love:mini - Issue 6

THE no.1 online magazine for mini enthusiasts FREE

love:mini

ISSUE 6

www.love-mini.co.uk

magazine

SUNDAY E SERVIC

• Urban MINI • 13-mile Mini • MkII Cooper burnt-out • Event Reports • Motorsport • Headlining tech • Products

ty Praising the emp country roads

?

F56 Test Drive

PLUS

Magazine Wars • MiniWorld and Minimag’s future in doubt • Kelsey owns all three printed Mini mags • Possible closure or Modern MINI merger love:mini

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follow love:mini Keep in touch WEBSITE

www.love-mini.co.uk

The love:mini website is a one-stop resource for useful information; such as event dates, upcoming motorsport, Minis for sale, useful articles and other helpful and informative links and tools.

FACEBOOK

www.facebook.com/loveminimag

Our very popular Facebook page is where we unwind with some fun pictures and ‘Shares’. The latest news from our Blog and Twitter account is also fed into here so you won’t miss a thing.

BLOG

http://loveminimag.blogspot.co.uk

The love:mini Blog really is worth bookmarking as it is here that we look behind the headlines of a story and keep you up-to-date with the latest happenings in the Mini scene.

TWITTER

https://twitter.com/love_mini

If Twitter is your thing then you can follow us on the above link and you’ll be right in tune with updates from the Blog and Facebook too.

EMAIL

editor@love-mini.co.uk

If you want to get yourself in the magazine or want to help and contribute, then the best way to get in touch is directly through email where you’re guaranteed a personal response.

We welcome any contributions, suggestions and ideas that you think would help improve the magazine for other Mini enthusiasts, so please, get in touch.

editor@love-mini.co.uk 2

love:mini

WELCOME Blog and social media links

ISSUE 6 SEp/oct 2014

T

his issue, we’ve been rocked by the sensational news of Future Publishing selling Mini Magazine to Kelsey Publishing, the owners of the only other printed Mini magazine - MiniWorld. What this will mean in the future no-one know for certain, but it doesn’t look good for one fo the mags or the poeple working there.

Copyright blurb

We’ve also test-driven the new F56 MINI and been to Oulton Park for the MSV Mini Festival up in the north of the UK. Craig McBeth And for the hands-on types you can learn how to fit a headlining Editor in the last few pages. editor@love-mini.co.uk

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.

THIS ISSUE WAS MADE WITH HELP FROM:

Paul Lawrence, Adrian Mannion, David Young, Moles Mini,

www.ydrolina.net

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love:mini www.love-mini.co.uk

6 On the pulse News - investigated

10 gear

Stuff for your Mini

15 Upcoming events Plan ahead!

16 midnight black

Test Drive winner.

20 mini 30

Twin carb Mini 30.

30 MY mini

Show off your car.

33 TEST DRIVE

love:mini reader test drives the new MINI.

38 SNOW JOKE

MINI adventure in Scandanavia.

44 bar budapest The watering hole for MINI enthusiasts.

48 Event reports HImley Hall, Oulton Park, Moonraker Run

58 Motorsport

Mini Se7ens, Miglias, ALL4 MINI, HRCR, RAC Rally

76 Workshop Fix up your car.

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What’s INSIDE

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Follow us online to get the latest news first

on the PULSE

media

MAGAZINE WARS after kelsey buys minimag!

Three Mini magazines set to go head-to-head under the same ownership with their futures up for grabs.

The

future of the two leading printed Mini magazines - MiniWorld and Mini Magazine has been thrown into chaos recently following the sale of Mini Magazine to MiniWorld’s owners, Kelsey Publishing.

The £2.1m deal includes a host of motoring and specialist titles such as Fast Car, Fast Ford, Classic Ford, Classics Monthly, Total Vauxhall, Mini Magazine, Triathlon Plus, plus all the associated shows and websites.

To the Mini scene the significance of having both publications under one stable is unnerving for those who appreciate them. It is almost inconceivable to consider both magazines to have a long-term future competing against each other within the same company.

Realistic business decisions will eventually be made, and given that the

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market for classic Mini magazines is ever-shrinking, there is only likely to be one winner.

The fight is now on between the two mags to show the owners who can do it better on the (presumably) same resources. How long will they be given before a fatal decision is made? Who knows. Six months? A year?

In an ironic twist of fate it is just like when Morris and Austin cars were competing against each other and we all know what happened there - consolidation... cost-cutting. The cost of resources needed to produce two products to a single market just isn’t economical.

But it isn’t just readers who are likely to be upset. Staff at the magazines will be competing against colleagues, for budgets, for resources, for their future jobs... and advertisers aren’t likely to be happy to be shelling out twice to the same company. It’s going to take one hell of a sales pitch to get the money in the coffers.

All round it seems pretty bad news for the Mini scene.

Whether you read the magazines or not, no doubt at some point you did and they helped you and you moved on. But we all live and breathe nostalgia because of our love for Minis and if this really is the beginning of the end for one of the magazines, it will be with sadness that

One of them will have to close - it’s inevitable

who are kelsey?

K

we say goodbye.

Potentially Kelsey could run both magazines until it become uneconomical to do so; close one of them down; or merge one with Modern MINI - the third Mini-related magazine now in Kelsey’s stable - and, like MINI, exploit the better known brand to reach a new market.

Mini Magazine’s former owners, Future Publishing has been returning to its core markets and offloading smaller titles after poor financial results.

The portfolio generated a pre-tax profit of £300k for the year 30 Sept 2013. The asset value of the porfolio is approximately £300k.

Meanwhile Kelsey Publishing has been keenly acquiring a number of motoring, aircraft and other specialist titles and is neatly carving itself out to be a canny operator. Should it be able to slim down and improve profit margins of the new portfolio, it could turn out to be a good business deal for them. Unfortunately, one of the best ways of cutting costs is reducing duplication......

Modern MINI is Kelsey’s magazine for MINI owners. Could it be up for merger?

elsey Publishing started in 1989 after the fallout of the sale of Practical Classics to EMAP. Gordon Wright was part of the team that sold the popular motoring title to EMAP, but he wanted to continue in publishing and set up a new firm called Kelsey Publishing - after the name of the building he was sited in.

After some success with motoring the firm expanded in to niche sectors including farming, heavy machinery and animal publications.

Following the hit of the global recession in 2008, Kelsey used its secure position in the niche market to pick up other titles from other publishers as they dealt with reduced incomes and looked to focus on their core markets. As titles were sold off, Kelsey nipped in and picked them up for a song.

In 2010, the company bought MiniWorld, Aeroplane, Ships Monthly and Cage & Aviary Birds magazines from IPC as they too sold off a lot of magazines to refocus.

Kelsey is not a big hitter in the publishing world, but over the past decade it has slowly acquired a number of significant titles and has built up its portfolio and reputation as a niche publisher.

Some of the car magazines might jump out at you on the stand but you’ll be hard pressed to find Practical Reptile Keeping, Practical Pigs, Classic Plant & Machinery and Old Tractor magazine on the shelves of Sainsbury’s.

Meanwhile former owners of Mini Magazine, Future Publishing, have been in crisis over the past five years with profits tumbling, management turnover like a revolving door and a loss of confidence and quality in their products. Selling off a once-profitable car sector of its portfolio will allow the firm to focus on games and computer magazine which have always been its core market. The other magazines bundled in with Mini Magazine, include Fast Car, once one of the star performers in the lad motoring mags, with half naked women, the public appetite for Max Power type publications has already seen the demise of Redline, and they will have to compete hard to prove they have a place in the market.

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on the PULSE

mkii cooper burnt out Beautiful and rare classic Mini gets stolen, thrashed, trashed and burnt out.

This

burnt out wreckage is all that remains of Reuben Millard’s 1968 MkII Austin Mini Cooper after it was stolen in Somerset in May and found in flames 60-miles away in Frome.

Reuben says: “It’s sad to think it was around for more than 40 years then someone just torched it,” said Reuben. “It wasn’t mint condition, but it wasn’t far off.”

“I was worried if I posted details online, whoever had taken it would see it and get rid of it, but I was willing to try anything.”

“It was out there 24 hours before they burnt it. It is a distinctive car, so hopefully someone remembers something.”

The car was restored by the previous and owner and Reuben estimates the car was worth between £7,500-£8.000.

“I just really hope that someone gets caught for it,” he added.

A police spokesman said: “This is heartbreaking for the owner as this car was his pride and joy.

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How Reuben’s Mini used to look before the theft.

News in Brief Stay up-to-date with our Blog and social media links

longest jump biggest crash Just look at the picture of Guerlain Chicherit’s face above. This is the moment he realises he’s not going to make it....

Going for a World Record Jump in a modified MINI Countryman, the French

driver’s attempts and subsequent epic crash are all captured and marketed by Go-Pro, with commentary from the surviving Guerlain. www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HWOANXNGrZc

no more grand tour after shed dispute The Legendary North Devon Grand Tour has been cancelled indefinately after organisers Terry and Linda Baker lost a lengthy legal battle against the local council over a garden shed.

The Bakers are well known in the Mini scene for hosting the Grand Tour and the LEJOG runs over the past two decades, but now it is all set to end.

The three year dispute over a shed placed on the three-metre wide patch of land at the end of the Bakers home in Bideford, Devon, led the couple to cancel the event and move away from the area. Both the Bakers and the Council claimed the land was theirs and the court ruled in favour of the Council.

Mr Baker said: “This battle

has made our life miserable and it’s kept us away from our daughters when they were going through breast cancer and needed us there.

“We have now decided to sell the house and move away to be closer to them.

“We’ve never asked for any recognition for all the money we’ve raised for the Children’s Hospice South West, but now we can’t do it anymore.

“It has broken our hearts but we have to cancel the mini run this year and we don’t know if we will come back to North Devon again after this.”

In a sad twist of fate following the legal case Mr Baker claims to have found the original house deeds which show the land was part of his property.

In a world first for a car manufacturer, the MINI’s operating system will be able to take control of the camera to allow ease of use.

The app is free to download from the Apple App Store.

official mini on ebay 5-door mini Brand owner MINI has seen the light and opened up a shop on eBay to allow easy purchasing of a load of MINI accessories and custom bits for your car, as well as a host of branded luxuries. http://stores.ebay.co.uk/ MINI-Direct-Store

peterhansel leaves mini x-raid team After five successful years, the first victory of the MINI ALL4 Racing in a rally and two Dakar victories, Monster Energy X-raid Team and Stéphane Peterhansel will be taking different paths.

Monster Energy X-raid Team and “Monsieur Dakar” have decided to terminate their contractual relationship amicably by mutual consent.

As spied in a previous issue of love:mini, MINI has now officially launched the 5-door MINI. We’ll have more information in the next issue.

2015 MINI CHALLENGE CAR REVEALED The next version of MINI Challenge car was unveiled at Oulton Park. Based on the 3rd Gen MINI released earlier this year, all teams will need to change their cars to be elligible for next season, which should provide for some great offseason prep work. More information on the Racing pages.

NEw app for go-pro and mini connected 13-mile MINI A new MINI Connected app has been launched which enables you to control your Go-Pro camera through the MINI’s dashboard, using the regular car toggle switches.

Dave Hollis from the British Mini Club has been in the press recently after finding another gem of a car in this pristine Mini Thirty with just 13-miles on the clock.

It’s up for sale for a cool £19,000 if you’re interested.

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Gear Mini Cooper bed

Bits and pieces for your Mini

From £730

www.funfurniturecollection.co.uk

If you can’t help but impose your own Mini fanaticism on your children or even your guests, then then this 1964 Mini Cooper-shaped bed is for you.

Built from a choice of plywood or MDF the bed fits a full-sized single matress (not supplied) and has both opening doors and boot. For a little extra it can be customised to match your own car or any other design.

screen washer bottle ‘88-’91 £45 www.somerford-mini.co.uk This bottle is the strange shaped, squashed item that is wedged onto the inner wing, beside the servo.

Now unavailable from Rover, Somerford Mini have remanufactured it to the original specification. It is also considerably cheaper than the last Rover price! Order as: GWW940

m-style cooper s tuning kit £1036 www.autoenhance.co.uk The new M-Style tuning package for the R53 Mini Cooper S adds 51­bhp to the power output and 43Nm of torque.

The package consists of performance pulley set which reduces supercharger rotation speed by 17%, a K&N Typhoon Induction kit and a Mosselman performance tuning remap. Price includes fitting.

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Hosetechnik s/s bleed nipples £16 www.hostechnik.com Hosetechnik has launched a new range of stainless steel brake fitments to suit BMC and Leyland Group cars fitted with 3/8 and 1/4 UNF bleed nipples.

The performance braking division of Forge Motorsport has been developing the products from 303 aerospace grade stainless steel after numerous requests to create a ‘fitand-forget’ solution to replace OEM parts on classic callipers.

