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1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
bogstandard:
Spin,
They are still readily available, and reasonable prices as well. The main advantage is that because it was such a popular car, there was never and still aren't any problems getting new bits for these motors. In fact, I think you could build a brand new one by ordering everything from the catalogue.
I used to have a accountant aquaintance, who was Alex Issigonis's right hand man when he was designing the very first minis, and he said that he was so hot blooded (Greek extraction I think) he would not let anyone deviate from his original drawings. It wasn't until after the initial ones were built and sold that they found major bodywork problems, with the outside seams being made to fit the wrong way up, and letting in copious amounts of water into the passenger compartment. So if ever you went for one, stick to a mark after 1965, by then they had most of the major problems sorted. I can't quite remember when I saw my first one, but it was either 1959 or '60, it was a 'tallyman' getting out of it, and he must have weighed at least 15 stone (210 lbs). Stew and myself had a little bit of a discussion on this dating of the first one when he came to visit, but now have found out that it was released late '59
I personally don't think the latest BMW version captures the spirit of the earlier versions. They are just too large.
John
SPiN Racing:
Ahh will take note.
Yeah the BMWs are just.. a little square brick of a car.
Under the hood they are the opposite of what Mini should be. They have a decently sized motor shoe horned in there so tight its silly. They are sooooo cramped in there.
Divided he ad:
Told you I'd find a pic....
:lol: :lol:
This is meant to be me!!!(pretty close I suppose!)
My big brother drew it after I got arrested for driving without an MOT (well they read me my rights etc... but I was not taken in... Just had to go to court etc!)
.... Not good considering I worked in a garage and was an MOT tester the next year!!!
This was my Birthday gift from him in my 20th year :)
Scott... The one I owned was re-conditioned and sent to the USA to it's new owner..... It could still be out there somewhere?
Apparently it's not that expensive to ship them... It just takes ages!!
The reg' on the drawing is correct... I wonder if it is traceable? ... It would be one car I would buy back.... I had so much fun in that car :D
It's alright Stew... Mini's can be re-built in a matter of days.... It'll be fine soon enough :thumbup:
Ralph.
Brass_Machine:
I am a huge fan of the classic Minis. Can't stand the new ones. Unfortunately we don't see a lot of the classic ones here.
Stew... I hope you plan on hanging onto Gavin for a long time. What a car!
On a side note, did anyone see the guy here in the sates that built a mini from scratch? Tube chasis, Carbon Fibre replica body and mid engine? I will post the link in another thread.
Eric
rleete:
A little off topic, but being a car guy I had to chime in. A couple of years ago I told the wife I was going to buy a sports car. I was looking for something small and zippy, having previously had a Corvette and a Mustang GT. I was thinking along the lines of an old MG (my brother has a 1959 MGA) or a Triumph. Problem is, here in this part of the States, the salt they use on the roads is a car killer. They use so much, this section of the country is often called the Rust Belt. So, the older cars were either basket cases or well beyond what I was willing to spend on a toy.
Cruising the car ads, I came across a 1994 Mazda Miata. Small, 5 speed, in reasonable shape for it's age. Amazingly, the wife said yes. I got a great deal, because what kind of idiot buys a convertable with a bad top in the dead of winter? Here's a pic taken just befor I bought it:
Hard to see from this angle, but the rear window is gone. There are numerous scrapes and dings, and the interior was filthy.
Fast forward a year, and I've put a whole new suspension in it; lowering springs and performance shocks. It sits about 1.5 inches lower now. It also has a new top. Then, while driving to work one morning, I decided the lack of power (104HP) needed to be rectified. I found a used supercharger kit, along with a methanol/water injection setup. Wife wasn't so thrilled with that purchase! I also bought a standalone ECU (the computer, fully programable) and some other goodies like a larger fuel pump and injectors. Final set up ought to yeild in the neighborhood of 220HP. Not too shabby for a 2000 pound car. It's all waiting for better weather to be installed and tested.
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