THE no.1 online magazine for mini enthusiasts FREE
love:mini
april 2018
www.love-mini.co.uk
magazine
d n a l Highing l F
GP3 Concept
the curse of strikes again!!
• Head of MINI Design interview • Tarox Big Brake Kit
• French MINIs • Motorsport preview • Mini Festival news • Gen 2 MINI Turbos
Gen 3 Test Drive • First look and drive of the MINI Cooper S JCW 210 Edition • Clubman One D gets a close inspection • Limited Edition Cooper S Seven delivers some poke • MINI Cabrio Cooper looks and feels great in the sun love:mini
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WELCOME Blog and social media links
april 2018
T
he Mini season is underway and the shows are swinging into action. The high octane action of Mini motorsport will soon be kicking off too, and there’s no better place to experience it, than at the few Mini Festivals being held this summer. The love:mini sponsored shows now have a new
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attracting in the form of the love:mini awards, where you can get your hands on a trophy just like these, all you have to do Craig McBeth is turn up! Enjoy the mag!
Copyright of all contributions remains with the original owner. love:mini produced content is copyright of love:mini. By submitting words and photos to love:mini you agree to allow us to use and reproduce this material in any way, shape or form (in a non-offensive manner) for the foreseeable future. We do not intentionally use copyrighted material without permission, and for the most part we have been given permission to use copyrighted material. However, if you believe we have used copyrighted material without permission, we will do what we can to make amends. Reasonable attempts have been made to find and contact any copyright owner whose material may have been used.
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THIS ISSUE WAS MADE WITH HELP FROM:
David Fuller, ydrolina, Nick Counsell, Steve Hill, Chris Walker, Ed Bryant, Lee Colier, Mini Mania, Mintech Spares
www.ydrolina.net
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love:mini www.love-mini.co.uk
6 On the pulse News - investigated
14 gp3 concept
T he latest imagining of the most desirable production MINI.
18 Interview
Chatting with Head of MINI Design
22 Test Drive
Getting a feel for the latest models.
32 Highland fling
Ed Bryant turns a beast into a beauty.
42 Tarox
Why you need this Big Brake Kit.
50 Lock Up
Show off your car.
54 Event reports
Mini Fair, East Coast Mini Run, and more.
66 Motorsport Preview of the upcoming season.
76 Diary
What troubles have I got myself into now?
80 Workshop Turbo power!
84 Q&A
Your questions answered.
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What’s INSIDE
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Follow us online to get the latest news first
on the PULSE electric
classic mini goes electric MINI creates a buzz with an electric classic Mini at the New York International Auto Show.
The spontaneous power of its electric moto r provides a new dimension t o the unmistakable go -kart feeling
The
classic Mini has seen somewhat of a revival recently, what with the stylish and very desirable David Brown Automotive Minis, and now with brand owner MINI showing off its latest trick. With the social push to electric vehicles well and truly in motion, it was inevitable our favourite little car would be used to show off the engineering
skills of the German bigwigs and help promote its forthcoming offering. Being shown off at the New York International Auto show, the unique Mini
is a late Sportpack model with the electric emblem on the hubs and fuel flap. The chrome grille has been
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replaced with a black item along with the headlight rings and bumper. Oh course it is not the first classic Mini to be electric and there are plenty of kits
available to enable you to convert your Mini to electric power, amongst many other sources.
David Brown
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emastered from the ground up, each car is handbuilt in the UK using traditional coachbuilding methods, and takes up to 1,000 man hours to create. The exterior shape has been refined and visually softened by de-seaming the silhouette, additional support has also been added through bespoke beams and additional struts for rigidity. The engine and gearbox have been fully refurbished and the company are able to offer up to 50% extra power
output from the original unit. Teamed with a fully reconditioned four-speed manual gearbox, upgraded suspension and brakes, David Brown Automotive has also placed enormous emphasis on reliability, integrity and driving dynamics. In-car comfort and technology also plays a large part in every Mini Remastered. Each car comes with power steering, heated windscreen and air conditioning as standard, alongside an in-built infotainment and navigation system powered by Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a fourspeaker sound system, keyless-go, USB connectivity and charging, as well as push-button start and remote central locking. www.davidbrownautomotive.com
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on the PULSE
french fancies Double delight for our European neighbours as MINI launches two editions in as many months.
Fran
ce has been treated in recent months with a couple of new launches in the shape of the MINI Countryman Oakwood, and the MINI Clubman Edition Kensington. Following traditional naming convention, both the Oakwood and Kensington are again named after areas of London. The Countryman Oakwood stands apart with an “Oakwood” inscription on the upper level of the C-pillars, anda reminder of the GPS coordinates of the Oakwood neighborhood on the bottom of the rear side doors, “a nod to the adventurer positioning of the model.”
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Inside it is kitted out with a host of gadgets including phone connectivity and automatic maneuvering system, as well as a panaramic sunroof and 18” wheels. Prices start around 33,400 euros. The other offering is the Limited Edition Kensington Clubman - available until the end of 2018. The model is distinctive because of its Kensington side stripe and subtle letter ‘K’ on the C-pillar. Inside it is luxuriously equipped with a leather steering wheel, velvet floor
mats, comfort access and a panoramic sunroof with anthracite roof sky. This edition also features extended phone connectivity and is available from 31,000 euros.
judge joins the job TV’s favourite judge has been branching out recently. Not content to sit behind his bench and humiliate those who dare stand before him in the name of entertainment, he’s had a whirl on Strictly Come Dancing and now looks set for his biggest adventure yet... The Italian Job! That’s right, Rob Rinder will be travelling around Italy with our good friend
Freddie St George and co. for a week in a Mini!! love:mini took part in the charity event in 2013 and it was amazing, an experience not to be missed. Fortunately there is still time to sign up for this year’s event, which starts on October 27 and you can find out more about the charity and how to enter here. www.italianjob.com.
valet pro to sponsor love:mini awards love:mini is delighted to continue sponsoring the Mini Festivals hosted at Snetterton (May 12-13), Oulton Park (July 21) and Brands Hatch (August 25-26). Following on from our inaugaural trophy events, we will be returning at all three events for more trophy giving... all you have to do is turn up to be in with a chance... no polishing needed! Concours will return at the Brand Hatch event for those serious polishers - you can enter concours by choosing the concours option when buying tickets. In further news, it has been announced that ValetPRO will be sponsoring the love:mini awards. Visit http://www.mini-festival.co.uk/ to book your tickets for this season’s events.
mini gets 4g All MINIs from March 2018 will be available with 4G connectivity integrated into them. The updated connectivity will be standard on Countryman and Clubmans but an optional extra for Hatch and Convertible owners. The refreshed MINI Connected will allow drivers to access personalised services designed to make day-to-day mobility and
planning even easier – and, in so doing, integrate their MINI seamlessly into their digital lives. Existing features in the portfolio, such as Intelligent Emergency Call and Teleservices, will be joined by new services including the Concierge Service, Real Time Traffic Information with navigation map updates and MINI Online.
MTTS route revealed The route for the popular biennial American event, MINI Takes The States, has been announced. Commonly, there are two starting points, one on each coast, which travel to meet each other in the middle of the country. Both routes start on July 14, from Orlando, Florida (East side) and Portland, Oregan (West side), and converge at Keystone, Colorado on July 20 for a two day event. http://www.minitakesthestates.com/
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on the PULSE our tour guid es and staff p ride themselves on making those experiences s pecial.
Plant Oxford tours bag top accolade VisitEngland awards Best Told Story to the MINI factory tour.
MINI
Plant Oxford has received a top visitor attraction award from the official national tourism agency for England. The plant, which builds more than 1,000 MINIs each day, has been recognised by VisitEngland with a ‘Best Told Story Accolade’ for its factory tour, which gives visitors a behind the scenes look at how this iconic British car is made. Introduced by VisitEngland in 2014, the accolades are available to attractions that are part of the Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme and are allocated through a scoring system based on an annual unannounced assessment. They recognise attractions that ‘go the extra mile to provide a high quality day out.’ With a dedicated team of tour guides, MINI Plant Oxford welcomed well over 21,000 visitors from all over the world last year to see how a new car is built here every 67 seconds. The VisitEngland accolade builds on the
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TripAdvisor ‘Certificate of Excellence’ awarded to the team in September. Frank Bachmann, Managing Director of MINI Plant Oxford, said: “We’re privileged to welcome so many people to get a closer look at how MINIs are made and our tour guides and staff pride themselves on making those experiences special. Huge congratulations to everyone on the plant tours team - this award is testament to all of their hard work and dedication.” Andra Pirvu, Project Manager for MINI Plant Oxford tours, said: “Achieving a Visit England accolade is something that everyone on the team is extremely proud of. Telling the story of the plant is central to what we do and so to be recognised in the ‘Best Told Story’ category is fantastic news.” MINI Plant tour guide and former plant worker, Terry Stringer, said: “As someone who worked here for so long it’s been fascinating to see how the plant has changed and developed to become such a global success story. We
now have many thousands of people from all around the world coming to see us and we try to give them the best experience we possibly can. I guess this award is a recognition of everyone’s work over the past year.” MINI Plant Oxford is a member of VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme, which represents a wide range of tourism experiences across England, from museums and galleries, farm attractions, historic houses and gardens to churches, cathedrals and country parks. VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said of the accolades: “These attractions offer a warm welcome, unique storytelling, high quality food and drink and unparalleled customer service and rightly deserve these accolades. They provide visitors with amazing experiences and create reasons to travel the length and breadth of the country, increasing the economic benefits of tourism.” For full details and booking go to www.visit-mini.com
MINI races at 76mm New MINI UK Director
Burlen Managing Director Mark Burnett and Dickie Meaden raced a Swiftune-prepared, ex-Jon Mowatt Mini 1275GT in wintery conditions at the 76MM meet at Goodwood. Despite atrocious conditions the racing went ahead throughout the weekend Burlen Ltd, the world’s only manufacturer of genuine SU, AMAL and Zenith carburettors, lined up on the grid for a great race in the Gerry Marshall Trophy as the snow fell and temperatures failed to get above freezing. Managing Director Mark Burnett and journalist, and Goodwood hero, Dickie Meaden shared the drive in Mark’s Mini 1275GT, lining up against many more powerful cars. Challenging conditions saw duo line up in 16th place for the two driver race late on Saturday. Mark took to the start and made way for Dickie at the mandatory pit stops, bringing the car home in the dark, in 13th place - an admirable result against the competition. A solo race later in the weekend saw Mark Burnett start from 11th on the grid, due to a reversed grid format. An accident at the first corner bought out the safety car, which stayed out for most of the race. Mark fought to eighth place at the chequered flag, following a final flurry of activity in a crazy final two lap dash. The Mini is the original Jon Mowatt 1275 GT Group 1 touring car, raced by Jon in the 1978-80 seasons of the BSCC. It was totally rebuilt and recommissioned in 2014 by Swiftune before being purchased by Mark in 2017. Dickie Meaden said of the event “The Gerry Marshall Trophy is a wonderful race, and Mark’s car is an absolute cracker, it’s so much fun to drive, and so darned quick! It’s a proper little ball of energy and a real crowd favourite - a David amongst a grid of Goliaths. “The racing was brilliant, even in the dark and through the blizzard! I doubt I’ll ever experience those conditions again, but I’d love to have another go in the 1275GT. I’m totally addicted.” Burlen Managing Director, Mark Burnett, said: “It was a pleasure to race my car with someone as experienced as Dickie. The car performed faultlessly and it’s a real joy to drive. I have owned and raced Minis for years and to own a car as legendary as this is a real pleasure.”
David George has been appointed as the new Director for MINI UK. He succeeds Chris Brownridge who moves into the role of Sales Director, BMW UK. David joins MINI UK from his previous role as Sales Director at Mercedes-Benz UK. He brings substantial experience gained across sales, marketing and aftersales from a career in the automotive industry which started at Volkswagen Group in 2000. Commenting on his appointment, David George, Director, MINI UK, said: “I first fell in love with the brand at the age of 21 when a friend and I travelled across Europe in a Clubman which we had restored. I have long since admired the MINI range after the launch of the MINI Hatch in 2001.
BMIHT wants your view The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust is looking for your opinion on how to make the best use of its vast archive collection of documents by taking a survey. Based at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, the Trust has been entrusted to preserve the unique collection of historical material which originated from British Leyland, and encompasses such notable marques and companies as Austin, Morris, MG, Rover and Triumph. Now they are looking to expand their services and open up more content to the public. The archives are not just about cars, but also shed light on the social and industrial history of the 20th Century. Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BMIHTArchiveSurvey
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on the PULSE
Hybrid Countryman on Panamericana MINI’s first Hybrid put to the ultimate test.
