The INCREDIBLE LOST Tuned Minis And Conversions - Mini Madness!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video we explore some of the most incredible and mysterious Austin Minis, Rover Minis, Morris Minis ever made! These cars go from weird and wonderful conversions like Crayford’s mini convertible, luxury Minis like the Radford Mini De Ville and INSANE versions such as the Tickford Mini and the millionaire worthy Wood And Pickett Mini built for a prince!
We cover Speedwell, Downton, Broadspeed and more in this deep dive into the history of the Mini.
I have credited where possible these works are transformative.
The best resource for Mini tuning; mk1-performance-conversions.c...
The Sporting Minis; / thesportingminis
ARonline is a great source and provided some of the images in this video; www.aronline.co.uk/
The Wood & Pickett Margrave website also provided some images, margrave-mini.com
Follow me on Instagram for more cool stuff: / tomisdrivingcars - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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I’m obsessed with mini hatchbacks. It’s so hard to believe that in the 41 years of production they didn’t just do it. Would have made the car so much more practical and would have been just great.
Tom, yet another gem of deep research delivered with breathless enthusiasm which I thoroughly enjoyed. My experience pf Minis was a ride in an early cooper which amazed all of us in the car club by its awesome road holding. I then co-drove on in the RAC rally in the dark ages which sadly collapsed on the last stage as the hydro elastic suspension gave way and all attempts of jamming it up just to cross the line failed amid much frustrated weeping! I hope you slip some of these such car vids into to dedicated ones as all are utterly fascinating.
Well done and thank you!
Rob
Thank you Rob, really appreciate the comment, I’ll look into that further!
I once got to ride in a mini with a breathed on metro turbo lump in it (it had been bored out to around 1400cc I seem to remember) was a 70s car with drums all round, certainly made it an adrenaline rush!
I'm 50 years old and absolutely love mini . I had a mini as my second car ,my first being a Morris minor 1000 . In new Zealand minis were quite common back then . When I was 20 I had a Riley elf , I absolutely drove these to the limit . And never did any one of them break down.. I would only have to replace a set of points on one. I kick myself almost every day and as I write this tears come to my eyes as I don't see minis anymore. I'd give everything I own to get a mini but people realize how valuable they are now I don't even see them for sale. I remember them in the local dump when I was in my teenage years..😢 my Riley elf could do 100 mph with it's 1300 and twin SU carbs , in England I suppose there alot easier to get hold of . But now in NZ I'd be lucky to see one. Over the years I've heard people calling them a brick. As they stick to the road . The performance of a mini is unmatched, I could get around a corner like on rails. The best car I ever owned . 100% 😢 ❤
Remember the ERA Mini from the 1980's, with the Metro Turbo engine. Was kinder to the clutch/gearbox due to it being a much lighter weight car.
But in this Video mostly everything is wrong about the ERA Turbo..
Not an A but an A+ Engine
Not bored out to almost 1300 cc -" just" a "std. Mini Metro Turbo Engine
Only the Trademark E.R.A ist used the Company behind the Mini ERA had nothing else in common with the former E.R.A
and on and on and on - sorry i kust have one downvote for this crappy fast "i must made a video asap aint nobody got time and knowledge to spot the errors so keep the in the vid" Nonsense
An old associate of mine had one it was insane .
@@10zoll some of the metro turbo engines have 1293cc not 1275...(i have a early metro turbo unit...what is 1293 in original shape)... so...they was bored one step...but from factory..nor era himself....still a original metro turbo engine with 94 horses like every stock metro turbo engine
In the 1980's I loved the Domino Pimlico and the Midas Bronze...The styling of both hasn't aged too well, but with some tasteful modifications can still look really nice in 2024.....Both pretty rare these days
When I worked at a car dealership in Chelsea back in the 1960s we took in PX Ringo Starr,s Radford Cooper Deville hatchback & I was lucky enough to use it until we sold it , also we sold Peter Sellers a New Mini Coopers with a full Wood & Pickett conversion & with a stage 2 Downton Engineering head , the car was finished in Metallic Silver with Mercedes Vertical headlights & VW Beetle rear lights .
I first drove a mini in 1960 so I've seen them from the start. I thought the clubman was a great change but the minis in this video are something else. Great research and presentation. Thank you
Love minis ❤❤❤😊 35 years ago I had an ex Wessex hill climb Mini Cooper 1360 fully raced I'm fully tuned would be worth 50 grand now part exit for a Mk2 Escort Estate xx
I knew of the mini sprint but not the mini sprint traveller that looks incredible. Amazing what a roof chop and cutting off the seems does for the looks, incredible looking forward to more on these conversions
A Mini Sprint is anything but a simple roof chop and cutting off the seems !
