The Register

The E-Newsletter of The Mini Register

September 2009

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New Members

We would like to extend a very warm welcome to The Mini Register to:

Rhodri Roberts, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK

"Well I am currently looking for a Mini Minor as a running restoration project, strange as it may seem, my Dad has 2 (one a '61 and one'64) buried in his field (well mostly buried, when an old car was just scrap etc!!!)

Have got some pics of the white one, but not of the cherry red-will have to scan them, too far gone to restore.......or ,will have to get the digger out!!!

And I learnt to drive in a Mk2 Mini based Mini Scamp."

Michele Winters, Birtley, County Durham, UK

Michele has swapped the tip of Africa for the North East of England, this is her white Mini with the St Andrews cross on one of Ryan Bubear's breakfast runs near Cape Town..

The white Mini had to be left behind, but has been replaced with this smart 1970 Cooper S in tartan red and a black roof.

"The interior is black with the original style reclining seats – which are still quite comfortable despite never being re-padded or upholstered

It is now on 12” minilights as the car was the previous owners everyday car.

This is our 7th Mini, and although I miss our ’78 Mini 1000 very much, I think that this is a worthy replacement."

Caroline, David, Jakki and Manda Smith, Westcliff on Sea, Essex, UK

1960 Mini Super deluxe in Cherry red called Henry

"Good little runner! starts first time every time."

Dan Palmer, Fen Ditton, Cambs, UK

1986 Mini Mayfair in red called ALA

Jimmie Olofsson, Oskarshamn, Sweden

1975 Mini 1000 in blue metallic called "blueride"

Jimmie has prepared his Mini himself, he has fitted a Mk 1 grille and 10 inch Minilights under Wood & Pickett arches. most of the parts are sourced from England as it is " much cheaper than buying from a dealer in Sweden. :-)"

Sam Burgess, Ellesmere, Shropshire, UK

1986 Mini Chelsea in red called Milli

"Hi all, I have a Mini Chelsea 1986 and am in the process of a complete rebuild. Shell has had new floor pans and new sills.

At the moment I'm at a stand still awaiting dry weather to paint.

The head is off and the engine is in a poor state - plugs been left out and its a little tight to say the least!!!! So it looks like a long haul.

Milli (the mini) as she is known has been stored for a number of years in an open barn.... hence the mess she is in. hope to get some pics when I get sorted but please don't hold your breath."

Matthew Lewis, Ashford, Kent, UK

1969, Austin Cooper S in Black

Members update

Elme Sadie Cape Town, South Africa

Oops, missed Elme's Mini picture last month, sorry Elme, hopefully we will see more of the car on Ryan Bubear's breakfast runs when spring arrives.

Rabawi Rahim, Terengganu, Malaysia

Awie spotted this on his local news, it is a poignant reminder for us as many years ago a loose spanner, spare petrol can and uncovered battery terminals nearly produced the same effect - beware!

Murray Sutton, Nelson, New Zealand

Murray completed not one, but 2 Minis in time for the Mini 50th Birthday Rally in Nelson NZ. Both cars have been finished to a very high standard, the first is a DeJoux, a kit car from the 60's

"Over 200 Minis turned up with one other DeJoux and a Marcos.

The other DJ on the rally was John Rush's from Oamaru way down south. He bought the body as a kit from Ferris de Joux in 1968 and built it up himself, he has raced and hill climbed it with a lot of success.!

Attached are photos of the ute I have just finished with my son for the Mini 50th Rally. He bought the ute in Aug 2007 only to find the rust was far worse than we thought so I agreed to put the DeJoux on hold and repair the ute for him first. We imported from Mini Spares UK 2 x sides, tail door, all valances,front grille panel etc. we also made a new deck and the rear panel behind the seat, grafted in a complete floor and doors from a doner car plus bonnet and other sundries. then painted it and fitted restored sub frames and once on its wheels I sent it to Greg my son who lives in Tauranga in the North Island of NZ to finish off. I spent 18 months most nights and weekends to get my part done and Greg finished engine and trim in time for the Rally.

200 Minis came to the Rally but there were only 3 Utes.

Ed Thomas, Lydney, Gloustershire, UK

Steve Johnson, Accrington, Lancs, UK

Long time autotester in his various Minis, Steve has been very active in promoting AutoSolo in the North West, he persuaded Lancashire Telegraph reporter Kimberley Hall to have a go and the film of the event can be found at http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/sport/4234367.VIDEO__Autosolo_in_entry_boost/

It is a very good insight into autosolo.

Entwistle

Peter Entwistle provides illustrations and cartoons for automotive subjects, he provides regular cartoons for Classic Weekly and various car clubs. He also draws caricatures of people and their cars and can work from supplied photos

He has also produced a composite drawing to celebrate the 50th anniversary

If you are interested in either, please call Peter on 01606 350922

Maximum Mini Book

As could be predicted, the 50th anniversary of the Mini has produced a flood of Mini related book titles. A number are warmed up versions of earlier works but one that stands out is Maximum Mini by Jeroen Booij

The enthusiasm of the author is obvious as he reviews each of the 58 Mini based cars covered with an insight into rise and fall of the businesses that created them. There are some great photos including were possible pictures of surviving examples.

The book includes the DeJoux mentioned above in the Members Updates section, the car featured however is not that of Murray Sutton or our other DeJoux owning member Peter Hartshorne from Auckland, nor is it the one owned by John Rush (that Murray mentioned) so there are at least 4 survivors of the car.

MINI Coupe and Roadster concept cars

The latest MINI concept cars to be announced are very much pitched at the fun end of the market

They are on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show as part of a big 50th Anniversary display that includes a 1959 Mini.