Each set of four bleed nipples come with a lifetime guarantee.

column drop bracket £54 www.dsnclassics.co.uk After much development, this item is finally available. It replaces the entire standard arrangement from parcel tray to column. It employs a unique slider adjustment accurately designed to pivot correctly around the steering rack axis.

The cap head fixings are buried into the product to give at least

some level of security (they cannot simply be removed with grips like exposed bolts).

As with all our RetroSport products, it is supplied with fixings and Allen key. Fitting instructions are also supplied.

Available anodised in silver, black, red or blue. Also available polished.

From £44 mini spares front wings www.minispares.com Aftermarket wings do the job at a are for MkI and MkII Minis but will fraction of the cost of originals and fit all models from MkI to MkIV these latest offerings from Mini without modification.

Spares are of superb quality, well The wings with indicator repeater on-par with the more expensive holes are for 1985-96 models (except originals. some export and MPi cars that They are available with or without had different headlamp mounts for the holes for the indicator repeaters. dipping headlamps).

The wings without repeater holes

somerford mini MkI rear screen rubber www.somerford-mini.co.uk This product has not been available for many years. Instead the only option was to cut down the later, larger rubber.

Somerford Mini have now produced a one piece item for all MK1 Mini saloons.

Order as: 14A8744

Ultimate mono block 4-pot callipers £418 per set www.specialist-components.co.uk Specialist Components are incredible proud to release our amazing Monoblock 4-pot callipers for the classic Mini.

After years of being underwhelmed by the performance of other aftermarket 4-pot brakes, SC decided to look into the reasons why. We carried out extensive testing of the others on a custom-built deflection test jig, noting sometimes scary amounts of calliper flex even for those designed for single thickness discs. The results only worsened when the additional spacers was fitted for ‘vented’ discs!

From the outset we have developed a system to maximise braking force being transmitted to the discs and pads.

We have chosen stiff 7075 grade aluminium billet and combined with a complex to machine Monoblock design, as it is the ultimate choice (and looks great too!). Suitable for 7.5” Cooper S drive flanges/ discs. Available in a choice of colours with dual bleed nipples.

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Gear Dakar 2014 book www.catapac.com

Bits and pieces for your Mini

€45

Relive the breathtaking landscapes of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, the achievements of the competitors and the enthusiasm of the crowd in the DAKAR 2014 official book.

168 pages. Format 29.5 x 23 cm

MINI platypus licence plate mount $79 www.cravenspeed.com A No Drill Required License Plate Mounting Solution The Pro Series Platypus utilizes the tow hook eye that is hidden on your bumper for mounting your license plate. This no drill, no holes front license plate bracket is easily the best value on the market today. The Pro Series Platypus has all the features you are looking for; Angled to Match your front fascia Quick removal for shows and track days Custom fitment for all the vehicles on our list Proper positioning for better airflow Inflexible Construction with Stainless Hardware Euro Plate optional fitting MINI Spares heater blanking plate www.minispares.com

£8

The under-bonnet bulkhead area rarely gets much TLC, so when the time to renovate your Mini comes around it’s usually easier to replace bolt-on parts than it is to restore them.

Mini Spares can now offer Heater Hose Blanking Plates for classic Minis in three styles.

ALA6592 has one 1/2” hole for the heater hose in it, ALA7530 has two heater hose holes and ALA6593 is blank.

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MINI Spares 4-ring 8.5:1 piston www.minispares.com

£45

This piston for 1098cc ‘A’ Series engines was designed with 4 rings.

The top three compression rings are .0625” thick and the bottom oil ring is .1249” thick.

Pin height in this piston design is 2.2855”, this results in a compression of 8.5:1 in most standard applications including the ‘75-’80 1100 Mini and Clubman range including Clubman Estate.

The piston is available in 20, 30, 40 and 60 thou overbore.

Order as part number P20397 followed by -20, 40 or -60 according to the overbore size required.

Wolfrace eurosport turismo wheels www.wolfrace.com

From £93 each

Wolfrace, the UK’s best known alloy wheel brand, introduce the Turismo, one of several new designs recently launched which fit the MINI. The new Turismo is a ‘suits any vehicle’ design of simplicity and elegance made up of fifteen spokes stretching to the rim edge.

You can choose from either silver, black or black and polished finishes in 7.5x17” or 8.0x18”.

AC Schnitzer type viii www.ac-schnitzer.co.uk

Mini spares floor pans www.minispares.com

From £26

Classic Mini Vans With Mini Vans becoming increasingly rare it’s good to know that Mini Spares are still providing parts to keep those that survive in good condition.

Mini Spares new reproduction rear floor pans extend the full width with vertical flanges for easy installation and fairly well represent the original stamping.

The panels will also fit the pick-up and estate (Countryman/Traveller) versions of the Mini.

MS26LVAN Left hand injection front floor pan £45.00 MS26RVAN Right hand injection front floor pan £45.00

The new AC Schnitzer Type VIII alloy rim in Anthracite finish supplements the Type VIII wheel range, which also includes the Type VIII forged racing, the lightweight forged rim and of course the light alloy wheel Type VIII BiColor black and Silver.

The new one-piece wheel has a beautiful but “easy care” look, without any loss of unrestricted suitability for everyday use.

The Type VIII alloys are made in the low pressure process and subjected to heat treatment after casting. Thanks to the high quality casting process, the characteristic AC Schnitzer design with its 5 double spokes can be made even more delicate for optimum weight.

The perfect Finish gives the Type VIII alloy wheel a sophisticated sporting look for many current and classic BMW models.

But it also perfectly fills the wheelarches of the MINI Countryman and Paceman. It is the right choice to the delight of drivers who appreciate the visual appearance of their car.

Classic Minis (1992 on) You can spend hours cutting out rust and patching holes, but why bother?

Mini Spares new reproduction floor pans extend the full width with vertical flanges for easy installation and fairly well represent the original stamping.

They will fit Minis from 1992 on.

MSL25L Left hand injection front floor pan £25.20 MSL25R Right hand injection front floor pan £25.20 MSL26L Left hand injection rear floor pan £25.02 MSL26R Right hand injection rear floor pan £25.02

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Event Highlight

Miniworld action day

Castle Combe SEPTEMBER 27, 2014 01249 782417 www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk

The

MiniWorld Action Day returns to Castle Combe this September for an unbelievable 22nd year.

This ‘must-attend’ event is an absolute favourite with the whole family and celebrates all things Mini.

The ever popular ‘Action Day’ format combines all the things you expect from a Mini Show; huge trade village and owners club displays etc, with action on

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the world famous Castle Combe Racing Circuit. Mini owners can take their pride and joy on the circuit in a range of sessions; from the free mass ‘cruise’ to full ‘helmets-on and pedal-tothe-metal’ fast track sessions.

The show has also developed a regular celebrity following including Daleks, Darth Vader, K-9, Chewbacca…

Club stands are free (up to 10 car pitches), generous trade pitches are just £95, and

camping is available on Friday night. This year the organisers are hoping to add a couple of new attractions which are currently still in negotiations, so keep an eye on the Castle Combe Circuit website for details!

Advanced discounted tickets and track sessions can be purchased online at www. castlecombecircuit.co.uk – go to ‘Events’ > ‘Action Days’ and click on the Miniworld Action Day logo.

Upcoming events

VIEW

Dates for your diary

Event s g n i t s i L k

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

SEPTEMBER 27- OCTOBER 3 Minis to Monte A non-competitive tour and rally revisiting some locations and sights of the famous Monte Carlo rally and staying in luxurious hotels. www.minicooper.org

OCTOBER 19 Mini Fest 2 Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire Your last chance to get all your bits and pieces for your winter projects here. www.britishminiclub.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 27 Castle Combe Mini Action Day Castle Combe, Wiltshire Get your Mini on track at this great Wiltshire circuit and enjoy a great show too. www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk

OCTOBER 12 Malvern Mini Show The Malvern Showground, Worcestershire, WR13 6NW Autumn trade and display Mini show back at the Malvern County Showground.

About £7 www.classicshows.org

clic

OCTOBER 23-30 Italian Job Run The amazing Italian Job Run returns for its 25th Anniversary run and if you don’t know about this event, read our special issue magazine about it here. It’s a very special Mini event, one of the best and one you need to do at least once. And it’s all for charity, touring around Italy and eating food fit for a king. www.italianjob.com

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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test drive

FINAL TEST DRIVE WINNER: MIDNIGHT BLACK Alex Coyle’s winning idea to turn the LED lights to LED blacklights and light up the road with fluorescent paint.

MINI

USA offered ten lucky Miniacs to test drive the new MINI before its launch.

Participants had to come up with a unique way to test drive the car. The best ideas would be shortlisted and the test drives filmed for the public to vote for the winner.

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Nineteen year old Alex Coyle came up with the winning idea to turn the MINIs new LED headlights into black LEDs which, would light up fluorescent road lines as you drove through the night. Named the Midnight Black, Alex Coyle tells love:mini about her experience:

“MINI posted about the Final Test Test Drive Competition on Facebook, and I thought that this was something totally up my alley. I scripted my video entry and was working on it until the last minute, finally getting my entry uploaded ten minutes before the deadline. (phew!)

For my commercial idea I wanted to

DeLux

Alex’s Originals Package Design The future is now, thanks to Alex C.’s top-voted Originals Package design -which means it’s actually available to buy!

As Alex explains “When the lighting’s just right, it makes a moment all the more worthwhile. Pulsing, flashing, glowing; it attracts the eyes, body and heart.”

feature the new LED headlights on the F56. I love working with LEDs, and I’m also attracted in a kid-like way to stuff that glows.

I thought to convert the LED headlights into LED blacklights would be a lot of fun with fluorescent paint. The grand stunt driving through 100+ tubes

I wanted the car to be futuristic looking, and have a stream of light/accent colour that wound around the dark body of the car. I came up with the name ‘deLux’ because ‘lux’ is Latin for Light, and this MINI is a deluxe car in that it has all the bells and whistles on it.

The whole competition was such a fantastic experience. As a student dual majoring in creative advertising and photography, it was fun to be on the other side of the equation and see the inner workings of a big production. Filming my commercial in L.A. was so much fun — to see a little idea of yours come to life on a Hollywood scale is truly incredible. Everyone on set was such a pleasure to work with and it was cool bragging rights to have gotten a first-hand look at the F56 before everyone else.

To win the design aspect of the competition as well was so exciting. There were so many people who helped this idea come to life; to see it in-themetal for the first time was incredible and a real reflection of the hard-work everyone put into it. I certainly wouldn’t have thought that at 19, I’d be able to stand by a really awesome MINI at the New York International Auto Show and be able to put my name on it. A once on a lifetime opportunity for sure.”

of paint in the car, was pretty epic and more than I could have dreamed of.

I wanted my car design to tie into my commercial so I designed it keeping the notion of light in mind. As a photographer, I am constantly intrigued about how light can manipulate a subject.

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It’s a HARMAN: MINI introduces its first head-up display Combining sophisticated infotainment with superior Harman-Kardon audio, the new MINI F56 will be the first MINI to feature a head-up display unit.

The

new MINI F56, is the first-ever MINI to feature a head-up display, the advanced navigation – and it’s by HARMAN. Extending its collaboration with MINI, the premium global audio and infotainment group HARMAN is equipping the latest MINI F56 with a superior infotainment unit with headup display. Powered by a 1.3 GHz processor and featuring a 200 GB hard disk drive, the infotainment unit offers the performance and choice to delight passengers and drivers alike. Vehicle occupants can view DVDs, listen to music through the superior Harman

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Kardon audio landscape, and access a range of smart apps to enhance their travel experience – weather updates, for instance, or news on their destination. Navigation – with the road ahead projected onto the high resolution head-up display – is more realistic than ever, thanks to the 3D map database. The navigation system accesses real-time traffic information, ensuring drivers are consistently guided along the quickest and safest routes. In addition, all functions can be voice-controlled, keeping the driver’s hands on the wheel, and eliminating the potential distractions of pressing buttons on the central console.

With Harman Kardon audio, drivers and passengers will enjoy an excellent sound experience from any seat in the car. The Harman Kardon DSP amplifier in Class D technology outputs 360W sound to a total of 12 loudspeakers: five 26-mm tweeters in the front and rear side panels, five 100-mm ALumaprene mid-range speakers, also in the front and rear side panels, and – a first in the F56 – two 217-mm central bass woofers beneath the front seats.

“We’re delighted to be continuing our partnership with MINI in the latest MINI F56,” says Michael Mauser, President Lifestyle Division, Harman.

“This will be the first-ever MINI to include a head-up display – and it’s testament to the reliability and innovative strength of HARMAN that MINI has chosen our solution to mark its debut into the HUD segment.”

THE NEW MINI. THE NEW ORIGINAL. ARRIVING MARCH 2014.

To find out more about the all new MINI Hatch visit our website at www.bowkermini.co.uk or call your local Bowker dealership.

