Classic 70s Mini cooper as a quirky hobby car?

[petrolhead611]

I grew up around those nasty little cars, sister had an ex-track Mini 999 that I put back to street legal for her, and my mom had an 850.I raced a Mini Marcos, more about that anon.They are all real puddle jumpers, and they rust even faster than they leak oil.
The power of a 1275 can be hiked right up simply with a Cooper cam +1.5 roller rockers, a 1295G head(ie Cooper S), an LCB header, and either an SU HS6 carb or a 45DCOE Weber. Hi-Lo suspension helps on the corners, and a beam rear axle instead of the rear subframe will make it dig in at the front even more whilst saving a lot of weight. All the parts are available off the shelf in the UK, but I don't know on your side of the pond.
The Mini-Marcos was a fibreglass monocoque 4"longer than the Mini,available to simply transfer all Mini parts directly into. It was more aerodynamic, a lighter , and of course the shell disdn't rust..One finished Le Mans in 1966. They are being remade now apparently.Mine was sold to Japan, after having attained a hilllclimb class record therein.

[Rickysa]

Here is mine....1275 w/ webasto roof

soon to be for sale, but haven't researched prices yet

[VincentVega]

I really want one. I've always liked the simple nature of them plus the slow car fast thing. I've only driven one and it was a bit of a rattle trap but I still should have bought it.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Rikao4

Sis had one in HS..
she flogged it and it was difficult to kill..
remember all 4 of the ground..
coming over a crest in VA..
good times..
saw one last wk..
folks slowed down..
lots of horns and thumbs up..
or giggles..
folk seem to know / recognize the real thing..

Rika

Originally Posted by nota

rode in a 67s 1275
and a older 1100 cooper s
back in the late 60's a bit

the 1275 is the one to get
they are much quicker

anyway there are very few usa 70+ mini's
even less in the tropic's as they do rust
so no idea what a newer 1000 is like
but rust free is an ideal and swap in a better motor ++++

Someday we need to have a haiku battle between these two. That is all.

[J P Stein]

I had a 65 Mini S for a couple years ( My dad bought it new).
It was a hoot to drive.....even as it fell apart. The problems were numerous and mechanical support was lousy.........I never should have sold it.

[Mark Henry]

I remember as a kid watching the mini races at Mosport, crazy fast for little cars.
Buddy had one, different, but in many ways a lot like my bugs.

[Charles Freeborn]

I would LOVE to attend this race in person!

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

Why not get a 911? I hear they are pretty good...

I'm guessing you are joking because I'm pretty sure there is a huge $$$ gap between a 911 and a vintage Mini.

Never driven a Mini but for a hobby car I would love to have one (or a bugeye).

[Charles Freeborn]

Mini and AH/MG are two very different animals - fwd vs rwd. Bugeyes are dang cute, but rare and pricey. OTOH, sprites and midgets (same car) are pretty get-able. Lot's of racer parts for them too.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Charles Freeborn

Mini and AH/MG are two very different animals - fwd vs rwd. Bugeyes are dang cute, but rare and pricey. OTOH, sprites and midgets (same car) are pretty get-able. Lot's of racer parts for them too.

Duly noted... I'm a few years form getting a "hobby car" and I'll see what the market is then... when that happens most likely be looking at something German over a English automobile.

Having said that if I stumbled over a sprite or midget at the right time/price I would be tempted... but probably not as tempted at the posts I see over at the "affordable 996" thread.

[Charles Freeborn]

Or... expand the horizon to a "former" race car like a Huffaker built one... If there's enough paperwork available to get it tagged on the street again, boy howdy would this be fun....

Buy new Huffaker Midget SCCA HP/FP Road Race Car, MG Midget, Spridget, Sprite in Rogersville, Missouri, United States, for US $42,500.00

I actually know who bought this car. It's still a race car that he's set SCCA records in against modern cars.

[VincentVega]

Originally Posted by Charles Freeborn

I would LOVE to attend this race in person!

wow, thats exactly what I love about racing. Thanks for posting.

[911SauCy]

Buy a roller. Add a 'Busa engine.

[reachme]

my neighbor has a bunch of early Mini's and he loves them. Put a V8 with a G50 trans in one and it goes like a raped ape!

[rcooled]

For a really quirky hobby car, how 'bout a twin-engined Mini? Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars brought this one to Monterey Car Week a few years back.

[WPOZZZ]

Awesome at autoX.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHtgXi-B9dA

[Rtrorkt]

Originally Posted by rcooled

For a really quirky hobby car, how 'bout a twin-engined Mini? Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars brought this one to Monterey Car Week a few years back.

And according to Wayne who i talked with at the Tiny Car Show in Pacific Grove that year, this design nearly killed John Cooper. Accelerator is actually two small pedals side by side, with the ability to give one motor more gas than the other. oops

[targa911S]

Originally Posted by Charles Freeborn

Mini and AH/MG are two very different animals - fwd vs rwd. Bugeyes are dang cute, but rare and pricey. OTOH, sprites and midgets (same car) are pretty get-able. Lot's of racer parts for them too.

I started this project last October. Not running no brakes bad tires. Sunk about $2K into a $3K base and I have a great little fun car to drive that passed PA inspection for about $5K. You can't even buy a rusted 914 for that kind of money. Parts, stock and racer, are readily available and very affordable.

[J P Stein]

The old Mini had a few handling "quirks".......I found most of em' without damage. All in normal street driving. There were a few very near things, however.

[petrolhead611]

If you found handling quirks in a car that was first released in 1959, imagine you would have become very dead in any contemporary car trying the same manouver. Those things would run rings around other cars, and because they were so short, you didnt need to worry about what the tail end was doing, you just concentrated on getting the front round the corner which with good throttle control ,was a relatively easy thing to achieve