The Register

The E-Newsletter of The Mini Register

February 2005

Editorial

We mentioned last month that this edition of The Register would be a bit different to the norm, the difference has been prompted by the fact that we are on the opposite side of the world to usual. We are in the middle of a tour of New Zealand and as a consequence this edition of The Register has a strong Kiwi flavour.

New Members

We would like to extend a very warm welcome to The Mini Register to:

Mart Tarn, Tallinn, Estonia

Mart is our first member from Estonia where he drives a Black 1985 Austin Mini Mayfair.

Kim Smith, Taupo, New Zealand

Kim's 1976 Red Clubman 'S' was built in Australia and goes by the name of Ruby, see Auckland and Taupo section below.

Jim Darville, Coulsdon, Surrey, UK

Some people have all the luck, Jim's 1959 Mini de-luxe was found in a garage. The Mk I is painted Clipper Blue and will be entering the London to Brighton, if Jim can get it through the MOT. He says it has some holes to be repaired that are more like spaces. Jim would like to hear from anyone in the Coulsden area who can offer some advice on restoration.

Pierre Rodgers, Dublin, Eire

Pierre would like our help with the history of his Mini, with a registration of JCW 702F he suspects it may have been a works built Mini, the car has been prepared for rallying with a full roll cage, 8 or 9 clocks in the dash and a navigators reading lamp, twin tanks and a rear window wiper. If you know anything of this Mini's history please let us know.

Sue, Robert, Jason and Daniel Weeks, Napier, New Zealand

This is a family of true Mini enthusiasts who use their Minis on a daily basis, see the Hawkes Bay and Napier section below.

Mike Stewart, Napier, New Zealand

Mike has his Mini projects spread around, as well as a garage full at home, he also has a collection of future projects/donor cars in his car park at work, see the Hawkes Bay and Napier section below.

Neil Tomlinson, Altrincham, Cheshire, UK

As well as this very smart 1990 Cooper, Neil is restoring a 1982 HLE Mini 1000. The Cooper has had one previous owner and has only covered 8500 miles from new so is still on its original set of tyres.

Daryl and Pauline Donaldson, Christchurch, New Zealand

Daryl and Pauline are members of the committee of the Canterbury Mini Owners Club on New Zealand's South Island, they own a very smart 1968 Australian built Mk I, see below for more details.

Pete and Noeline White, Christchurch, New Zealand

Pete and Noeline are members of the Canterbury Mini Owners Club, they own this Australian built 1976 Mini Clubman Van which has a 1275 engine under the bonnet and Kumho tyres on those wide rims, they also have a Purple Sportspack see the Canterbury Mini Owners Club section below.

Kit and Rod Power, Christchurch, New Zealand

Kit and Rod formed the Canterbury Mini Owners Club and Rod is the man with the spanners, they have numerous Minis in their collection which was started with a 997 Cooper rescued from a breakers yard, they still have the Cooper but it is in need of restoration at the moment. They also have two Wolseley Hornets, a competition Mini that Rod prepared for Mini 7 racing (which was campaigned by their son), a Mini City, and various others.

The New Zealand Mini Scene

On arriving in New Zealand, your first impression is that the place is full of the output from the Japanese motor industry with the exception of the impressive looking Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons. But then you start to notice the occasional British classic, a smart Mk I Cortina here and paint faded Hillman Minx there.

With a history of strong links to the UK a car friendly climate and no salt on the roads, there is a high ratio of British classics in daily use, the Minis you see on the road from Mk I through to Sportspack are daily drivers. Added to that a population of just 4 million in a country the size of the UK and you have a recipe for motoring pleasure, with the exception of the cities such as Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, there are very few cars on the road and the cities only suffer at rush hour times.

We are halfway through a tour of the North and South Islands and these are the Mini highlights of the trip so far.

Auckland and Taupo

It is still early in the morning on the first of February and there is a strange round yellow thing in the sky that is radiating heat, with the temperature at 4 degrees at best back home we have switched hemispheres and switched seasons. By mid afternoon we were beginning wonder if we have arrived in a Mini free zone, we had seen a number of MINIs around the area of the viaduct - home of the Americas Cup yatch challenge but had yet to see an original. This was rectified by a trip to Mission Bay where we not only had a view of the famous Auckland harbour but also every smart vehicle in the area, this is very much the motoring place to hang out with everything from beautifully prepared classic British cars through the "Style" Japanese imports with their oversized chrome wheels and even more oversized exhaust tailpipes to classic American motors burbling along with their chrome and fins.

In New Zealand, BMW only offer the Cooper and Cooper S models and there were a number of these complete with fancy wheels and paint jobs, there was even a bright Pink one. And not to be outdone, a convoy of Minis including a couple of Clubmans.

After a sail around the Harbour on NZL 41 - the New Zealand Americas Cup challenger in San Diego - we headed south across the Bombay hills to Taupo and after spotting a number of Minis on the road, we came across Kym Smith's immaculate Clubman.

As can be seen from the flush door handle, external hinges and quarter-light, this 1976 clubman that goes by the name of Ruby was built in Australia were it was released as an 'S'. As we were to find out as we traveled round, New Zealanders are seldom satisfied with one Mini in the family and the Smith household is no exception as Kim's son also has a Mini

and as you can see the standard of preparation matches that of the clubman. After an exhilarating ride on the Huka Jetboat - thanks Mark and Shona - we headed east for Hawkes bay and their annual Harvest Wine Festival.

Hawkes Bay and Napier

Hawkes Bay on the east coast of the North Island is famous around the world for its wine and as luck would have it we arrived in time for their annual Harvest wine festival where you are bussed from vineyard to vineyard so that you can taste their wares. Entertainment is laid on at some and the sun shone with the temperatures in the top 20s. Hawkes Bay is the home of the town of Napier, famous for its major earthquake in 1932 and the town that they rebuilt within two years. The rebuild was in the Art Deco period and Napier is now one of the main Art Deco centres of the world.

Napier is also the home of the Weeks family who are not only very friendly and hospitable but also Mini enthusiasts. Son Jason started the trend with his first Mini when he reached the legal driving age of 15, now both Sue and Robert each have a Mini as their daily driver and other son Daniel is preparing a Riley Elf. Sue and Robert kindly invited us to a bar-b-que to meet the family and the Minis and we had a very pleasant evening talking about our favourite subject. Jason swapped his Mini for a turbo charged Celica GT-Four but following an experiment with over-boosting the engine has vowed to return to a Mini. Sue's Red Mini 1000 sits on 10 inch ROH alloys and sports a pair of twin 1 1/4 SUs, Robert's Mustard Yellow 1982 Mini 1000 also sits on the ROH alloys but an ex-Metro 1275 now occupies the engine bay. Like most of the Minis in the area, the body on Daniel's Elf is in excellent original condition with work centring on rectifying defects in the paintwork. The forth car in the collection is a BRG round-nose with a Union Jack on the roof, the car has also benefited from a 1275 transplant and once again the wheels are 10 inch ROH. These ROH alloys are a very attractive Australian Minilite copy and are very popular in New Zealand. Robert has found that ageing Metros are a cheap and plentiful source of 1275 power plants and currently has two ready to donate their units.

4 Minis on the drive is a healthy sign of Mini enthusiasm, however one of the dangers is that one leads to two, two to three and so on, a trip to Robert's workshop shows that the bug has well and truly bitten with another seven Minis, six of which are neatly stored in a special two tier rack that Robert has made.

The seventh is a very smart Yellow Moke that Robert bought in Australia and shipped over, the Moke is fitted with a fibreglass hardtop which at one point had the spare wheel mounted on the roof, this mounting has been replaced with a perspex roof light.

In New Zealand all cars must have a Warrant of Fitness which is something similar to the MOT in the UK, but the inspection is every six months. To get the Moke through the WOF, Robert will have to fit a high level brake light. Any changes to a car interior or exterior requires a trip to the inspector.