Just look at the distance between the frontdoor hinges and compare them.
The Engine Hood needs a small bulge because the whole Car is shorten in the hight
I first rode in a Mini when on a trip to Ireland, I was 7 years old at the time, I for some reason fell in love with Mini's and wanted 1 when I grew up.
Great little history mate, that hatchback version would have been a big hitter if it had gone into full production!
Great facts on "Mini Specials", I had not realised what an extensive list it would be.👍👍
I had a Crayford convertible, a cooper and a funked up Mini City back in the day. All made you grin like an idiot !! Awesome little cars
Look up Oscelli Engineering, Oxfordshire. Modified A Series (and B-series) cylinder heads they were best know for, as well as top spec engineering machining etc.. And David Vizard too - last heard living in USA.
Great video, I've had over a dozen Mini's. Still got two Mk1's, including a Swiftune Cooper. Always on the lookout for 'specials'.
Great videos!
For me, the most elegant were the final Rover minis.
They seemed to get everything just right!
What impressed me on the last Minis were the front mounted water radiator. I thought that was great re-engineering with much reduced size distributor behind, with electronic ignition.
They were the culmination of all those years of development and production
Just found your channel. Really enjoyed this video. Very well researched and presented. Subscribed 👍
Thanks, I really enjoyed that. Can we have a programme dedicated to Downton engineering please? Their conversions went all the way from the 850cc Mini to the Austin 3 litre. Looking forward to the special programme on Speedwell.
Great Mini conversion info Tom 👍👍
Thanks Neil, renewed my appreciation for the Mini.
@@tomdrives Stiil a great fave of mine and always will be my Dad owned 3 Mk 1 Mini 's in the 60's and a 1275 GT in the late 70's
I absolutely love your videos Tom but it saddens me as probably many people to think of how great the British car industry should have been. Keep the videos coming .off to Gaydon soon .
Thanks! Really appreciate it.
Fantastic video Tom being a mini fan myself so much amazing history there
So I really liked 👍👍
The amount of mini based kits would make a good video.
Still looking into that, there’s an incredible amount of them, some really cool stuff too.
@@tomdrives Look up the Unipower ones from mid 1960's to early 1970's. Unique, rear engines too. Sold on the mass market new, until new car rule changes.
So so this! GTM Coupe, Midas (designed by legend Richard Oakes) & many more!
Love old skool car's mate great video again 👍
Great video, few videos cover these exotic Minis. @2:46, looks like someone's dinged the grille on the Tickford.
Me : God I hate those square headlights on the new Countryman.
Tom : Hold my beer...
😂 who knew it was a throwback
Can replace them with LED ones now, in any blooming shape you want. 😎
Rauno Aaltonen BMC works rally driver once fitted an hyrolastic pump on the backseat tray for the East Africa Safari Rally one year, to pump the suspension quickly higher for tricky parts.
I could never understand why they brought the Clubman out. It made no sense to change the front when it was a hatchback that it needed (as designed by Bertone and being built by Innocenti).
Top video Tom , Thank you very interesting,
Thanks for being here as always Matthew
Last year on pistonheads i read that both Radford minis ordered by Peter sellers were for sale . The RHD sellers owned & the LHD starred in the Shot in the Dark he gave to Blake Edwards after the film finished. After the film it went to Beverly hills were Edwards & Julie Andrews kept until 09 when they sent it over here . The garage last year.wanted £155 grand for LHD & £240 grand for the RHD obviously both identical but LHD & RHD.
Well as a humble man that thought I knew alot about minis I never knew it was ADO15. Great video.
I had a mini 1275gt, w reg 1981 vintage as my first car. It was stardard apart from the janspeed centre exit exhaust fitted and in applejack green, so it stood out from the crowd. The janspeed made all the difference. It went like the clappers and at 90+ mph it was pulling for more. Loved it but some git stole it after 5 years in my ownership. Never seen it again and will never forget it. It was brilliant mini!
One of the missed opportunities by BL, was to engineer a hatchback into the rear of the Mini...
My friend use to take me out in her ERA mini, what a hoot.
Would be interesting to see a video on Mini based kit cars, Mini Marcos, Unipower GT and others, expanding the competitors to the Ogle SX 1000.