An
exclusive version of the MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 kicks off a long-haul journey from North America to Tierra del Fuego, unveiled at the 2018 New York International Auto Show. At the New York International Auto Show, MINI-style electro mobility conquered new terrain with the presentation of an exclusive model specially designed for extremely challenging routes. With its underpinnings taken from the brand’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle, the MINI Countryman Panamericana has been designed for a long-distance tour from North America to Tierra del Fuego, showcasing the power and durability of the brand’s largest model. Additional headlights, tyres with emergency running characteristics and a roof rack for transporting a spare wheel will make the compact fivedoor fit for a road trip in a class of its own. Based on the MINI Cooper SE Countryman ALL4 (fuel consumption combined: 2.3 - 2.1 l / 100 km, combined power consumption: 14.0 - 13.2 kWh / 100 km, combined CO2
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emissions from fuel: 52 - 49 g / km), the combined power and versatility of its two engines make it the perfect endurance athlete for the Panamericana adventure. Three MINI Countryman Panamericana Plug-In Hybrid vehicles will tackle the intercontinental route on the world’s longest north-south road link. They will demonstrate the reliability and long-distance performance of the Plug-In Hybrid drive technology used in the MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4. The Plug-In Hybrid drive of the MINI Cooper SE Countryman ALL4 is an effective contribution to reducing CO2 emissions in road traffic, even beyond urban environments. With a range of up to 40 kilometers, it can reach beyond the city limits and remain fully electric on longer routes. The intelligently coordinated interaction of the electric drive with the combustion engine combines the possibility of local emission-free driving with the freedom of a long range offered by a conventionally powered vehicle. The Panamericana, also known
as Pan-American Highway, Ruta Panamericana or Interamericana depending on the region and language, connects the US state of Alaska with the Argentinean Tierra del Fuego and runs between the northernmost and the southernmost point over a distance of about 25,750 kilometres. In both North and South America, numerous intersections and alternative routes are part of the Panamericana road network, covering a total length of more than 48,000 kilometers. In the border area between Panama and Colombia, a ship passage is necessary to continue the journey, as an originally planned section of about 90 kilometers in length, inter alia, to protect the local rainforest area was not completed. The drive over the historic dream road leads through diverse climatic zones, dense jungle and challenging high mountain passes. In addition to well-developed highways, gravel roads and narrow mountain passages are part of the route network that the three MINI Countryman Panamericana Plug-In Hybrids will have to cope with. www.instagram.com/mini.news
News in Brief Stay up-to-date with our Blog and social media links love:mini news blog https://loveminimag.blogspot.co.uk
BMW GETS LEGAL
100k for JCW MINI Challenge Winner This year’s MINI CHALLENGE JCW champion will be rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to boost their career in Asia, with a fully funded season in the Japanese Super Taikyu series worth in excess of £100,000. The prize is being offered through a new relationship between British MINI CHALLENGE promoter Total Track, Japanese firm Giomic and Chinese organisation Great Drive Group. Both Giomic and Great Drive Group have ordered F56 JCW CHALLENGE cars from Britain to launch their own versions of the CHALLENGE in their respective countries this season. The British champion will win a full expenses-paid package to join both the Chinese and Japanese CHALLENGE champions at the wheel of a special endurance-spec MINI for the full 2019 Super Taikyu season. Super Taikyu is a leading six-round endurance series in Japan, which caters for GT and touring car-style machinery and races at famous tracks such as Suzuka, Fuji, Motegi and Okayama. Great Drive Group’s Lawrence Kong added: “Great Drive is very honoured that Mr. Antony Williams (MINI Challenge UK) and Mr. Wataru Morishita (MINI Challenge Japan) agreed and trusted us to host the MINI Challenge Asia Series in China. We have received great responses after organising three exhibition races in 2017, two at Fuji Speedway in Japan and one at Zhuhai International Circuit in China. After in depth discussions within the MINI Challenge Asia Committee, we have set the Championship prize money at a very attractive rate in order to attract highcalibre teams and drivers to enter our 1st season. In addition to this, the champions of the MINI Challenge UK, Japan and China will form a team to compete full season in the 2019 PIRELLI Super Taikyu Series in Japan. MINI CHALLENGE UK promoter Antony Williams said: “This has got to be one of the biggest prizes in British motorsport, and what a way to kick off our strong new relationship with both Giomic and Great Drive Group. https://www.minichallenge.co.uk/
Reports are coming out that MINI brand owner, BMW, has been sending threatening letters to classic Mini clubs and small traders. love:mini will be approaching the company about this. If you have experienced any recent problems regarding legal threats, contact us and let us know your story. editor@love-mini.co.uk
Free valuation Classic Car Auctions has launched a facility that allows owners to get their vehicles valued for free. By filling out a few details on the website, their experts will come back to you with a free estimate of what it could be worth. To complement that is a seller’s guide to auctioning, and how to make the most out of the experience. Visit https://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/value-my-classic and https://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/selling
Calling Mini Owners The Queen’s Oak pub in Wokingham, Berkshire, is having a party on June 30, with plenty of attractions for all. The Mini enthusiastic organisers want as many Minis to turn out at possible and are offering Free Entry to anyone turning up in a Mini. Entertainment comes in the form of a Beer Festival (yay!), Rock music, Hog Roast, air guitar competition and a charity raffle, all supporting Marie Curie Cancer Care. Find out more at https://www.thequeensoak.com/what-s-on-1
Lohen Suspension Guide Looking for an informative guide that tells you all about how to set up your suspension? MINI specialists, Lohen, have written a blog covering all (camber) angles. www.lohen.co.uk/blog/your-guide-to-suspension-set-up
Hopkirk to the States US Mini owners are holding an event at the Watkins Glen NY vintage races with Minis being the marque car. Rally legend Paddy Hopkirk is attending as a special guest, making sure it should be a great weekend on Sept 6-9, 2018. Organisers have arranged for a Mini VIP package in the Tower Suites. Paddy will be handing out the trophies to the class winners. https://www.facebook.com/WGMiniFestival/
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concept
MINI JCW GP3 CONCEPT revealed Powerful, desirable and a little bit quirky.
The
GP MINIs have always been the most powerful and desirable, and even a bit quirky at first - and the concept for the new MINI JCW GP3 is no different. “The MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept is all about the unfettered feeling of driving and levels of performance found in motor sport competition,” says Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad. “This is driving fun in
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its purest form.” The bodywork has been made significantly wider than standard MINIs, and large air intakes and front and rear aprons give an aggressive look to the car. Finished in Black Jack Anthracite paint, it is
“This is driving fu n in its purest form.� complemented with Curbside Red and Highspeed Orange. Carbon-fibre parts, 19� wheels and a stripped out interior work in tandem with digitally adjustable suspension to provide the ultimate power-to-weight ratio, and for the driver to experience the full racing feel. No details regarding the engine have been released as yet, and as with many concepts, expect the final production version to be a shade of this example.
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interview
electric dreams Head of MINI design talks electric MINIs and incorporating new tech
“For
Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design since September 2017, design is not just a career, it’s a vocation. The Munich native has been driven by the desire to create new cars since he was a boy. Here, the 43-year-old tells us about his idea of good design, his plans for the future of the MINI brand and the sense of boldness and daring they require. 1. Why did you become a car designer? Ever since I can remember, cars have totally fascinated me. I’ve always drawn cars – and always had a big smile on my face at the same time. It started with scrawling extra spoilers onto photos of cars in magazines when I was a young kid. Later I began to design and draw my own cars. It was soon clear that I wanted to be a car designer. Back then, this wasn’t an established career as such, like medicine or law. So as you can imagine, my family were rather sceptical. A pre-university internship at a wellknown carmaker in Stuttgart after my Abitur [secondary school leaving exams] strengthened my conviction that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Not that I would have guessed back then that I would end up where I am today.
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e b l il w e r u t u f e h t in I “MIN pure electric.”
4. What does MINI mean for you? 2. Where do you find your inspiration? What gets your juices flowing? In essence, I am fascinated by anything that fuels my imagination and sparks my creativity. For example, I find music extremely inspiring – anything from jazz to hip hop. However, the aesthetic of technical products also excites me. I’m thinking of products that have been developed and built by engineers from a purely technical standpoint – but which still exude extraordinary beauty. You may be familiar with the Faema espresso machines from the 1950s and 60s, for example. That’s the sort of product I’m talking about. Since I was a small boy I’ve also been fascinated by the combine harvester at my grandparents’ farm. I was spellbound by it and I could spend days driving on it and just gazing at it. And it goes without saying I like beautiful things. Although beauty is, of course, very subjective.
To me, MINI embodies a confident and modern attitude far removed from luxury in sheer size. It doesn’t matter how exclusively or expensively equipped a MINI is, it is always compact on the outside. In my eyes, this shows that people who drive a MINI do so for their own enjoyment. Of course, they want to be distinctive and express their personality through their car to a degree. But they do that through the inner values of the car. In my view, MINI is classless in how it achieves this. And then you have to bear in mind that many MINI customers have a unique and profound connection with their cars. MINI is a very emotional brand, and you don’t find that very often in this form in the car world. 5. What excites you most about your job as a car designer?
As car designers we are actively creating an important part of all our 3. What do you think of as “good futures and we are always looking design”? to make the best out of this exciting time. Of course, we don’t know exactly For me, good design is consistent what the future will bring. But I’m and reflects a purpose. The function of sure the technological changes we’re a product has to be immediately clear experiencing will be positive. Knowing from its form and, above all, usable. It that I can contribute to this process doesn’t necessarily have anything to is all I need to get out of bed in the do with beauty. Another ingredient of morning. Another thing that excites me good design for me is that it is not too about my job is that loud. But at the same time it should design gives you polarise, at least to some degree, or it the chance to stir will risk being anonymous. There are it up and challenge many examples of car designs which certain things. I initially polarise opinion but despite find that extremely this – or perhaps because of it – blaze a energising. But trail for a whole new vehicle segment. it’s not enough The BMW X6 is a case in point. Good for me to make design does not necessarily need to demands without come from a designer, although a suggestions. certain feeling for aesthetics is required. In a few years, I want to be able to The metalwork for the bodies of many look in the mirror and say I’ve done classic cars was beaten into shape everything I could to bring MINI using wood. The guys doing it at the design and therefore the MINI brand time weren’t designers, but particularly into the future. Preserving existing gifted craftsmen with just this sense achievements, things that are already for the unity of form and function. It’s impressive, is not where my focus lies. unlikely they knew much about theories such as how to create surface line 6. Where do you see MINI in the sources, accelerate surfaces or position future and what sort of things are you highlights. They just found a way of keen to encourage as Head of MINI doing it right. Design?
The way I see it, MINI is a brand which is not only capable of constantly developing, changing even, but which needs to do so. The product range we’ve put together at MINI is very good. From a quality point of view, in particular, we’re scaling greater heights than ever – and outperforming many of our competitors. However, it’s also clear that our path can not only be evolutionary. We’ve got some big items on our agenda: autonomous driving, electric mobility, digitalisation and shared services, to name but a few. And we need to be shaping these areas. To this end, the key thing for me is that the substance of MINI remains authentic. After all, MINI is an urban brand and that’s something it should continue to embody in the years to come. So for me, MINI in the future will be pure electric. Clearly, much still needs to be done in terms of infrastructure. But I’m positive about the future. Another important issue which will occupy our minds a whole lot more than it does today even is the relationship between car and customer. We know that our MINI customers have a special connection to their car and also the brand. So wouldn’t it be great, in the future, to also be able to communicate and interact in a way we’re only currently familiar with between people and good friends, instead of via menus and clicks? I see great potential for MINI as a pioneer here.
