isn’t a region close enough to them. We are fully supportive of members starting up another region! Please contact me and we can do a sweep of the database for members that would be in the particular area to see if it is a viable proposal.
Wanted! Regional Submissions for Facebook In an effort to promote both the local regional Mini Cooper Register clubs, and the Mini Cooper Register Facebook page, I am trying to gather some photos/supporting text of what your regions have been up to!
Please would you send me a couple of pictures of your cars on a stand / participating as a region at an event, etc.?
I realise some of you do have your own FB groups already, but please if you can also send me some photos/text for the main MCR Facebook Page, I would really appreciate it.
There are quite a few people that aren’t aware that they have a local Gazebo at IMM region. If we are able to start posting pictures of some of the events that regions are attending, it should help to unite members with a respective region.
Please note, a good photo from an event any time in the last 12 months will do! We’ve a larger Facebook audience then members, so it is unlikely that people will realise they’ve seen the picture in the magazine, etc.
Any submissions will be uploaded over the next weeks. Please note this isn’t a one time request, and feel free to send me as much as you want going forward as you like. Any upcoming regional events / shows that you would like to highlight would also be welcome. Perhaps a picture of the last year’s show combined with an invitation for this years!?
Remember Facebook has a very short memory, unlike a static website, so if you don’t keep posting now and again, people do tend to forget!
Gazebos and Banners - Reminder The current MCR ‘on loan’ gazebos are suffering from being transported Fits in a Mini! around the country by courier. As they don’t fit into a Mini either, we always knew that these would only offer a tactical solution. Look forward to hearing from you!
As such, we are encouraging regions to buy their own smaller gazebo. Patricia Käsehagen Webb This could then be used for local shows and MCR shows. This would Regional Co-ordinator save the cost of transporting the existing gazebos and would make life [email protected] easier for those putting on a show, be it a local show or an MCR show. The cost of these red gazebos is just a few pounds over £300. The specific supplier of them has the club logo which will be added. They are extremely easy to assemble too!
To that end, the club is prepared to contribute £200 towards the purchase of each of these gazebos, should a region decide to buy one. The region would have to come up with just over £100! We would however, require them to be bought from the same supplier, so please contact me to place your order! Banners
56 | www.minicooper.org Mini Cooper Register | 57 REGIONAL REPORTS REGIONAL REPORTS
Kent Region
A busy first pub meeting for 2015 but, of course, we would like to see more of you attending during the year, so pop along and say hello! DON’T forget no March meeting, we are back in April!
Some Kent members will be joining the Thames Valley region at Brooklands on the Sunday 29th March including us. We are looking forward to our first show of 2015 and a good trip in Buddy the Elf.
Ham Sandwich Run 30th August - 2015 sees the event move to a different part of Kent. Once more please contact us to pre-register ASAP. We had a full complement in 2014 and this year the event will tie in nicely with our French trip with a stop off at a local wine producer to see how we do it this side of the water. Open to all regions; contact us soon as places are running short.
Full events list for this year Buddy on a pleasant day in January on a The picnic stop on the 2014 event, come nice little drive out to Walmer Castle and join us in the delightful Kent countryside! below, so if you would like to join us at any of these please drop us an email or give us a call.
24th May – Region Spring get together. At the Deal Classic Motor Show for the RNLI* 14th June – Kent Stand - MCR, National Mini Cooper Day – Beaulieu. 28th June – Brands Hatch Mini Festival (TBC post MSV confirming club space) 4th & 5th July – KENT EVENT - Champagne Run, Voyage Région de Kent à la France # 19th July – Region Summer get together and picnic. Bearsted Green Classic Car Show for Kent Air Ambulance* 30th August – KENT EVENT - The Ham Sandwich Run #
* = Classic Car Show # = Navigational Road Run
Monthly Meetings & Dates 2015 We meet at The Park Gate Inn, Ashford Road, Hollingbourne, Maidstone ME17 1PG. 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm. No March meeting due to Heritage Factory visit and then back again on the 8th April. See you there!
Join the Facebook Group for Kent at http://www.facebook.com/groups/472768396103194/
All the best!
