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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มิ.ย. 2024
- The Mini Cooper is one of the greatest performance cars of all time - and today on Twin-Cam, we're looking at the last of the original line - a 1970 Mk3.
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I was a partsman for a dealership in Princeton NJ
We had a mechanic whose dream car was a Corvette. One day he did a tune up on a Mini Cooper S.
We were on a V in the road and the service dept used the road behind us for road testing. It included S turns and little traffic
He came back from the road test and took down his Corvette pictures ;)
The Mark 3 Mini doors were lifted straight from the 1966 Elf and Hornet! Later Mark 3's had a cheaper EN16T crankshaft rather than the proper EN40B job, but they retained hydrolastic and the 130 mph speedo as well as the black vinyl trim on the dash top rail and A pillars. Still a slightly sorry effort when you look at the Innocenti Cooper 1300. They were so stylish and nicely trimmed.
Hydrolastic is superb when a pair of front dampers are fitted. Standard Minis went to rubber cones with the 1969 Mark 3 but Clubman saloons/1275GT's retained Hydrolastic until mid 1971 when the last Cooper S was built.
The Innocenti 1300 was a class act. They also did a different bodied one too, not sure they did a 1300 one in that though.
The Innocenti Minis are brilliant. There is one locally to me. I need to do a video on one someday!
They did do a 1300 into the rebodied car, but it wasn't a Cooper spec engine. Plus, they were heavier and had a higher centre of gravity.
This is another class video. You capture the essence of the Cooper S so well and power to weight ratio that makes the car so fun.
Thanks Chris :)
Thanks for the memories, great review.
I had a 1968 mk1 1275 Austin Cooper S and it was the most fun car I've ever had. It had the factory fitted bucket seats and a sun roof. It cost me £525 and was just under 3 years old when I got it in 1971. It only had 17,000 miles on the clock.
I met my future wife while I was driving it in Southend and we will celebrate 50 years of married life next year.
I think I would have still kept it some ***** hadn't stolen it. Never saw or heard of it again. TGO744F if anyone spots it.
I've had a Morgan and a Lotus Cortina and have driven Ferraris, Aston Martins, an E Type Jag, a D Type Jag, a few Mustangs, a really quick Chevy Camero and umpteen other sports cars and none of them were as fun to drive as the Cooper S.
Around the streets of London, there was nothing to equal it.
Mind you, it was a bit of a pig in the wet.
In 2000 I moved to Thailand for 16 years and classic Minis there are very very expensive, I’d go so far as to say there is a much bigger Mini scene in Thailand now than there is in the UK, though they are nearly all Automatic and with Air Con, a number of export Mini did actually have Air con from the factory. They are hugely popular. I went to a car show once in Bangkok that had the most amazing classics in mint condition including Gull Wing Mercs and classic American cars etc and the car that got the MOST attention by far was a Mini Pickup, the Thais were fascinated with this mini pickup, which actually had been retrofitted with a Daihatsu turbo engine, as is also very common in Minis in Japan. Japan has a Mini scene too, they love Mini in Japan.
Indeed. The JDM Minis all had air-con, so many so that loads have ended up coming back to the UK. Plus, the Innocenti Minis were eventually fitted with Daihatsu engines, so I suppose all the engineering work to make it fit and work was done back in the '80s!
@@TwinCamwow, you truly know your stuff and I a deeply impressed. As great as the A Series engine can be, to drive a Mini fitted with the 660cc Turbocharged 4 cylinder Daihatsu engine is an unforgettable experience. The 3 cylinder variant has slightly more torque, but the 16v 4 cylinder is so so smooth. Of course if I owned a classic Mini today I would not swap out the A series, myself I’m fanatical about originality in my cars.