“It is this balancing ac t between tradition and future focus”
7. Let’s talk about electric mobility: What is the most appealing thing about creating an all-electric MINI and how does the design of such a vehicle differ from that of one with a conventional combustion engine? New technologies are always exciting for us as designers, because they inject fresh energy and can therefore initiate something totally new. The electric drive system and its packaging
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interview benefits allow us to challenge established geometric solutions. The drive system is significantly smaller, but the batteries take up more space than the fuel tank they replace. In the future, this will give us whole new freedoms as far as interior space and proportions are concerned. And I see great potential here, in particular, for MINI. 8. You’re currently working on the first all-electric MINI, which you’ll unveil in 2019. What can we expect? The all-electric MINI will be a genuine MINI. In other words, it will major on emotion and have a minimal footprint. The car’s electric nature will be visible in its details – e.g. unconventional and innovative details which reference the traditional MINI world but which at the same time combine it with new technologies. 3D printing will certainly play a role. I can’t give away more details, as we’re still working intensively on the design
and there are still decisions to be taken. 9. So what can we expect in future from MINI and, above all, from MINI design? MINI does not dwell on the present or the past, even if we do have a strong history to call on. The classic Mini was designed squarely for a particular purpose and developed in response to a powerful need. This is one of the reasons behind its status as an icon today. I’m keen to project this core further into the future – with all of the possibilities that this has to offer us. It is this balancing act between tradition and future focus that makes my work at MINI Design so incredibly exciting for me. At the same time, MINI has a license – an obligation even – to provoke. Indeed, MINI is an extremely emotional brand. We could and should allow ourselves to be more daring more often, even if that comes with a risk of making mistakes. Ultimately, you see, it’s about emotion. For me, MINI is no longer only a product; I see it as embodying an attitude. MINI is
about constant change and the urban environment; its heart beats to the rhythm of the city. And for me MINI is definitively about diversity – the very opposite of monoculture. MINI cannot be pigeonholed. All in all, you can sum this up as a fundamental openness. And I believe that MINI has to work with others significantly more in future in order to achieve this. By that I mean collaborations which don’t only have a substantial knock-on effect, but which most importantly think beyond the boundaries of the car itself – as we have already done with MINI LIVING and MINI FASHION. I’m convinced that MINI as a brand also works beyond the car. And I’m keen to accelerate the connectivity essential for this in the future. 10. How will that look in detail? With an eye on current developments, we are, of course, asking ourselves what will set a MINI apart in future. Will it be the floating roof or the hexagonal radiator grille? Or will the design of the interior determine the exterior, given the living space
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inside the car that will come our way as a result of autonomous driving? However it happens, our task will be to make a MINI recognisable as a MINI, even if – to overstate the point – at some point in the future our roads will be dominated by autonomous rectangular boxes. I’m in no doubt that our focus in the future will shift. We will no longer be creating just cars, but experiences. MINI will be recognisable by the experience and by an honest concept which will continue to excite and stand apart from the crowd. I expect the fundamental needs of our customers to remain similar in the future: they want to keep on the move and up-to-date, they want their needs to be anticipated and, in so doing, they want to be helped to enjoy interacting with their vehicle. Take the example of connectivity. Here, we’re talking not
only about display sizes, but the emotional connection during usage. A central issue here is interaction, and this is something we have to shape. One approach for MINI here would be to push the technology required into the background and instead offer the MINI experience in hallmark style. There is a big opportunity here, but also a major challenge. MINI has the chance to follow a new path, to go its own way.
”
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Rece
ntly, MINI invited us down to the beautiful village of Lambourn in Berkshire - valley of the racehorse - for a day of test driving some of their newer cars. Of course we jumped at the opportunity. Hidden away in the rural wilderness of West Berkshire we met up at Sheepdrove Organic Farm where there were a number of cars awaiting our firm right foot. We all know how the MINI sales plan works. There's a selection of engines designed for economy or performance, each buyer will have their own needs. Tie that in with the model of car you want - Hatch, Clubman, Countryman etc - and it's pretty much a game of mix and match. We here at love:mini are generally looking for MINIs that offer that same exciting appeal as the classic Mini, the thrill of the ride and having some fun. So let's see what we found.
MINI Clubman One D
First up was the new MINI Clubman One D. As you would expect from a new MINI it was built with quality, and you can hear that as soon as you close the door.
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Considering the One D is the budget model of the class, it certainly doesn't feel or look like it. With a complement of gadgets including Sat Nav, you can have whatever level of accessories you desire despite your engine choice. Taking the One D out for a spin it's immediately noticeable where the power and gearing is at its best - low down. From first to third gear you can feel the torqueness as you build up speed, and after that it's all about
economy driving and the power drops off. This is fine if that's what you're after, perfect for long motorway drives where economy is key. The drive is quiet and refined - more MINI than Mini - and we found the brakes a bit weak for our liking too. This new generation model is slightly larger (tut tut), but does come with extra boot space, which for an estate car is quite key. Another big improvement to the new Clubman is
the introduction of four proper doors, instead of that silly half-door no one could work out what it was for. Aesthetically, the Clubman is less boxy. The rear end is more rounded with larger and wider opening rear doors than the previous model. Following suit of the Gen-3 MINIs the rear light clusters are large and bulbous, while the front end looks slightly over-extended, but after a while you kind of get used to it. Inside it's spacious with the usual interior setup. However, we did notice a lack of physical handbrake, instead it has been replaced by a button - we suspect for space-saving reasons - but we didn't like the button and prefer the comfort of a proper handbrake to pull on. It's MINI
but not as we know it. A base model of the Clubman One D is priced around ÂŁ21,300, with the model we tested including the Chili pack priced at around ÂŁ24k.
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MINI Cooper S JCW 210 Edition
deserves to. Out on the open country roads with no traffic we had to give it a blast Unannounced and unexpected, MINI and Oh. My. God. This MINI can had kept this little beauty a secret from shift. Switching it into Sport Mode us all until we arrived. It’s a brand and putting our foot down, we are new model - Oooooo. Following the immediately flung snugly into our success of the MINI Challenge 210 and seats as the MINI rockets from 0 to MINI JCW Challenge LE it seems the super fast in no time at all. And the British public can’t get enough of these power didn’t end. We were expecting powerful little motors and so to fulfill to hit some kind of plateau whilst demand they’ve launched this - the accelerating, the roads were clear and MINI Cooper S JCW 210. pretty straight so no concerns there, This model fits neatly inbetween the but we were questioning when it would standard MINI Cooper S and the JCW top out, but we couldn’t reach that Hatch. Fitted with a JCW Pro Tuning point. The instinct of Kit it’s pretty much a tuned Cooper S self-preservation kicked and comes with an exclusive button in and we settled for (woo!) that opens up the exhaust for a flinging around the free-flowing sound. It’s loud, very loud... country roads as tightly but it sounds amazing. Sadly it’s not as we could and the road legal, but for those times you get JCW 210 didn’t miss a to play off the public roads you’re sure spot, you could plant to get noticed (we did, ahem!). With it right on the apex the added tuning kit (dealer or factory of a corner and it fitted) and aerodynamic upgrades the would stick, exactly once Cooper S has its power output what you want from boosted by 18hp to 210bhp, and you a performance car can really feel the difference. With its and even more so in a stunning all-red paintjob this MINI MINI! really stands out and it certainly
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Needless to say this model rocked our world and we can’t speak highly enough about it. Unlike the MINI JCW Challenge the interior trim has been left fairly basic with the main upgrades on the engine and aerodynamics. This is great news for petrolheads like us who aren’t too fussed by the ‘extras’ and gadgets that end up bumping up the price, so it comes with great surprise that the retail price for this hunk of sexiness is just £21,690 OTR that’s cheaper than a Clubman One D. Horses for courses as they say, but we know which one we’d be choosing.
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MINI Cooper Convertible
It’s been a little while since we’ve been able to compare the different engines side-by-side, so it was a great opportunity when MINI brought a variety to try, with the Cooper engine in this lovely looking Convertible. As you can see the weather was perfect for it and so the ‘Openometer’ (a meter monitoring how long you have the roof down) was racking up its time. We hadn’t driven the new Convertible since its launch late last year but having enjoyed the previous version we
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were hoping the new generation hadn’t lost its sparkle. Fortunately, it hadn’t. As per usual, the design and build quality was top notch in our tester car with Satellite Grey leather interior. Given the openness of the Convertible, you can customise the car to increase your comfort (and warmth) whilst driving topless. Heated front seats and automatic Air Conditioning are just a couple of options we found useful whilst the wind was blowing through our hair. Out on the road it was surprising to find the Cooper engine lacking a real bite unless you put it into Sport mode, which immediately made it feel more Mini-like - had the optional driving modes not been on this car then it’s likely we wouldn’t have been as impressed. Fortunately the Sport mode was installed and so we were able to throw it around with verve, and again it stuck well in the corners with just enough power to enjoy without being silly. If we were to be drawn on any fault it would have to be the poor visibility to the rear. The fabric hood
just doesn’t go down far enough to allow you to see over it particularly well, whilst raising the seat height helps a little, it doesn’t solve the problem. Despite this the Convertible definitely had the fun factor
and some silky styling to go along with it too. Doesn’t it look beautiful. A basic version of the Convertible can be picked up from £19k, with the options (Media and Chili packs) on this model adding another 5k.
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JCW 210, but it was plenty enough. It felt like it had the power you need Last up before the day ended was the and then some - without going over the MINI Seven LE. One trick MINI has continued from the old British owners is top. And anyway, you’ve got to leave to produce a number of limited editions, some breathing room for your own basically a standard car in an exclusive tuning mods if you want to do some. And of course on the flip side, if you livery and or equipment. choose the optional extra of Driving It’s not difficult to do and can be a little earner, so why not. People love to Modes, you can always turn your pocket rocket into a driving Miss Daisy have something that is only available mobile with a couple of flicks of a to a few, it makes them feel special. switch to conserve your fuel - the best So essentially for us, this was just a standard Cooper S with a nice paintjob of both worlds really. and some LE footplates. We were more concerned about how the little S would perform on the road. As we own an R53, Gen 1 Cooper S, we were keen to see how the Gen-3 version shaped up. In comparison the Cooper we had driven earlier, the difference was immediately noticable. Whereas the Cooper needed Sport mode to give it a kick, the Cooper S had it at the get-go. The familiar feeling of being flung back into your seat as you nail the accelerator convinced us that the Cooper S still has what it takes to put a smile on our faces. It may not be the crazy non-stop power feeling we got in the Cooper S
MINI Seven Cooper S
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We must thank MINI for a wonderful day out. As usual the location and hosting of the event was spot on, with PR personnel on hand with all the answers to our questions and few cheeky insights to the inner workings
of MINI product management. For us the Cooper S JCW 210 simply blew us away with it’s never-ending power and mean looks, whilst the Convertible was cool and stylish, but it’s the Cooper S that should be on the hotlist. If you can’t stretch the budget to the Cooper
S JCW 210, then you could do worse than to pick up a Cooper S - even in standard guise it really does pack a punch with the option of economy driving too, all for a tidy price. http://www.sheepdrove.com/
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d n a l High ing Fl
ed feature
A hasty holiday internet purchase turns from a bargain into money pit but the results are stunning.
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ike many mid-aged Mini enthusiasts Ed Bryant first fell in love with the classic Mini after seeing the Italian Job film as a kid. His father helped spur on the affection when he bought the young Ed three Monte Carlo Mini models for Christmas – while his older sister got a real Mini to drive. “It was a Mini 1000 HL in light metallic green,” he says. “It was an X-reg, and five years later it was passed to me,” Ed recalls. But by the time Ed finally got to sit behind the wheel the tinworm had started to set in and he struggled to keep it on the road. “I was doing jobs on the fly to keep it roadworthy, including the floors, but it just came to a point where I couldn’t drive it anymore.” As the rotten Mini 1000 was moved on Ed continued the Mini theme when he picked up a late J-reg carb’d Cooper. As time passed and Ed created a family, he went and bought a Mini Marcos. Work moved him and his family from the Leeds area up to Scotland for a couple of years before they moved back down again. However, with kids now on the scene, Ed’s wife was concerned with the safety aspect of the youngsters in the fibreglass car and so she went and
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BEFORE
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First look Buying off the internet is hazardous, and so Ed only got the full idea of the work needed in the cold hard light of day. Take a look for yourself
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The sympathetic restoration by S H Restorations kept as much original bodywork as possible, replacing any rotten panels with genuine replacements or homemade fabrications. Period items were scoured for over a number of years - looking in the darkest depths of the internet and persuading hoarding enthustiasts to part with their treasured historical parts.
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“It was sat outside under some tarpaulin in glasgow” bought a more safety-conscious Mini Sportpack. “It was a 1999 Metallic Green
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Sportpack with just 500 miles on the clock from Wilshers Garage in Cambridgeshire,” explains Ed. “We took that to Mini 50 in 2009, but sadly it was the last event we took it to as the rust began to set in.” Ten years for the rot to appear sounds about right for the late Minis, but it’s still a sad sight for any owner. However, Ed and his family weren’t done with Minis, the procession just kept on coming. Next to pass through their hands was a nice Japanese Mini Cooper 35, bought locally in Almond Green – this was to be used while the Sportpack was being rebuilt for the next three years. The list of jobs included a full new boot, sills, scuttle and floor before being resprayed in MGF British Racing Green. But, by the time the Sportpack was back up to scratch, Ed’s son, Billy, had turned 17… and it became his first car. “After a history of collecting Minis, I wanted an old one,” says Ed. He’d
had a number of the classics and their derivatives, but never one that could be treasured rather than thrashed. Eventually in 2011 he found this 1959 Mini on eBay for about £1500 near Glasgow. “I was at Center Parcs on holiday with a bad phone signal, so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to bid or win it,” explains Ed. “Eventually it went for over £2k,” he says. With the auction won Ed now had to work out how to get the Mini home and check out what condition it was in, having not inspected it before buying. “I hired a flatbed truck up to Glasgow to go and pick it up,” he says. Arriving at the address Ed was in for a bit of a surprise. “It was sat outside under some tarpaulin,” he explains. “It was owned by a couple of enthusiasts who wanted to save it.” And then the moment of truth… “Photos never tell the picture,” he grimaces, “the interior looked poor, but they had kept everything and put it inside the car such as the one-hole
glass.” So not all was lost. “I could see the driver’s door wasn’t original but the glass had been retained,” recalls Ed. After taking it home the Mini was stored away (away from the elements) due to a lack of space at the time. Ed wisely used this time to research details of the MkI Mini and registered with the 1959 Mini Register before heading into the shed to figure out exactly what bits he had on his hands. “The next four years I spent searching
for parts,” exclaims Ed. “Things like the glass washer bottle and square hole hub caps, a PD fuel pump, driver’s door and rubbers, that type of thing. I even found a company that makes rubber with a fabric surround after being quoted £300 for original door rubbers – per side!” Period perfect was important to Ed, as it is with many MkI restorations, but
at the same time he wasn’t going to be held to ransom for items that cost a fraction of the price to be made to begin with. The original wiring loom was present but the colour coding had faded and needed an overhaul, Steve Hill from SH Restorations, near Skipton, was tasked with the job of making the car as perfect as possible. For around a year the car was in Steve’s hands. Communication between the two was key – “everything had to be as original as possible,” says Ed, “and cost wasn’t so much of an issue.” When we sit Steve down to talk about the condition of the Mini when it was brought to him, he was so shocked by the state of it. “It was a lot worse than I thought,” he says. “There was a lot of rot. The
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floorpans were awful, with holes in it. The boot was poor, the passenger door was OK and roof, but there were big holes in the corners because there were no drip holes.” However, inside it was a brighter outlook; “The interior was in good nick though. It had the original seats that just needed a bit of a clean.”
Meanwhile Ed was having mixed feelings about the amount of rot discovered and bodywork required. And the real kicker was… the car had only done 16,000 miles on the clock. With so little mileage it was no surprise to hear it was only owned by two people before the guys Ed picked it up from got hold of it. They told Ed that they had found the little classic on a roof of an office in a warehouse. Realising the rarity of the car, they bought it up in hope of selling it on to someone who could save it and bring it back to life. That’s where Ed and Steve stepped in. But it was no mean feat. “The original floor needed replacing and couldn’t be saved,” say Ed. “The decision had to be made to buy a
custom one from Mini Machine.” Other areas of work included replacing the inner wings, the scuttle, a full front end, A-panels, A-posts, sills and steps, a full custom floor, the boot floor, the door bins, arches, and a whole new
“Ed was having mixed feelings about the amount of rot discovered... And it only had 16,000 miles on the clock” 38
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THANKS TO
Steve Hill S H Restorations https://www.facebook.com/www.shrestorations.co.uk/ Chris Walker Cartography http://thewalkertron.wixsite.com/car-tography https://www.facebook.com/Carphotog/
original back seat. As you can tell from the laundry list, it was pretty extensive, but originality mattered, so replacing like for like was the order of the day and if that couldn’t be done, it would have to be knocked up somewhere, by someone. Once the bodywork was up to scratch the Mini could be repainted, and Ed wasn’t going to mess with the beautiful original Tartan Red paint scheme. As the never-ending search for parts continued, he found a domed horn from a member of the 1959 Mini Register. The car’s first event was Mini 55 in Kent, celebrating 55 years of the Mini where it was on the 59 Mini Register stand proud as punch. Whilst at the show Ed met ’59 Register member, Michael Elsberg, from Denmark, who helped with sourcing parts, such as rubbers, rubber inserts for jacking points, “he told me that moustache ends should be stainless steel. Very helpful,” explains Ed. “Since then it has just been to a couple of shows – Skipton Classic Car Show and showed it off to Alex Riley,” a smiling Ed tells us. As for future plans, well, Ed just wants to keep on collecting and making those original parts as they appear, but there’s no intention to sell it, and who can blame him? He’s got a stunning little Mini that will be the envy of many, and continues to occupy its obsessive owner. Next on the project list for Ed is something a little bit different… that Mini Marcos with a 1275 and Webers!!
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VVD 180: A Brief History of its Time VVD 180 was manufactured on December 1st 1959, and dispatched to Carlaw Cars Limited in Glasgow on December 2nd. The car was then registered on January 1st 1960 and was sold to John Graham of Harthill, a village on the outskirts of Glasgow. It had 2 more owners within the local area up until 1973 when it was bought by John Nelson, a motor engineer in Bathgate (5 miles from Harthill). In 1977 an MOT certificate (from John Nelson’s garage) shows that the car had covered just 8966 miles. It was then sold to a James Brewster of Bathgate, but over the next year this mileage almost doubled up to 16458. The car was never taxed again but was MOT’d in September 1980 (again by John Nelson’s garage), the mileage accrued since then was little more than the test centre travelling distance. In 1988 the car was sold on to Leslie Brown, again of the Bathgate area, it is believed that the vehicle then spent the next few years of its life on the roof of an office in a warehouse, where it was spotted by local James Brodie. James and a friend bought the car with the intention of restoring it. Unfortunately other projects and lack of storage space left VVD 180 out in the
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elements. James was concerned about the deterioration of the car and so advertised it on Ebay in April 2011 I was on the lookout for an early mini at the time and was fortunate enough to win the auction (whilst on a family holiday in Centre Parcs, I was not popular!). I drove to Glasgow with a low loader to pick it up and the car then spent the next 2 years waiting for me to finish my son’s Mini Cooper Sports Pack renovation. Realising that I too wouldn’t have the time to restore the car I approached Steve Hill (SH Restorations), a friend from the local mini club. He agreed to take on the job in summer 2013 with the intention of having the car ready for the IMM in 2014. It would seem that the Scottish climate had been unkind to the car and the rot was far worse than was previously thought, many panels had to be replaced or patched, Mini Machine produced an excellent custom floor and also other panels, such as the inner wings. The Drivers door had been replaced at some time with a standard Mk1 item, but the original glass had been retained (thank goodness!). I sourced a ’59
door in need of repair, however it turned out to be a Morris item, it has been restored and fitted but I am still on the lookout for the correct Austin piece! With such a mammoth restoration it proved to be too difficult to finish in time for the IMM, and so the car was taken in its near finished state with some temporary none period items. It is in a much closer to finished state now but still to be refurbished/fitted are – water pump, oil canister, brake back plates, gear lever gaiter, toolkit and cylinder caps. Items still to be sourced include original door pulls and bumpers. Apart from the front carpet the original interior is still intact (in my garage), however rust stains and heavy smoking of the previous occupants left a permanent, deep staining The seats were cleaned as best we could, and the remaining interior was replaced to as close to the original specification as possible (the door fillets should be grey though).
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BIG Brake kit for F56
Italian
braking specialist Tarox has created a superb braking solution for all models of the BMW Mini F56 model – including the hot hatch model, the John Cooper Works. The kits has been developed on the firm’s very own JCW test vehicle – and has been proved to be more than up to the task of both fast
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road and track work. It’s rare for a car to come with quite so much motorsport history as the Mini, and the JCW variant sits very much at the top of this sizeable tree! Designed to augment and sharpen the F56 generation’s already tidy stopping abilities, Tarox’s latest Big Brake solution promises JCW owners
phenomenal stopping power for a very reasonable sum, along with an extended working life and some exquisitely engineered hardware to boot. Indeed, the sheer quality of the B34 GT 10 piston front calipers and 350x30mm discs needs to be seen to be believed, and all are sure to draw admiring (some might even say envious) glances as you drive past!
TAROX Performance Brakes Unit 9, Taylor Court, Carrs Industrial Estate, Haslingden Lancashire BB4 5JT 01706 222872 www.tarox.co.uk
Great looks are merely a by-product of engineering excellence though, and it’s the performance hike offered by the Tarox Big Brake kit that’s most exceptional. The aforementioned ten pot calipers house high friction Corsa pads, while the 350mm discs (15mm larger in diameter than stock) sport alloy bells and have been designed to provide
thousands of miles of dependable, reliable stopping service. The equally capable rear kit comes in at 320x10mm, 61mm larger than the stock rears and with a similarly dramatic visual impact. In practice this equates to 1802kg of braking force per side (front), a significant improvement over the 1424kg mustered by the factory setup.
This hike in performance hasn’t come at the expense of everyday usability however, and F56 Minis fitted with the Tarox Big Brake kit will be every bit as compliant and easy to use on the public highway, making the kit ideal for those who intend on driving their cars in a spirited fashion for most of the time, with an occasional track day thrown in for good measure.
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This performance extends further than an a mere improvement in overall stopping force, as the Tarox kit also represents a significant reduction in weight over the OEM equivalent. This reduction in unsprung weight is very much a Tarox speciality, and the vast majority of their Big Brake offerings can be counted upon to provide a considerable weight saving when compared to stock systems. The actual savings make for impressive reading, with Tarox’s kit boasting discs and bells a full 4.8kg lighter (despite being larger overall), and GT-10 calipers that represent a saving of 1.1kg – and an extra 6 pistons! Tarox’s dedicated team of brake engineers have worked hard to ensure that their company’s new kit is also adaptable, and in practice this means that it can be fitted for all cars within the F56 Mini lineup, from the humblest 1.1 to the most powerful, fire-spitting John Cooper Works, and that it will still fit under the standard cars’ 18in alloys. This added level of functionality means that all F56 owners can benefit from Tarox’s expertise. “The engineering of an aftermarket brake conversion for the latest Mini JCW was really challenging as the car is fitted with an excellent OE brake system as standard. After a few weeks of development we managed to increase the braking force of the caliper, to reduce the unsprung weight, while fitting the larger discs on the standard OE 18in wheels and keeping that ‘Tarox feel’ on the brake pedal that people love. I must say I hated when I had to hand it back to Tarox UK,” explains MD of Tarox Italy Valeria Taroni. The full list of components included in the Tarox Big Brake kit extends to front and rear calipers and discs, Corsa front brake pads and hoses, front and rear brackets, and a complete set of fasteners and fixings. Price: Front - £1950.00 +VAT Rear - £619+VAT
www.tarox.co.uk
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Test driving the F56 JCW with TAROX BIG Brake kit TAROX lent us their F56 MINI JCW for a few days and we took it to the love:mini sponsored Oulton Park Mini Festival to show it off.
Brake
specialist TAROX’s HQ is not far from our base, so we went and had a chat with them about their newly developed Big Brake Kits for the F56 MINI.
With the Oulton Park Mini Festival just around the corner we suggested putting it
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to gawp over it, but to test how the brakes handle the power! On our drive to the track we could feel the raw power from beneath our feet, one slight touch of the throttle and you’d be slung back into your seat. The automatic gearchange was a bit dithery and indecisive, but with a manual over-ride you are able to drive with a bit more verve. Later that night we took the MINI for a proper drive around some country roads with a couple
on display and instead they just let us take it. This John Cooper Works model has been the development MINI for TAROX for their brake kit and was set up nicely. The first thing you notice when you get in, is how refined it looks and feels. It’s beautiful. But we weren’t here
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of friends in their not-too-shabby MINIs. With a warm breeze in the air and barely a car in sight, the headlights lit up the dark road front as we sped through the lanes. With Sport mode on and manual gearing the JCW is a whole different beast. Every corner was a test for the brakes and the driver’s skill of anticipation and timing. With great power comes great responsibility they say, and that responsibility comes down to the TAROX brakes.
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When there’s around 230bhp to stop you need reliability and confidence in your brakes - and you certainly get that from TAROX. Each calliper has 10 pistons, gripping a 350x30mm grooved disc to give sensational stopping power. The difference really is like night and day between standard brakes and the TAROX offering. Barely a breath on the brake pedal and the MINI will stop... they really are that good. Admittedly it takes a while to get used to how sensitive the brakes are, but when you start using that power under the bonnet then you start using the power in the brakes a lot more too. If you really want to get the best out of your car and into your MINI, then look no further than TAROX’s Big Brake Kit. www.tarox.co.uk
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The lock-up Showing us your Mini stuff
Charlie Budd Mini Se7en champion, Charlie Budd sent us a pic of his 2018 Mini Miglia, built from his 2017 Mini 7 championship winning car!
Powered by Swiftune, caged by Owens Fabrication and carbon by Curley Uk ltd. We look forward to seeing it out on track!
Danielle McMullan Here is my beautiful Pink Panther Mini. We are in the middle of restoring her after a bad accident last April, so hopefully she will be back on the road in a couple of months! xxx
Matt Jones Matt Jones sent in a couple of stunning shots of his classic Mini City. It’s a rare sight to see
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these basic models in such good condition, so fair play to Matt for keeping it looking tiptop.
Jane Huskisson Th is is ou r 1979 Ice-crea m M in i va n. Fu lly fu nctiona l an d ea rn ing her keep at fetes, fest iva ls, weddi ngs etc.
David Randell Here is my 1967 Austin MkII 998 at a Cars and Coffee morning, Palm Beach FL.
Timothy Lorimer TIMINI...saw this shelter and thought of The Few, so did a Rememberance Day shot in their honour.
Danilo P Martinez Open Th is is my 1994 Br itish st ic Classic SPi at the maje Mou nt Mayon in Al bay, Ph ilippines.
Send in your Mini pics with some words inclusion in the Lock Up. editor@love-mini.co.uk
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The lock-up
Janna Cope Moffre This is my 2013 R56 S with custom carbon-fibre wrapped roof and custom stripe/graphics. Smoothed and paint matched all plastic fender parts. LED conversion with halos and underglow. All riding nicely on air ride suspension.