The Janspeed mini engine was Cosworth's first serious go at an engine, it was basically a pre crossflow Anglia engine with their own head (which was also raced in Anglias), it took it's inspiration from the popular Coventry Climax engine. This could be easily recreated but the original was probably raced into the ground, I would be suprised if it turned up.
07:30 - That Peter Sellers Mini can be seen with him, in the Pink Panther movie, A Shot in the Dark - the French nudist colony camp scenes, at Camp Sunshine.
ERA was originally English Racing Automobiles founded by Raymond Mays, Humphrey Cook and Peter Berthon.
Early minis have really grown on me , i never liked them when I was younger.. I've owned 2 BMW minis an 06 R50 cooper & an 10 R56 cooper S . Never gelled with either car and doubt id ever buy another however i own a 13 DS3 Dsport+ with the same N14 BMW Engine and love it & would buy another DS3. Wish I'd bought a 60s mini and squirreled it away when 25 years ago a reasonably good 1 could be had for a £1000.
Great video 👍 They definitely ruined the look of some of those minis 😂
Great mate welldone
Thanks Gary :)
I made a couple of chopped, de-seamed minis in the 90's. First was fairly crap because I was learning. Second hand a 1275gt front end and a metro GTi k series . Never channeled one tho. I wish they were still cheap enough to buy and cut up!
Imagine what could be done nowadays if they were, some amazing stuff.
I am indeed, looking forward to part 2 already.
Thanks Raymond!
I only know about a couple of mini conversions l saw a Wood and Picket mini featured on another you tube channel very nice has any other car made had so many conversations done to a car the Mini was an extremely iconic car came in a small van and a small ute and a traveller and there is one of those fast back minis in Australia
I had a standard Mini as a buzz about in the early 80's , but Me being 6.4 my legs were up round my ears an it was like the eventual Metro , like driving a Go Kart..
I also remember as a child I had a 3 mini set one of which was identical to the Peter sellers car .wish I had it now
Neville Tricket was still building Sprint bodyshells in France, I think it was, in his old age. A Mark from Yorkshire has his own social site, has one.
There was a brand new ERA Turbo in the showroom of the ESSO garage in Pershore until recently
some class there tom
Thanks Chris, they’re all pretty amazing still some to go though :)
The £50,000 1997 Mini ‘Hot-Rod’ was an interesting one
Eddie Collins came over to Wood & Pickett from Radford in the late 60’s & really pushed the brand with the rich & famous. Omar’s TV double phone mini was put together early 70’s & went back many times for more.. Wood & Pickett today is just a eBay parts firm having the name sold to a parts company in Birmingham. Twiggy’s was not a Margrave (no full dash conversion ticked but had the early & expensive lowered door handle electric windows) Like Vanden Plas the tentacles of BL Austin Rover in the form of Henlys motor group Austin Rover killed W&P & threw all the car records for the mini & Range Rover conversions in a skip allegedly. Thanks for the video.
From memory it was Moss who owned the wood and pickett name, they sold wood and pickett branded parts back in the late 90's early 00's,Not sure if theyre still related
Don't forget the Unipower GT. Not necessarily a conversion, it did use a fair amount of Mini components, and is possibly the best looking of them all.
Deep sanderson 301?
I remember a test report on the Unipower, one thing they didn't like was that stopping in town with the passenger window open risked dogs sticking their heads in.
It is interesting to point out Aston-Martin went to "mini-sized" business later, as lately as modern times, with Toyota iQ, amping it up to Aston Martin Cygnet for them quotas.
Love 'em
P.s. my Colleagues collection is/was over 25 minis..... Austin.... Morris and Innocenti..... He'd quote part numbers of all models and types at the drop of a hat..... 😮😂😅😮
Sounds like someone I know with Rover 75s!
Use to make convertibles, and mini hahas shortening to a two seater, can you remember them? I was not alone other people made them too back in the late 70s and early 80s
There's a bunch of minis with gtir pulsar engines. That's definitely madness 😂 i saw one at Santa pod that had the intercooler Infront of the grill😂
Never 😂 that sounds sick. I’ll look into that.
As surprisingly expensive as some of these cars were in their day, there are companies building bespoke minis today like David Brown that are almost if not more expensive.....almost like the price sets the level of exclusivity. Their electric minis can be £150k+
Mine was a 1964 cooper, white body, maroon roof a nd sliding windows. It went like a "Cut Cat".