There used to be plaza or hotel at the end of Khao San Road. The owner had some great cars. Could be gone by now, this was twenty years ago. It used to be a treat to mooch down and see what was on display. Gold Corniche convertible, which must've cost a fortune in Thailand, Healey, mainly British stuff. They used to wheel out a powder blue mini 850. It was perfect. My first three cars were minis. First was a C reg. 850. Then put a 1300 engine in it, which was not reliable, then I found a hot, low mileage 1100 engine, bunged that in, and loved it. My next was a T reg 1275 GT. Tidy, but not as quick as the 1100, even after I spent money on the engine! I rolled it down a Welsh hillside, ruined it, listening to ACDC, but I got out without a scratch! As a result, I now drive a Jag and listen to Dean Martin. My favourite mini was my Mums. S reg clubman estate that I had tweaked. The longer wheelbase made it more chuckable. I Learned to drive in a mini, learned how to do a handbrake turn, etc, and how to drive in snow. I'm currently looking for a nineties Cooper that has not been tarted up. Love your work!
The grin on your face tells us everything we need to know about this little gem! Great video Ed keep them coming buddy 👍
Thanks Ray :)
Well done, Ed. I agree with you about this one. The only change I would make is to get North American front seats. They were equipped with head restraints beginning in 69, as mandated. Much safer. Other than that, it is perfect. By the time I was really aware of cars we were getting into the black bumper era, so 1974ish, when I was about 13. I remember going to the International Auto Show in Toronto in 79, I think it was. Mini was still being sold new. The sales rep's face was a sight to behold when 6'3" me got behind the wheel and my 6'5" buddy got into the passenger seat. Just for shits and giggles, I got into the back seat behind the front seat set for me and I fit!! I was sold. Unfortunately I was not yet in the market for a car, and by the time I was, they were all gone. Brings back lovely memories.
You just can't beat one, plus, I think the best advert I've ever seen. A 1275 GT just sat in a studio, with the line 'You don't need a big one to be happy' ;)
As a one time friend, the late Frank Carson, would say -'It's a cracker!'
Though one of my major disappointments was in a hydro Cooper when it collapsed on the last stage of the RAC Rally, they were fun and fast.
But what makes you so different from any other reviewers/testers is your sheer visual and unbounded enthusiasm and enjoyment, as well as giving a balanced view. Yes the practiced and scripted enjoyment of the Top Gear reviewers, for example, may make amusing comments. without undue sycophancy, you come across as an honest enthusiast. I always get to the end of each of your videos wanting more, so you are also obviously well aware of the marketing/PR mantra of building episodic anticipation and excitement! Ed you are a motoring Dickens or Christie who were also masters of leavings followers panting for more! Roll on next Sunday! Oh, and thanks!
Tony
Thank you Tony, that's exceptionally kind of you to say. It means a lot :)
I feel your passion Ed !, as a young apprentice walking to work past a main franchise Oliver Rix Leyland Dealership in 1971 , there was a Glacier white Cooper S Mk111 , in there for months , its tyres were deflating and always seemed to be a permanent battery charger lead into the boot, then the car was pushed to the back, totally unloved.Your video has reawakened that longing to have been able to afford it more than 50 years ago !.
I'm glad you mentioned the fact that so many earlier Mini's rode on hydrolastic suspension. It's almost forgotten about with the newer generation.
I think a lot of people look at the Hydrolastic system with trepidation, because they simply don't understand it.
My dad worked for a BMC dealer in the 60s and 70s I used to spend a lot of time at the garage , my first car was a 1973 mini clubman . I loved it . I still love the mini’s . I’m amazed with your knowledge for your age . I want a Cooper S 😁
Thanks Glenn :)
OMG. back in the late 60's I so lusted after Cooper S.
How nostalgic. I lived with Grandma in Ludlow. Grandma loved Mini-Coopers: she had four of them in succession, not the ''S'' but the 998 c.c. Cooper. She thought the ''S'' was a bit too ostentatious for a Granny in her mid 60s. I learnt to drive and passed my test in one. It was white with a black roof and the registration number was FAW921D. Fantastic road-holding esp. on twisty, hilly, muddy B roads of South Shropshire. Brilliant bit of kit.
In 1983 my brother bought a Mini Cooper. First thing we did was thrash it up the Burway and over the Long Mynd!
I noticed the car featured has hand controls, great to see adaptions on non main stream cars
Always more of a challenge on a classic but well worth it. All of my minis have been done 👌
Big shout out to Alex at Classic Mini Details channel for supplying the Mini!