BOWkER pREsTON

Channel Way, On the Docks Preston PR2 2YA 01772 765995

BOWkER BLACkBURN

Trident Park, Off Whitebirk Drive Blackburn BB1 3NU 01254 274428

Official Fuel Economy Figures for the MINI Hatch Range: Urban 36.7-67.3 mpg (7.7-4.2 l/100km). Extra Urban 58.9-91.1 mpg (4.8-3.1 l/100km). Combined 48.7-80.7 mpg (5.8-3.5 l/100km). CO2 Emissions 136-92 g/km. Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions.

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t p u g n i k Wa r u hbo g i e n

. e r i h s a c n a L f o eets r t s e h t n o s s e n d Tw i n-ca rb goo

jonathan hedley-barrett mini 30 restyled twin-carb Anthracite polished rim deep dish centre-exit twin exhaust

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the rs

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REBUILD

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J

onathan Hedley Barrett of Accrington, Lancashire bought this Mini already converted from its Mini 30 original coating, but replaced it with an eyecatching brightly-coloured yellow and anthracite trim.

Wood & Pickett arches cover the wide 12x5.5s and under the bonnet the original engine has been replaced with a 1275cc unit with twin carbs and K&N pancake filters. The whole engine has been overhauled and painted, before carefully fitted into the freshly homesprayed Mini and attached to the beefy twin exhaust.

Despite the paintjob being done on the previous owner’s driveway and garage it’s turned out really well. Given that is was done a good few years ago now, Jonathan is seeing patches beginning to fade and is considering what to do with the yellow monster next.

“I’m not sure what to do with it,” he says. “I’m considering whether to put it back to original. If it’s going to get resprayed anyway, I could do anything, couldn’t I?” With the interior still sporting the original seats, steering wheel and trim it would only take a respray and a couple of other changes to see it looking fresh from the showroom. But the engine would have to remain... “I’d definately have to keep the quicker engine though,” states Jonathan. “It needs a tune, it’s not running right though.”

On our photoshoot he takes me out for a spin and it’s definately lacking a bit of oomph, but it sounds amazing. Around the quiet country roads of Sabden, East Lancashire the Mini really comes into its element as we all know. I may joke that the sun is rare in the north of England, but today is a stunner and it’s the type of day you want to take the Mini out and blast around. The heads will turn and the children will wave and the smile on your face will reach from ear to ear.

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“I’m considering wheth er to put it back to original.

If it’s going to get resp rayed anyway, I could do anything, co uldn’t I?”

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The boot is real our-coded fuel ta strong plastic bo the spare whee provides easy s items.

The original inte mains and it’s no still looks grea. T ing wheel with a looks the part fo

The twin-carb s filters

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lly tidy and a colank really suits. A oot tray hides away el and cover, and storage for a fuel extra

erior of the Mini 25 reo surprise really, as it The Springalex steeranniversary plaque or this sporty monster.

set-up uses pancake

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Praise the Lord for minis!

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my mini & me

Michael Cameron’s life almost took a serious turn for the worse when he was shopping for a new car and looking at a Toyota Prius. Thankfully the Mini bug got hold of him and he’s been diagnosed witha severe case.

My M

INI is actually still quite new, i bought her a little over a year ago because i was looking for something a little more economical for my commute to work.

I was initially looking at the VW GTI and the Toyota Prius (if you can believe it!) and I can’t remember why, but I decided to check out the MINIs, and I knew from my first test drive I had to have one! They were just so responsive, so quirky, and had so much more

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character than anything I had ever driven.

This was actually my first manual transmission car too. Now I actually didn’t know how to drive a manual when I bought it, I test drove the automatic and ended up buying the manual. Now buying a new car with out knowing how to drive it was probably not my wisest decision... but I’m really glad I did it, the automatic drove nice, but the manual just takes the driving experience to a whole

new level for me. Getting it from the dealership, through the city, back home was quite possibly one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever done, as if the frequent stalling wasn’t bad enough, the ‘encouragement’ i got from other drivers for blocking the road certainty wasn’t helping! Haha.

Now unfortunately I am one of those people who can’t leave well enough alone... so needless to say the modifications started pretty early. First it started off with just some Plasti-dip

gone a bit overboard with my lighting, as my lights are 100W aircraft landing light from a Cessna, by my calculations, the four lights are producing over 15,000 Lumens! They literally make pitch black look light daylight.

I think the most surprising thing about my owning a MINI is just how much I feel it’s altered my social life. Everywhere I go I’m always having people ask me about my car, I’ve gotten involved in several MINI motoring groups and I’ve actually made a lot of good friends because of it.. It’s crazy now to think that these are people I never would have met if i had bought the GTI or - god forbid the Prius.

This summer I plan on attending MINIS on Top at Mt. Washington, and hope to one day make it to MINIs on the Dragon. It’s been a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing what lies ahead.

and some decals, then I think my first actual mods were a D1 SPEC throttle controller and a DDM intake kit, and that kind of held the ‘mod bug’ at bay... for a few months, then I added a Magnaflow Exhaust and a JB+ tuning module, which made the MINI a LOT more fun - great sound and a lot of power and unfortunately, once you add more power, the only thing you want is more power, so then I started to push the tune a bit more and had it tuned for Race gas, push an estimated 240BHP and yes, 240BHP in a MINI is as much fun as it sounds!

Now I think my absolute favourite part of my MINI are my quad lights. Admittedly I may have

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test drive: mini 3rd generation David Fuller got to test drive the new F56 MINI and other models on behalf of love:mini.

MINI

set up a UK test drive day for the press, and love:mini was invited to attend and try out the new cars.

We offered the opportunity to one lucky reader, Dave Fuller, who has previously owned MINIs and he duly accepted. Here’s his story: “I was invited along to the BMW Group Drive Day on behalf of love:mini. I arrived in the morning to be greeted and shown to reserved parking. I could see the cars that were available to drive in two lines.

Included were several Gen3 MINI Coopers and MINI Cooper S models,

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also from the MINI family were a MINI Paceman Cooper D and a MINI Countryman JCW. On registration we were offered breakfast which included bacon & sausage rolls, coffee and tea. MINI call the Gen3 MINI, “The New MINI, The New Original” There are four engine versions, three petrol for the ONE, Cooper and Cooper S and a diesel in the MINI ONE and Cooper versions. There is a JCW to follow as well as a revised Clubman and Convertible.

M IN I COOPER S

The first car I took out was the New Gen3 MINI Cooper S in Volcanic Orange. I had a good look round the outside, on first glance it looks very similar to the outgoing MINI Cooper S. It has grown in size and is 98mm longer (58mm is for the front overhang meeting the new pedestrian safety legislation), 12mm more headroom & 19mm more leg room. The rear lights are bigger and the front lights now included daylight running lamps, the front grill is also bigger. The boot has grown by 51 litres giving 211 litres off space, rear seats now fold 40/60.

As it was pouring with rain I soon jumped in to the car and my first thoughts were how very nice it was.

The interior is a big improvement on quality and MINI wouldn’t be MINI without its

didn’t like the recess in the dash, it spoilt the clean lines and I would image over time how dust would collect.

The sports seats are very comfortable numerous options list, this car was equipped with and hugged me well. I did find the the Chili pack which includes 17” alloys, arm rest in the way of the handbrake and had to swing it back out of the Duel-zone automatic air conditioning, Sports front seats, auto lights & wipers, way. The Cooper S now has a new a 2 litre TwinPower Turbo engine to name just a few, it also had the that at 192bhp delivers a top speed of Media XL pack which now includes 146mph and a 0-62 of 6.8 seconds and a 8.8” screen, multi function sports a claimed combined mpg of 49-6 which steering wheel, MINI navigation, MINI Connected & Enhanced Bluetooth all to is marginally more than the outgoing Gen2 MINI. name just a few.

The Cooper S pulled very well The centre speedo has now moved through the gears and still had the go to in front of the driver as has the fuel cart handling that we are used to in gauge. The steering wheel controls are now the opposite way to existing MINIs a MINI. I had about a 25 mile drive through the countryside following with cruise control on the left and instructions that had been pre entered radio/telephone controls on the right. into the car sat nav system, this I found Window switches now on the door armrests. The middle dash air vents are an improvement over the existing systems but a top Tom Tom is better in now square. my view and off course portable and The first big difference I noticed is you don’t need a key cheaper. There are 3 driving modes, the switch, a twisting dial round the to start the car and gearshift gaiter, Green, Mid (Normal) then I noticed that & Sport, LED’s built in the centre dash this Cooper S was panel change from green to red , I’d equipped with The imagine most people will be in normal Heads Up Display, this is a small piece or sport.

The Cooper S did everything I asked of Perspex that rises from the dash, fully off it and performed very well, it was a very smooth & comfortable experience adjustable for all size drivers. It does that I very much enjoyed. With prices starting at £18,650 then adding options take a little while I can see the price being more like to get used to but £25,000+. Having driven MINI’s for very useful as many years and owned 5 I was very saves you taking impressed and would be very tempted. your eyes of the On my return and a quick coffee it was road. If worth the turn of the Cooper. the £375 cost is debatable and I

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M IN I COOPER

This was similar spec as the Cooper S but the major difference is that it comes with an all new 3 cylinder 1.5 litre TwinPower turbo engine, this gives out 136 hp with a top speed of 130 mph, a 0-62 of 7.9 seconds and a combined fuel

the same as previous MINIs having struts at the front and a multi link axe set up at the rear which still gives it a go cart feel. Prices start at ÂŁ15,300, then adding options the price could easily be ÂŁ23,000+. My drive was soon over and the Cooper is a splendid car and no wonder sales of Coopers are exceeding the Cooper S. We then had a buffet lunch and very enjoyable it was. It was then time to try another car, this time it was the MINI Paceman Cooper D.

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consumption of 62.8 mpg.

Once again I settled into the cloth/leather seats and headed out to follow the 25 mile pre programmed route which was the same as the Cooper S. This engine shocked me with its acceleration

and flexibility, the old cooper was more of a warm hatch where this is more of a hot hatch! Yes you need to work it harder than its big brother, the Cooper S, but it still makes you grin and enjoy the adventure. The suspension is still

M IN I PACEM A N COOPER D The Paceman is a coupe version on the Countryman in a three door body and 4 seats. There are 5 engine options range with 3 petrol versions, Cooper, Cooper S & JCW and 2 diesel versions, Cooper D and Cooper SD. The test car was the Cooper D, which had the 1.6 litre turbo diesel engine giving out 112hp with a top speed of 116mph, 0-62 of 11.2 seconds and a combined fuel consumption of 64.2mpg. Having driven the New MINI’s first jumping into an old version showed how much the new MINI has improved with quality, materials & fit. BMW is evident in areas with switch gear and iDrive control.

I headed out to the motorway to see what the straight line feel was like and then onto country lanes back to Bracknell in all about 25 miles.

Cruising on the motorway at 70mph is effortless and once onto the

country lanes you need to work the gears to keep up a good speed but hit the sport button and it’s a different story, this is a very capable car and for the cost conscious driver a good bet. My only thought is what market is this aimed at? If someone wants a bigger MINI than a hatch or clubman then there is the Countryman, but if not then I’d go for a Hatch over the Paceman. Prices start at £18,980, with extras you’d be paying around £26,000. Back for a quick coffee then onto the next car, this time it was a MINI JCW Countryman.

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W C J N A M Y R T N U O MINI C

The MINI Countryman is a 5 door car in either 4 or 5 seat versions, I tested the JCW version this had 5 seats & was pretty well fully loaded, chilli pack, media pack, leather etc. The Countryman has 4 petrol engines versions, One, Cooper, Cooper S & JCW and 2 diesel versions, Cooper D & Cooper SD. This a 1.6 litre TwinScroll turbo engine pushing out 218hp, top speed of 140mph, a 0-62 of 7 seconds and top speed of 140mph, combined fuel consumption of 38.2mpg & it also has 4 wheel drive and is 10mm lower than other Countryman’s. I took the same route as the Paceman, motorway and then country lanes back to Bracknell, this car never failed to make me smile and I totally enjoy the experience and I never felt it couldn’t cope on the wet country lanes. Hitting the sport button is like driving an

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insane machine, the exhaust was burbling and popping like crazy on the overrun, it was truly more than capable and with a softer ride than a normal hatch.

The only failings is that it doesn’t come with a JCW steering wheel as fitted to the rest of the JCW range, no big Bembo brakes although the standard ones do seem capable and no option of Recaro seats. Apart from that it was excellent. Prices start at £16,620 for a ONE with the JCW starting at an eye watering £28,610, adding extras it could easily push it up to £35,000! There is a lot of competition out there in this price range but would any give the same fun ride with the distinctive MINI looks? Just time for one more test and this was the BMW i3,

i3 The BMWi3 has been a long time coming but now on sale in the UK. It comes in 2 versions, the i3 all electric and the i3 Range Extender. The test car was the latter.

Both models have an aluminium chassis with carbon fibre reinforced plastic body. They are rear wheel drive from an electric motor giving an output of 167bhp. The BMW i3 RangeEextender has a 2 cylinder petrol/generator sitting besides the electric motor in the rear. This doesn’t drive the wheels but charges the battery when required and unable to get to a charge point, it is barely noticeable as very quite.

The range of the all electric i3 is 80-100 miles but the i3 Range Extender has a range of 150-185 miles, you can then refill the tiny 9 litre tank and continue on your way.

The i3 is a 5 door hatch, the 2 rear doors being rear hinged (suicide doors) which mean they can’t be opened unless the front door is opened first. The boot is small with a high floor due to the motor & engine being housed underneath.

One of the first things I noticed of entering the car was how big it was in the front, less so in the rear but big enough for a family with young children. You are greeted by what looks like an iPad in the centre which is the satnav and communication etc then in front of you there looks like a mini iPad which is the speedo and range. This was to be my first time driving an electric car and one of the BMW electric experts gave me a rundown of what was what, it was like learning to drive again!

Off I set on the shortened pre loaded route due to time, I

was impressed with the acceleration, a claimed 0-62 7.9 seconds (7.2 seconds in the all electric version) and top speed of 93mph with a combined fuel consumption of 470.8mpg, yes 470.8mpg! on lifting your foot off the accelerator it brakes so you need to learn to feather the pedal when slowing down.

In fact I hardly touched the brake pedal throughout the test! The road holding is remarkably good for a tall car and coupled with the quick acceleration it was fun to drive, less fun were the seats which I found rather flat! They needed more side bolstering to hold you in place when cornering.

Overall very impressed but how many will sell with a price tag of nearly £34,000 is another question? Although there is up to £5000 in Government grants.

The day drew to a close and I would like to say a big thank you to BMW and all the staff on hand who were only too pleased to help and answer any questions, this was a very well organised day with a very nice lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

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urban M What happened?! Did we just take our MINI Cooper S Roadster all the way through Scandinavia?! Yes we did, and it was awesome.

Words and Photos: Urban Stenberg

To b

egin with I am not a motor journalist or a long time MINI owner. I’m just a regular guy who loves my car to death. It all started as a joke really, take your roadster up north and get caught in a storm. Well follow the story and you will see how the MINI R59 did, and this is not a joke.

We started at night in Trollhättan a medium big town in the western parts of Sweden. We decided to go for a roadtrip to Norway, the north part.

We didn’t bother to check the weather or anything, we just left. After a quick stop, in Sala, a bit north of Stockholm where we left the dog, we headed for Bodø in Norway. To drive in Sweden is no challenge for any car. We have

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excellent roads, even in the woods.

Kind of boring we thought. Good thing our MINI kept us happy with its comments along the way. If you have MINI-wired you know what I am talking about. We needed to sleep for a few hours and searched for motels nearby. We found a place that was 20 USD for 2 ppl and OMG we wished we hadn’t, but we did. This was like coming home to Norman Bates and his mum. After sleeping a few hours with both eyes wide open we left like two scared rabbits.

The next stop was in Skellefteå, still Sweden. We managed to find a really nice hotel for a cheap price, included was a warm garage for the car. Thank you MINI-nav. We slept like babies after the long drive. Now it

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was time to cross Sweden to get to the westside where the border to Norway is.

To get there you need to pass

Arvidsjaur and Arjeplog. The last named village is a car-testers Mecca.

If you want to test your car under extreme conditions, this is where you go. In this small village far up in the north we spotted Jeep, Lotus, Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes; MINI and some cars that we didnt even know what they were. All latest models so it was really cool.

On the road to Norway the roads are covered with ice, sand, snow and sometimes clear dry tarmac. It’s not maintained more than neccesary during the winter, just to give the car testers what they want. It was a challenge for sure!

Loads of fun. We

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continued our trip over Graddis which is the mountain top between Norway and Sweden. When you pass the border to Norway it all gets dramatic. They are so blessed with the magic scenery.

Well in Bodø we once again found a nice hotel using the MINI-nav, it’s such a great thing that NAVI, be sure to keep it updated - it’s money well spent. We stayed in Bodø for a few days because the government sent out a warning about a storm coming in. We felt it alright!! It calmed down and we decide to head south. Our next planned stop was in Trondheim a 10hr drive, at least so we thought.

The weather was kind of peaceful so we simply thought the storm had passed.

Well up on top of the mountain called Saltfjellet we got stuck with winds over 20m/s and snow.

We waited for five hours in the car before we decided to change route and go back into Sweden and down to Trondheim along the Norwegian border. Well back at the Mountain Graddis we had to wait for the plow truck to guide us over the hill.

This was the worst conditions I have ever driven in. It was 75cm between each car and if it became as far as one

metre you could not see the car in front of you. Under you there is plain ice covered with some snow that instantly blow back after the plow. The MINI did great with some extra credit to the tyres from Nokian. We were the last to pass then they closed the road due to the high risk.

After that dramatic drive we had to stop and catch our breath before heading down to Östersund which is a beautiful town located in the middle of Sweden. If you get a chance, go there - eat, socialise and just enjoy the scenery. Again we simply just asked

our MINi where to sleep and again it was spot on.

Nice hotel in the city centre with one of the best breakfasts we had ever had.

After breakfast we took the opportunity and stopped in Åre, a ski resort not far from Östersund. I love my coffee and they made me happy, thank you Åre bageri!

Now we are ready to hit Norway again, back over the border and a small mountain, compared to the previous one. We were soon to arrive in

Trondheim.

We didn’t bother to stay here since the goal had changed - we were now heading for Bergen on the westcoast. On our way to Bergen we had some magical scenery unfortunatly our camera broke on the top of Dovre fjellet. We managed to get some pictures on top but after that we had to be happy that we had our iPhones.

We where behind scheduele so we took a shortcut RV15, which is a tourist route with stunning views, mountains, fjords and small pittoresque houses. These roads will take you through Sogn og Fjordane wich is rated one of the most beautiful places on earth - we agree.

In Bergen we discovered the downside with the MINI Roadster. You can’t sleep very well in it!! The clerk at the hotel we booked didn’t answer the phone so we couldn’t get hold of our room until 7am which was the time we had planned to wake up. So Bergen we had to do quickly, but nevermind since I’ve been working there for three years I knew what it looked like - it’s lovely.

To drive the route from Bergen and into Sweden is amazing, but we had done it already so we booked a ferry to Denmark, the top of Denmark. We drive onboard and parked for

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were looking at - sunny and a little bit of mist in the air. The weather report say 15C and sunshine in all of Denmark.

Guess what? - We pulled the top down as soon as we got off the ferry.

After all the winter driving on ice roads, storms, rain, snow, hail and all thunder this was the reward. We were so happy to be in Denmark the when we got to see the roads. night. A lovely boat and a stunning A big freeway all the way down our view leaving the Bergen harbour, this way. We headed for Copenhagen, but was the best sleep we had on the entire first a stop in Aalborg for breakfast trip. The beds were lovely and the and some really nice pastry. We were boat is very modern. We woke up and in Copenhagen by lunchtime. It felt a looking out we couldn’t belive what we bit sad that this was the end of our roadster trip but we were still happy about our choice of car. If the MINI Roadster can manage this, it will manage wherever we choose to go in the future. We had a nice lunch and visit the LEGO store then we headed for the bridge between Denmark and Sweden. We where home at 9 pm the same day as we arrived in Denmark.

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mINI BAR BUDAPEST Love MINI? Then you’ll love this bar in Budapest.

Food

, Drinks, Music and MINI” is what you will get when going there with your friends: April 10th saw the

official opening in Budapest of the world’s first MINI BAR, inspired by the British premium brand, simultaneously with the launch of the new MINI in Hungary.

MINI BAR BUDAPEST situated right in the heart of the Hungarian capital city, in front of Saint Stephen’s Basilica, is also ideally located for Budapest nightlife.

“Nightlife is an essential part of MINI and vice versa – from now on especially in Budapest” said Baudouin Denis, Managing Director of BMW Group Hungary. “MINI is about pure excitement shared with

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friends, so now there is a cool MINI place for the huge local and global MINI community to meet and share MINI Lifestyle: MINI BAR BUDAPEST.�

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MINI BAR BUDAPEST is the fruit of a joint cooperation of MINI Hungary and the bar’s owner-manager, Mr. Balázs Gubcsó. “Guests will immediately recognise MINI in every detail,” says Balázs Gubcsó, who has many years’ experience in building up and managing trendy bars and restaurants.

“Just like any MINI, MINI BAR BUDAPEST is compact in size yet full of charming

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details creating lots of opportunities for memorable moments with friends and for exciting parties. And, while the DJ plays cool music, we’re serving the kind of cheeky food and cocktails that makes MINI so unique.”

The manager of MINI BAR BUDAPEST first caught MINI-fever ten years ago,

when he got behind the wheel of his MINI Cooper S. “Since then I’ve fallen even deeper in love with MINI, and now I run a MINI business, too” added Balázs Gubcsó. “The management of MINI in Hungary and in Munich really supported the concept and made it come true, for the genuine pleasure of the

global MINI community.”

Together with the opening of the exclusive bar the all-new MINI hatch was also introduced to the media and to the MINI community as well: invited

by BMW Group Hungary more than 400 guests joined the party at MINI BAR BUDAPEST.

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Showtime

Moonraker Run Moles invade Wiltshire. www.facebook.com/moles.mini molesminiclub@hotmail.co.uk

Agai

n Moles Mini Club took to the roads of Wiltshire for their annual charity Moonraker Run over the weekend of 26th April.

This year Moles were raising money

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WORDS& PHOTOS: Moles Mini Club

for The Hope Nature Centre, Southwick.

The Hope Nature Centre is a registered charity set up in 2000 to help young adults with learning

difficulties in the West of Wiltshire. They provide a safe and encouraging place of work to many who may otherwise have hardship integrating. After a spate of break-ins they have had to invest in expensive security systems including CCTV and so we felt it important to support this local charity.

The weekend fun started on Saturday with a run from The Hope Nature Centre and after a visit to feed the animals and a lovely lunch we headed off to Marlborough, taking in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside en-route.

Once at this beautiful historic town we stopped for a coffee and gave ourselves time to explore before returning to Trowbridge for a Fish n Chip tea and a quiz and game night.

Sunday morning dawned slightly damp, but it was time for the main Moonraker Run and after a breakfast in Bromham we set off heading towards Stonehenge. The run route takes in some brilliant Mini country lanes twisting and turning through picturesque villages. This year there was the added spice as torrential April showers caused large fordlike puddles. Many of the beautiful shiny Minis ended up looking like they had taken part in a rally. The run finished at Atwell Wilson Motor Museum for tea and cake.

Moles Mini Club, Wiltshire, were joined by members from Jurassic Coast Minis and Avon Valley Classic Mini Club, and in total helped raise ÂŁ172 for The Hope Nature Centre.

Next year’s run will take place over the weekend of 25th & 26th April. For more information follow Moles Mini on Facebook or email molesminiclub@hotmail.co.uk

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Showtime

British Mini Club Himley Hall Top-notch Minis in beautiful surroundings. www.britishminiclub.co.uk

m Stickyfingers.

arent bonnets - only fro

The

British Mini Clubs annual Mini event at Himley Hall on May 11th in the West Midlands again proved to be very popular with both the classic Mini and Modern MINI. With both marques being well catered for with many of the UK’s top Mini traders in attendance. The likes of Mini Sport, Huddersfield Mini Spares and MJR MINI Matt, and anyone looking for that

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rare and elusive part for a rebuild it’s always good to have a slow wander around the Mini Jumble, in fact I saw someone manoeuvring an engine block towards the gate at one point.

Wayne Brownhill continued his reign in the Premier Concours by winning the Best Mini In Show award and the Custom and Modified class, to complete the hat-trick of trophies he also won the Best Presented award as well!!! Wayne was showing his recently completed Rover Mini Cooper, this has undergone a restoration but for a change Wayne has not gone down his normal originality route, but transformed his Mini with a retro look. This includes 10 inch wheels, a stunning retro interior and electric windows. Very unique and as Wayne says he has built the Mini in his own style. He is a very talented man and the Premier Final in October will certainly be interesting. Round two

WORDS & PHOTOS: Adrian Mannion

is at Mini Fest in August and all class winners go through to Stoneleigh later in the year.

The new MINI featured very well in concours with a very strong turnout.

The quality is getting better very year.

Steve Moore and Sarah Wixon taking the honours. It will be very interesting to see these two taking on the classics in the final. They are getting closer so watch out classics the new MINI’s are coming after your crown.

An excellent addition last year and continued this year by the British Mini Club is Show N Shine. This takes the pressure away from the entrant as it is self judging and an excellent way to show of your Mini. Nick Hinton and his superb blue MINI Cooper S was voted the winner by his fellow entrants.

