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Mini Cooper for ever

ALEJANDRO BOVONE
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it is not small nor too small it has the right size due to its spectacular design

I also like the modern incarnation
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Globalisation works in misterious ways. An english car made by germans with a french engine…

I love the MG, they are also a classic of the sporty design of an English car, this is an older cousin of a friend of mine in my country
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You can only know how big it is inside, when you use it hard, it is impossible to imagine its dimensions, it is big like its spirit

It was of great design, for that time and compared to the classics It was a different kind of car ,but its resident kept his English sports spirit alive

At present, there are already parts to be able to solve problems of this type.
and there are so many accessories, to customize them, without losing the essence of the car, that it is very fun to plan and carry out

Incredible that power, in a mini, with special preparation and street use, at that time the braking and steering systems were not contemplated, it was really very fast, but when braking very dangerous.
In my country a friend has a Wood & Pickett, which maybe this year is rolling again
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Edited by a mod:
 
Dogmann
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Hi all,
Well this thread takes me back a few decades to the early 80's when I was a very proud owner of a 1340 Cooper S with uprated Cam and Carb's and suspension parts to but unfortunately not brakes was so fast of the traffic lights I had serious issues stopping for the next set. Eventually sold it prior to killing myself as an 20 year old my driving was not up to to the rocket. Now the best Mini I ever owned was about decade later when I managed to find and then own a Wood & Pickett 1275 a baby Rolls Royce was it's best description all the fun and size of a Mini with the luxury of a Roll's. Those were the days well before traffic cameras when you could actually have fun in your car without losing your license or bumping up your Insurance in a single trip.

Marc
 
MRC
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ALEJANDRO BOVONE ALEJANDRO BOVONE
Incredible that power, in a mini, with special preparation and street use, at that time the braking and steering systems were not contemplated, it was really very fast, but when braking very dangerous.

But the brakes were improved all through the life of the original Mini. The first 848cc cars had single-leading-shoe 7inch drums. Later 848s had twin-leading-shoe with a self-servo effect. The 997 and 998 Coopers had 7inch disks at the front, which I admit were only just up to the job. So when the S was introduced it had thicker 8inch disks and a servo.

I never had any trouble or doubt about my S disks which I ran with DS11 and VG95 racing material but dispensed with the servo to get a better feel for competition.
 
pdxleaf
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Just brought this 2004 Cooper S home today.
Can't believe I never knew how well they handled.

20250125_172431.webp 20250125_171828.webp 01616_eyLRxHJ98gN_0ww0oo_600x450.webp


Edit: got my tags today. Looks like it was meant to be!

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Edited:
 
vbrad26
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My wife (girlfriend at the time) had the same one in yellow with a black roof while we were in college.
I drove it more than my own car at the time hah. I always loved it. Like you said, the handling! Plus I always enjoyed the little supercharger whine/
Ultimately got traded in for something larger. And she got tired of the 6 speed.
 
ghce
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I've never owned a Mini but I have had plenty of time going sideways and 360ing in them and generally having a thoughly distasteful and or exhilarating time in them.
But we all forget where they came from.

Here is it's great granddaddy.

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But Mr Austin had a change of heart and went from luxury liners to some something more affordable for the masses the Austin 7 in 1922.

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The Seven proved to be a hit with everyone from family drivers to Motorsport fans with it highly modifiable engine and chassis it really was a car for everyone.
Sevens were manufactured up to 1939 then Austin lost the plot with regards to these highly loveable cars and it wasn't until 1959 that Austin rediscovered the joys of this kind of motoring and started production of the Mini the true successor to the Austin 7.

I must admit I was a bit sickened by the thought of the BMW reimagining of the Mini but as time has gone on my thinking has changed especially as they have produced some very worthy examples, ie supercharged Cooper S with a decent manual box! One of those might have to go on my bucket list.
 
pdxleaf
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ghce ghce
... especially as they have produced some very worthy examples, ie supercharged Cooper S with a decent manual box! One of those might have to go on my bucket list.
That supercharger whine is addictive. You know you're driving something special.

The day after the show my fuel gauge was buried at zero fuel. I didn't notice it right away so found the nearest station quickly. I assumed someone had siphoned my gas, but the car only took half a tank. Uh-oh, bad gauge.

This is the good and the bad of these cars. Things break, but there's a ton of info on the internet. After getting a quote of $1k to change both sending units, I decided I'd risk trying it myself. The other good thing about minis is that there are alot at any time in the junk yard. In my case, I had 6 to choose from. I ended up removing units from three cars as practice, keeping the *set from the third car.

*set: the likely problem with the gauge is the fuel sender unit. There are two, one on the right side of the tank and one on the left. One is attached to the fuel pump and one is attached to the fuel filter housing. The likely cause of reading no fuel is the sender attached to the fuel filter, but it could be both and if you're already at the junk yard, just grab both. Fortunately, the sender units are easily accessible after removing the rear seat bottom, which easily pops out.

Point is that older cars need more work. The good thing is that you can buy a mini for little money. The bad thing is that repairs can easily exceed the cars value, which is why there are so many in the junk yard. But as they get taken off the road, there are fewer still on the road, making it more worthwhile to keep it running.

Try to find one that's been maintained and you should be okay. If not, there's always the internet.
 
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