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Minis
at the Mint
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Broadcast
dates : 18th September 2005
24th September 2005 |
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One
of the great cinematic tragedies of our time is that Mr Bean
opted for a Mini as his personal transportation. For the
Mini is one of the great heroes of the Age of the Motorcar,
way above the station of Rowan Atkinson’s klutzy screen
character.
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In fact, an
international panel of motoring journalists voted the Mini
as Car of the Century.
And the most lion-hearted of all were the Cooper
derivatives.
The result is a power output of some 55 horsepower or 41
kiloWatts, some 16 horsepower more than the original Mini’s
35 horses which used the British Motor Corporation’s old
A-series engine.
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All
the original Mini Coopers in South Africa were painted a
sort of olive green, somewhat lighter than traditional
British Racing Green.
Other distinguishing marks were Cooper badging, a gold pin
stripe around the waste line, a restyled grille and a white
roof. The stripes on Patrick’s Cooper’s bonnet are
non-standard, as are the wheels, the original Cooper rims
being merely gold-painted pressed steel.
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Minis weren’t
known as Minis when they were first launched in 1959.
There were two derivatives, one called the Austin Seven and
the other the Morris Mini Minor.
Essentially identical cars, they were one of the first
examples of badge engineering, as the BMC had amalgamated
the Austin and Morris companies.
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The
drab grey colour scheme and hubcaps with trim rings denote
this car as a very early Mini, as does the badging. The Mini
Club believes it could be the oldest surviving Mini in South
Africa.
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This
masterful minimalism was the brainchild of Alec Issigonis,
later Sir Alec, who also designed the Morris
Minor.
The Mini was Feng Shui on wheels, decades before yuppies
began trading their wrought-iron beds for futons.
Turning the motor sideways and mounting the gearbox beneath
the engine made for great packaging, nippy performance and
handling in an era of really slow cars.
The Mini evolved in many directions during its long
lifespan. One of the first derivatives was the station
wagon, also known as the Countryman and Traveller, which
added the luxury of luggage space to what was a surprisingly
roomy interior.
Wind-up windows replaced the original sliding windows, and
by the time the Mark-Two version arrived, engine sizes for
the standard model increased to one litre and then 1100 cc’s.
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Mini-mal
specification made the car a great canvass for customisers
and engine tuners.
This one has a walnut dash as an excellent aftermarket item
fitted to a very potent Mini Cooper S, owned by Mini Club
chairman, Paul le Roy. And it’s one faast Mini!
The wheel arch extensions, or spats, aren’t standard
Cooper S fair. But they are period accessories, made
famous by racing and rally Mini Cooper S’s in the 1960s.
The same goes for the delectable Minilite twelve-inch
wheels.
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Minis
and competition success became synonymous when a Cooper S
won the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally in the hands of the
redoubtable Irishman Paddy Hopkirk.
The Mini Cooper S went on to score three more Monte wins,
but the French officials saw fit to disqualify the winning
Cooper S in 1966 for having the "incorrect headlamp
glass".
By this stage, Minis had become a way of life for devotees.
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Go
to Minis at the Mint page 2
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