We think this is Nicks first trophy and he was asking for tips about how to progress to full concours. Watch this

space we reckon What a a wonderful idea by the BMC to have a Mini 55 display around the lake at Himley, a tad adventurous trying to get a Mini from every single year since1959. Only a few gaps in the display so we didn’t do to bad. Maybe this proves that Mini’s from the 70’s and 80’s are maybe the rarest, could that be a hint of which era to collect Minis from. Could they be worth more in the future!

Did you see the incredible Mini in the 55 display once owned by Alex Moulton, The Mini was driven into the arena by its new owner. It was recently purchased at a classic car auction. The very lucky owner was interviewed live

by Dave and Danny from the BMC, and regaled

us with some interesting stories like the fact the Mini has no passenger seat at the front. This enabled Alex, when being chauffeured around used to sit in the rear seat and stretch his legs out.

Also part of the rear panel behind the back seat used to open so Alex could place his own design fold up cycle through the boot and and seat.

The Mini has many of its own quirks all designed by Alex Moulton and the owner has promised to keep it just the way it is.

Dave Hollis and his roaming microphone is a very good idea at BMC events, Dave chatting to owners it provides a very good insight into what they do with the Mini’s, what is special about them etc. This stuff could get lost in time if the owners do not share it with us.

It’s obvious the British Minj Club love the modern MINI as much as the classic. It’s always good to see a large turnout. Many of the clubs had MINI’s on display, plus concours was busy with MINI’s. I always have a wander around the Mini only car park and was overwhelmed by how many MINI’s had turned out. Maybe it’s time more MINI traders came along to BMC events. There is certainly an untapped market out there.

The BMC always try and make good use of social media

at all the events #himleyminishow had plenty of tweets during the day, not quite trending but the use is certainly building. It’s a good idea to try and interact with visitors. Certainly a good way to keep everyone informed as to what’s going on during the day.

The BMC must have raffled 60 Mini’s over the years. The Mayfair on offer this time was just as good as its predecessor’s. £1 a ticket you certainly can’t complain when the Mini is worth over £3000. Orange ticket number 164 and 17yr old Olly Shergold jumped forward to claim his prize.

Incredible stuff so much so that when he rang his dad he hung up on him as he thought it was a wind up. In the end Dave Hollis had to call Ollies dad and convince him it was true his son had just won himself his very first car..

All in all another top notch show from the British Mini Club

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Showtime

Oulton Park Mini Festival Big show moves north to celebrate Mini 55.

The

Mini Festival at Oulton Park was billed as one of the biggest shows of the year behind the return of the IMM to the UK. Having heard of a poor turnout frot he Brands Hatch even this year, I had been led to believe this northern show was the main event and should be heaving. Given that

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the Brands Hatch event clased with the British Mini CLub’s event it was no surprise the numbers were reduced.

If ever there was a chance to make a case for a good show in the north, this was it. A show hosted by a big company which has the clout to make it work, hosted at a fantastic race track not far from one

of the UK’s main arteries - the M6.

Even the weather was good, but to my mind the number of people attracted to the event didn’t seem half as many as I might have expected.

All the club and historic cars were neatly fitted onto one little patch of grass and the trade area had just a handful

WORDS & PHOTOS: Craig McBeth

of traders... it was really disappointing. For the families who brought the kids out, there was free entertainment for the little ones with a couple of bouncy obstacle courses and slides to play on - a nice

touch.

Elsewhere, legendary Mini stunt driver, Russ Swift, was putting on three shows a day demonstrating his handbrake turn parking skills in the latest F56 MINI. With the heat beating down the main attraction of the day was, of course, the racing. There were several Championships competing including the Mini Se7ens and MINI Challenge, and with close access to the track, spectators could get a good view of the action - of which there was plenty!

A couple of crunches just after the start/finish line were a real treat to enthusiasts sat watching, although the drivers were a little less happy.

As the day went on, the kids were wanting some munch, and it’s sad to say that, as usual, food and drink was heavily overpriced with even a bogstandard whippy ice-cream costing £2, and meals inside the Cafeteria from

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around £7, I’m glad I brought sandwiches!

The setup of the show was a little confusing and no real signs or guidance to visitors of what was on offer or where.

There was a great opportunity to access the paddock and go and speak to the race teams, learn more about the cars and how to get involved if interested. The Mini Se7en Club had a stand too, selling merchandise and offering information to new starters.

The MINI Challenge organisers had brought down their newly finished 2015 Championship MINI that will be an example to all other teams looking to compete next year when the cars change from the R56 models to the 3rd Gen F56 MINI. So the overall conclusion is that the show had all the elements of a great event, but for some reason the traders and visitors just didn’t turnout as expected. Whether the Mini Festival returns to Oulton Park again is doubtful, but as a first time visitor to the track, I would say it would be a great waste of a fantastic circuit for it not to be used as the basis of a big Mini event.

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RUSS SWIFT

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A passion for power, or just crazy about classics? Then check out Classic, Performance & Retro!

Get It FREE Every Month At:

www.cprmag.co.uk love:mini

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Motorsport

Rally:Circuit:Hillclimb:Autograss:Sprint

Vladimir Vasilyev defends his FIA World Cup lead Al-Attiyah secures three stage wins in Egypt to finish runner-up www.dakar.com www.x-raid.de

Egyp

t’s Pharaons Rally is over and Vladimir Vasilyev / Konstantin Zhiltsov still hold the FIA Cross County Rally World Cup lead, with their MINI ALL4 Racing. At the end of the five stages, featuring a total special-stage mileage of 1800 kilometres, the two Russians finished fourth. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) and Mathieu (FRA) Baumel took their MINI ALL4 Racing to three stage wins and finished second behind Saudi Arabia’s Toyota driver Yazeed Al-Rahji, in the end. While the Dutch MINI ALL4 Racing pairing, Erik van Loon / Wouter Rosegaar, came third.

With his three stage wins, AlAttiyah was among the fastest drivers contesting the Egyptian rally but unfortunately, he encountered a difficult start into the event. Due to a navigation

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Final result Egyptian Pharoan’s Rally: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Y. Al-Rahji / T. Gottschalk N. Al-Attiyah / M. Baumel E. van Loon / W. Rosegaar V. Vasilyev / K. Zhiltsov M. Zapletal / M. Marton

mistake in stage one he lost some 13 minutes and crossed the finish line in fourth position. On the following days, however, he worked his way up step by step and even outpaced the fast Toyotas. At the end of the fifth and final stage, the fast driver from Qatar held second place and had reduced the lead of Al-Rahji to some five minutes.

Van Loon particularly convinced with his consistency in Egypt. Apart from stage two, he finished third in every stage. On day two a v-belt problem and the following repair works cost the Dutchman nearly an hour.

By finishing fourth, Vasilyev succeeded in adding further important points to his FIA World Cup Rally tally.

The Russian started into the fifth World Cup round in fine style by finishing runner-up in the first and second

Toyota 14h 07m 09s MINI ALL4 Racing 14h 12m 35s MINI ALL4 Racing 15h 38m 25s MINI ALL4 Racing 16h 11m 24s Hummer 16h 36m 30s

special stages but on day three, he was hampered by a broken suspension-arm bolt. Repairing the damage took him nearly an hour. And this wasn’t the end of the Russian’s bad luck. In the fourth special stage, he got stuck in the sand and later, the turbo stopped working. In the final stage, Vasilyev finished fourth, thus also securing fourth position in the overall standings.

“We are happy that all our three MINI ALL4 racing vehicles made it to the finish line,” said Team Manager Sven Quandt. “The rally was extremely fast and as I see it, it was even too fast, with its average speed of more than 100kph. Furthermore, it was shown that the Toyotas can be really fast when raced by the right driver.”

Motorsport Aldon Automotive Mini and Imp Cup

Cunningham has it under control Round 4: Mid Wales

www.racrallychamp.org

Iris

hman Ray Cunningham extended his lead in the Aldon Automotive Mini and Imp Cup, which runs within the West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Rally Championship, during round four, the Severn Valley Historic Stages (Saturday 31 May).

Having just returned from supporting his brother Frank on a rally in Morocco, Cunningham had Andrew Bushe alongside and they were on the pace from the word go after leaving Builth Wells as first on the road in the 75-strong historic field.

“The first stages were good, but we decided to for a bit more clearance as I think it will get rougher,” said the Galway driver at service. He led

Words & Photos: Paul Lawrence

Category 1 from the third stage but had to overcome a late gear selection problem in his Mini Cooper S before securing his victory. “We lost second gear with three stages left, so just held on and kept it safe,” he explained.

Clive King/Bob Ward (Mini Cooper S) got no further than the startline of stage one. “I let the clutch out and wondered if I had got it in gear, but a driveshaft had broken,” said a disappointed King. Brothers Ross and Arron Forde held second until they retired on the road section after five stages. “We had been a bit wild at the start,” they admitted.

Next up in the points were Eric Davis and Russell Joseph (Mini Clubman), with Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill

(Sunbeam Imp Sport) breaking the Mini dominance in third. “We totally changed the suspension and it handles a lot different. But on stage six we had a rock jammed between the carburettor and manifold, so had to stop and chip it out,” said Taylor.

CARLISLE

Just the one Mini out today on the Carlisle Stages Sadly, Ray Cunningham and Andrew Bushe retired with a stage to go following a driveshaft breakage

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Motorsport se7ens

Sparked out on final lap Round 7: Thruxton

www.mini7.co.uk

MINI SE7ENS: RACE 1 turning Paul Spark qualified second to start behind Andrew Deviny with Ashley Davies and, with Spencer Wanstall who qualified fifth in the late Graham Edwards car that his dad, Mark Wanstall. has rebuilt.

A great start for polesitter Deviny but Sparks was not so lucky losing a second to Davies but regaining it at Brooklands.

Lap two saw Spark right on Deviny’s heels but also having to be careful as Davies is sitting on his bootlid.

Wanstall has been dropped by the leading three but has Darren Thomas sitting behind him.

At Brooklands Deviny loses the lead to Spark and Wanstall loses fourth to Thomas. Deviny gets lead back into Seagrave only to lose it again by Club.

Billison and McDonald are quickly catching the leading group.

Lap four saw it all change again at the top of the track with Davies taking the lead and Deviny, Spark and Thomas

WORDS: Mark Chandler PHOTOS: www.mbracephotography.co.uk

A re

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following.

Into Church Corner it is all change again with Deviny with Davies, Spark and Thomas having a great race behind, then a gap to another great battle between Billison, McDonald, Davies and Wanstall fighting for fifth.

Lap six sees yellow flags at Mallards and no Spark or Davies as the safety car pulls them all together for the start of lap seven. After a lap under the safety car the chequered flag comes out with Deviny taking the win Thomas second and Billison third.

Motorsport Miglia

WORDS: Mark Chandler PHOTOS: www.mbracephotography.co.uk

Thrills and oil spills Round 7: Thruxton

MINI MIGLIAS: RACE 1 rt Deeth has had a great start from pole, with James Coulson, Kane Astin and Dan Wheeler behind.

Coulson had a really terrible start ending up in ninth. Astin quickly caught Deeth and sat in his slip stream ready for an overtake but great defending means Deeth keeps the lead.

Tony Le May is all over the grass but makes it back on the track in one piece, while Coulson is recovering and has fought his way back up the field now in fourth with Smith and Peacock behind him.

Lap three saw Wheeler catching the leading pair making it a three

Rupe

car battle. through Club. Astin takes a really wide line but can’t get past Deeth. Peacock is also looking at Aaron Smith and takes fifth.

Lap five see the leading three followed by Coulson then a gap before Smith who is leading the next pack of Minis.

Through Church on lap six Deeth gives Astin a turn to punch a hole through the air in the lead, only to power past him again with the ex Owens championship-winning engine showing its strength.

Colin Peacock pulled off the track just before Club on lap six, bringing the yellow flags out at one of the best overtaking spots. Going into Club there is contact between Wheeler and

Coulson, Wheeler spins and ends up down the field. Further back Dave Drew looks like he has blown his engine, putting oil down at Club too. Rob Howard catches the spill and ends up in the tyres.

Church sees Deeth in the lead on lap eight with a spinning Astin behind who does very well to keep it on the track and stay second. Le-May has third with Coulson on his heels for fourth.

This is how it finishes with Deeth first, Astin second 4.928 seconds behind then Le May 0.954 seconds behind that.

Wheeler can be happy with his fastest lap at 1.29.718 but not his fifth place finish. www.mini7.co.uk

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Motorsport se7ens

Thomas picks his moment Round 8: Thruxton

WORDS: Mark Chandler PHOTOS: www.mbracephotography.co.uk www.mini7.co.uk

MINI SE7ENS: RACE 2 two was red flagged on lap two after an incident between Ross Billison and Ashley Davies. The race was restarted but without Billison, Proctor, Robinson, Wanstall and Tarlton on the grid for an eight lap race.

