What is the whole point of owning a mini?
Discussion
sicks two fingers up at the motoring numpties who don't even know how to change a wheel, stylish, cool, great handling, great sound, cheap to maintain, raw and uncompromising, easy to modify, great club scene, it's a classic car, good at giantkilling, plus lots of other reasons
I love my mini
I love my mini
Point of a Mini?
Not a clue.
However, like many people on PH I have been fortunate enough to drive a few nice cars in my time.
However.
There is nothing, not one motor car that I have ever been in other than a Mini that makes me smile from the moment I lay eyes on it.
The look, the drive, the size. Its perfect.
For me, its the ultimate car and I cant for one minute think why in an easy to explain sound bite.
Not a clue.
However, like many people on PH I have been fortunate enough to drive a few nice cars in my time.
However.
There is nothing, not one motor car that I have ever been in other than a Mini that makes me smile from the moment I lay eyes on it.
The look, the drive, the size. Its perfect.
For me, its the ultimate car and I cant for one minute think why in an easy to explain sound bite.
I thought quite long and hard over this as I was never really a fan of minis till i owned one.
My old black GT Clubman, the man's mini i always said.
It just looked so mean compared to the girly cooper.
But after having my BRG 95spi cooper S for four years now I know that I will never sell it.
I love the fact i can look at my mini and see the car in its component form. I look at the engine and can see every moving part doing its thing.
But most of all I love driving the arse off it down my favourite back road.
I can have so much more fun in that than any other car while only just breaking the law
Lol i can post some pics of my old clubman......... after it became a trailer
My old black GT Clubman, the man's mini i always said.
It just looked so mean compared to the girly cooper.
But after having my BRG 95spi cooper S for four years now I know that I will never sell it.
I love the fact i can look at my mini and see the car in its component form. I look at the engine and can see every moving part doing its thing.
But most of all I love driving the arse off it down my favourite back road.
I can have so much more fun in that than any other car while only just breaking the law
Lol i can post some pics of my old clubman......... after it became a trailer
I have driven a lot of very fun chuckable cars but the mini is more fun and more chuckable than all of them.
It puts a lot of modern better machinery to shame and knowing that is priceless. I had a road race from Sennen to St Ives with a Porsche 911 (driven by a mad German) via a VERY windy "A" road. He could caught me on a long straight but I soon lost him on the windy bits. It's a case of "hang on with your ass" and just steer it where you want it to go.
It puts a lot of modern better machinery to shame and knowing that is priceless. I had a road race from Sennen to St Ives with a Porsche 911 (driven by a mad German) via a VERY windy "A" road. He could caught me on a long straight but I soon lost him on the windy bits.
It's a case of "hang on with your ass" and just steer it where you want it to go. I don't know. Between us we have owned a few. The latest one that is being worked on is of the space frame variety.
I like their simplicity and the work you can do on them simple tuning etc- can be applied to other vehicles.
When you have had enough you can angle grind them up and stuff them in a skip (this happened to OHs old one)
I like their simplicity and the work you can do on them simple tuning etc- can be applied to other vehicles.
When you have had enough you can angle grind them up and stuff them in a skip (this happened to OHs old one)
I like them beacuse, they are fun to drive without breaking the speed limit.
and Mini is the only car that i have been stopped by police to tell me off for being too quick in the corner
the parts are cheap, and mini is very simple car to fix and repair. I love the driving postion on it.
best after all, they are british and small.
and Mini is the only car that i have been stopped by police to tell me off for being too quick in the corner
the parts are cheap, and mini is very simple car to fix and repair. I love the driving postion on it.
best after all, they are british and small.
Cooperman said:
Sounds like the driver in the Mini was better. I used to own a 2.7 Carrera and I reckon it was much quicker than my 1964 Historic Rally Car everywhere, except, perhaps, on a really narrow single track twisty and wet lane.
Mini is more fun, though.
Hey Cooperman, do you want me to sort the engine out for you?
love machine said:
Sounds like the driver in the Mini was better. I used to own a 2.7 Carrera and I reckon it was much quicker than my 1964 Historic Rally Car everywhere, except, perhaps, on a really narrow single track twisty and wet lane.
Mini is more fun, though.
Hey Cooperman, do you want me to sort the engine out for you?
It's the f***ing gearbox/transmission I get the problems with.
Seriously, though, I've driven both Minis and various 911's on all levels of rallies up to full International and a 911, driven by someone of equal ability, will always be quicker than a Mini on over 90% of roads. The exception may be on some historic rallies where there are twisty tests, but I would hate to be up against a 911 Carrera in my '64 'S' on a twisty tarmac stage rally unless, perhaps, it was snowy and icy and studded tyres were banned.
The numbers really speak for themselves, a good Mini with 115 bhp at 740 Kg (in rally trim) compared with 250 bhp (tuned Carrera 2.7) at c.1100 Kg. The Porsche with an LSD, C/R box, superb suspension and traction compared to the Mini with its fantastic 'chuckability', neat handling but lower power/weight ratio and limited suspension travel.
