My obsession ....

[sports850]

Well , since I seem to be settling in here it's time to show my obsession (my wife doesn't think obsession is a strong enough word for it , disease is closer ...) , or hobby . I have been interested in mini's for as long as I can remember and got worse when I was old enough to drive one , just love their handling and the ability to seriously embarrass bigger cars , especially on corners .

My favourite without a doubt is the sports850 , in 1962 a Melbourne BMC (Brittish Motor Corporation) dealer named Peter Manton was racing a Morris 850 (first model of the mini released in Australia) with twin carbs and getting protests from other drivers . He approached BMC and asked for them to bring the newly released 997cc Cooper into the country but was told that the Australian market wasn't ready for such an "expensive and mechanically advanced mini" . He argued it was and basically got told to prove it . He designed the conversion using twin 1 1/4" SU carbs instead of the single 1 1/4" , new badges , chrome rocker cover with badge and slightly better exhaust . While not a big boost over a standard 850 in it's original tune , being sold (and "factory approved and warranted") as a performance model with twin carbs meant they could be raced as such . There were around 100 sold and BMC sat up and took notice and released the 997cc Cooper the next year followed by the 998cc (short stroke) cooper and then the 1275cc sooper s . Now there are 6 genuine sports850's left as the majority of them were used and abused in their earlier life and then scrapped . Mine isn't the best looking and is original and unrestored but it's the way I like it , not currently registered (still get's thrashed around the yard) but when it was it was a huge amount of fun to drive .

 

[sports850]

Next is a long term project , Nota is an Australian race car manufacturer and the Fang (or Nota type 4 as is it's proper designation) was their early 70's pocket rocket . It uses the complete mini front subframe holding motor/gearbox/diff/suspension at the back (making it mid engined) , two seats and the front end from a Hilman Imp with the front wheels out under motorbike guards . They were road registerrable and weighed a bit under 400 kg with anywhere up to 120 hp so pretty much motorbike type performance . Roof height is a couple of inches taller than a mini bonnet which is about mid thigh on an average man , small , light and excellent power to weight ratio . Still a long way to go with this one ....

And a completed one ,

 

[sports850]

My van has recently come out of hibernation and is currently being refitted as a mythical BMC woirks rally team support vehicle from the 1968 Monte Carlo Rally (they used trucks but a mini van looks better) . the van is a 1968 model , fairly standard 1100 cc motor with twin carbs and other goodies I've had sitting around . Interior is 60's racing stuff , 6 point alloy roll cage and period spares and mocked up service tool's to hide stereo etc . The reason I'm making the rally theme is I have a lot of old rally and race stuff that needs to be put somewhere together and also there's a near identical van just up the road and we don't want to be blamed for each others driving

This is it's roof rack before the legs were welded onto it ,

The concept , will have driving lights in the rally configuration and other stuff as well yet ,

EDIT , found some pic's of the roof rack on the van with the rally tyres .

 

[sports850]

My 1981 Moke Californian 1275 cc , a hell of a lot of fun with an originally detuned version of the cooper s engine (not detuned anymore ) in a slightly lighter bodyshell with bigger brakes , OH YEAH . Worst bit is the aerodynamics are woefull so not much above 150 kph but it sure get's there quick . The security system is named Buddy and it's HIS moke as far as he's concerned . He's now several years older than when those photo's were taken and enjoying retirment at my parents place , HE decided their pace was better than mine and refused to come home ....

The Moke has "I Don't" written on the bull bar as I was engaged when I bought it about 10 years ago and my then fiance who didn't have a licence or a job decided it was ugly . I was using it for work and have her the use of my 2 year old Daihatsu Charade to learn to drive so she could get a job ... "I refuse to marry someone who expects me to do something I don't want to do" , closely followed by "sell the moke or I'm leaving , it's me or it" (bad ultimatum to give someone when they're pissed off with your sitting around all day doing squat ...) . I figured the moke was cheaper to keep , more fun and easier to fix so kept it instead , then the crap hit the fan . I still say don't make an ultimatum like that unless you're prepared to go through with it

 

[sports850]

The last mini (currently , still trying to find the Mini-Trac) is a project for my 40th birthday , this is a mini K which has the date 12/70 on the compliance plate meaning it left the factory in December 1970 which was when I was born . this was a gift from a member on ausmini who heard what I was looking for and very generously decided it would be better to give it to me when he'd taken what he needed off it (was his road car but he needed it's engine and brakes for his next one) than it would be to sell it (even though it'd be easily worth $500 or so) .Not sure on the plans for it yet other than it will be low , wide , fast and loud . I have an ex-speedway , avgas only cooper s engine waiting to go in it , just need some time to get it in there .