It was a great start for Darren Thomas with Paul Spark, Davies and Deviny behind. Deviny is all over Spark but great defending means he can’t get past.

Into Campbell Corner Deviny makes a brave move up the inside and somehow gets past Spark for second.

Race

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Nobel sees Deviny retake the lead but only until Woodhill where he finds himself in third after a brilliant move from both Thomas and Spark.

In the Complex all three are on top of each other now, joined by Davies.

By the time they all finish fighting Deviny has second Davies third and Spark finds himself in fourth.

Lap four sees Deviny come round Campbell with the lead, Spark takes the inside line and retaking third.

They are three wide through Club with slight contact between Spark and Thomas allowing Deviny to get a couple of car lengths away.

Davis and McDonald have managed to catch Davies in fourth

with Wightman close behind. And Edgar and Keat are having their own battle for ninth.

Lap six sees Deviny successfully fight for the lead into Campbell.

Thomas try the outside line at Church but they stay side by side into Brooklands but Deviny has the better line and keeps the lead.

The last lap see first and second swap places and swap back again.

Thomas leads out of the Club into Campbell, Spark then goes through the middle taking second away from Deviny.

Thomas gets first with Sparks 0.892 sec behind and Deviny 0.129 second later followed by Davies.

Fastest lap also went to Thomas.

Motorsport Miglia

Gutsy Astin breaks the deadlock Round 8: Thruxton

WORDS: Mark Chandler PHOTOS: www.mbracephotography.co.uk www.mini7.co.uk

MINI MIGLIAS: RACE 2 on pole for the second race was Rupert Deeth, with James Coulson, Kane Astin and Dan Wheeler behind.

It was a good start for Deeth and a better one for Coulson but it was a flying Kane Astin who went straight into second with Coulson and Wheeler behind.

Astin is really applying the pressure on lap 2 but can’t get past, but Wheeler makes it past Coulson and is catching up with the leaders. Again, Deeth leads and the rest fall back.

They are all looking for a way past each other at Campbell but no places change and the squabbling four gives Aaron Smith a chance to catch up.

Church corner sees them all very

Back

close, Wheeler makes a charge into Club and comes into contact with Astin but still no places change. Coulson has a problem and pulls off.

Colin Peacock has made it up to fifth with Dave Drew, Sam Summerhayes and Rob Howard all following behind.

Lap four sees great defending from Deeth to keep a tight hold of his first place with Astin and Wheeler hot on his heels.

The leading three are still nose-totail and nobody seems willing to make their move just yet, but behind Peacock has taken fourth from Smith.

Lap seven sees Wheeler take up the challenge into Club with him going up the inside pushing Astin out onto the grass which he holds well only losing one place down to third. Smith and Le May both have problems one pulling off

and one crawling down the pit lane.

On lap eight it’s Astin’s turn to put the pressure on Wheeler who is closing in on Deeth. Campbell sees Wheeler try again, with more contact, just with Deeth this time and he pushes his way into the lead.

Deeth also under attack from Astin at Seagrove and loses second. At Club Wheeler finds Astin on him and they are side by side, but a great move from Deeth see him go round the outside to take first. Into Complex Wheeler goes for the inside but Deeth shuts the door.

Allard sees Wheeler pull out and Astin on the outside, everyone brakes late but Astin bounces over the kerb and takes first with Wheeler 0.626 seconds behind and Deeth 0.867 seconds later.

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Motorsport se7ens

Steady as she goes Round 9: Oulton Park

WORDS: Mark Chandler PHOTOS: www.mbracephotography.co.uk www.mini7.co.uk

MINI SE7ENS: RACE 1 pionship leader Andrew Deviny qualified on pole for the first race at Oulton Park with Graeme Davis second Darren Thomas third and with Shaun Talton leading the S class in sixth and Ian Deviny second in Class in eighth.

A great start for all the Minis saw them keep their positions into the first corner. The top five of Deviny, Davis, Thomas, Ashley Davies and Gareth Hunt made a break for it leaving Kieren McDonald to lead the following pack.

Lap two saw Davis and Thomas battle for second into the Island Hill bends, as they reappeared at Hill tops Davis still had his place. Meanwhile Davies slid

Cham

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onto the grass also at Hilltops allowing Hunt to take fourth. Leon Wightman also performed a brave move here and took sixth place from Tarlton.

On lap four a lock-up for Davis gave Thomas a chance to get alongside him but Thomas couldn’t make it stick.

Davis also had a very sideways moment at Knickerbrook Corner provoking some fantastic driving from Thomas and Davies to avoid him. Davies used the confusion to try and get past Thomas but was fended off. Elsewhere Steve Trench had a problem and pulled off.

Further back there was a great battle between Ian Deviny and Tarlton for seventh and eighth but Deviny kept the place.

Islands straight in lap five saw

problems also for Davies who also pulled off giving Hunt fourth. Up front A Deviny is still leading but the others won’t let him get away.

Lap six and Davis and Thomas were nose-to-tail for second which Thomas took into the Cascades, this is also where Deviny had a hairy moment getting a wheel in the gravel but great driving gets him out and still in front.

Wightman was also having a great race up to fifth from ninth on the grid, also Julian Proctor now 10th from 13th.

Lots of trying but no passing was the story of the last lap with Deviny taking the win and the fastest lap. Thomas was second, Davis third, Hunt fourth, Wightman fifth. In the S Class Tarlton took the win with I Deviny in second.

Motorsport Miglia

Boomtown Round 9: Oulton Park

MINI MIGLIAS: RACE 1 on Park saw Rupert Deeth on pole again with Colin Peacock, Dan Wheeler, Kane Astin and James Coulson behind for the first 20 min race.

A great start from Astin taking second with Wheeler coming alongside and taking it away from Astin. Aaron Smith also had a fantastic start getting to fifth from 10th.

Astin tried to retake second into the Island Bends while Wheeler attacked for the lead but neither could make it stick.

The leading train of Deeth, Wheeler, Astin, Peacock, Smith and Dave Drew all broke away from the pack.

The top three were nose-to-tail crossing the line to start lap 2 with Wheeler making a charge up the inside but great defending from Deeth shut him out. Astin took second round the outside at Cascades but ends up on

Oult

www.mini7.co.uk

WORDS: Mark Chandler PHOTOS: www.mbracephotography.co.uk

the grass to fall back to third. Smith also takes fourth from Peacock and is looking at third which he gets, pushing Astin into fourth.

A spin from Drew into Hislops sees him retire.

Deeth is still leading into the third lap. A great move from Astin saw him retake third from Smith and chasing down the leading pair. Michael Green was also having a great race driving up the side of Mark Cowan to take eighth, and Rob Howard was chasing Tony Le-May for sixth. Lap four also saw Coulson retire.

A big move by Wheeler on the start/finish straight from way back started lap five, but great defending from Deeth makes him pull back into second. Smith also tried a move but it all goes wrong with him and Wheeler ending up in the tyre wall and out of the race.

This sees the safety car out bunching all the cars up with Astin

leading, then Deeth, Peacock, Howard, Le-May, Green, Phil Harvey, Gary Warburton, Paul Simmonds and Sam Summerhayes. Into Lakeside straight Astin pulls off giving Deeth the lead again.

Deeth gets off to a great restart when the safety car pulls in. Le-May tries for third but Howard shuts the door. Deeth and Peacock pull away with Howard catching. A slight mistake from Deeth sees his wheels on the grass, but he manages to keep the lead. Howard is attacking for second which Peacock repels. A late mistake from Howard sees him drop back and end up with Le-May on his tail. The four cars are nose-to-tail throughout the last lap but the race ends with Deeth taking the win, Peacock second Howard third LeMay fourth and Green fifth.

Fastest lap went to Smith before his accident with a 1.58,82. Wheeler was disqualified for driving in a manor not compatible with general safety.

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Motorsport se7ens

Davis wins as Deviny falters Round 10: Oulton Park

MINI SE7ENS: RACE 2 en McDonald and Dave Robinson didn’t start the second of the races. Andrew Deviny qualified again on pole with Darren Thomas, Graeme Davis, Ashley Davies and Gareth Hunt behind.

It was a great start for all the top five cars with Davis pushing his way into second and Hunt also pulling alongside Thomas for third. But soon Thomas is slowing and pulls off.

Leon Wightman is having another great race having moved up to fourth from ninth on the grid with Shaun Tarlton, Ian Deviny, Julian Proctor and

Kier

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Steve Hopper following.

Davis is glued to the back of Deviny, pulling alongside at the start/finish line but he just can’t find the right opportunity. Wightman is fast catching Hunt and Proctor shakes up the pack by taking sixth from I Deviny.

Into Old Hall Corner and Davis gets some speed up to come alongside A Deviny and takes the lead, with Wightman catching Hunt but he can’t get past until the start of lap four.

Kevin O’Shea’s Mini has developed a horrible sound and he soon pulls off.

Lap five saw Davis still leading closely followed by Deviny then a gap,

WORDS: Mark Chandler PHOTOS: www.mbracephotography.co.uk www.mini7.co.uk

which is getting smaller, by Wightman, Hunt, Tarlton, Proctor and Hopper.

This is how it stayed until lap seven when Wightman caught A Deviny and takes an easy pass at Clayhill to take second.

The race finishes with Davis’ first win of the season, Wightman on his first podium of the season, and A Deviny, Hunt then Tarlton who took the S class win.

The fastest laps goes to Wightman with a 2.12.913 and Tarlton in the S class with a 2.16.196. and a big well done to Barry Long in the Invitation Class.

Motorsport Miglia

Leading Astin loses it on last lap Round 10: Oulton Park

MINI MIGLIAS: RACE 2 n Peacock started on pole in the second race with Kane Astin, Dan Wheeler, Rupert Deeth, James Coulson and Dave Drew following. Aaron Smith is a non-starter due to damage in race one.

Astin starts well to take the lead and Wheeler takes second leaving Peacock in third. Drew is also storming his way up the field into fourth ahead of Deeth, who fights back in the Lakeside straight.

Lap two saw Astin being very defensive in front of Wheeler, but problems for Drew who, after a fantastic start, seems to be going backwards into eighth leading Coulson, Tony Le-May, Rob Howard, Mark Cowan and Sam

Coli

Summerhayes.

Peacock has recaught the leading pair and is challenging Wheeler for second allowing Astin to get away.

Lap three saw Deeth catching Peacock then both catching Wheeler who was slow out of Cascades. The top six Minis are close together with a gap back to Howard then another gap to the next pack lead by Drew.

Everyone in the leading group is attacking the car in front but nobody can make it stick until lap six where Deeth makes a move on Peacock and gets third into the Avenue. Peacock manages to get back alongside Deeth into the Chicane but great defending means he has to fall back into fourth and defend himself from Coulson with

WORDS: Mark Chandler PHOTOS: www.mbracephotography.co.uk www.mini7.co.uk

Le-May joining the fight.

Deeth has caught Wheeler and manages to get the inside line into Druids to take second.

Lap seven sees Wheeler pull off the track giving Coulson third and Peacock fourth, who now has Le-May on his tail.

Deeth is catching Astin with Coulson, Le-May, Peacock following then a gap to Howard then another gap then Cowan, Warburton, Green, Simmonds and Summerhayes.

The last lap sees Deeth get the lead into Cascades, but Astin is really putting the pressure on but a big mistake has him ending up in tyre wall and out of the race. The race finishes with Deeth first, Coulson second, LeMay third.

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Motorsport

MINI Challenge

oulton park

Mini madness at Oulton

WORDS & PHOTOS: David Young www.minichallenge.co.uk

What

a fabulous circuit Oulton Park in Cheshire is. The jewel in MSV’s portfolio. Two problems though; 1, It is too far to go from the South East; 2 It can only operate on a restricted number of Sundays a year.

Which means a hell of a long way to go for a one day event! Rant over.

MSV had decided that as the format of the MINI Festival at Brands Hatch last year was so successful they would try it out “up North”. Minis of all shapes and sizes, club stands, Russ Swift on two wheels in an F56 Mini, MINI UK etc. all displaying, fun and games and of course, some serious racing.

Three rounds of the Power Maxed MINI Challenge, two races for Mini Miglias, two races for Mini Se7ens,

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two races for the Kent Cams Pre-66 Minis (Appendix K) and two rounds of the Scottish Coopers. A very tight programme. The sun was out, the people were out and the racing has been the best I have seen for a very long time.

MINI Challenge Races Qualifying had a few surprises, Neil Newstead getting his first pole of the Challenge in the Team Oakfield JCW, Chris Russell putting the Snetterton disappointments behind him 2nd quickest in the Lohen JCW, Chris Knox and Henry Duprey formed the 2nd row of the grid. In the Cooper Class William Phillips was on pole narrowly beating Shane Stoney who was having ABS issues, (I think).

Race 1 was a great, with Chris

Knox showing what a tough racer he is beating Chris Russell 2nd and Neil Newstead 3rd for the podium positions.

Cooper Class had its usual display of rubbing and spins with Shane Stoney staying out of trouble for his progress to the top step of the podium alongside Josh Gollin and Martin Poole, (his first visit to the podium).

Race 2 started just after the lunchtime grid walk, cars all being lined up on the grid for a meet and greet with the public - this was very popular with the spectators, though this may have been due to having four lovely grid girls displaying too! The race itself again saw another DNF for Luke Caudle allowing Chris Knox to climb again onto the No.1 step of the podium with Chris Russell in 2nd and the returning Chris James (ES racing

and BTCC) in 3rd place. Coopers had Shane Stoney again on the top step beside Josh Gollin 2nd and William Phillips 3rd putting his earlier DNF to the back of his mind.

Race 3 - Reverse grid time. Hamish Brandon had pole position alongside Neil Newstead in the front row followed

by Chris James and Lawrence Davey.

Cooper Class had Mark Wakefield and Matt Hammond on the front row. A superb start by Neil had him in front going into Old Hall, and there he stayed. Chris Knox and Lawrence Davey managed to stay with him with Luke Caudle again falling away to a DNF. What an awful weekend for Luke and Peak Performance racing. The race progressed in its usual four racing packs, top JCW drivers, the other JCWs, followed by the quick Coopers and then the rest.

The excitement comes when the quick JCW’s catch the slower Coopers all while defending a small lead. Neil stayed in front just and took his first win of the season followed by Lawrence Davey and Chris Knox after a very tight pack crossing the line. Shane Stony again won his Class followed

by Josh Gollin and William Phillips.

A stewards enquiry was held after the race to review the overtaking and lapping incidents but the places remained as they crossed the line.

KENT Cams Cup Pre66 appendix K Minis Thirteen of the most gorgeously prepared Minis travelled to Oulton, which is a great testament to Nick

Swift in arranging the races. Of course the majority used Swiftune engines, KAD had Ian Curley with his KAD powered ‘S’, though he probably had a Kent camshaft. Qualifying was very enjoyable in the bright early morning sun, making photography positions a challenge. I needed to go over to Shell Oils corner and Britten’s at the farthest point of the circuit. I could only do this early as I had to get back for the start and finishes. Sun was wrong, being far too low and very bright. Well that is where the difference in being a semi-pro photographer counts, I know how to make that work and still get the angles I need with a bit of help from Lightroom. I saw a number of people just snapping straight into the sun, they will be disappointed with all black cars and blue skies.

Nick Swift in his persuasive style got GT Racer Darren Turner into the Swiftune works Mini. Jonathan Lewis was alongside him in pole followed by Ian Curley alongside Phil Anning in Norman Grimshaw’s Riley Elf. Race 1 had Daren Turner pull out a five-second lead from Jonathan Lewis, who is no slow-coach and he in turn pulled out an eightsecond lead from Ian Curley.

Phil Anning who I have never seen race before put

in a great effort in the Elf to finish 4th. Andy ‘Ace’ Harrison and Nick Paddy in Bill Sollis’s Mini both finished down the order after they found some waterless coolant on the track!

Race 2 was a bit processional, but who really minds that, the sound of straight-cut gears is still music even after 50 years. Andy Harrison had to start from the pit lane due to a fuel leak, soon fixed, only to return during the race. This actually made Andy have a bad turn with a light head after the race and had to seek medical attention, but he had his lovely partner with him so with TLC he was soon his not-tooold self. Considering Bill Sollis’s car was badly rolled at Brands Hatch Mini Festival it was great to see the car out again looking pristine, I think a bit more testing will see the car in either Nick Paddy or Bill’s hand climb up the order.

To keep this report a bit shorter I will just mention that Daniel Wheeler had a very big off with Kane Astin which rearranged the front of Peter Baldwin’s rocket Miglia, (all on YouTube). Rupert Deeth won both Miglia races. In the Mini Se7ens Andrew Deviny and Graeme Davis both won a race each.

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Motorsport

MINI Challenge

Castle Combe

Bump and Grind

WORDS & PHOTOS: David Young www.minichallenge.co.uk

It a

lways seems to rain when the MINI Challenge goes to Castle Combe!

A great circuit with a very friendly team running the circuit and facilities.

Once again the dreaded local authority planners have agreed with local residents that Sunday racing is a big NO NO. So qualifying and 2 races had been squeezed into a single day MSVR meeting.

Early morning sun then the heavens opened up, qualifying was due to start at 9.40. It stopped raining at 9.30!

Most teams chose to put wet tyres on the front and slicks on the back, though a few did go for slicks all round and others for wets all round. There was a dry line round most of the circuit but the sky was still grey and the back side of the circuit is known to stay wet

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longer. Having just watched a couple of Radicals fly off the circuit in the wet conditions all teams had to take an educated guess. With only 15 minutes for qualifying and lap times taking 1:20 -1:30, there was little or no chance of changing tyres and getting them up to temperature.

Chris Knox went out on a full set of wets and went round in 1:20 to set a time that no one could better. Luke Caudle, whose gearbox had just been replaced took it a little easier and managed 1:21.7 to complete the front row of JCWs. Shane Stoney was his predictable self and was on the Cooper Pole, William Phillips gave him a fright though by nearly snatching pole, just 0.04 behind. The track was drying very rapidly with those on full wets seeing grp disappear while those on

dry’s seeing times go down as the session progressed. In fact the fastest times were set on the last 2 laps of the session.

Race 1 was held at 12.20, this saw a lights to flag demonstration by Chris Knox who in the end had a 5 second lead over Luke Caudle, followed by Lawrence Davey and Neil Newstead. A couple of great battles between these three gave the race a bit of spice. The Cooper class saw Shane Stoney make a mistake and nearly cost him the class win as he lapped back markers, thus giving Josh Gollin a chance to attack, so it was not the usual race pace for Shane, he did manage to hang on though, with William Phillips making up the Podium.

Race 2 had a reversed grid for the first eight in each class. This gave Pole

Positions to Patrick Mortimer and Chris (Shane’s Dad) Stoney, to spice it up we also had a rolling start. Well the inevitable happened on the first lap, with Chris Stoney ending up in the tyre wall at Quarry, William Phillips and Mark Wakefield also spinning off with Josh Gollin joining the DNFs. The race was red-flagged, this gave William Phillips and Mark Wakefield time to have new front tyres fitted and copious amounts of tank tape applied.

Excelr8 patching both cars up at great speed. The restart, after a 15 minute delay saw a repeat of the first corner dramas this time Lawrence Davey went into the side of Neil Newstead and ended his race, Luke Caudle had a large ‘tap’ from behind and had his exhaust broken, Chris Knox meanwhile stayed out of trouble and slowly moved his way through the JCW grid to win comfortably. Henry Duprey passed

Luke Caudle on the penultimate lap to secure 2nd place, with Hamish Brandon getting 4th from Alan Taylor and Keith Issatt in the Sussex Road and Race Cars. Cooper Class, without Josh Gollin and Chris Stoney, had Shane Stoney winning from Ricky Page and Gideon Cresswell.

So the end of the MINI Challenge races for the day. Lots of body damage to be sorted in readiness for the penultimate round at Silverstone.

The MINI Challenge is again reaching new heights, the new F56 with 175BHP and a sequential gearbox was again on display. Next year MINI Challenge will hopefully see the F56’s and the JCW racing alone and the Cooper Class also having its own race. Antony Williams, Series Coordinator is hoping to have more entries and is offering early bird discounts and introductory discounts to swell the grids..

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Motorsport

MINI Challenge

Silverstone

Knox masterclass www.minichallenge.co.uk

WORDS & PHOTOS: David Young

Silv

erstone is not my favourite circuit in the UK, especially the GP circuit. The 3.7 miles in length means in a 20 minute race you will see the cars pass you eight times. The other factor is, all trackside photo points are really too far away from the action for descent photography, (300mm with a 1.7 convertor and then some cropping) for the public behind the catch fencing it is a nightmare. Still the drivers like the high speed nature of it and so does Jonathan Palmer of MSVR, so Silverstone is in the calendar.

Thirty-one cars started qualifying at 11.50am for 15 minutes. After 10 minutes it was red-flagged, too many cars had drifted over the track limits, the timekeepers could not keep tabs on who had exceeded the limits and

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gained an advantage, resulting in most cars having just two or three flying laps, not much time for an installation lap and tyre scrubbing. Chris Knox (Excelr8) was on pole position alongside Henry Duprey (Lohen), next row was filled by Chris Russell (Lohen) and Rob Smith (Excer8). Cooper Class predictably had Shane Stoney (Coastal) on pole alongside Ricky Page (Sussex Road & Race), next two rows had William Phillips (Excelr8) and Josh Gollin (College of West Anglia).

The first Race at 4.00pm had Chris Knox doing a lights to flag drive followed by Henry Duprey 6.5 seconds behind and then Chris Russell another 2 seconds behind. Well done to Lohen, 2 podiums at once. Due to the circuit

length only three Coopers were lapped! Cooper Class was won

by William Phillips very closely followed by Ricky Page and Shane Stoney. Shane had a new engine in (well that was his excuse for not winning). Followed by Josh Gollin and Gideon Cresswell. The Cooper race was the race of the season, five Coopers racing around Silverstone all drafting each other like a snake.

Some great overtaking and re-taking moves, but so exciting to watch from my position at Copse Corner.

Race 2 Sunday afternoon at 1.30, a lie in bed Sunday morning! Unheard of on a race weekend. Lots of catch up with people to do and lots of pit pictures to take and of course grid girl pictures! Chris Knox was again his masterful self and led from lights to flag again, (rolling start for race 2), this time Luke Caudle, the only person who can take the Championship away from him now, was closing him down fast as the chequered flag drooped, Chris’s tyres had been shot and Luke’s were just coming in.

(They did not get much abuse in the 1st race). Henry Duprey was on the podium again in 3rd with Chris Russell in 4th.

Cooper Class again had a very exiting race, this time Ricky Page was 1st, a very well deserved victory followed by Josh Gollin and Gideon Cresswell

followed

by Williams Phillips and Shane Stoney.

I think this is the only race of the season that Shane has NOT been on the podium!

The last race had a reversed grid from 6th place in much the same way as the BTCC does. This put Lawrence Davey alongside Neil Newstead on the front row, Chris Knox and Luke Caudle were on the 3rd row. Cooper Class had Shane Stoney and Matt Hammond on the front row. I took a nice long walk out to the loop and Village Corner to get the cars and the setting sun views, it was now 5.00 in the afternoon, bright sun, then cloud, then bright sun, wind was strong too.

Green flag lap and all the cars flowed nicely past me one by one, all form up on the grid and away we go! First time past and Neil Newstead being challenged by Lawrence Davey, gets a push (smash

actually) from Chris Knox behind at the entry to the loop, they both go spinning into the gravel, Neil recovers, Chris limps back to the pits. Chris needed one point to secure the championship, so I am pretty sure that it was not a deliberate act, especially as his car has not been involved any incident all year.

To be fair there was oil and concrete dust all over the track from the last race. The stewards have postponed their determination until the next race at Brands Hatch. Rob Smith won the race and is looking forward to some more of the MINI Challenge next year!

Lawrence Davey was 2nd with Mark Steward in 3rd, his first Mini Challenge podium. Cooper Class saw Josh Gollin win with Matt Hammond in 2nd from William Phillips. Again we had such a close race from the Coopers and again so little panel damage. Mini racing at its best.

I really enjoyed the weekend, apart from my feet and legs aching, I think I am starting to like Silverstone.

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APRIL 5-6 MAY 10-11 JUNE 7-8 JULY 5

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APRIL 26

MAY 31

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AUGUST 9

SEPTEMBER 26-27

Silverstone Int. Brands Hatch Zolder Oulton Park Castle Combe Cadwell Park Donington Park

MINI CHALLENGE www.minichallenge.co.uk APRIL 26-27

MAY 10-11

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JULY 12

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SEPTEMBER 13-14

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MINI MIGLIA AND MINI SE7EN CHALLENGES www.mini7.co.uk APRIL 21 MAY 10/11 MAY 31 - JUNE 1 JUNE 14/15

JULY 12

AUGUST 23/24 SEPTEMBER 20/21

Castle Combe Brands Hatch Cadwell Park Thruxton Oulton Park Donington Park Croft

CLASSIC TOURING CHAMPIONSHIP www.csccgb.co.uk MARCH 22 APRIL 26-27 May 10-11 JUNE 7-8 JULY 26-27 SEPTEMBER 6-7 OCTOBER 3-5

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BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship www.btrda.com/Rallycross MARCH 9 JUNE 7-8 AUGUST 17 NOVEMBER 16 NOVEMBER 30

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Blyton Circuit Pembrey Circuit Pembrey Circuit Croft Circuit Blyton Circuit

Red Kite Stages Mid Wales Stages Tour of Hamsterley Severn Valley Stages Carlisle Stages Neath Valley Stages Trackrod Historic Cup

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 Championship www.hrcr.co.uk MARCH 2 APRIL 5 MAY 3 JUNE 28 JULY 27 AUGUST 15-16 SEPTEMBER 11-13 OCTOBER 17-18

Mid Wales Stages (Newtown) Rally North Wales (Welshpool) Pirelli Historic Rally (Carlisle) RSAC Scottish (Dumfries) Harry Flanders Rally (Epynt) Ulster Historic Rally (Enniskillen) Rallee Classicagh (Isle of Man) Rallye Sunseeker (Poole)

GURSTON DOWN HILLCLIMB www.gurstondown.org APRIL 26-27 MAY 24-25 JUNE 21-22 JULY 19-20 AUGUST 23-24 SEPTEMBER 7

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WORKSHOP Got a job to do on your Mini?

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WORKSHOP is really done.

Showing you how it

Diagnostic 1991 Carb’d Mini PROBLEM Ind icators have stopped worki ng TOOLs none TiME TO fix 30 mi nutes DifficuLTy 1/10 cOsT £5-£6 ALTERnATivE METhOD use a mu ltimeter and follow the cur rent wit h the il ind icators on unt you find the fau lt

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WORKSHOP

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is really done. tor edi the Mi ni’s ind ica the fau lt and rem how we diagnosed hed ‘on’ position. here’s single bul b not flas e then we would hav igation Ch eCk beg un our invest the there - checki ng th e fuse 35a mp , socket and bul b. ing wir Up In our case the gr ade your early spec tors, fuse for the ind ica MINI door checkhAs An ythI ng and also the bra ke straps .

by Andy Simpson lights, had blown and Ch Anged? roughly After replacing it icators, recent ly we had s new models get act ivating the ind to the updated wit h ed wn fitt imparovste edreo check stra components you it blew aga in. A blo mig ht find obv iou slyps with later ones. you wan able, and ‘old’ model spr uce ept t youhad ni, acc Mi r is e Remova leof the doo onc e d up wit h some new fus r panel is also req h som erpla too. Here we look bits ying wit blem n uired for pro cha a bee ngi ng door handles is at ice rep tw laci but ng early style doo and front speake e it wa s cas s r g. thi tin rs. iga wires. In hAzA rd that needs invest if see to g s kin tor loo ht worth Obj ectirn Because the ind ica ve Ing LIg d WA ose exp any re use we there Replace earlthi s csw itch in and bra ke llights g y spe You need to remove s flipI pin en we MIN the door checkivated all wires or con nection the same fuse, wh door panel. Holdin e act our a stra ps cas g the with we e late fus r tly. that were cau sing door panel to the rec cor ts ligh tes ted each new item ng fram rni s es re wa are icators fou r T30 Torx scre short. We fou nd the that all ws and some act ivated the ind this establ ished possibleclips. as either WHY were a couple of tor bul bs were and bra ke lights ica d ind ere the cov cau sing Smoother door so the bul bs culprits and duly cou ld have been ng. opewo ting ningrki Usi ng a sma ll flat acti on and -head them wit h insula fau lt. had a the problem. morwe not e attr reacti screwd rive ve at

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blown. For to see if they have Check your fuses wn, which deals blo had e fus top my model, the and brake lights. with the indicators

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r, remove the door handle sur rou nd by pry ing it off where the two circles meet, or in the mid dle of the long side of the sur rou nd.

2

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Diagnostic Had trouble diagnosing a niggling issue? We will go through the steps of sourcing the problem and how to rectify it with you.

DifficultY 2/10 AlternAtive met HOD N/A cOst About £20 each side

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WORKSHOP Showing you how it is really done.

www.newtoncomm.co.uk

DIY TECH i Headlining fitting guide

by Newton Commercial Objective Fit a Newton Commercial headlining to a classic Mini Tools Scissors Punch Spray adhesive Time 90 minutes Difficulty 7/10

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A step-by-step guide to fitting a Newton Commercial headlining into your classic Mini.

T

his illustrated guide shows you the process of headlining re-fitting, and the removal and preparation beforehand. It isn’t the easiest of tasks to carry out, but neither is it rocket science; its completion will give you a huge sense of satisfaction! It is a good way of smartening up any Mini, and an essential part of most big restoration projects.

The Mk3 Mini used the one-piece head-liner that was effectively introduced in 1963 on the Mk2 versions of the Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet.

These are more difficult to fit than the earlier Mini Mk1and Mk2 headlinings (a subassembly that can be made up on a workbench), as they are fitted straight into the body of the car. A typically worn original assembly as

fitted to all Mk3 - Mk7 Mini saloons (with a full tin roof) is shown below, complete with original creases, glue and nicotine stains!

Preparation When it comes to actually fitting the headlining, few tools will be required. At least 4, and as many as 7 or 8 strong pinch clamps or even bulldog clips (as you would use on a clip-board) will be essential to fitting the liner into the car. A set of these can be picked up from most DIY outlets for very little

money, and if you buy them new for the job they will at least be nice and clean for the fresh material. Otherwise, a sharp craft knife, a Philips and flat bladed screw-driver, a good quantity (say 400ml) of contact adhesive and a brush to apply it, should be all you need. We use those small hand-held glue brushes which can be pumped to supply more glue. We appreciate that not everyone will have one of these, but they are well worth the expenditure and last well if properly maintained by cleaning with solvent.

The whole installation, if it is to be done properly, requires the removal of the front and rear screens, side rear windows, and rubbers. This is because the Mk3 headlining is glued to the body all round the sides of the roof, before the material is effectively ‘sealed’ with the refitted window rubbers and draught excluders, which are fed over various lips and edges to keep out the

elements. There are a couple of small sections totalling only a few inches which require very careful trimming; very visible inside the car, the points at the top of the A and B posts (where the pillars meet the roof), and around the interior courtesy light fitting, are always a bit of a fiddle. It is well worth familiarising yourself with these details on the existing liner both before and

after it has been removed, to see how the factory finished off these areas.

The front seats and belts will need to be removed or tidied away inside the car so that they do not get damaged or obstruct progress. The rear seat back and base can remain in the car until the C-posts come to be fitted, but should be thoroughly covered over to protect against damage from glue.

1.

Removal of glazing

To remove the front and rear screens, first of all the filler strips must be removed from the main rubbers. This is fairly easy to do; as they are not continuous and most have shrunk or been fitted too short, one end of the strip can be picked out with something like a flat bladed screw-driver, and the rest simply pulled out. It is then possible to slide something reasonably thin between the lip of the main rubber and the glass, inside and out. An old butter knife or similar is ideal, as long as it isn’t too sharp should you wish to retain and reuse the screen rubber. The purpose of this is to break the seal between the rubber and whichever kind of putty or sealant might have been used to help the rubber mount. Once this is done it is quite easy to push the screen out carefully from inside the car. Starting in one corner makes it easier, and ideally there needs to be a second pair of hands easing the external lip outwards to get the screen out of its natural position. Once a few inches of the screen have been pulled from the rubber the rest follows on fairly easily, especially so if dragged out from outside of the car.

2.

Rear side window removal

The rear side screens, if they open, are held in with self tappers and are therefore simply removed with a screwdriver. Fixed rear side windows are mounted with a conventional rubber gasket and effectively fit/strip down in the same manner as the front and rear screens, however lacking the filler strip. Note the positions of the rear window gasket/draught excluder joints before removal, if they are to be re-used. If new rubbers are being fitted, the join should basically be at the bottom so that water does not collect inside the section. As before, the glass will need to be re-fitted after the headlining has been fitted and trimmed.

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WORKSHOP

1.

Showing you how it is really done.

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DIY TECH i

3.

Removing the original headlining

Make a mental note of the construction and perhaps take a few photographs as you progress.

Take care not to damage the wiring to the heated rear windows (where fitted) when removing the C post liners. Rear seat belt brackets will be fitted through the liners of later cars, though these are easily removed by withdrawing a couple of bolts.

Seat belt anchorage caps- easy to prise of from the square end with a flat bladed screwdriver. Take care not to damage surrounding areas of the body.

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4.

Getting the new liner fitted

Fitting the headlining we would judge to be a two-person job in an ideal world, working as a team one inside and one outside the car.

Firstly, it is a good idea in the interests of insulation (both from the elements and noise) to glue some new felt into the roof of the car. The original felt may be reused if it is in good condition however, it is recommended that even if this is the case, it is first removed and then re-glued to extend its life.

Next, either re-thread the original roof hoops/stays into the new headlining material (clean them first to remove corrosion and restore a slippery easy fitting shine), or thread a new set - our part no.

HL3030. If you are re-using your old stays, make a note of their position in the car’s old headlining according to the order of the coloured plastic end caps. These were always colour coded for fitting on the lines in Longbridge, and our replacement sets are supplied using the exact same logic to dictate position complete with a set of their own instructions. Note that the ‘wide’ end of the new headlining material is for the front of the car- the back has closer seams between hoops, and therefore much smaller panels of material.

The next step is to locate the stays in position, so that the headlining is hanging in the car. This is where the clamps are vital to tension the headlining down the length of the vehicle- a couple at the back and a couple of the rear, at least to hold the whole lot roughly in place and at least out of the way inside the car. You will note that even then, the hoops will only hang loosely inside the car, whereas they need to end up close to vertical in order to fill the roof.

It is best to start in the middle and work outwards, choosing the headlining panel that straddles the B pillar, support the front-most roof hoop by clamping the next panel forward along the tops of the door jambs. Quickly after that, pull the hoop behind the B pillar into its upright position, clamping the excess material from the panel behind that into place along the top of the window recess. This will support the middle headlining panel close to where it needs to finish up.

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DIY TECH i

Making sure that the headlining is roughly ‘middled’ (equal amounts of material, across the car) pull the headlining taught until roughly the same amount is spare either side, and then mark a few lines with a pencil lightly on the back where the window and door jamb edges lay on the headlining. Stretched properly, there should be up to 4 inches / 10cm either side ‘spare’ (depending on the material). Technically a couple of inches of material are actually useful to hold onto, whereas the remainder will be turned over onto the reverse side of the body pressing (outward facing edge) and then cut away.

Apply glue evenly, and not too thickly to the headlining around 1 ½ inches each side of the line sketched in on the reverse of the headlining, and to the body of the car around the bottom edge of the cant rail and each side of the window and door lips.

You can be much more liberal with the glue applied to the body.

At this point in time before pulling the glued material over the cant rail (at which point the contact adhesive should grip very quickly) waft a hairdryer or heat gun generally around the panel of material you are working on and then concentrate it a little more in the area where you will be stretching it across. This greatly increases the flexibility and smoothing abilities of the headlining, and also serves

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to cure the glue a little before finally stretching over and up into position.

This task is much easier with one person working from inside the car, tamping the material up onto the cant rail, smoothing the material out gently onto the glued areas, as another person outside the car basically pulls the material across and maintains the proper tension on it. Having anchored one side, the opposite pillar will then finish that panel, after which it is best to work panel by panel towards either the front or the rear.

Having finished one end, you can work towards the other! It is much easier once you have done a couple of panels; although it would be a blatant lie to suggest that the rest fall into place, you do get a bit of a rhythm going as you watch the installation progress. Imagine doing it day in, day out, on a line in Longbridge!

6.

Finishing the back of the car- C-posts and spare material

The headlining kit includes a strip of 'spare' material- this is intended to cover the body immediately below the rear screen, between the two C-posts. If you have retained the original item, it is quite easy to see how it should be glued in place.

Waft a heat-gun over the material first because this piece can appear a little creased- the wrinkles will soon stretch out. Again, glue needs to be applied evenly to the body and to the material.

Note that the rear corners should be slit a little to allow the material to stretch around easily. The material lying in the bottom of the parcel shelf does not need to be trimmed off- it can be left in situ and will sit happily underneath the rear parcel shelf when that item is refitted.

The C-posts can be fiddly to re-fit- to an extent they are held in place by the side window rubbers/ draught excluders, or the opening over centre mechanism, but especially on later cars the upper rear seat belt mounting bracket will also very effectively govern the final position. The rear window, when it comes to be re-fitted, should also be used to help to hold the C-posts in position, with the the overlap of the rubber window seal.

Take a look at that lovely new headlining! We prefered to finish the B-posts off a little further down the body, straight across the bottom of the window radius, which is not how the factory would have done it... but we think it is neater, avoiding a 'raw' material edge and looking a little more finished. It is down to the owner to decide these details, but as you have seen the process is very involved and there is ample opportunity to consider these things as you progress. The draught excluder easily push fits back into place, effectively sealing around the top of the door jamb. Only the interior light now remains to be screwed back in, and the glazers can also be called in to finish off the job.

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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.

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