Andrew Metters I bought this 1979 Mini Pick-up when I was 15 (now 30) before I even had a driving licence. It’s been off the road since 2000, and I finally got it painted last week. Doesn’t it look amazing! Hopefully I’ll have it on the road soon.
Nathan Harrison This is my first car from eBay. I’ve invested so much time and effort to keep it on the road, it’s 16 years old and the 2002 R50s are well known for being scrapped and broken for parts around this age because everything breaks but I’ve invested thousands in it to keep it running and here I am, a 02 plate Mini One, blue with white roof and wing mirrors (can’t remember exact colour combination).
Well done Nathan for keeping this one alive. This could be as rare as the Mini Citys one day!
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James Bostock This is a 1960 Austin Seven, restored by my father-in-law and I last year. Remarkably, it had been off the road 30 years before the resto.
Victor Young Me in 2017 at the NEC wit h my 196 3 Sur f Blue Morris Mi ni Travel ler.
Montana Magnus My 2011 Cooper S is my first Mini. I’ve removed the cat and put a Magnaflow muffler on it. I have also changed the brakes to drilled and slotted rotors. Send in your Mini pics with some words inclusion in the Lock Up.
Kevin Tellez 2006 Checkmate edition. Lowered with H&R springs. One month of falling in love. Mods coming soon. Btw it is a LHD since writing from MĂŠxico.
editor@love-mini.co.uk
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Event Highlight
snetterton mini festival Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk MAY 12-13, 2018 01953 887303 www.snetterton.co.uk
There’s an overwhelming amount of Mini shows in the calendar nowadays and for those who regularly attend, it can be all a bit too familiar. The same can’t be said about the Mini Festivals hosted by MSV and sponsored by love:mini. For the past few years we have worked with MSV to provide variety and all-round family entertainment at the now firmly established shows. Last year’s inclusion of Snetterton in the Mini Festival
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line-up was a successful addition and attracted a number of enthusiasts who might not have ventured further for the other two Mini Festivals at Oulton Park and Brands Hatch. The Mini Festivals ethos is something for everyone. There is high octane racing action with both classic and new Minis, as well as the club displays and trade stands that you would expect at any show. But there’s more. With camping available the night before, you
can soak up the atmosphere with evening entertainment in the restaurant bar, and kids can enjoy the playparks too. You can also head to the pitlane and paddock to chat to the racing drivers and get some tips for your own car. And we love to treat visitors, so love:mini is also presenting trophies to a handful of eyecatching Minis so make sure you come and enjoy yourself and you could be heading home with some silverware!
Upcoming events
VIEW
Dates for your diary
http://www.love-mini.co.uk/events-1/uk-europe MARCH 30 - APRIL 2 Silly Mini Weekend Silly Minis returns with its Silly Mini Weekend in Devon. Fun for all the family! Expect there to be plenty of silliness with sports, fancy dress and auction. www.sillyminis.com
APRIL 22 Ripon Spring Classic Car & Bike Show http://www.markwoodwardclassicevents. com/
APRIL 29 Moonraker Run Wiltshire’s Moles Mini Club annual run takes in some great sights of rural APRIL Wiltshire before ending at the Atwell APRIL 1 Wilson motor museum for refreshments. East Coast Mini Run The annual charity run with the East Coast https://www.facebook.com/ Mini Club heads from Bury St Edmunds to events/1023149891151842/ Southwold. APRIL 30 - MAY 6 www.eastcoastmini.club Dutch Mini Rally Annual Mini run with organised by some APRIL 7 Dutch guys. Spring Action Day www.dutchminirally.nl Castle Combe www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk APRIL 8 Malvern Classi Car Show Undercover trade fair with Minis on display. Great for any final project purchases. The Malvern Showground, Worcestershire, WR13 6NW www.classicshows.org APRIL 15 Lincoln BIG Mini Day Held at Brayford Waterfront, Lincoln, this event has become very popular amongst locals and enthusiasts, allowing owners to put their cars on display and do a spot of shopping too. www.trentvalleymoc.co.uk APRIL 18 Pride of Longbridge Rally Any car that has a connection with Longbridge, from Austin 7s to Rover 75s, Morris, MG, Wolseley, Riley, Vanden Plas are all welcome. www.austinlongbridgefederation.co.uk APRIL 21 Evo triangle MiniRunUK https://www.facebook.com/ events/265404130637924/
MAY
MAY 1 The East Midlands Mini and VW Show Thoresby Park, Ollerton, Notts, NG22 9EP http://classicshows.org/classic-showsevents-list/44th-notts-classic-event-monday MAY 5-6 Back to Downton & Run Brian Whitehead Sports Ground, Wick Lane, Downton SP5 3NS Come and see a host of Downton engineered cars and meet some of the former workers and owners. A real historical treat. www.dewsc.org.uk MAY 5-7 Riviera Run A Mini run to Newquay for a weekend at Pentewan Sands Holiday Park, Newquay, Cornwall. http://www.cmcrivierarun.co.uk/ MAY 6 Action Day 5 Blyton Park https://www.facebook.com/ events/1379188775425830/
Event s g n i t s i L k clic
MAY 11-13 Minis on the Bay on Tour https://www.facebook.com/ events/286248141901916/ MAY 12-13 Mini Festival Snetterton http://www.mini-festival.co.uk/
MAY 12 Glossop Car Show http://www.classicshowsuk.co.uk/classiccar-show-event-information/classic-carshow-by-date.asp?id=562 MAY 13 British Mini Day Himley Hall, Staffordshire, DY3 4DF A great day out at one of the best shows of the year with stunning Minis on display and a beautiful stately home as the backdrop. www.britishminiclub.co.uk MAY 13 Basingstoke Festival of Transport https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/transportfestival MAY 17-21 IMM 2018 (International Mini Meet) Municipal Park Camping, Barry Avenue, 3070-792 Praia de Mira, Portugal www.imm2018.pt/ MAY 19 The May Sale Silverstone www.silverstoneauctions.com MAY 19-20 London to Brighton Crystal Palace, London to Madeira Drive, Brighton https://www.l2bminirun.co.uk/
Visit www.love-mini.co.uk for more information on each event and a full list of the year’s events
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Piazza Italia Pizza, pasta and pesto as Minis gather in Horsham. www.italianjob.com https://www.facebook.com/TheItalianJobEvent/
On
PHOTOS: The Italian Job
Good Friday, the Italian Job crew attended the Horsham Piazza Italia event and had a good turnout despite the wet and dull weather. Celebrating all things Italian, Freddie and the team knew that a bunch of Minis fundraising for children would go down a treat and draw in the crowds no matter what mother nature says. As part of the overall event there were a number of awards given out. Here we see Matt Wood and his certificate for the Best Looking Mini at the event, courtesy of a local firm in Horsham. Well done Matt, it does look a tidy Mini.
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ETS K TIC FREE EVENT Are you looking to attend a Mini event? Want free tickets for it? Be a reviewer for love:mini and we will provide free entry tickets to most Mini shows
Contact us to request your free tickets.
editor@love-mini.co.uk love:mini
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Brooklands Mini Show A trip back in time. https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Brooklandsmuseum/
Brook
lands Mini Show is the traditional curtain raiser for outdoors shows in the Mini calendar, and they start coming thick and fast after this one. Here the historic surroundings provide the perfect backdrop for the classic Mini to look right at home. The wooden sheds showcase an authentic side to the past and also host a number
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PHOTOS: Keith Burton
of period attractions ranging from the evolution of the humble bicycle to examples of the deadly V2 bomb and also the resting place for one of the few concordes remaining. As far as Minis go though, this event offers an unusual attraction not seen many other places - the hillclimb on Test Hill. This was once used by car manufacturers to see how their new vehicles fared getting up the 1:4 gradient hill. Nowadays it is just another relic of the past, and visitors are allowed to drive it themselves to see how quickly their car can get to the top. It draws a big crowd on Mini day! Another relic of the past is left underfoot, with the concrete racetrack still partially intact. This was the
world’s first purpose built race track and is known for its steep banking.
East Coast Mini Run
PHOTOS: Scott Cooper Becky Hale Andrew Britton Graham Loveland
Easter fun in the err... mud http://www.eastcoastmini.club/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/eastcoastminiclub/
The
East Coast Mini Club had a good turnout for its annual Easter Run. Kindly sponsored by Barons MINI Cambridge the runners took a leisurely drive to Southwold, passing through quiet villages in convoy and enjoying the water splash ford on the way to the site. The weather wasn’t fantastic, but a little rain never hurt anyone, although it did provide some laughter when some of the Minis got stuck in the mud. Well, that’s what it’s all about isn’t it. Here are some pictures from the club of the run, and there is also an excellent video by Andrew Britton available - showing off his drone flying and film editing skills. Top job! CLICK FOR VIDEO
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Silly Mini Easter Weekend The Force is Strong. www.sillyminis.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/silly.minis/
Easter
weekend means Silly Mini to the people who come and support this annual event, they even return time after time !! We choose a different theme each year and 2018 saw a Star Wars edition. We were grandly joined by many Star Wars costume people from “Force for Charity” who caused total amazement and wonder especially with the children. Good Friday through till Tuesday there was family fun and entertainment every day. All for just £25 per mini. Next year however we shall be asking £30 per Mini (or MINI) or even classic car as we have lots going on for the Diamond anniversary. Friday we have a coach take us all to a venue for a quiz, Easter bonnet contest and fun and games. Saturday is a convoy run to a local attraction where we collect for our
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WORDS & PHOTOS: Silly Minis
charity the Children’s Hospice South West. Convoy run back to Dawlish where we are based and stay in reasonably priced chalets. Sunday is the main fancy dress day and we all head off early to go to the World of Country Life in Exmouth then we convoy from there through castle grounds and a reindeer park finishing up at Hazelwood’s clubhouse for a grand raffle and auction of all our donated items as well as presenting prizes and awards which are seriously worth winning. Monday is our Mystery run day...... nuff said (wink wink) and Tuesday we convoy to an American diner for our bye-bye brekky and announce how much we raised. This year we have raised £3,831 and still growing a bit....
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Mini Fair Parts for the project. PHOTOS: British Mini Club
https://www.facebook.com/pg/britishminiclub https://britishminiclub.co.uk/
The
British Mini Club’s annual Mini Fair is the traditional curtain raiser for the start of the Mini show scene and a good time to get some final parts for any winter project that is dragging on.
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It’s also a time to socialise and chat to those Mini compatriots that have been absent since the end of the summer. Situated centrally around Stafford, the event attracts enthusiasts from all over
the country and also shows off some of the best Minis around, with awards for the most stunning cars on display. And with a classic Mini up for grabs for just £1, the crowds swarmed around to hear who had won!
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Oh So Retro! Everything Retro style https://www.facebook.com/OhSoRetroShow/ www.OhSoRetro.co.uk
The
OhSoRetro Show returned to Margate on Sunday 24th September for the fourth successful year! This time around over 1,400 classic & retro cars descended on the sunny seaside town of Margate in Kent. Vehicles travelled the entire length of the country and some as far as Belgium, Holland and Sweden for our one day event. The rule for vehicle entrants is anything pre 1990 (ish) which turns out a weird and wonderful array of vehicles of varying ages and conditions. Over 50 clubs were in attendance with noticeable turn outs being from the Medway Monkeys with 66 cars on display, Thanet Classics with nearly 80 cars on display and the line up of 35
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WORDS& PHOTOS: Lee Colier
Datsuns and early Nissans organised by Andrew Eve, who hired his own vehicle transporter to bring 13 of his own cars (if you can call some of them cars) to the show. The crazy dedication to get cars to the show is what makes OhSoRetro stand out from the rest! The best club stand award was taken by local club the TEC Warriors. We also had an amazing line up of classic motorbikes thanks to Deal and Dover District Motorcyle Club and Invicta Motorcycle club. The event has always had the intention of being grass roots, the organisers and marshals are all classic car owners with most of us running retro cars as daily drivers. We keep our entry prices low £7.50
per display car including all occupants and just £5 an adult under 16s go free on the gate! A lot lower than a lot of other events of this scale. We have live music and entertainment all day complete with real Margate deck chairs for you to enjoy the bands! This year in the main marquee we had a brilliant line up of Sinclair C5s (including one jet powered) thanks to Sinclair-C5-Alive and a RC Drift track which drew a crowd all day, organised and ran by Slide Dynamics RC Club. We also have a massive mixture of trade and autojumble stands with loads of bargains being had throughout the day. This year’s top 20 awards as always was so difficult to choose especially
with such a large number of vehicles on display. Our judging style has always been less of a concourse affair just whatever turns the judges head! Which shows in the vehicles that were chosen. Every year we hold a raffle for charity this year’s prize donations were absolutely amazing with too many donators to list (you can view the full list on our Facebook page!). With everything from new tools to a signed photo of Richard Rawlings, to meal vouchers and more. The raffle raised an AMAZING £800 for the 1st Margate Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade an organisation event organiser Lee Collier has been involved with since he was 4.5 years old. (Now 25 and a half
ha). I am really grateful to all the donators. They all went above and beyond to donate. Next year’s show is already pencilled in for the 30th September 2018 (Subject to change) back down in sunny Margate, Kent. Why not come down and make a weekend of it? 2018 will be year 5 for #OhSoRetroShow expect big things! And for it to be a sell out!