Sorry, I sold the Porsche when I moved house about 8 years ago.
It was quite funny as our old house had 4 garages/workshops and we had the Porsche, a Rolls Silver Shadow, plus two Cooper 'S's, the red 1275, which I still have, and a white/black 970 'S' historic rally car.
Our new house had only 2 garages, so we sold the Roller and the Carrera. There was no way I would sell the Minis. In hindsight, I wish I had kept the Porsche and let the 970 'S' go, as the Porsche would now be eligible as a post-historic rally car, which it wasn't at the time. I really didn't like the 970 - it was all 'revs' and no 'go'. A class winner, yes, but not great to drive like the 1275. That went and I got a Mini Pick-up, which 'Rougeleo' bought a couple of years ago and I now have the 1990 Cooper Enduro-Rally car.
If anyone is interested I could be prepared to sell the Enduro car as a 'ready-to-go' rally car. I guess I'd sell it for about £5,000. It is like a new car with absolutely no rust, full preparation and 83 bhp at the flywheel fron the 'blueprinted' engine. Full spec on request.
It was quite funny as our old house had 4 garages/workshops and we had the Porsche, a Rolls Silver Shadow, plus two Cooper 'S's, the red 1275, which I still have, and a white/black 970 'S' historic rally car.
Our new house had only 2 garages, so we sold the Roller and the Carrera. There was no way I would sell the Minis. In hindsight, I wish I had kept the Porsche and let the 970 'S' go, as the Porsche would now be eligible as a post-historic rally car, which it wasn't at the time. I really didn't like the 970 - it was all 'revs' and no 'go'. A class winner, yes, but not great to drive like the 1275. That went and I got a Mini Pick-up, which 'Rougeleo' bought a couple of years ago and I now have the 1990 Cooper Enduro-Rally car.
If anyone is interested I could be prepared to sell the Enduro car as a 'ready-to-go' rally car. I guess I'd sell it for about £5,000. It is like a new car with absolutely no rust, full preparation and 83 bhp at the flywheel fron the 'blueprinted' engine. Full spec on request.
i ran a 970 for a while and it was awful. it was bored 73.5mm (1050) and ran a 649, sc drops, sc box etc. it needed one set of plugs to get it going, then a harder set to make it go. every so often it would drop onto three plugs!.
it never seemed to go very well and eventually blew up and broke the crank in the outside lane of the m1. i took the whole thing out, and binned it.
in a way it was a good think as i lernt a valuable lesson.
1071 is the way forward!!!
it never seemed to go very well and eventually blew up and broke the crank in the outside lane of the m1. i took the whole thing out, and binned it.
in a way it was a good think as i lernt a valuable lesson.
1071 is the way forward!!!
You're right, the 1071 is the nicest 'S' engine. I built one with a very big valve head, a 649 cam (big mistake!), twin 1.5" SU's, etc, and it was just so smooth and very quick.
The 970 is just 'orrible. All revs but no real go. Ours was 999 cc, had a 286, Omega pistons, 11:1 c.r, light flywheel, s/c, c/r box with 4.1 diff, twin 1.5 SU's, plus everything else, but it got blown away on tarmac stages by a 1000 cc Imp on twin 40 DCOE Webers revving to 10,000. I just hated it really.
Give me my 1293 'S' any day.
The high figure for the 850 is, I think, a bit suspect. It is very hard to get over 85 bhp per litre for an 'A-Series' even in race trim. With anything like 80 bhp it would be virtually un-driveable. What crank would it use, the basic 850 crank will eventually snap due to fatigue at about 7000 unless a different one was fitted. Sceptical,me???
Don't know what the torque of a 911 Carrera is, just lots. It did 0-60 in 5.0 with a top end, on its slightly lower diff, of around 140 at 7200. It was fabulous.
The 970 is just 'orrible. All revs but no real go. Ours was 999 cc, had a 286, Omega pistons, 11:1 c.r, light flywheel, s/c, c/r box with 4.1 diff, twin 1.5 SU's, plus everything else, but it got blown away on tarmac stages by a 1000 cc Imp on twin 40 DCOE Webers revving to 10,000. I just hated it really.
Give me my 1293 'S' any day.
The high figure for the 850 is, I think, a bit suspect. It is very hard to get over 85 bhp per litre for an 'A-Series' even in race trim. With anything like 80 bhp it would be virtually un-driveable. What crank would it use, the basic 850 crank will eventually snap due to fatigue at about 7000 unless a different one was fitted. Sceptical,me???
Don't know what the torque of a 911 Carrera is, just lots. It did 0-60 in 5.0 with a top end, on its slightly lower diff, of around 140 at 7200. It was fabulous.
I remember those 850 'S's. From memory you might get 95 bhp at the flywheel but, as you say, nothing below about 5500 rpm. I guess there are some optimistic dynos around.
My 970 was giving 84 bhp at the flywheel and it was still difficult to drive on a 4.1 diff with the s/c gears. Nasty little car!
My 970 was giving 84 bhp at the flywheel and it was still difficult to drive on a 4.1 diff with the s/c gears. Nasty little car!
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