The concept cars are both two seaters, the Coupe is reminiscent of the MiniSprint with its lower roof line, the roof is aluminium and the complete car is lighter than MINI saloon.

Although it looks like a notch-back, the rear is a one-piece hatchback providing access to the 250 litres of luggage space. Passengers may also access the luggage area through a lockable door in the rear bulkhead.

The roadster shares the same steeply raked windscreen and 18inch alloy wheels. It also has the lockable access to the luggage area from the cabin.

The soft-top is fabric and is operated manually.

In keeping with the emphasis on fun, both cars have the 211hp, 1.6-litre twin scroll turbocharged power unit found in current John Cooper Works models.

Jurassic Coast Mini Run

A sunny day, fantastic views of the sea and country side, a line of Minis stretching out ahead along the road, what could be better?

The Jurassic Coast Mini Club organised a run along the south English coast from Weymouth in Dorset to Exmouth in Devon. This is the third year the team have run the event, and it is a significant team effort, and the number of Minis taking part has grown from 6 to 70.

After leaving the Riviera Hotel, the route looped through the harbour area of Weymouth before heading along the coast.

After a break at the Donkey Sanctuary near Sidmouth, the run continued to end at the Rugby Club in Exmouth, an excellent venue for a gathering of Minis.

The Jurassic Coast Mini Club have been formed for about 5 years and are a really friendly and active group. If you are in the Dorset area, check out their web site at http://www.jurassiccoastminis.co.uk

The MINI is 50??

I'm not sure if it has been the same in other countries but in the UK, BMW have launched a poster campaign that shows a BMW MINI under the title "Mini 50th Anniversary". This has certainly provoked some interest but not in the way that BMW would like. We have received a number of comments from members who are not happy with the suggestion that the new MINI has a history that spans 50 years.

The feeling being that BMW may well have bought the Mini name but they did not buy the history and they certainly did not buy the personal enthusiasm that has sustained the interest in the Mini over the past 50 years.

There is no secret that BMW have been carefully weaving images of the new MINI into the original's history, an example of which was the launch of the MC40

A special edition for the American market to tie the new MINI to the rally successes in Monte Carlo 40 years earlier. More recently the adoption of model names such as the Clubman and Mayfair tie the new to the old.

The new MINi is a great car and has a sizeable enthusiastic following, many of whom owned (or still own) examples of the original. Do BMW really need to trample on the feelings of the original enthusiasts?, maybe they feel that they have extracted all they can from the traditional enthusiast and now have sufficient owners of the new MINI to sustain the enthusiasm.

What do you think? is this a reasonable approach or a repeat of the insensitivity that caused such problems when the new MINI was first launched.

500 Goodie bag

Not sure if it is still available but Stewart from the Cooper Sport 500 Register has contacted us to say that a 500 goody bag has become available, so if you have a 500 and are missing this item, get in touch at http://www.coopersport500register.co.uk/

Where is it now?

"I would like to trace (and possibly buy) a Mini which I owned nearly 25 years ago and wondered if you could help.

The registration is XCY 218J - a 1971 Mini 1000 which was orange at the time.  That is all the information I now have."

If you can help Ray, let us know at theregister@miniregister.com

What have we done to upset them?

Ever since the launch of the new MINI, we have received press releases from BMW informing us of the latest developments of the car. For some reason as we entered our 40th year we were removed from the distribution list. Despite numerous phone calls and emails we are still out of the loop. If you have an influence with your country's MINI office, could you please ask if they can help.

Dr Alex Moulton on the Mini/MINI

Dr Alex Moulton, famous for his contribution to the original Mini with the invention of his rubber springs, was recently interviewed by Fi Glover on the BBC Radio 4 program Saturday Live.

He recalled his days with Alec Issigonis, Jack Daniels and John Shepperd. At the end of the interview he was asked what he thought of the new MINI and after a diplomatic start in which he praised the success of the car and its contribution to employment in Oxford, he was less than complimentary using phrases like "not the slightest relationship to the concept of the Mini", "no novelty in it", "very tiny inside" and "shows no innovation".

MINI E to the UK

Recently, it was announced that BMW Group will trial an all-electric MINI in the UK – the MINI E - having won Government backing through the Technology Strategy Board and regional development agency SEEDA. BMW will lead a consortium, including Scottish and Southern Energy and academic partner Oxford Brookes University to evaluate the social, economic and practical issues of living with an electric vehicle. MINI E is already being trialled in the USA and Germany.

Events

3rd October - UK - Classic car show at The Silver Fox Cafe, Newnham, Gloucestershire, 10am-4pm, all Mini owners welcome and they can book by calling me on 01594 841387

11th October - UK - 3rd Newark Autumn Mini Show, Lady Eastwood Pavillion, Newark & Notts Showground, Newark, Notts  

16th-18th October - USA - EURO Festival at BMW Zentrum, BMW Manufacturing Corp. Greer (Spartanburg), SC - (registration and maybe driving events on Friday, Show on Saturday, tours, rallye and driving events on Sunday) - All European cars welcome, but this year Morgan is “Featured Marque”, and Mini is “Honorary Marque” – the more Minis the merrier!! - www.euroautofestival.com

19th - 31st October - EU - The Italian Job, starts in Turin on the 19th and finishes in the UK on the 31st with a route that takes in Bologna and Venice as well as a visit to the rooftop test track at the Lingotto factory that featured in the film

25th October - UK - The 6th Malvern Mini Show & Spares Day, Avon & Wye Halls, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs

That's it, please let us know what is going on in your part of the world.

Keep in touch

Mike Bennett
theregister@miniregister.co.uk

The opinions expressed in The Register are those of the members and not necessarily those of The Mini Register.

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