Robert would like to fit rear seats to the Moke and would welcome any information from others who have done the same thing so if you can help please let us know and we will pass on the details.

Napier is also the home of Mike Stewart, another Mini enthusiast who can't stop at one, as well as a garage full of Minis at home, Mike has a collection of Minis awaiting restoration in his works car park.

Amongst this group are three clubmans, two made in Australia and the third imported from the UK. There are a number of differences between these with some features on the Sydney sourced cars not seen anywhere else, such as flush fitting door handles, different pressing in the scuttle panel around the wiper spindles, wind up windows with external door hinges and a different switch panel in the centre of the dash.

The British Car Museum

We have visited many car museums around the world including the Heritage Centre at Gaydon UK, the Schlump collection of Bugattis at Mullhouse and the National Car Museum in Reno Nevada, but none have had the same impact as the British Car Museum in Haumoana, New Zealand. Haumoana is a small town in the wine growing region of Hawkes Bay, as you pull up outside the corrugated iron clad building, there is a notice outside that says "Ian's Backyard", the true relevance of this becomes obvious as you enter, there are cars everywhere, literally everywhere, there is barely an inch of floorspace that is not used, rows and rows of tightly packed cars that represent the full range of British models from the fifties, sixties and seventies. For those of us who remember the original introduction of the Mini, this place is a time capsule of memories from childhood up.

If your taste in museums requires carefully displayed over-restored cars, then this is not the place for you, the exhibits look like they have been driven in off the road and parked, some after a hard life others in very good condition, each car is labeled with its year, make and model and in some cases notes of special interest.

All the cars are grouped by make, with Vauxhall, Triumph, BMC, Rover, Rootes and Ford well represented plus a sprinkling of Daimler, Jaguar, Rolls Royce and so on. In each group the lineage of each marque can be traced with Cresta, HA, HB and HC Vivas in one area, Morris Minor, 1100, Allegro, Maestro in another. The Ford section has Mk I and II Escorts, Mk I, II and III Zephyrs and the range of small cars from E93A Pop, through to the 105E Anglia.

On the subject of Morris Minors, there are no less than 30 of these arranged in three columns as well as a partially dismantled example suspended from the roof.

Our interest was however in the Minis and the collection includes 3 saloons and 2 Riley Elfs in a group with a sad looking Pickup (Ute) and what I think is a Mk I van converted to an Estate which was perched high up on a packing create.

Strangely enough, the 5 Minis in the group all wore chrome headlight peaks. One of the saloons is labeled as a 1981 Leyland Mini HL with two owners but it bears an English H (1988) registration plate, another is a nice example of a Mk II. The third saloon has got to be the focal point of the collection, it was bought new by the museum owner, Ian Hope, in 1962 and has remained in his possession ever since.

Back in 1962, when the legal tender of New Zealand was Pounds not Dollars, it was not easy to buy a new Mini. When Ian approached the dealer he was told that he had to have either overseas funds or an existing Mini, he therefore bought a used Mini for 600 pounds and took it along as a trade-in. The dealer offered two choices - 500 pounds for the used Mini or the door!. To make matters worst, they refused to sell him the De-Luxe model that he wanted even though it was in the showroom and available.

Ian took the basic model and immediately brought it up to De-Luxe specification, he also added the chrome side stripes and the spats over the rear wheels which he made himself. The side stripes where made in Australia and were available in either silver or gold and just to show that nothing these days is really new, the set included the door handle escutions. Since then Ian has continued to add accessories to the Mini including the windscreen sun peak and the draft excluders on the sliding windows. As a final twist to the saga of the original purchase, Ian's brother also wanted a Mini and purchased the used one back off the dealer for which they charged him 600 pounds.

Nelson

After a trip across the Cook Straights and a drive along the very picturesque Queen Charlotte Drive we arrived in Nelson, a port and holiday area on the North West corner of the South Island. So far on the trip, no matter how remote, we have seen at least one Mini a day on the roads and Nelson was no exception with a very smart clubman sat outside the Yatch club. There are a number of Mini enthusiasts who's youth was spent on the Lambretta scooter and I'm no exception, a trip to Lambrettas, a town centre cafe was therefore essential.