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Motorsport
t r o p s r o t o M i Min 8 1 0 2 w Previe Rally:Circuit:Hillclimb:Autograss:Sprint
f-road raci ng of or g, in lly ra k ac tr tir ng, d W hether it’s ci rcu it raci motorspor t nut. y er ev r fo ng ci ra i in M there’s some
http://www.love-mini.co.uk/motorsport/race-dates
Mini
motorsport is still alive, well and thriving. The Super Cooper Cup may have ended after driver numbers dried up, but elsewhere
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you’ll still find the best of the best fighting it out in our favourite little car.
t
Mini 7 Racing Club Apr 21-22
Pembrey
May 12-13
Snetterton 300
Jun 2-3
Thruxton
Jul 7-8
Zandvoort
Aug 25-26
Brands Hatch
Sep 8-9
Cadwell Park
Oct 6-7
Silverstone
Nov 17-18
Brands Hatch
Motorsport
and Brands Hatch as part of their season.
The Mini 7 Racing Club has been running this one-make series for over 50 years now, and it’s still proving as popular Up as ever. Last year’s winners north, the Charlie Budd and Rupert Deeth people in are returning with Deeth looking Scottyland for his third title in the Miglias, have been while Se7en champion, Charlie enjoying Budd, is taking a step up into the the faster Miglias too, leaving Scottish the door open for a new Se7en Cooper winner. New for 2018 is a Junior Cup for Class and some fresh circuits for many racers who can now enjoy the years tracks at Pembrey, Thruxton and now, and Cadwell. this looks In the MINI Challenge, set to winners Brett Smith (JCW), return Stuart McLaren (Cooper Am), Matt Hammond (Cooper Pro) and Ben Dimmack (Open), all return looking to add another trophy to their cabinet. Stuart McLaren MINI Challenge is another to JCW Class make the step up, moving in Mar 31 - Apr 2 Oulton Park to the Cooper Pro class. Apr 28-29 Rockingham Back to classic Minis and the Mighty and Super Mighty Minis are still fielding a full set of drivers, who will be heading to Silverstone, Castle Combe
May 26-27 Jun 9-10 Jul 21 Aug 11-12
Snetterton 300 Silverstone GP Oulton Park Brands Hatch GP
Aug 25-26 Brands Hatch Indy Sep 22-23
Donington Park
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with love:mini favourite Hannah Chapman back behind the wheel again.
MINI Challenge Cooper Am, Cooper Pro & Open Class Apr 14-15 May 12-13 Jun 23 Jul 21
Donington Snetterton 300 Silverstone Oulton Park
Aug 25-26 Brands Hatch Indy Sep 15 Sep 29-30
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Cadwell Rockingham
If you like your Mini motorsport dirtier, then there’s plenty of Rallying, Rallycross and Autograss going on too. Clive King leads the way in traditional rallying and you can follow him on the HRCR Old Stager Rally, while Todd Crooks has his hand in both Rallycross championships in his MINI. Internationally, MINI is continuing to put out racers in the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, and have designed a new vehicle for the competition in 2018. It’s big, boxy and mean-looking... let’s see how it gets on.
Motorsport
motorsport Track action
MIGHTY & SUPER MIGHTY MINIS www.mightyminis.co.uk March 24-25 Silverstone (Nat.) April 14-15 Rockingham May 7 Castle Combe June 2-3 Donington July 7-8 Thruxton August 25-26 Brands Hatch (Mini Festival) September 8-9 Snetterton October 20 Oulton Park
MINI CHALLENGE www.minichallenge.co.uk Cooper Am, Cooper Pro & Open Class APRIL 14-15 Donington Park National MAY 12-13 Snetterton 300 JUNE 23 Silverstone National JULY 21 Oulton Park AUGUST 25-26 Brands Hatch Indy SEPTEMBER 15 Cadwell Park SEPTEMBER 29-30 Rockingham MINI CHALLENGE JCW Class MARCH 31 - APRIL 2 Oulton Park Int APRIL 28-29 Rockingham MAY 26-27 Snetterton 300 JUNE 9-10 Silverstone GP JULY 21 Oulton Park AUGUST 11-12 Brands Hatch GP AUGUST 25-26 Brands Hatch Indy SEPTEMBER 22-23 Donington Park
MINI MIGLIA AND MINI SE7EN CHALLENGES www.mini7.co.uk APRIL 21-22 Pembrey MAY 12-13 Snetterton 300 JUNE 2-3 Thruxton JULY 7-8 Zandvoort AUGUST 25-26 Brands Hatch SEPTEMBER 8-9 Cadwell Park OCTOBER 6-7 Silverstone 0-Plate NOVEMBER 17-18
Brands Hatch
BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship www.btrda.com/Rallycross March 25th
May 12-13 Pembrey Circuit June 17 Blyton Circuit July 14-15 Pembrey Circuit September 8 Lydden Hill October 14 Blyton Circuit October 27 Croft Circuit
HSCC By Box Historic Touring Car Championship www.hscc.org.uk APRIL 8 Donington APRIL 19-20 Thruxton MAY 17-18 Silverstone Intl. JUNE 7-8 Snetterton JUNE 21-22 Cadwell Park JULY 12-13 Brands Hatch Superprix AUGUST 2-3 Croft AUGUST 23-25 Oulton Park (GoldCup) SEPTEMBER 27-28 Brands Hatch Indy OCTOBER 18 Silverstone Finals
HRCR - Mintex MSA BHRC OLD STAGER www.hrcr.co.uk MARCH 17 Agbo Stages Weston Park, Shropshire APRIL 29 Dixies Historic Challenge Epynt JUNE 10 Abingdon Carnival stages rally Dalton Barracks AUGUST 5 Solway Coast Historic Rally Kirkcudbrightshire AUGUST 31 - SEPT 1 The Tour of Flanders Belgium OCTOBER 28 Cheviot Stages Northumberland NOVEMBER 24 Hall Trophy Rally Blyton Park
Scottish Mini Cup www.smrc.co.uk APRIL 8 Knockhill MAY 6 Knockhill MAY 26-27 Anglesey JULY 1 Knockhill AUGUST 5 Knockhill SEPTEMBER 15-16 Knockhill OCTOBER 7 Knockhill
FOR THE FULL MOTORSPORT EVENTS LISTING VISIT OUR WEBSITE http://www.love-mini.co.uk/motorsport/race-dates
Blyton Circuit
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Staniforth’s off to a flying start on NYCR www.hrcr.co.uk
Minis out in force for the classic rally.
The
2018 HRCR Hagerty Insurance Clubmans Road Rally Championship got off to a flying start with the North Yorkshire Classic rally organised by the very able team at the York Motor Club. On only her eighth HRCR Clubmans event Nicky Staniforth navigated dad, Darell, to his second consecutive win on the event and they led from start to finish to boot. It was not an event without a little controversy as some of the speed changes were scheduled for the same location as some passage checks and quite
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a few crews managed to miss them so gaining a double penalty of missed PC board and of course the additional time penalty at the next control. Nevertheless, the general consensus from most competitors was that it was a great event and very enjoyable…………..eventually. This year the route did a clockwise circuit of York starting and finishing at the excellent Hawkhills facility near Easingwold. Activities started with three tests on Tholthorpe airfield and then one in Cold Harbour Farm before the first Regularity took crews around Husthwaite to Newborough Priory and along the resurfaced road to the NAM junction at the crossroads near Grimston Grange before heading down through Skewsby to finish at Sheriff Hutton for coffee. There were 3 PCs on this first section and first to fall foul were Phil Wood/Iain Miller
WORDS: Ian Doble (HRCR) PHOTOS: Phil Andrews
followed by Simon Malins/Nick Pullan who both missed the first of these. Dave Leadbetter/Cath Woodman fell foul of the second one and then collected a maximum on Test 5 at East Moor which promptly upset their day. Another of the top crews to miss a PC were Nick Bloxham/Richard Crozier, but they retired later with a noisy exhaust on Test 10. Doing really well at this stage were Clive and Anji Martin in their Escort worrying the top five during the morning. Three tests, 5, 6 & 7 at East Moor, followed coffee then a short Regularity to Flaxton where another of the pesky PCs caught out Thomas and Roger Bricknell spoiling another good run and a possible 2nd overall. John Haygarth/ Bob Hargreaves were quickest on Test 5 taking 3 seconds from Paul Crosby/ Andy Pullan, while Test 6 saw the demise of Ian Crammond/Matthew Vokes when the ignition system cried enough, but where Darell and Nicky were fastest beating Clive and Anji by 1 second. Reg 3 then took crews onto
Join us in 2018 21-22 April - Pembrey 12-13 May - Snetterton 2-3 June - Thruxton
7-8 July - Zandvoort 25-26 August - Brands Hatch 8-9 Sep - Cadwell Park 6-7 Oct - Silverstone 17-18 Nov - Brands Hatch
www.mini7.co.uk
map 105 for lunch at York Auction Mart, which was preceded by Test 8 where once again Haygarth/Hargreaves was quickest. The afternoon started with a repeat of Test 8 in the grounds followed by Reg 4 which contained another of those PCs. This one caught out Richard Isherwood/ Ian Canavan, Stephen Johnson/David Taylor and Peter Welch and Andy Marchbank. No doubt they were pleased to get to Acaster Malbis airfield for the final three tests of the day, 10, 11 & 12. There was a three way tie for fastest between the Staniforths, Crosby/Pullan and Jon Dunning/Henry Carr, with several crews picking up a cone penalty. Crosby/Pullan took Test 11 while Test 12 went to Clive and Anji Martin. Now all the test fun was over it was the usual “Sting in the Tail” with Regularity 5 and 6. The latter being partly plot ‘n bash. Reg 5 used the triangle at sh 26 just west of Askham Richard which caught out a few of the Novices, but the real problem for them
was the navigation for Reg 6 which was split into four sections, the first “overs” and “unders” and the second a herringbone both of which caused some consternation with crews, even a Master who shall remain nameless! The county boundary running along the stream in GS5656 created stress for many crews as did the herringbone that defined the white lay-by in GS 5461, and two of the Novice crews ran out of time and were OTL for the start of the
regularity. The last handout appeared straight forward but two Masters, three Experts and three Novices missed an early loop and gained five minute penalties for missed PCs. To give you an idea of how demanding the event was The Staniforth’s penalties were 16:22 for the tests and 1:19 for the Regs while the last classified finishers Steve Spiers/Mark Crump, and this was Marks first rally, posted test times of 27:14 and Reg penalties of 83:44.
North Yorkshire Classic Rally 2018 Results 1, Darell Staniforth & Nicky Staniforth, Mini Cooper S, 2, Paul Crosby & Andy Pullan, Porsche 911, 3, John Abel & Niall Frost, Sunbeam Tiger, 4, Howard Warren & Iain Tullie, Porsche 911, 5, Jon Dunning & Henry Carr, Alfa Romeo Giulia GTV, 6, John Haygarth & Bob Hargreaves, Opel Kadett Rallye, 7, Duncan Wild & Steve Skepper, Austin Mini Cooper, 8, Paul Davis & Richard Dix, Ford Escort mk1 RS2000, 9, Les Andrew & Nick Middleton, MGB GT, 10, Mark Goodwin & Anthony Davies, Triumph Dolomite Sprint,
17:41 18:01 18:39 18:43 18:47 20:12 21:17 21:43 22:14 22:40
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Motorsport
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge: Przygonski finishes second www.fia.com
www.x-raid.de
Sensational rally comeback of Luc Alphand.