Justin & Annmarie Ridyard 01304 330715 [email protected]
Mid Staffs Region
Monday March 2nd. This will be a Scalextric race night. At the time of writing these notes I’m thinking in terms a men’s knockout, a ladies’ knockout and an MG CC v Mini Cooper Register type of race evening, with fairly short races (10 laps or 2 minutes) in the initial heats. Races will get longer as the heats progress. When not racing, people will be expected to marshal (put the cars back in the slot when they come out!) and to help out. The track will be on top of tables. An entry fee of £1.00 per head should provide a prize pot for the winners. As I’m sure some of the seasoned racers of the group will want to work out tactics, I’ll send out the final rules a few days before.
Monday April 6th. As planned this will be a talk about the Driving Test by Chris Winwood. Chris has been a Driving Instructor for 20 years, so he has built up, not only a lot of knowledge about teaching people to pass the basic driving test and the IAM test, but also has a whole range of stories about teaching people to drive. Chris has also been an instructor at the Porsche Experience, and the Silverstone skid pan. In addition, he is a keen biker and
58 | www.minicooper.org REGIONAL REPORTS has passed the advanced motorcycling test. He has driven and navigated (including for me!) on road rallies. What else can I say to recommend this as a must attend evening – oh yes, he won his class at his first attempt competing at Shelsley Walsh with a self built Westfield Twin Cam.
Sunday April 26th is Drive it Day. This is the annual FBHVC initiative to get our cars out of hibernation and use them. In part, it is to make the public in general aware of the importance of the classic car movement by taking part in an out. For us I have decided to offer 3 routes: a) A new one for 2015, which will visit the Secret Bunker at Hack Green. The route will be about 60 miles in total. b) The 2014 route, which is about 70 miles long and makes a loop around Sandbach, stops off at Mow Cop for the 360⁰ view, and returns via Alsager and Keele. Not many people did this route last year, so it makes sense to offer it again. Note that the Sandbach Transport Festival is on the previous weekend this year. c) The 2013 route, which goes to the Crich Tramway Museum, via Ashbourne. This option is again around 70 miles long. Classic cars can park in the museum’s town square.
In each case the route uses descriptive instructions without reference to distances, so a tripmeter is not required. There is no entry fee but email me with your choice of route to get the instructions. By offering the three routes more people can get out and about.
I have started posting details of the Mid Staffs Region events on the Forum, which will contain more details as the various dates get closer. Take a look at the ‘Mid Staffs Region’ under the ‘Regions’ in the Board Index.
The Mid Staffs Region meets every 1st Monday of the month, and all Minis and MINIs are equally welcome to join in the fun! Meetings gather from 7.30pm onwards, and activities usually start at 8.00pm.
Pete Cresswell 01785 760211 [email protected]
Newcastle & Durham Region
We kick off this, the first report from our region for 2015, with a final reminder to members to send in their entry forms for the Croft Nostalgia event. Taking place a week later this year, on the weekend of 8th/9th of August, it’s one that gets booked up earlier and earlier each year, and undoubtedly long before the official closing date for entries of the of 5th June. In a change to previous years, when cars of a certain age were allowed in FOC, tickets are now £10 for the Saturday and the Sunday or £15 for both days. I’m sure that anyone who has been before will vouch that these are small prices to pay for what’s on offer though. For more details and a classic car entry form, visit the Croft Nostalgia website http://www.croftmilitary.co.uk/ Do also drop me a line if you intend going so I can keep a check on numbers.
At the time of writing, our commitments for the rest of the year are a bit up in the air, but are bound to include a return trip to the Mk1 –Performance Action Day at the Blyton circuit in Our stand at last year’s croft nostalgia/HSCC race Lincolnshire on 2nd/3rd of May and, of course, Bulee the following month. The Scottish Region has also invited us to the excellent Scottish Transport Extravaganza at Glamis Castle again (on 12th/13th July) and there’s talk of our organising another touring assembly in August/ September time if people are up for it? Naturally, I’d be very interested to hear of any other ideas members have for trips out, things to do, etc. These could include a return trip to the Historic Sports Car Club race meet at the Cadwell Park circuit in June, an event that went down particularly well last year by all accounts.