 

[sports850]

Then there are the models and other stuff ... around 740 models at last count some time ago , 110 sales brochures (mostly local from 1961 to 1978) , 10 dealer sales posters , heaps of other dealer/sales/technical/media material and a lot of desirable 1960's performance parts . Then there's ton's of spare parts and spare engines and everything else to do with mini's and Moke's I've accumulated over the last 20 years . The garage is full (check out the pic's) and I'm starting to think of my ultimate garage/display place to have it all now .

 

[sports850]

Printers blocks from newspaper ad's from the early 1960's ,

Radio advertising Jingle for mid 1960's mini deluxe

BMC touch up paints ,

That'll do for now or this thread will be enormous .

 

[American Woman]

The Moke has "I Don't" written on the bull bar as I was engaged when I bought it about 10 years ago and my then fiance who didn't have a licence or a job decided it was ugly . I was using it for work and have her the use of my 2 year old Daihatsu Charade to learn to drive so she could get a job ... "I refuse to marry someone who expects me to do something I don't want to do" , closely followed by "sell the moke or I'm leaving , it's me or it" (bad ultimatum to give someone when they're pissed off with your sitting around all day doing squat ...) . I figured the moke was cheaper to keep , more fun and easier to fix so kept it instead , then the crap hit the fan . I still say don't make an ultimatum like that unless you're prepared to go through with it

The dog is the cutest! Here's a something for your ex!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDf3vrwHBkg&feature=related"]YouTube - BRAD PAISLEY:i'm gonna miss her[/ame]

 

[EastTexFrank]

Sports850, thank you, you brought back some good memories. I had a lot of fun in minis waaayyyyy back in the '60's.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

Nice collection there Sports850! Thanks for posting!

 

[sports850]

The dog is the cutest! Here's a something for your ex!
YouTube - BRAD PAISLEY:i'm gonna miss her

EastTexFrank , what did you have and where are the photo's

Cheers PB .

 

[Doc]

Good pics sports850!!! Mini's look like they'd be a ball to drive. I remember sports car rallys that had mini's in them. Cool to watch. I never got a chance to drive one, darn it.

 

[pixie]

Yup, you're obsessed

Glad you got the girl, too.

I used to be obsessed with boats and my husband didn't seem to mind
He swore that if they cut my head open, tons of little boats would fall out.

Obviously, your head is stuffed with minis and thier cousins. No harm there.

 

[sports850]

Doc , you need to find someone who can take you for a drive in one , one drive is all it will take . Mini's won the Monte Carlo Rally outright in 1965 , 1966 , 1967 but disqualified (Citroen's factory team protested and the cars were stripped looking for something against the rules and they found single fillament bulbs in the headlights instead of twin filament so it was against the rules ...) and again in 1967 . They won the James Hardie 500 (now known as Bathurst 100 here) outright in 1966 and filled the first 9 places and were dominent in virtually every form of motorsport (except the drags) through the 1960's . Even now in the historics it's great fun watching them take on mustangs , Camaro's and the likes , the bigger cars get in front on the straights but have to brake a lot harder and earlier than the mini's so get caught again and beaten in the corners .

basically think of a small , light , stable car with a good power to weight ratio that can be thrown about with abandon and you've got the mini (not the BMW one ...) . They weren't hugely powerful (120 hp was possible in race trim) but only weighing 550 or so kg they didn't need it . In their day other manufacturers were going for bigger motors to get the power and then needing bigger brakes and bigger tyres and more weight etc etc and all they did was make it easier for a better handling car to embarras them . They are immense fun to drive , wherever you point the nose it will go at nearly any speed .

Pixie , my wife (who is medical) considers it to be a serious addiction and can see me having withdrawal cravings like in any other junkie . I just say that rehab is not an option .... What happened that you USED to be obsessed with boats , how did you break the addiction ?

 

[EastTexFrank]

EastTexFrank , what did you have and where are the photo's

Cheers PB .

Good friend had a mini. My first was a Ford Anglia followed by a Ford Cortina 1600E and then a Lotus Cortina, and lastly a Ford Escort RS 2000. I guess I liked Fords .... Still do.

The last car I had in the UK was a Volkswagon Scirocco.

Sorry, no photos of any of them. Back then my hobbies were chasing women and drinking beer, not taking photos.

 

[American Woman]

.
Back then my hobbies were chasing women and drinking beer, not taking photos.

Wow! I bet that was an expensive hobby

 

[pixie]

.


Pixie , my wife (who is medical) considers it to be a serious addiction and can see me having withdrawal cravings like in any other junkie . I just say that rehab is not an option .... What happened that you USED to be obsessed with boats , how did you break the addiction ?

I seem to be serially obsessed

I started out being nuts about Triumphs... bikes and cars..... (I had a 1964 Spitfire) so I understand your obsession Fixing the Triumphs just got too frustrating for me.

