The Mini and MINI thread

[CXRAndy]

I had a Mini 850 M reg. Fantastic handling car, complete lunatic trying to make it go faster around corners. Passed my test in my sister's mini 1000. Awkward car for late night liaisons with willing ladies 🤣

 

[T4tomo]

I had a Mini 850 M reg. Fantastic handling car, complete lunatic trying to make it go faster around corners. Passed my test in my sister's mini 1000. Awkward car for late night liaisons with willing ladies 🤣

particularly with your sister sat in as "passed driver"

 

[presta]

Right then, lets have another go. This is the third time I've drafted this reply, the forum deleted the previous two before I was finished.

My first car was one of these, same year same Willow Green, but with a Morris Badge instead of Austin. It had been my father's for the previous 6 years before he gave it to me for my 17th birthday, by which time we had put side windows in it to avoid the 40mph speed limit for vans at that time.

It was the first car my father bought after my mother left us, so it was 'our' car, with lots of father & son time spent repairing rust.
It's the only one of my cars I've ever seen after I sold it, and that was on the back of a scrapyard truck in Colchester.

they are now about the size of an early Range Rover

It's grown like little orphan Annie.

I had to botch some waterproofing protection for the distributor cap as well, wedged in behind the grill

Mine had the number plate and an aluminium baffle on the ffront of the grille to screen the distributor from water.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Like the original Minis , always wanted a 1275 GT. They were nimble and with the right exhaust loud !!! Fast forward to the only Mini we had , the BMW incarnation with the pug engine . Hated that engine absolute piece of sh…t . Drank oil , told be dealer that can be normal . Put me right off , so unless the latest BMW powered ones are better I’d avoid like the plague !

 

[Jameshow]

We gave two mini a cooper and a cooper s.

I find the cooper s too fast tbh. 10mpg less too!

You can hardly change gear fast enough for the acceleration.
Changed from runflat tyres to cheapo ones and the ride is much better.

Would like a clubman at some point!

 

[T4tomo]

I also had both a red and yellow 1275 GT, in my Scalextric

 

[MrGrumpy]

Right then, lets have another go. This is the third time I've drafted this reply, the forum deleted the previous two before I was finished.

My first car was one of these, same year same Willow Green, but with a Morris Badge instead of Austin. It had been my father's for the previous 6 years before he gave it to me for my 17th birthday, by which time we had put side windows in it to avoid the 40mph speed limit for vans at that time.
View attachment 687179
It was the first car my father bought after my mother left us, so it was 'our' car, with lots of father & son time spent repairing rust.
It's the only one of my cars I've ever seen after I sold it, and that was on the back of a scrapyard truck in Colchester.


View attachment 687180
It's grown like little orphan Annie.


Mine had the number plate and an aluminium baffle on the ffront of the grille to screen the distributor from water.

Remember going to Scarborough in the back of mini van . My sister and I sitting on the wheel arches . Mattress for comfort if we wanted a kip !
Also remember another Mini Clubman my Mum had red, with the wooden trim . We all piled into that for a weekend camping in Loch Lomand ! No elf and safety in those days !

 

[Drago]

Although as big as they are our F56 electric still seems small next to my Pug 2008, and that is barely more than a B segment supermini footprint.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Mine had the number plate and an aluminium baffle on the ffront of the grille to screen the distributor from water.

ahh that’s bringing back memories

 

[numbnuts]

I've had three in my early years, gray 850cc, a white van also 850cc and a red 1000cc

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

My first car was a 1979 Mini 1000, java green with a Northern Ireland plate. Great little car. Drove like it was running on rails.

 

[Profpointy]

I would have loved a Wolsley Hornet. Always fancied sticking a turbo engine in one.

An A+ 1275 turbo from the later MG metro would drop in pretty easily I'd have thought. That said, a souped up non-turbo bored to 1340 with various improvements might be faster still.

For no rational reason, somehow I'd want a supercharger rather than a turbo

 

[Profpointy]

In 1972, I sat in one from London to Skye in Scotland. It was cripplingly uncomfortable. I'm sure they are much better these days as they are now about the size of an early Range Rover.

We went to the west of Ireland in one; four blokes with caving gear (for some of us) plus tents etc. Wasn't too bad, though admittedly that was nearly 40 years ago and perhaps I was slightly better placed to rough it a bit

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

The Range Rover was mentioned above by @slowmotion?

I know which I'd want, & it's certainly not the (could be a) Lexus/Lincoln/etc............

In terms of comparative size, the 'Series 1' R-R is on 16" wheels







Bloated..........





Close to my parents house, l sometimes see this duo, it disproves the theory that a Panda is a small car!

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

That side on photo makes the original Mini look like a toy car beside the modern variant!