They have 4 beautifully restored machines attached to the walls and a mosaic of what I think is an SX200 in the doorway.

Nelson is also the home of WOW, the World of Wearable Arts museum, although interesting enough in its own right, the museum also houses an amazing motor museum. You know you are in for a treat as you enter to see an MG TD, next to a Healy 100/4, a Cooper and an E-type all in a row. The museum is not large but the presentation is very well done and all the cars (bar one) are in as new condition. The Cooper is a 1964 1275 S in Old English White with a Black roof and sits on a set of silver Minilites. Every aspect of the car from the paintwork to the red and gold brocade of the interior is in first class condition. The Mini is in esteemed company with a Ferrari, Masserati, Stuts Bearcat, a number of Cadilacs and a very rare Locomobile Speedster. There is also a window that lets you look into the well equipped and spotlessly clean workshop.

Dunedin

Dunedin, in the south east of the South Island is a University town and consequently quite lively at night, the locally named "Boy racers" cruise back and forth on George St in an amazing range of modified cars from a couple of Mk II Escorts through to Evo VIIs and for someone from the UK, the most surprising and refreshing thing was that there was not a single police car in sight.

We met Paul in Dunedin with his 1992 Japanese import Mini, despite being 1992, Pauls Mini is equipped with a carb instead of the single point injection. It is also fitted with air conditioning, a mandatory requirement for cars being imported into Japan. Paul's Mini is very tidy and un-modified with the exception of adjustable front shocks. Back in his garage, Paul has an early Mk I Cooper S which he is slowly restoring although he doesn't expect it to be on the road for another two years.

Canterbury Mini Owners Club

Further up the east coast and we reached Christchurch, a city we like very much. Located as it is on the Canterbury Plains, it is not surprising that the local Mini club is called the Canterbury Mini Owners Club. Daryl and Pauline Donaldson kindly invited us round to their house for a bar-b-que and to meet other members of the club and a very friendly group they are.

The club was formed back in the 80's by Kit and Rod Power and has a healthy membership thanks to the resurgence of interest in the Mini in NZ. They have a healthy social calendar with numerous organised runs as well as the occasional bar-b-que. They have also recently affiliated with the Canterbury Car Club, a Motorsport NZ recognised club which is good news for the competition minded members.

CMOC have been selected to organise New Zealand's big Mini show - The NAtionals - in October this year and are busy making preparations.

Daryl, the club secretary, has a very smart Australian built Mk I Austin Mini sitting on a set of the beautiful Aldic 5.5 x 10 alloy wheels, unusually, he has fitted a pair of Strombergs to the 1275 engine and is very pleased with the effect although it is hard to get Stromberg components in NZ.

Pete and Noeline White own this very smart blue Sportspack fitted with a full length electric sunroof. Another Sportspack belongs to Pat and Russell who have a Japanese import complete with air-conditioning.

Stuart bought this yellow Mini 1000 for his son Loz who at 15 is now able to drive on the roads in New Zealand.

Murray, the club captain, and his wife Dean own this very smart Leyland (as opposed to Australian built) Club 1275 GT Clubman on 12 inch Minilites.

Rod and Kit Power arrived at the bar-b-que in their Mini City, they kindly invited back to their house where Rod showed us the many other Minis they own

including this very tidy Mk II Wolseley Hornet that Rod is restoring following a rear end shunt, note the black paint on the shut panel behind the grill, a detail often overlooked in a restoration. The Powers also have another Hornet, this time in Yellow this is in the bodyshop at present as it too was attacked from behind. Rod is a mechanic and runs his own business and his services are much in demand in the club.

Mini of many colours

William Power, son of Rod and Kit, has used his Mini for more than just getting from A to B, within a matter of months it took on three different looks.