Probably the best mini Cooper, Mk 3 review in the whole world, thus far,
It certainly indeed, is my favourite 🚘
Well Done.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks mate, very kind of you to say :)
Reminds me much of my old Mini Cooper S that I bought in 1969 it was a green and white roof Mk 1 with the 1275 S engine. It cost £270 as I recall. I rebuilt the engine after having it bored out to 1340cc. It was a very quick car especially after I renewed the jets and needles in the SU carbs. Unfortunately it met its end in a farmers field. I see that they fetch crazy money now! John
Great vid. My red John Cooper was AMAZING and I regretted selling it almost immediately.
If I ever get the money I’m getting another. H153 WMB was the car that really cemented my love of driving for pleasure. I love these cars.
I thought it looked to be riding better than a normal Mini, then you mentioned the Cooper S hanging onto its Hydrolastic suspension and suddenly it all made sense. Great video Ed. Love your enthusiasm for the cars you review, not to mention giving them a fair review, rather than resorting to the usual tired old clichés. Yours is one of the most unbiased reviews of the landcrab I think I’ve ever seen. Great stuff.
Thanks Andrew, that's very kind of you to say :)
Alex Moulton developed the cone suspension for the original mini and the hydrolastic as a refinement - he went on to develop small wheeled bicycles based on the same principles which I’m a fan of - no need for padded pants riding one of those 😉
I got one of the last MK3 Cooper S models in 1972 and it had dry cone suspension.
@@beachcomber1able Not standard fit. All Mk3 S came from the factory with Hydrolastic.
@@TwinCam I'm sure the last batch that left the factory had dry cone suspension to save cost over the hydro elastic. I was there as I got it for my 21st birthday 🎂 😄
Love the colour of this mini. Great review again Ed. You could feel your joy when you were driving 🙂
Thanks as always Phillip :)
I had a 1970 Mini Cooper ’S’ in the same colour, but no sunroof. I bought my Cooper ‘S’ in 1974. Over the next 4 years I upgraded my Car to 100bhp +. My car was bore out to 1398cc. I never raced or rallied it, but stripped out the back seats and other unneeded trim and what else wasn’t needed. Removed Cooper ‘S’ badges and left exterior as started. Joy what memories.
Another superbly professional video. Your genuine enthusiasm is infectious.
Many thanks.
Thanks Paul :)
Everyone should drive a classic Mini at least once in their lives. My first car back in 1983 was an Old English white 1966 mk1 850. I absolutely loved it. Stuck a skimmed MG1100 head (12G295) on it, a Reece Fish carb, QL5000 drive couplings, and drove the wheels off it.
Brilliant video as usual Ed, love the sound of the twin carb A series, and the look on your face as you opened the taps in second gear, no BM Troubleyou will give you that.
Thank you for another great video about Minis 😇😇
Thanks mate :)
Raced ministox when I was 16 and had an 850 on the road in 1994 that got ragged! I’ll always love minis, such fun to drive
You do such a good job of these videos. So informative. So enjoyable.
Great video! I feel similarly about the Mk3 S, it's so unassuming and combined what were arguably the best bits available for the UK-built minis at the time. That said I wish the UK factories could've taken a leaf out of the Australians' book, as their Clubman GT was probably the best all-round Mini ever built... Clubman front, factory wheel arch extensions, lairy stripes and GT badges, roll-up windows and quarterlights (but still with external hinges!), burst-proof door handles, built-in headrests, upgraded dash instruments and controls, and best of all, full Cooper S mechanicals and hydro suspension underneath. Not to mention generally superior build quality! I'm not sure if many if any have been brought over to the UK, but I've seen a couple in New Zealand and wish I could own one someday, probably the only classic Mini that I'd consider swapping my modified Mk1 for.
Thanks mate :)
The Aussies certainly did their Minis right. It's amazing in retrospect that Minis weren't standardised across the world, but it is BL we're talking about!
I think an AU-spec Clubman GT is a car I'd really like to own, alongside a German-spec Innocenti Cooper 1300.
I had two Mini's and I loved them both. Even now, many years later, I remember them fondly and would love another. Not sure I could get out of one so easily now 🤣
Great Video as always. I grew up with the Mini Cooper in the 70s. My Mum and Dad had a 1969 model White sides and black roof, bullet wing mirrors and large flick switches inside. My Dad had a Sony TMF 8800 pull out radio fitted under the dash very cool.