The boat addiction kind of broke itsself. I finished fixing the last boat (a major rebuild), the dogs didn't like living on a boat, it got too expensive to have it hauled in and out and I had to take care of my old father. My interests changed during that time. There are still quite a few boats in the yard but I don't use them much.

Now, it's snowcats and forestry equipment

How long have you been working on your collection and feeling obsessed ??

 

[sports850]

Some people seem to need an obsession to keep them going , I know I do . Still , you'd be bored otherwise . I'd love a decent sized boat myself , I grew up on the Clarence River which is the longest naturally navigable river in Australia and is brilliant . I'm now about an hour away from it and desperately wanting something that can be used for overnighters . The only boat we currently have is a 12 foot aluminum punt with a 3.5 hp outboard at the beach house . It does the job there but something bigger is planned one day ....

I think from memory my first model was around 1986 and first full sized mini was 1989 . It was written off in 1992 and I bought the sports850 straight after so I've had it a while . I don't know why but I've always loved them for as long as I could remember , my parents had one but sold it about 3 years before I was born so it didn't come from there . I have since converted dad though and we rebuilt this Mk1 cooper S we recovered as a very rough bare shell in a barn , most of the parts used came from my stash so it was good to get to use them .

It's definitely not a show car , driven daily and a lot of fun but is genuine and mostly original .

EDIT , forgot the interior pic .

 

[American Woman]

When you rebuilt it you put the steering wheel on the wrong side

 

[sports850]

just because you lot drive on the wrong side ....

Do you all have really hard gearboxes that you need your strongest arm to shift gears with or something ?

 

[American Woman]

I never thought of that......maybe

 

[Galvatron]

sport you have a great hobby and collection there....i thought it was only my neighbour that was this mad.

as well as the mini mania he is also obsessed with the Rover SD....he runs a work shop for a living working on all cars but has many mini and Rover SD owners for customers.

The Rover SD is one of my favourites.

 

[sports850]

I've always been impressed with the River SD , nice use of the alloy V8 in a reasonably aero body (Pinninfarina knew what he was doing) . Go better with the Australian Leyland P76 version of the V8 though , 4.4 liter instead of 3.5 and can be stroked to 4.9 liter easily .

Saw a "top gear" challenge last week using one though , not a good sign when the back doors fall off ....

 

[sports850]

This isn't the full challenge and you only see one door come off , the other rear door came off previously on a rough road test track and was welded back on ... Still funny though .

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZv2zkFYn-k&feature=related"]YouTube - Top gear best challenges[/ame]


Full challenge is in 5 parts starting here ,
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4caKlzMD6w"]YouTube - The Top Gear British Leyland Cars Challenge (1/5)[/ame]

 

[American Woman]

These guys are funny Ian! I thought the car burning rubber to get up the hill was funny. That was a lot of smoke!

 

[Galvatron]

Sport i watch Top Gear every week without fail....here is a clip from one of their mad moments getting a Mini to do a ski jump with the aid of rockets

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUJwmoMtZoY"]YouTube - Mini Cooper Flying; Top Gear[/ame]

 

[sports850]

Yeah , seen the mini ski jump , brilliant though it didn't go as far as I exopected . I want to know what the budget is for top gear , especially after they made the Reliant Robyn into the space shuttle and launched it several thousand feet . We get top gear down here a year after you guy's (no fair) so only half way through last years series now , hence the Leyland challenge . I keep buying the challenge dvd's when they come out though as they have done some brilliant stuff . The Polar Challenge is brilliant .

On a similar note , get Richard Hammonds book "the edge" if you haven't read it already , gives the full story of the rocket car crash and his recovery and is written by him and his wife so you see the other side of brain trauma recovery .

 

[Galvatron]

On a similar note , get Richard Hammonds book "the edge" if you haven't read it already , gives the full story of the rocket car crash and his recovery and is written by him and his wife so you see the other side of brain trauma recovery .

Sport i will buy this book as the reviews have been great.....let me get through my Schumacher book first

 

[Ice Queen]

Well Sports, my daughter has just taken delivery of a brand new, pale blue mini - fabulous sterio system. By the way is your dog the orginal for the Mack lorries? Pixie, what is all this about having to keep fixing a Triumph Spitfire? I still have mine which was new to me in 1970. It is a 1966, Mk 11 with wire wheels. It was laid up for about ten years in the garage, then taken out, tarted up a bit and then made the trip there and back to Holland, where it has retired again to the garage until I decide the fate of the Willys Jeep, if that goes then the Spitfire will come out of retirement again. Incidentally the Spitfire is white and wears a fastback hardtop, but still keeps its soft top and toneau cover.

 

[Bobcat]

What fate(s) await the Willys?