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Hi Jeffrey,
I always make up my own instrument panels. When I worked on aircraft design I worked in flight deck design for a while, so I like to design my own.
The green is actually black, it just looks greenish in the photo.
It's a 1991 Cooper 1275 carb model and it's being prepared for the new Enduro Formula 1400 rallying. I don't know how competitive it will be against modern cars like the MG ZR 1.4, the Peugeot 106 Rallye, Suzuki Swift, et al, but I want to give it a go.
It's having a full re-build with lots of strengthening. The suspension is being raised about 1/2", a heated front screen, sump guard, full engine re-build, new rear sub frame and all new bearings. Virtually everything is being changed. It's a lot of work.
I always make up my own instrument panels. When I worked on aircraft design I worked in flight deck design for a while, so I like to design my own.
The green is actually black, it just looks greenish in the photo.
It's a 1991 Cooper 1275 carb model and it's being prepared for the new Enduro Formula 1400 rallying. I don't know how competitive it will be against modern cars like the MG ZR 1.4, the Peugeot 106 Rallye, Suzuki Swift, et al, but I want to give it a go.
It's having a full re-build with lots of strengthening. The suspension is being raised about 1/2", a heated front screen, sump guard, full engine re-build, new rear sub frame and all new bearings. Virtually everything is being changed. It's a lot of work.
Jeffrey,
It's not cheap, but then few things in life are.
As far as rallying goes, I think you can be competitive in a Mini on club rallies, which is where everyone starts out, and you could prepare one in which to have a lot of fun for not too much money. Most of the prep you could do yourself, perhaps with a bit of advice. I guess I spend quite a lot on mine, time as well as cash, but then I want to go out and win (if I can).
This black Enduro car has to be standard in the engine department, so I'm just 'blueprinting' it and boring it out to 1330 cc, which is the max allowed by the regulations.
I bought the car for £1200 and by the time it's fully ready to go I reckon it will have cost a total of £3750, plus whatever tyres I decide to buy for it. The power will be in the region of 82 bhp at the flywheel.
If you are interested in a further spec send me a private email. I don't know where you live, but I'm just off the A1 on the Herts/Beds border if you want to have a look at my rally cars, and have a ride in the 1964 Cooper 'S'.
Peter
It's not cheap, but then few things in life are.
As far as rallying goes, I think you can be competitive in a Mini on club rallies, which is where everyone starts out, and you could prepare one in which to have a lot of fun for not too much money. Most of the prep you could do yourself, perhaps with a bit of advice. I guess I spend quite a lot on mine, time as well as cash, but then I want to go out and win (if I can).
This black Enduro car has to be standard in the engine department, so I'm just 'blueprinting' it and boring it out to 1330 cc, which is the max allowed by the regulations.
I bought the car for £1200 and by the time it's fully ready to go I reckon it will have cost a total of £3750, plus whatever tyres I decide to buy for it. The power will be in the region of 82 bhp at the flywheel.
If you are interested in a further spec send me a private email. I don't know where you live, but I'm just off the A1 on the Herts/Beds border if you want to have a look at my rally cars, and have a ride in the 1964 Cooper 'S'.
Peter
Bought it yesterday!
What a nice chap you look Peter!
Great article and an absolute revalation on the white roof front. Well I never!
Being a man with such a history in Mini's and obviously having seen the current issue, what do you think of say, that JL Audio custom Mini?
You must have just about seen everything done to Minis and I am just interested in your views on the current 'fashions', if you will...
What a nice chap you look Peter!
Great article and an absolute revalation on the white roof front. Well I never!
Being a man with such a history in Mini's and obviously having seen the current issue, what do you think of say, that JL Audio custom Mini?
You must have just about seen everything done to Minis and I am just interested in your views on the current 'fashions', if you will...
Anything to keep the Mini legend alive, I reckon.
If someone had said 40 years ago when I bought my first brand new Mini Cooper 998 (reg. No. CUR999B) that in 40 years time there would still be this level of interest in Minis, no-one would have believed them. But here we are, 40 years on and still Minis are being raced and rallied, sprinted and hillclimbed, and just used for having fun in.
I'm not one for lots of ICE - my idea of that in my first Cooper was a Motorola 5-push-button radio on which to listen to the pirate radio stations floating on the North Sea. You would never hear a radio/CD player in my rally cars anyway
It's great what the younger enthusiasts can do with their cars now. I don't know that I would would want to drown out the lovely sound of a Mini with a nice engine and a decent air filter and exhaust by having music so loud, but each to his own.
My interest has always been in competition and if I can encourage anyone else to have a go in their Mini then it makes me happy as well.
Come on chaps (and chapesses) lets get those cars prepared for some club rallies.
If someone had said 40 years ago when I bought my first brand new Mini Cooper 998 (reg. No. CUR999B) that in 40 years time there would still be this level of interest in Minis, no-one would have believed them. But here we are, 40 years on and still Minis are being raced and rallied, sprinted and hillclimbed, and just used for having fun in.
I'm not one for lots of ICE - my idea of that in my first Cooper was a Motorola 5-push-button radio on which to listen to the pirate radio stations floating on the North Sea. You would never hear a radio/CD player in my rally cars anyway
It's great what the younger enthusiasts can do with their cars now. I don't know that I would would want to drown out the lovely sound of a Mini with a nice engine and a decent air filter and exhaust by having music so loud, but each to his own.
My interest has always been in competition and if I can encourage anyone else to have a go in their Mini then it makes me happy as well.
Come on chaps (and chapesses) lets get those cars prepared for some club rallies.
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