One date that’s already been set is for our rally, which this year is taking place on Saturday the 17th of October - a month or so earlier than in recent years, principally to avoid clashes with other events, notably the Rally of the Tests, which is running in our area in early November. For 2015, the event will also form part of the Historic Rally Car Register’s Premier Rally Championship http://premierrally.co.uk/ - an exciting, all-new, road rallying initiative from Philip Young and his team, covering a wide range of events and variety of car. There’s no need to panic though, nothing will change as far as the Borders is concerned. The event will still be an event exclusively for Minis, it’s just that people running them in the new championship will be able to score points on it. Following some feedback from last year we will, however, be doing a few tweaks here and there to improve things. My old banger at the body shop Finally, a big thanks to West Chirton Accident Repair Centre in North Shields (Tel.: 0191 258 5083; www.westchirtonarc.co.uk) for a top job on my own car, a 1960 Morris Mini Minor. As some of you will already know, quite a lot of damage was done to the front end of it by someone reversing without looking, necessitating new wings, front panel, second hand bonnet and a full respray. The guys at West Chirton have sorted it all out for me and I can’t fault the work they’ve done on the car, customer service, as well as their enthusiastic approach to the job. So, if you’re in the market for someone to take on your pride and joy, look no further than West Chirton. Thanks again guys and cheers also to Gord, Jon, Stuart, Neilson and Davy for their help in getting the car back on the road.
Cheers,
Niall Cook
Mini Cooper Register | 59 SinglePage_parts.qxp_SinglePage_parts 10/02/2015 15:56 Page 1
REGIONAL REPORTS Suffolk Region parts, value We had a very successful Christmas dinner at our meeting place, The Greyhound Inn Petistree, prior to Christmas with 14 members attending the dinner. Since then we had a mid January Sunday outing which took us into Essex, visiting Manningtree, Walton on the Naze, then a stop on the promenade at Frinton, and on some very interesting B roads finishing at Lawford, for coffee and cake. Rod lives in Clacton for your Mini hence the trip into his backyard. Although it was a dry sunny day, the temperature was low, I am still thinking of Rod and Angie who were without a working heater! On the restoration front, Steve Burch’s Innocenti is coming to the end Make it Mini Sport! of a staged restoration by Ted Sparrow of East Anglian Mini Centre. Suffolk Coopers at Frinton Hopefully, Steve and Sandra will have it at Beaulieu this year! Peter Drane is well on the way to re-commissioning his Downton tuned 998, which has been in dry storage for many years. It’s very original, the body and interior are in amazing condition. We are all looking forward to seeing that gem on the Suffolk roads once again.
Events we will be attending this year are: The Classic Vehicle Show, White Lion Ufford, on the 11th April, Sun14th June for the MCR National Day at Beaulieu, Sun 2nd August at Hellmingham Hall Sports & Classic Car Show. Sun 16th August we will be attending the Classic Car Show Stoneham Barns; new members are invited to join us and will be made very welcome.
Ian MacPherson
Suffolk Region Christmas Party
Wilts. & Dorset Region
On Wednesday 14th January a happy group of 11 people met at The New Queen, Avon, nr Christchurch for the inaugural meeting of the newly merged Wiltshire and Dorset region.
To celebrate this momentous occasion it was decided that the meeting would take the form of a post-Christmas meal, and very good it was too.
We were extremely pleased to welcome Tony and Sally Salter, and the recognition of the new region by the MCR committee was much appreciated.
Roger the Hat thought the merger was ‘very nice’ and Sally took home more of the excellent choice of beverages than perhaps she had hoped.
The next meeting at The New Queen is on Wednesday March 11th and The assembled crew at inaugural MCR Wilts. we would be very pleased to see more new faces from the area (which does extend beyond Wilts. and Dorset!). Dorset Region meeting 14/01/2015 The first regional event is the MCR display at the Downton Classic minisport.com Car Show on Saturday 2nd May, for which entry forms are now available from [email protected]. When completing your entry form can you please ensure that you write Mini Cooper Register on it so we can allocate spaces in the MCR area. Cost is £7 per car for all your Mini needs! if you book early.
Malcolm Francis
Exclusive ranges 37 MINI 1959 - 2001 ® Our friendly & knowledgeable staff always ready & waiting to help... 60 | www.minicooper.org Drop In: Mini Sport, Padiham, Burnley, Lancs, BB12 7AP E-Mail: [email protected] PARTS & ACCESSORIES SINCE 1967 Call: +44 (0)1282 778731 Fax: +44 (0)1282 772043 SinglePage_parts.qxp_SinglePage_parts 10/02/2015 15:56 Page 1
parts, value for your Mini Make it Mini Sport!
minisport.com for all your Mini needs!
