Not just any owner is writing this, but the great racer Sam Posey.
It’s a lovely article, taken from R&T’s 1984 December issue. Posey has driven many fearsome race cars, among which were Ferrari 512, Porsche 917 & 935. Yet, like many racing drivers, his personal preference as a family vehicle is quite the opposite. But Posey maintained the fun factor is still present:
Nice ;
You have to actually drive one of these to get it , either you’ll love it and be hooked or you’ll move on .
(yes , I know this is a Riley Elf)
-Nate
My little sister’s first car, Dad, big brother,sister, her boyfriend & myself fought a losing battle with terminal girderworm.
Nice Nate, thats a Kiwi numberplate, a school friend had a souped up 1275 Elf there are still quite a few around over here.
I shared a house years ago with a Mini fanatic he too had a roadworthy race prepped Cooper S it had been lightened severely and at full noise along the twisty road that led to where we lived it really did blast you with scenery, the car had held a lap record at a NZ racetrack and none of that ability had been removed for the road, awesome weapon.
A lot of Sexton Blakes about. Coopers go for big money so make sure it’s the real McCoy.
House mate had a Cooper road car in mint cond the race S and a Ferris De Joux coupe in fibreglass,I learned lots on how to spot fakes.
I don’t get the attraction. But I’ve never driven one.
So how is a mini better than a Chevette scooter or a Chevy Sprint or the original Honda Civic or the original Toyota Starlet or the original Datsun Cherry?
Mini: 1400 lbs and 34 hp (41 lbs/hp, 0-60 in 18s, top speed 81 mph)
chevette 3door: 1900 lbs and 52 hp (35 lbs/hp, 0-60 14s, top speed 93 mph)
chevy sprint: 1400 lbs and 48 hp (29 lbs/hp and 0-60 14s, top speed 90 mph)
1st civic: 1500 lbs and 50 hp (30 lbs/hp and 0-60 14s, top speed 88mph)
Yes, but you can put a 2.8 Cavalier V-6 in a Chevette or a bigger engine in the Sprint
This DOHC 16-valve engine is well known, it uses the older distributor driven off the intake camshaft, and produces approximately 74 kW (100 hp) at 6500 rpm / 112Nm (83 ft·lb) at 5000 rpm. Redline is set at 7400-7600 rpm. Like many DOHC engines, this engine has an interference valvetrain design, making periodic timing belt changes vital to the engine’s life.
It was used in the following vehicles:
1986-1989–Suzuki Swift GTi AA33S
1989-1994– Suzuki Cultus GTi AA34S (113HP)
1990– Suzuki Cultus AB34S
1989– Suzuki Swift AC34S DOHC
Drive one. I’ve driven a Chevette and the Sprint’s offspring, the Geo Metro. No comparison. Aside from the cheeky looks of the classic Mini, it really drives beautifully Minimal motoring, to be certain, but it feels like an extension of the driver.
Road feel? You can tell what kind of shoes the construction crew wore when it laid the asphalt and whether they got a good night’s sleep. And despite being a design of the late 1950’s, it handles amazingly. With a well-sorted suspension, there is no lean and it’s limited only by the tires.
Slow? Absolutely! But the A-series is a gem and quite responsive to tuning, although originality is my preference. And, if you really have a need for more power, vtec swaps are possible.
Good grief, I’m getting old…I remember reading this article when that issue was new.
I have never driven a Mini, the closest I came was sitting in a yellow and blue right hand drive model parked in a field in a rural area outside Cincinnati around 1983…I wound up not buying it, and got a horrible MG Midget instead.
Now that I’m knocking on 50 years old, over 6 feet and almost 250 Lbs, I don’t think a Midget would be a comfortable place for me…not sure how roomy the original Mini is. I know that the current incarnation of the Mini is too narrow, and I wind up rubbing elbows with the passenger. Drove one once, and that was plenty for me.
I remember working on one in auto class in high school in the late 80’s. 2 weak and skinny high school students (myself and a buddy) were able to pull the engine and transmission out by hand with no cherry picker or other assistance. Very neat car although good luck driving one with work boots on the as the gas pedal was about 1 inch square if memory serves. I think we got these for a little longer up here in Canada, but even by the late 80’s early 90’s these were thin on the ground.