With the car decorated in bottle tops, including a Union Jack design on the roof, and the crew dressed as Mexicans, it took part in the Dunedin University Undie 500 a parade of motoring madness where the students decorate their cars and tour the city.

The Mini then acted as a canvas for William's students as part of an art project

Finally William entered the Mini in a local radio station competition with this design and won first prize.

Jack Daniels - The man who "made" the Mini

It is with great sadness that we heard of the death of Jack Daniels. Without Jack, the Mini would not be the car that we have all come to love so much. Sir Alec was the man with the ideas and the political clout within BMC to fashion a car that revolutionised the motor industry but it was Jack Daniels who made it happen.

We have all seen the tablecloth sketches made by Issigonis that illustrated his concepts that formed the basis of the Mini, it was Jack and his team that transformed these into the line drawings required before a prototype, let alone a production line can be started. Jack was the translator of the conceptual into the reality.

When it came to the production line, the story goes that Jack personally assembled the first of the pre-production Minis, he arranged for one set of parts to be laid out along the track at their respective stations and then fitted each component to the shell as it moved down the track. This attention to detail characterised his methodical approach and when that first car fired up and drove off the end of the line, it must have been a great moment.

Like a lot of great people who have gone down in history for their achievments, Issigonis by all accounts was a difficult man to work with and yet he and Jack had a very long working relationship, Jack acted as the interface to the great man and to the Mini development. He is supposed to have been the route that the Works team at Abingdon used when they wanted something developing.

Jack started with Morris in Oxford and worked for the same organisation right through the BMC, Leyland, etc, name changes. He became well known in Mini circles after his retirement, regularly attending Mini shows where he was always welcome and although a shy person he willingly gave interviews and sat on chat panels.

The 2005 Annual All British Motorcar Show & Swap Meet
Sunday, May 22, 2005 - Dixon, California

                Dixon Fairgrounds - Dixon, California

The United British Sports Car Club of Sacramento is proud to host Northern California's premire all British car show and swap meet. This is a wonderful opportunity to see more than 200 cars representing over 80 years of British motoring history.

Come join us for great family fun and excitement. We are sure you will have a fun-filled Sunday.

Save $10 by pre-registering before May 4th!
The All British Motorcar Show features:
FREE admission to the public 

Participants Choice Car Show:

The first 225 entries will receive a ballot, goodie bag and dash plaque. Voting closes at 1:00 PM and the awards ceremony held at 2:30 PM. There have been over 25 classes at past shows and classes will be determined by pre-registered cars.

Three or more of the same car type make a competition class.

This is not a "concours" show, but a chance for British car lovers to get together, display their cars and have a good time.

Any car could go home with a trophy. So bring your British "ride" and enjoy the camaraderie.

People's Choice Award:

One car will be chosen by all the public to win!

Special "Winners' Circle" class for previous year's winners:

First place class winners from last year's show will be featured in a special Winner's Circle area and will compete against each other. This provides an opportunity for other cars to win a trophy in their individual class.

Visit our website at _http://www.ubscc.org_ (http://www.ubscc.org/)  for on-line and downloadable registration forms.   Preregistered participants will receive special donations in their goodie  bags!  Don't feel left out - register now!

Car Show Pre-Entry: $20.00.
Or $30.00 day of event for each car.
Dash plaques to the first 225 cars.
Great new goodie bags.

Swap Meet Space:
Private Parties - $15.00 Pre-entry.
Or $20 day of the event.
Business vendors- $25.00
Swap meet includes new & used parts.

Everyone will enjoy:
Silent auction and tech sessions.
Food and drinks available on site.
Variety of British Car Club displays.

Gates open to the public at 8:00 AM.
Vendors and participants set up at 7:00 AM.
Final registration: 11:00 AM.
Awards presentation: 2:30 PM.

That's it, have a good month and let us know what is going on in your part of the world

Keep in touch

Mike Bennett
theregister@miniregister.co.uk

The opinions expressed in The Register are those of the members and not necessarily those of The Mini Register.

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