My first car was a 1966 mini . Someone put a 1275 engine in it . The car was rusty and my dad wasn't too pleased i brought it . I was 15 years old . My friend and me drove it all round the villages in Oxfordshire. I sold it to buy an Escort Mk1 . Sold the mini for £200 after spending a few hundred on getting the bodywork welded . Car would be worth a few grand now . Same with the Escort i sold for £300 . You never know do you?
Was the mini moke in wiyh this lot ,u saw one in luton Sundon park
Man i had 13 minis in my youth now i look back at the price 😢😢
Hi Tom.
What about the Mini Moke ???
Ah, Minis - my subject of expertise. Anyone for a late GTM, the 12/13" 1980's redesign? I designed a different gear change mechanism for it, using hydraulics, for more rear gearbox ground clearance.
Arden 999cc Mini was quite impressive too, for the 1969 maybe 1970 British Touring Car Championship. Red lined at 10,500rpm or something, eight ported with petrol injection, if I remember correct.
I read about Arden too
@@tomdrives
👍 Hell of a little beast.
Oh yes you did not mention the Unipower GT!
allways love mini's makes me smile seeing one on the road i dislike the new mini but i suppose the owners think they are great, i did with some modification fit a k14 fuel injected twin cam lump and five speed gearbox from a crash damaged rover metro gta into an old mini van uprated the brakes ect and had loads of fun driving my bleeding quick little van for years. sadly due to family needs i had to sell it for a family car.
There was a company in essex that did 1480 cc mini engine my mate had a worsley hornet a mini based worsley it was turbo charged too man that thing was scarey as it had the original brakes it looked like a standard car apart from banded steel wheels and he thrashed the crap outa it at every traffic light lol.
Sounds like scary good fun though 😂
in the early 80's cars in new zealand (now the venezuela of the south pacific) were horribly expensive. a friend of mine and myself squeezed a 1750 austin maxi motor inc weber carbbs into a mini. 0-60 for the time was bloody awesome. top speed not so much
WHAT! There was a tuning kit for a Humber ?
Yes I agree with you but that what BMW have done with the Mini is an abmunation basikly over sized and its to see on the street as Misfit and a Mini any more.
The BMW Mini, is Rovers Mini. The R50 was nearly finished by the time of the split, now the Mini is as you say…. Massive.
are mini park lanes not classed as modded minis ??
Mini FTW
Had a Mayfair and my mate had a mini with a 1750 maxi engine in it
Bet that flew
@@tomdrives oh yes he was an apprentice mechanic in 1991 and bought a 1976 mini 850cc for 50 quid and his boss had a maxi in the yard which had been rear ended so he said giss 100 quid you can have the engine.He respray it electric blue with mini light wheels twin spots looked and drove fantastic we had off the clock on the M1 it went like a rocket👍
Daniel Downton and his twin engined Minis, called, imaginatively, Twinis. With John Cooper, who almost killed himself in one on the Kingston upon Thames bypass, then. A rusted rear trailing arm broke, and the car suddenly did an immediate left or right uncontrolled turn.
I didn’t know about this, thanks! I’ll do a bit more research into that sounds interesting
@@tomdrives The story about it is in books and etc.. John Cooper really smacked his head, bit like what Sterling Moss did once. He was out of it for quite a few days. 👍
Surprised you missed out the Innocenti Mini..........or is that in part 2?
Innocenti deserves its own video
I saw an ERA last week…
The SX1000 looks a bit like a scaled down allegro 3 🤔
I saw that as well Nick now I think about it
I had a wood and pickett mini, biggest regret was selling it, was owned and ordered from new by a cebeb b4 me 😢
Why was the Saudi mini infamous?
Do you know anything about the Mini Rolls Royce?
Are you referring to the classic mini or the new one?
@@tomdrives the classic mini.
You missed Votz.
Great video but in 10 years, you’ll very much regret having a mullet.
The original and best modified or not
These tunng experts want to stick to just that, messing with the styling is beyond their abilities. That Tickford mini is the most hideous thing I've ever seen.
I thought Kylie Minougue was the "most desirable mini"......
can't take anyone with that hair seriously. and that tickford mini, what the fuck ugly
A mini is not a saloon lol
What is it then?
It is a saloon the boot opens below the rear window a hatchback opens above the window
"AITCH" NOT "HAITCH" get yourself a dictionary.
If you're looking at the subtitles, they are auto generated by TH-cam not by me...