Minis - original small ones, not the new giant ones
Discussion
My 1960 Mk1 Austin Seven was my summer daily (and occasional winter daily) for nearly eight years until the autumn of 2016. 'Daily' doesn't mean much as I lived two miles from work for most of that period and cycled, but in the summer the Austin would be my go-to car for car things, even for motorway jaunts down to London or Brooklands (a couple of hours each way). For going to the supermarket or over to friends that were out of cycle range I'd take the Mini, that sort of thing. I moved workshops with it, using a combination of the roof rack and the bootlid with the flip-down number plate.
Why only until the autumn of 2016? Because now it needs new front wings, sills, footwells and a rear subframe, plus a fair bit of cosmetic tidying and mechanical renewal if it's to remain roadworthy for the forseeable. Which I knew would happen if I kept being as audacious as to actually use my car, but that's why a lot of people are picky about when they take them out.
That said, there are a couple of more Minis within a mile radius of my place - an orange Clubman on Dunlop alloys with big arches and an even more orange late-80s that has been extensively 'Cooper-ised' and beyond.
More generally, I seem to see far more Morris Minors being used just as 'cars' these days than I do Minis. And when you do see Minis they are clearly owned and driven by Mini Enthusiasts. You still see the occasional Moggy Thou trundling around just because the owner doesn't see any reason to get rid of it.
Why only until the autumn of 2016? Because now it needs new front wings, sills, footwells and a rear subframe, plus a fair bit of cosmetic tidying and mechanical renewal if it's to remain roadworthy for the forseeable. Which I knew would happen if I kept being as audacious as to actually use my car, but that's why a lot of people are picky about when they take them out.
That said, there are a couple of more Minis within a mile radius of my place - an orange Clubman on Dunlop alloys with big arches and an even more orange late-80s that has been extensively 'Cooper-ised' and beyond.
More generally, I seem to see far more Morris Minors being used just as 'cars' these days than I do Minis. And when you do see Minis they are clearly owned and driven by Mini Enthusiasts. You still see the occasional Moggy Thou trundling around just because the owner doesn't see any reason to get rid of it.
A classic Mini is my wife’s daily driver, she will not drive anything else. I also have the Mini that both my children learned to drive in, which is still used regularly, plus a Mini Van and a Scamp (a Moke like kit car which I built using parts from another Mini I used to own).
Oh, I also have an Ultima GTR which I built , plus my daily driver, a Jaguar XE.
Oh, I also have an Ultima GTR which I built , plus my daily driver, a Jaguar XE.
Edited by GTRMikie on Sunday 11th March 21:29
You will certainly not see Classic Minis about in the numbers you would have in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s as many have now been scrapped. The survivors are now mostly in the hands of enthusiasts and with prices climbing for good ones, only a fool would leave them unattended for any length of time - just like Mk1 Escorts and Capris. HOWEVER, they are still great cars to own and drive and if you ever end up with a £2000 garage bill for one, it will be because you are having restoration work done rather than having to shell out for diagnostics and the failure of only ONE of the unrepairable ECU’s, as you might with a Eurobox.
I have a classic Clubman Estate with injection and ‘Smootharide’ Suspension and recently drove from Orkney to Bavaria and back and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I’ll be 70 next year!
As far as safety is concerned, it’s a bit like riding Motorcycles (which I still do) so you ought to be driving defensively and not relying on gadgetry to get you out of trouble. Yes, anyone can have an accident but when you analyse most of them, they were not truly accidents. How carefully would you drive if there was a sharp spike poking out from the steering wheel, rather than an air bag? ??
I have a classic Clubman Estate with injection and ‘Smootharide’ Suspension and recently drove from Orkney to Bavaria and back and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I’ll be 70 next year!
As far as safety is concerned, it’s a bit like riding Motorcycles (which I still do) so you ought to be driving defensively and not relying on gadgetry to get you out of trouble. Yes, anyone can have an accident but when you analyse most of them, they were not truly accidents. How carefully would you drive if there was a sharp spike poking out from the steering wheel, rather than an air bag? ??
Edited by Orcadian on Saturday 21st April 11:24
I also ride motorcycles and bottom line its not me as the mini driver I worry about. Im sad to say I have direct of experience of a friends sister killed 15yrs old in a mini head on as a passenger (mini driver fault in this case) and a neighbours daughter crippled at 18 in a mini metro head on, driver on the wrong side of the road.
So its about probability which goes up if you drive or ride it more and when of course.
So its about probability which goes up if you drive or ride it more and when of course.
kilarney said:
I have one but safety considerations, high maintenance, noise and increasing value preclude regular use. The main issue is safety though for me.
My best friend was killed in a Mini. I had many close shaves in them, back in the day. I am not sure I would want to drive one on the road today.Orcadian said:
You will certainly not see Classic Minis about in the numbers you would have in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s as many have now been scrapped. The survivors are now mostly in the hands of enthusiasts and with prices climbing for good ones, only a fool would leave them unattended for any length of time - just like Mk1 Escorts and Capris. HOWEVER, they are still great cars to own and drive and if you ever end up with a £2000 garage bill for one, it will be because you are having restoration work done rather than having to shell out for diagnostics and the failure of only ONE of the unrepairable ECU’s, as you might with a Eurobox.
]
I worked as a mechanic in backstreet garages during the early 80s. Minis were relatively new then, but they rusted surprisingly early in their lives. I have welded more rear subframe mounts and replaced subframes than I have had hot dinners. ]
Gassing Station | Classic Minis | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff