Last edited by Nick; 23-12-25 at 10:28. Reason: Fixed link
Racing Mini Nostalgia
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Hi found this for those that remember;
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12 Replies
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There's something about those old minis isn't there?!
Where do you stand on the line between new and old minis - which do you prefer?
Reminds me of a conversation we've been having about relaunching old models with a new look etc - what do you think about the mini version of this? -
I really liked my old Minis. The last one I had I put a twin-carb MG 1100 engine in with a Clubman diff, ratio 2.9:1. It would cruise at over well over our legal limit, and over 50mpg. I sold it as I began to feel vulnerable with the spread of the idiot drivers in their invincible SUVs.
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I liked Minis from the off, what I saw was a well designed functional piece of kit, yes I know there were faults but relative to the times it was no worse than other cars.
But in terms of carrying four adults in reasonable comfort from A to B, at a low cost, it worked.
For the average driver I would say it was naturally safe, if going too fast around a bend it just scrubbed the speed off at the front, lift off the throttle and it turned in.
In slippery conditions there was the weight of the power unit over the front driven wheels to help with grip.
It's forward CG and slightly rearward CA made it like a weather vane - it wanted to point into the wind so it resisted side winds.
The engine was a 1930's design, hence gas flow was easy to improve, and the ignition system was iffy so again easy to improve
The shape of the combustion chamber generated lots of swirl making it relatively immune to lumpy mixture, ridiculously large choke area could be used on the carbs and the swirl would manage to present a uniform mixture to the spark plugs.
I started tuning to improve fuel consumption, and reduce the number of gear changes per mile.
That this increased power output and speed was incidental at first but then the extra became interesting, it came in handy when others showed their disgust at having to share the road with Mini's!
Relative to todays cars, there was little protection for driver and passengers in the event of a crash but cars of that period were no better. -
More Mini racing;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Qzyk59zsY
Claimed to be the best Mini race start ever!
Choices to be made;
Do I use head lights to intimidate others but I loose power if I do?
Do I disconnect speedo to save power?
Do I stop W/W in mid cycle to reduce drag?Last edited by olduser; 27-12-25 at 16:03.
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I have a modern-day Mini Cooper SE (Electric) which is a completely different car to the old classics and you can't really compare the two. The only link, really, are certain design cues and how the new BMW Minis - from the R50 through to the J01 - are designed with similar handling. I do have a sense, when I drive my car, of the connection with the past though.
One thing I do miss though: the generation of rallyists and racers like Paddy Hopkirk, and engineers like John Cooper. They made motoring exciting and fun.
These days I don't care for the car culture much. The Minis, old and new, I love but the people that drive them, generally, not so. I long for a good car club where all you do is drive somewhere nice, and take a picnic or go to a good pub or restaurant at the end of it. The conviviality has gone at best; at worst it's become pretty toxic. -
@ursus262 I joined a Forum some years ago for a particular Marque. The Forum was great and a Meet was arranged. I went along, and the majority of attendees were young men who just wanted to show off their loud boomboxes and exhausts. 5 of us went off and found a quiet car park and had a good natter. Rain stopped play after a couple of hours though. This was a Sunday afternoon, so no cafes or whatever open.
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@Rolebama But isn't getting together and having a good natter what it's all about? The camaraderie and friendship is something that is sadly lacking these days unfortunately.
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@ursus262 Couldn't agree more. I sometimes attend military reunions. One is over a weekend, and there is no organization to it. Attendance numbers well into the hundreds as people come and go. The other is just one evening, 3hrs, attendance is not very good, but a couple of my mates attend.
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Re-watching Olduser's Mini race video reminded me of Oulton Park in the 60s. I used to race Clubman Motorcycles, at a few tracks. I stopped going to Oulton because the Mini racing was the last car race before us. Exploding engines and gearboxes leaving oil on the track, which wasn't cleaned properly, caused a few of us to boycott the place.