The
Liwa-Desert dunes proved to be a good place for X-raid. In the cockpit of their MINI John Cooper Works Rally, Jakub “Kuba” Przygonski (POL) and Tom Colsoul (BEL) finished second in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Meanwhile, Stephan Schott (GER) and Paulo Fiúza (POR) in a MINI ALL4 Racing clinched a fantastic fifth place. By coming eighth, Kris Rosenberger (AUT) and Nicola Bleicher (GER) made it to the top 10 in their maiden race with a MINI ALL4 Racing and at the same time, Luc Alphand (FRA) and Andreas Schulz (GER) took their MINI John Cooper Works Buggy to 15th place, thus finishing three positions ahead of Eugenio Amos (ITA) and Filipe Palmeiro (POR) in a MINI ALL4 Racing. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA) and Timo Gottschalk (GER) unfortunately had to withdraw at the end of stage two for health reasons. Przygonski made a great start into the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the
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third round of the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup, and started as leader into the third day of the event. Unfortunately, the young Pole got stuck – an incident that costed him valuable minutes and made him drop back to second position behind Martin Prokop. On the following days, closing the gap to Prokop proved to be very hard and he finished behind the Czech. “Although we could have won the event we are delighted with having finished second in Abu Dhabi,” said Przygonski who now also holds second position in the FIA World Cup standings. “After all, we got stuck twice and lost a lot of time. Our battle with Martin Prokop was great. The MINI John Cooper Works Rally ran flawlessly and our pace was really good. In Qatar we will push once again hard.” Stephan Schott also was delighted with his achievements. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is the German’s favourite event. “It was a tough race,” the German said afterwards. “The heat
was enormous and the sand extremely soft. But the MINI ran flawlessly and we did not encounter a single problem hampering us. Unfortunately it took me some time to re-adapt to racing in the dunes and on day two we got stuck for 37 minutes. But this proved to be our only mistake in the entire rally.” Rosenberger and Bleicher also impressed. They virtually were thrown in at the deep end, in the ADDC: due to shipping problems, they had no chance of executing a shakedown or contesting the prologue, with their MINI ALL4 Racing. But the Austrian and German pairing familiarised themselves quickly with the MINI and made it to the top 10 right away. Alphand delivered in sensational style, in his comeback rally – although his competitiveness was not reflected by his 15th place. It was the Frenchmans first off-road rally after a multi-year motor-racing break and he convinced with two stage wins and a
total of four top-five results. “I am over the moon,” the Frenchman said. “I love this rally and the dunes. This event also was a test for my neck and everything is fine. Without the gearbox problems we certainly would have been a factor in the fight for the win. The buggy is a great design and has got a lot of potential.” Like Rosenberger, Amos also had to cope with a real kick start into the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge: in the dunes of stage one. The Italian did a good job but couldn’t finish the fourth stage due
to a technical problem and received a massive time penalty. In the final special stage he finished sixth, thus demonstrating what could have been possible.
for the FIA World Cup ranking. Meanwhile, Kris and Eugenio also delivered in great style, their first race for us.” The next X-raid appearance can be witnessed in the Qatar Cross-Country Rally, from 17th to 22nd April – the fourth event of the 2018 FIA CrossCountry Rally World Cup calendar.
Sven Quandt: “This rally was anything but easy as the sand was very soft. But the event ran well for us Final result Abu Dhabi DC 2018: and we were able to demonstrate the potential 1. M. Prokop / D. Pabiska Ford 17h 06m 57s of the MINI John Cooper 2. J. Przygonski / T. Colsoul MINI JCW Rally 17h 20m 28s 3. V. Vasilyev / K. Zhiltsov MINI Cooper 17h 53m 27s Works Buggy. Luc did a 4. C. Drespres / S. Ravussin Ford 18h 38m 36s fantastic job and Kuba 5. S. Schott / P. Fiúza MINI ALL4 Racing 20h 24m 16s scored important points
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Motorsport
Baja Dubai: Kuba takes the overall lead in the FIA World Cup www.fia.com
www.x-raid.de
Second victory for Przygonski in a MINI.
Gre
at cheering at the X-raid service park: Jakub’ Kuba’ Przygonski (POL) and Tom Colsoul (BEL) win the Dubai International Baja in the MINI John Cooper Works Rally. With this success in the second round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, the young Pole can take the lead in the overall standings. It is his second success after the Baja Italy in 2017. The foundation for the victory was laid by Przygonski and Colsoul on Friday when they won the first special stage. “It was a quick stage in the dunes”, reports the Pole. “I pushed hard and was able to overtake three competitors. The terrain was not too heavy, soft sand and dunes, but no special difficulties.”
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However, this success also meant that they had to open the second and final stage in the dunes. But they also mastered this challenge. The third place in the stage standings was enough for the duo in the MINI JCW Rally to win the Baja. “We are very happy,” smiles the Pole at the finish. “Today was not so easy. We were first in the stage and the sand was very soft. But we pushed from the beginning. The MINI ran without any problem and we are extremely happy that we were able to take the lead in the overall standings.”
Final result Dubai Baja Rally 2018: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
J. Przygonski / T. Colsoul V. Vasilyev / K. Zhiltsov Y. Seaidan / A. Kuzmich M. Prokop / J. Tomanek M. Al Helei / K. Alkendi
MINI JCW Rally MINI One Toyota Ford Nissan
4h 10m 27s 4h 14m 35s 4h 16m 07s 4h 46m 03s 4h 48m 52s
Motorsport
Baja Russia: Kuba Przygonski comes in fourth www.fia.com
www.x-raid.de
First snow rally for the young Pole.
Jakub
‘Kuba’ Przygonski (POL) and Tom Colsoul (BEL) secured fourth place at the Baja Russia – Northern Forest. For the young Pole it was the first FIA Cross Country World Cup event he had to contest on snow and ice. Przygonski and Cosoul gathered a lot of experience on the unfamiliar terrain and improved special stage by special stage. In the Super Special on Friday they finished seventh and on Saturday, they added a fifth and a sixth place to their tally. “Racing on ice and snow represented a completely new experience for me,” revealed the MINI JCW driver. “It’s very slippery and making mistakes is easy.” In the final two special stages on Sunday Przygonski took his MINI JWC Rally to fourth and third places. “Prior to the final special stage
we found the best setup and it went really well for us,” said Przygonski. “I’m happy that we succeeded in completing the five special stages without making any major mistakes. Furthermore, contesting the Baja Russia was big fun. The route was fast, with numerous jumps and corners. I’d love to return to this Baja next year. But then I will practice on snow, in the run-up, as I have to admit that I have been lacking in experience racing in these conditions.”
Final result Baja Russia 2018: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
N. Al-Attiyah / M. Baumel M. Prokop / J. Tomanek V. Vasilyev / K. Zhiltsov J. Przygonski / T. Colsoul Y. H. Seaidan / A. Kuzmich
Toyota Ford MINI MINI JCW Rally Toyota
5h 14m 17s 5h 20m 02s 5h 25m 31s 5h 36m 27s 5h 06m 00s
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diary
Craig McBeth
Dreaded MoT 2018 The day we all fear... and the ‘how much will it cost to get it fixed?’ question.
It 1991 Rover Mini Cooper Spec: Carburrettored 1275cc A-Series with Stage 1 kit, K&N air filter, Maniflow twin-box centre exit exhaust, Ultralite 12x5.5-inch wheels with A539 Yokohama tyres, Minisport 1.5 negative camber bottom arms.
2004 MINI Cooper S Spec: MINI Cooper S, 1.6-litre supercharged petrol engine, JCW engine (stock intercooler and injectors) Mintex brake pads, Liqui Moly oil, SprintBooster, Sportex exhaust, blue LED interior lights.
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has sadly worked out the my MoTs are due not long after Christmas... which means after being out of pocket to provide some decent presents for the kids, I’ve also got to prepare for some hefty repairs for the MINI. As I’d managed to keep on top of most things I was hopeful the MINI would scrape through the test and I would be allowed to keep it on the road for another 12 months without too much expense. If you know anything about my blogs, you’ll know it’s never quite that simple for me. Firstly I hadn’t realised when my current MoT ran out. After thinking about it one day and realising my tyres were getting a little worn, I thought “ooh better get it in quick before they go.” So one night I checked online to see when the MoT ran out and it told me I had two weeks left. “Eeeek!” I thought. This is gonna be a www.facebook.com/cmcbeth www.love-mini.com
close one if I have any repairs. The first thing the next morning I called up my local garage I use and as usual got booked straight in for later that day. I had a new guy doing the test who I hadn’t met before, but he seemed friendly enough. UNTIL I started taking pictures and filming. Well, I am a journalist... how else do you expect me to share my exploits? I was stood in the viewing area minding my own business and when it came to the exhaust emissions test I thought, “ooh this might sound good,” so switched to video. The tester sticks his head out of the window and starts shouting at me not to film him - which I wasn’t he wasn’t even visible. So I stopped and he got out and approached me and said, “you’re not doing yourself any
favours. Go and wait in the waiting room,” which was the other side of the premises. He walked off and I remained in the viewing area, internally refusing to comply with his order. I am entitled to view the test, and was determined to. I almost told him to shut up and just get on with his job, but didn’t. With his words ringing in my ears I knew he was going to fail the car. I was in two minds as to whether to kick up a fuss, but this time stayed quiet. Predictably, I was right and
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after the test he explained what was wrong. After watching him do the test, I had a fair idea of what he was going to fail it on. Both front CV gaiters had split - fair enough. Not too difficult to remedy. The front driver’s seat had quite a bit of movement in it when being pushed from behind as if it was coming away from the rails it sits in or something. OK, this might be a bit harder to fix, unless it is just replaced as a whole. My front registration plate had some water ingress which had warped the lettering, so he failed me on that... and those rear tyres I was telling you about - which I thought might just pass the tread depth test... well they failed too. Treating me like I knew nothing about cars he was explaining what everything meant and in the end I was like “yeah, I know.” On the advisory front, there was the required Oil Leak that all Minis have, as well worn brake discs and only one slightly worn brake pad on the front passenger side. I’m not quite sure why one set of pads is wearing quicker than the others - possibly a sticky calliper or because the driveshaft is shorter on the passenger side. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on that one. So, that gave me two weeks to get everything fixed. Funnily enough I received a phonecall whilst waiting for the start of the MoT from my good pals Mintech. I said I’d give them a call back after the test and let them know if I needed anything. I got back on the blower and they said they could fix it all apart from the front registration plate, but that is just a tenner down the local auto parts shop, so no problems with that. The problem was that Mintech were choc-a-block booked as the January rush kicked in, and the only day they could fit me in was on the last eligible day of my retest. Well I did say it was going to be tight!! The day of the retest came and my first stop was to the local auto shop to get the new reg plate. Ten pounds was handed over and the guy behind the counter literally printed off the new number on a household printer and stuck it to the back of some perspex ten quid for that... a nice little earner!! This is the bit you’ll like. I’ve never bought a new number plate before, so
when he handed it to me I was like... “is this right?” The guy nods to me and says “yeah sure,” and I say, “well how come my old one is really clear and this looks faded and blurry??” I don’t think he understood first time, and I was thinking to myself - this is pretty obvious - so I repeated myself and he finally understood. “It’s got a protective film on the front to prevent damage in transit.” Ohhhh. Didn’t I feel stupid... Yes is the answer. Heyho. So with that I set off to Mintech. Outside their premises it is like a construction site - oh tell a lie - it IS a construction site. Across the road the local council in their ‘wisdom’ have decided to build new houses on a flood plain - that often floods! Idiots. Anyway it had made the entrance to the yard a mudbath as you can see and parking was at a premium. The lads were busy with other stuff and the auditors were in, so I couldn’t be hanging around the yard like I normally do, so I walked into Bury
town for some munch. By the time I got back Nathan and Martin were already working on the car and had already swapped both driveshafts for ones with good gaiters on them and were now changing the rear tyres. Behind my MINI, the boss had bought an accident damaged Land Rover that they were going to resell on the salvage auction site Copart. With the rear wheel off I could have a better look at that welding from last year. With recent problems with the exhaust I had a very good inspection to ensure everything was still secure. There was a bit of sideways movement which I compared to other MINIs in the yard, but was reassured there is meant to be some movement (I just didn’t think it should be as much as it was). Rear pads look OK too. Maybe half worn? Here you can see the damage to the CV gaiters. It’s easier to change the driveshafts than just the gaitors I’m told - anyone with a classic Mini can relate to that. Faffing with grease and zip-ties when the driveshafts just pop in and out - a bit more complex on a MINI though. While Nathan cracked on with the tyres, I went and found a drill and
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decided to make some fixing holes in the new numberplate. Sticking them both in a vice, I simply drilled some new holes where the old ones were.
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And then screwed it on. Easy peasy. Oh look a protective film covers the registration plate - doh! With the tyres done, Nathan needed to get the driver’s seat out and see what was wrong, so we pushed it out of the garage for easy access. A few bolts undone at the back... ...And a few at the front...
And out it pops.... ewwww.... but what a mess (blame the kids!!) After inspecting the seat it looked like the actual seat was coming away from the frame. Nathan explained it could be a time-consuming job to fix it, so I asked if I could just swap it for one they had - and that was fine. We went into the stock room and he passed me down a similar seat, albeit with a few more scuffs than mine had -
Big Thanks to
www.mintechspares.co.uk
but I couldn’t complain. The only problem was that the airbag connector had been cut off the replacement seat and so would need swapping from my old one on to the replacement seat. With that done, Nathan put the seat back in the car and wired it all up. Reset the fault codes and started her up. Great. Oh hold on... the airbag light has come on. We plug in the OBD computer again and reset all the fault codes again and tried again. Same problem. I couldn’t go off to the MoT with it like that, as it would fail, so Nathan had to take the whole seat out again and look at the airbag connector he had wired up. Ten minutes later and it was sorted and no dash lights. Brilliant. Just as I was about to set off Nathan remembered he hadn’t refilled the gearbox with oil. This
is drained before the driveshafts can come out. So we wheeled it back onto the ramp and he showed me how it is filled up. There are two holes for the gearbox oil, one is higher up than the other. Oil is squeezed into the top hole until it can be seen coming out of the lower hole, before the plugs are put back in. Once he’s done, I’m like a bat out of hell trying to get back home to pick up the kids in time. With about half an hour to spare, I popped into the MoT garage for them to quickly check the fails. The tester asks if I’m here for the retest and I confirm that I am. He says to me, “I think you’re out of time for the retest,” but I know I’m not. He says, “you only have 10 days,” and I’m like, “yeah, 10 working days,” i.e. two weeks. So he goes off into the office to put it on the system which will tell him that I’m right. “This won’t take long, will it, as I’ve got to get the kids soon,” I ask. “No,” says the tester... who seems in a nicer mood today - so decide to let him proceed. After checking all the faults, which takes just a few minutes, he takes an age in the office printing off the MoT sheet, but finally he hands it to me with a pass. What a mission. Note to self, don’t leave it so close to the deadline next time!!!
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WORKSHOP Showing you how it is really done.
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Turbos What is a turbocharger upgrade for the MINI Cooper S? by Mini Mania
Some of the technologies involved in an ‘upgraded’ turbocharger and why they result in improved performance. Premium JMTC Billet Compressor Turbine Wheels
Billet
compressor wheels are machined from a solid block of billet aluminum. Most compressor wheels are made from cast material, meaning the metal is heated to the melting point and pored into a mold. This can lead to imperfections in the materiel such as casting voids or week spots where the materiel didn’t bond. Sometimes there might be slight differences from one side of the molded component to the other. Most of the casting differences do not effect the operation of the turbine but they can effect the efficiency in a minute way. The cast process does work well enough for a turbocharger that is used for normal street applications. However if you are running boost levels above 18 to 19psi they can flex, bend and in some cases come apart altogether. Our JMTC Billet compressor wheels do not suffer with any of these problems and there are several reasons for this, most are
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all centered around the strength of the material used. Since we use a blank of high strength forged aluminum, we are starting with material that doesn’t have any imperfections or flaws. This means that our JMTC Billet turbine wheel will still be stronger than a cast turbine wheel. In fact the material added to hold a cast wheel together doesn’t need to be as big on a JMTC Billet turbine wheel and the JMTC Billet wheel will still be stronger than a cast turbine wheel. This means that a JMTC Billet wheel can be made lighter and will still be much stronger than the cast wheel. But this is not the only advantage, a large portion of the compressor turbine (meaning the part that makes pressure or boost) is used in a cast wheel to make it stronger. Since we reduce the large area used to make a cast wheel stronger, the JMTC Billet compressor turbine will actually have more area to make pressure or boost. This means the compressor portion of the turbine is larger and lighter, which makes our JMTC Billet turbochargers
spool quicker, and perform better than a turbocharger with cast version of the same turbine. But the benefits don’t stop there, since cast materiel is susceptible to warpage, there are casting asymmetry and it is weaker and more flexible than our JMTC Billet compressor turbine wheel. All of these characteristics make it more inefficient, weak, and it wont be able to perform as well at high boost levels as well. Even worse when it is run in extreme environments like racing or high boost pressures it can fail due to over spinning. Since our billet wheels are machined on a 5 axis mill there are no asymmetry issues, it doesn’t warp, and the high strength material will resist flex at high boost levels. Using our JMTC Billet compressor turbine wheel will help turbocharge to spool faster, provide more flow, run more efficient, and reduces the chance of wheel burst. There are no disadvantages to using a our JMTC Billet compressor turbine wheel and we recommend as they are the number one turbo
performance improving upgrade to improve you turbocharger. That is why we recommend them for all extreme street, race and strip application.
JMTC Turbochargers and Manifold Porting The rough cast surface inside the turbocharger compressor, exhaust housing, and exhaust manifold increases friction and slow the air. This reduction of the volume of air that can pass through them equates to less power, torque, and more built up heat in the incoming air (in the turbo and head). The only way to combat this is to port the turbocharger, head, and or exhaust manifold. This will allow the air to flow much faster because there is less friction. If you want to increase power, top-end power, and torque, reduce heat caused by air friction, take advantage the increased flow and volume than porting is the way to go. Don’t leave power on the table, the Mini Cooper heads don’t flow that well - only abut 125cfm. So if you want to
K03 Quick Spool
get the most out of your Mini, you need to do everything to reduce the engine restrictions. Turbocharge, manifold, and head porting are a must to help you squeeze all the power you can out of your Mini Cooper. That is why we offer
our porting service, when we port and port-match (match the exhaust inlet and outlet sizes to the sizes of exhaust manifold and down-pipe) service.
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WORKSHOP Showing you how it is really done.
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Turbos K03 Quick Spool When we say K03 we are referring to the exhaust turbine size. The K03 is the size of the turbocharger exhaust turbine chosen by Mini Cooper and is used on both the OEM MCS and JCW as well as our JM40 (or our version of the JCW), S42HP, and E45HP. Both of our S42HP and E45HP are both hybrid turbochargers because they use a combination of parts from the OEM and part form larger K04 turbos. We call them “Quick Spool” because they both spool very fast because they retained the smaller K03 or OEM turbocharger exhaust turbine. Using the mix of K04 High Flow
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different turbochargers parts has given our JMTC hybrid and K03 turbochargers added durability as well as quick spooling speed. They were designed for and work best regardless if they are used with some of the restrictive OEM components. See Hybrid turbocharger section for more information on their recommended usage.
K04 High Flow (K04 is high flow for Mini Coopers) When we say High flow we mean it, the K04 turbocharge has larger
exhaust turbine which is designed to increase the amount of air flowing though your engine. Since the exhaust turbine is larger it will spool up a little slower but wait until the top end. This means that instead of spooling up at 1800rpms like in the OEM K03 turbocharger the K04 will spool up at 2800rpms to 3000rpms. There are ways get the turbo to spool sooner and the best are changing to a larger exhaust (like 3” or 4”) with a bigger high flow catalytic converter, using a high flow intake, head and exhaust manifold poring. We only recommend using a K04 on a mini cooper that has had a lot
of upgrades designed to increase air flow, for example full 3� or bigger exhaust, aftermarket intake, and porting.
JMTC Hybrid Turbochargers JMTC Hybrid Turbochargers are a combination of the different turbos to get the desired performance, overcome restrictions or limitations of the OEM design and are upgrades for strength. They work best on cars that have may stock components. For example if you want to increase the high boost levels then the OEM turbo can produce, normally you would install a larger turbocharger. This will work fine in the days before catalytic converts and restrictive intake systems designed to restrict flow and pass EPA environmental standards. However now due to the restrictive OEM components your new turbo spools up 1000 to 2000rpms later and you loose bottom-end torque and power. Your new upgraded turbocharger has now become a downgrade rather than an upgrade. This is because it doesn’t provide full boost until 4000 or 5000rpm. Meaning you lost the race because your competitor with less power had quick of the line power and got a 3 to 5 car jump on you. Quick off the line response and in drag and street race this can mean all the difference especially on a short 1/8 mile track or low speed short race. The hybrid turbo will retain most bottomend torque and still retain most of the topend power, and we do this by using a mix of components. Increasing the compressor size will add a larger volume of air at low RPMs just like the OEM turbocharger. Also by retaining the smaller exhaust turbine it will speed up the air so it can make it through the restrictive head, exhaust manifold, and catalytic converter quickly. This way you use the restrictive exhaust turbine to your advantage. It will make the air flow faster to help speed of the air on the hot side pushing it out quickly. Hybrid are not without there disadvantages due to the small size exhaust turbines they are susceptible to boost creep and excessive heat if the engine and exhaust system flow extremely well and sometimes will limit the power or torque at the top-end. If this happens it is a good indicator that it is time to upgrade to a larger exhaust turbine like on our S42R or E/B45R K04 turbochargers.
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FURTHER READING Mini Cooper Turbo Application Guide When replacing a Turbo, there are many options to choose from. This chart shows which part numbers are appropriate for the type of replacement and the applicable model years. Read Complete Article http://new.minimania.com/Mini_Cooper_Turbo_Application_ Guide Turbo Replacement / Upgrade: IMPORTANT PRE-INSTALLATION NOTES TURBO PRE-INSTALLATION NOTES for JMTC Turbocharger Upgrades and Replacements. WARNING, PLEASE READ THESE IMPORTANT NOTES! Failure to heed these warnings can void your JMTC TurboCharger Warranty. See also:Turbocharger installation and Warranty information, Turbocharger Upgrade Technology... Read Complete Article http://new.minimania.com/Turbo_Replacement_-_Upgrade___ IMPORTANT_PRE-INSTALLATION_NOTES MINI Cooper Turbocharger Replacement and Upgrade Options from Mini Mania Read Complete Article http://new.minimania.com/MINI_Cooper_Turbocharger_ Replacement_and_Upgrade_Options
Mini Cooper S Borg Warner Turbocharger
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Q&A Club address change
Hi there, please could you edit our club listing info for me? The postal address is going to change, and to be honest, it would be better without an address as its a private residence. Many thanks Susie Tucker Treasurer for Leyland Mini Club
Hi Susie, this is all done for you. You can find a list of clubs at: http://www.love-mini.co.uk/mini-clubs/uk
Write to us at editor@love-mini.co.uk or contact us via the love:mini website or social media.
wiring diagrams available on the love:mini website for free. Take a I have a V-reg 1275 GT Mini that has look here and see if any of those can seen better days. I put it into a garage help: with a spare for parts only to have http://www.love-mini.co.uk/ them take my money and do nothing resources/wiring-diagrams except neglect it. It has now sat on my drive (after I removed it from the garage). If any Mini lover wants this little darin’ please contact me. Just want her looked after before she gets I wanted to share a beautiful story too bad. about my 8 year old daughter and her Dick James adoration for the Mini. dick@jamesandkerr.co.uk This year for her birthday she didn’t
1275 GT to go
Mini Mini Fanatic
want a party etc...all she wanted was to sit in a Mini and go for a ride. So I contacted our local dealership Cooper Mini of Ipswich, Suffolk, and explained what she had requested. Hello Craig, These guys went above and beyond We will be holding an event at the my expectations. The wonderful I just got my first Mini. I am doing Watkins Glen NY vintage races with Adam Rednall invited us to the VIN research and not having much Minis being the Marque car. We showroom on Saturday and suggested luck. My tag near the hood latch is are bringing Paddy Hopkirk over as we look around and encouraged our missing. The tag inside by the fender our special guest. Should be a great daughter to sit in a few different weekend. Sept 6-9, 2018. We have ar- is there vin #FE2201101 and idea what types of Mini. In the middle of the ranged for a Mini VIP package in the year of car I have? showroom was a car covered in a Corey Busboom Tower Suites. Paddy will be handing silver sheet... After our daughter had out the trophies to the class winners. been given a yummy hot chocolate Let me know if you would be willing Hi Corey, head over to the love:mini and biscuit to enjoy, Adam proceeded website and visit the VIN decoder to mention this in love:mini as we to unveil a beautiful Mini with a page where it will help you decypher banner in the window wishing our may attract some folks from the UK. your VIN. Cheers Norm daughter a Happy Birthday, Adam Norman Nelson http://www.love-mini.co.uk/vin-numbers continued to explain that she was allowed to borrow it for the DAY!! Hi Norm, of course we’ll give it a She was so shocked and mention. Hope you get a fab turnout. overwhelmed, she hurriedly put her car seat in the back and excitedly Dear Sirs. announced we were going for a Am trying to start an automatic drive!!......we captured some beautiful transmission Mini VIN 679119 pictures from the experience and will Hi could you tell me what year Its a carb engine and of 1993/94 not be forever grateful to Adam Rednall this mini is by the chassis number sure. and his superhero team. saxxnyadbbd064998 thanks Have some problems with the Racheal Blue Sally Matthews electrics and wire loom... The are cables that we dont know Great stuff. It’s always nice to hear Hi Sally, head over to the love:mini what their function is. how Mini people go above and Can you supply a diagram? website and visit the VIN decoder beyond the call of duty for other Mini page where it will help you decypher Many thanks and regards enthusiasts. Well done to those at Alvaro Martinez your VIN. Cooper MINI Ipswich and we hope http://www.love-mini.co.uk/vin-numbers Mini Mania Chile your daughter had a memorable birthday. Mini fan in the making!
Prepare for your inbox to overwhelmed Dick!
Hopkirk to the States
MINI HISTORY
Wiring Help
VIN DECODE
Hi Alvaro, we have a number of
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GeT your mini feaTureD Unlike other magazines, we’re not just looking for the shiniest, most perfect Minis. We want to hear the stories of all types of Minis, from the dilapidated workhorses of the world to your latest creation - and everything inbetween. But most importantly we want to hear about you - the people and your experiences and most heartfelt moments. Those unforgettable occassions in a Mini that made your heart beat a thousand times faster and bring the biggest smile ever to your face. That’s what love:mini is all about...
email: editor@love-mini.co.uk
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