Exclusive ranges 37 MINI 1959 - 2001 ® Our friendly & knowledgeable staff always ready & waiting to help... Drop In: Mini Sport, Padiham, Burnley, Lancs, BB12 7AP E-MMiniail: Cooper sales@ Registerminisp o|r 61t.com PARTS & ACCESSORIES SINCE 1967 Call: +44 (0)1282 778731 Fax: +44 (0)1282 772043 FOR SALE AND WANTED
Cars for sale Notice to car buyers The driver and vehicle licensing agency (DVLA) may refuse to Rover Mini Cooper SPi 77k, register vehicles that are without a vehicle identification number full MOT, currently sorn. (V.I.N.) and/or an engine number. The DVLA. may ask the Owned by same family police to inspect cars without either one of these identification from 1996 till 2008 when numbers. Members and readers are advised to be cautious purchased by me, used before purchasing such vehicles. summer only for shows. Very original, even has Notice to advertisers Rover radio cassette.£3750 ALL ADVERTS TO THE EDITOR EITHER BY EMAIL ono. Tel 01304 330715 or OR POST 07795261637 Dover Members classified “for sale” and “wanted” adverts are free (minis and mini parts only) providing they are not excessively long nor in the course of business trade. Please quote your Parts for sale membership number when writing. Non-members and trade members wishing to place a classified advert must enclose a New Gold Seal gearboxes, one is a rod change for a 1275GT with rubber cheque for £5.00 with their advert script. Failure to do so will couplings and a 3.44 diff with a close ratio gear set. The other one is result in the advert being returned unpublished. Cheques should for a 1300GT (ADO 16), rod change with pot joint diff with a 3.65 ratio be made payable to Mini Cooper Register. and also a close ratio gear set. £400 each. I also have a small quantity of original Cooper/S boot board buffers ALH1473, these are £7.50 a pair. Business advertisements disclosure order 1977. Please call Steve Lee on 01902 895292 or 07896 718096. All traders are required to state this fact clearly in their advertisements either by the letter T or the word Trade Heuer Twin dash board mounted stopwatches in excellent condition and The club regrets that adverts for log books (V5 documents) fully functional. I have never had them mounted in a car and looking at and/or chassis plates cannot be accepted adverts. Adverts must the screw holes I don’t think they were used on any car by the previous be in written form only please and addressed to the magazine owner. I can send more detailed photos via email to interested members. editor. This includes instructions for repeat insertions and/or I am looking for £650 for the watches which are about a quarter of the advert amendments. price of a pair of Heuer rally masters and would look great in a Works rally Cooper replica or any competition spec car. Tel 0208 898 9476 or mobile 07973 426922. Email : [email protected] London.
WANTED
A Mini Metro 1275 A+ engine and gearbox requiring rebuilding. The engine number tag is present and is : 12H907AA 144546. Gearbox is: ABZ1 G&M DAM rod change with 3.44 diff and standard ratio gearbox. I have the correct carb which came with the engine but I don’t know 01252 612245 its condition as I bought it as it stands today. Was intended to be used in a project car that did not happen. I can email photos to interested members. £350. You will have to arrange collection from Nottingham. Tel: 0208 898 9476 or Mobile 07973 426922. Email: [email protected]
Trade ALL MINI COOPERS & The Mini Surgery COOPER S MK1, 2 & 3. Keeping the Classic Mini Alive ALSO INTERESTED IN 1275 GT, Waterproof self adhesive door membrane kits for MK111, (1969 on) Minis. In the 1990’s rover started fitting clear membranes in place of the COUNTRYMANS / TRAVELLERS, PICKUPS, duck tape etc which went before. These became unavailable and we VANS AND LOW MILEAGE STANDARD have had them manufactured to replace the originals. They are “handed” SALOONS. and once the door cards and old membranes removed, take minutes to complete collections purchased. fit. They have cut outs for door handle etc. and are very strong - £25.95 any condition considered from barn finds per kit inclusive of p&p for MCR members. The kit arrives in a large tube to concours. and via recorded delivery. Cheques payable to R. Patterson. The Mini Surgery, 12 Swanage Road, we are cash buyers, not agents, Lee-on-the-Solent, Hants PO13 9JW immediate settlement Tel: 07790 532997 with discretion assured. email: [email protected] 01252 612245 | 07836 203159 [email protected] 62 | www.minicooper.org MINI MAGAZINE The number one magazine for Mini owners worldwide. WWW.MINIMAG.CO.UK
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