Unfortunately by 1975 tin worm had got the better of it and my Dad traded it in for .......... no kidding a Reliant Regal my Mum went nuts!
Thanks Darren :)
Another brilliant video of an equally brilliant Mini.
Cheers again folks!
Good to see the younger generations enjoying these and learning about them too.
I learned to drive thrashing my Mum’s 60’s mini traveller (woodie) and my mate’s mum’s mini 1000 around the back roads in 1980, and owned one myself briefly some years later. Never drove a Cooper though.
Brilliant things in all their flavours.
There's a huge community of young folk with Minis, they're just unfortunately turned away by the attitudes of many of the traditional clubs. The owner of this car is 26!
Excellent little Video Ed, this little mini sounds beautiful and can see that you enjoyed driving it.
Great video Ed! That engine is obviously addictive to rev, we can see it in your grin. A fantastic example too, looks great in 70’s orange too.
Thanks David :)
You're brilliant!!! I love your enthusiasm I feel it because I adore 1275 mini so so much myself I agree with ALL your words mate !!!!!
Oh that sound takes me back, been a while since I had something with twin carbs, glorious and addictive. I guess it's something frowned upon by certain people these days but you smile paints the picture of the joy these things and others bring and what we don't see are the smiles on peoples faces as you pass them by. Getting accosted at a set of lights by a couple of fellas going on about the car and how long it had been since they'd seen one with my 3 20odd girls in back thinking it's just an old car, what's all the fuss about and that was in a ordinary looking 90's motor with a V6 (in Police use trim level), of which there are few left. Brought smiles to the guys faces and mine. Can't put a price on that feeling, my girls were and still are oblivious as to why I have them, same with my boys. Think you need a mini Ed! Great vid, keep them coming 👍
Thanks Jo, very kind of you to say :)
I had a non-Cooper mini from 1969 with an identical sunroof and flip-up full width blue visor, but so much of the roof had been cut out to accommodate it that the rigidity of the body cage was compromised. It also had a 12-inch steering wheel for turn-with-a-flick cornering. I just couldn't help grinning when I drove it...
Great video!
Always learn a lot from your videos. It’s fascinating to see cars that were never offered for sale in the US.
Your presentation is excellent! You should be on television. 👍
Thanks mate, very kind of you :)
Excellent video, Ed. I had a '72 Clubman in Bronze Yellow (my first car). I did most of my own servicing, but if I needed more help, I went to a mechanic called James Ritson, who moved to Australia (I'd like to get in touch). He had a black Mk III Cooper S that he was restoring. He'd finished the engine, which remained 1275cc, but he'd lightened the crank and other components wherever possible. In the meantime, he put the engine in the work's Minivan, which he did let me drive. OMG! What a fantastic power-to-weight ratio! I'll never forget it. My nan had a J-reg Teal Blue Mini Clubman too.
Thanks mate :)
The joy you had driving this was just beyond the scale. I hope you squeeze enough £££ from your channel to finally buy one of these as it's definitely the love of yours. Good luck and give us more fantastic videos as this one💪 I also hope the cold-hearted insurance people/robots will let you properly drive all the cars you introduce us to🤞
Oh, and just a tiny edit: I see a bit of me in you. I love cars, I graduated from journalism and PR and desperately wanted to work in the automotive industry or media. Yet it was a time when here the automotive press was declining, the PR was rather uninspiring marketing (tried both) and the TH-cam was just a few too many steps from becoming a thing for car geeks. So I ended up at the university instead. Love my job but also love watching passionate guys like you that keep carving their own paths in our beloved ground. Good luck then. And on that note, sorry for too many unnecessary words from me
One day, hopefully!
As for a Mini generally, it will definitely happen!
Back in the day a lad I apprenticed with had the bonnet of his Mini painted with the Meatloaf Bat out of Hell record cover. Pretty awesome.
Another great, informative video Ed. Cheers.
Thanks John :)
Thanks for another fantastic video, your enthusiasm has inspired me to read some of my Mini books again. You have to love an A series and gearbox whine.
Thanks David :)
Can't beat it.
I owned 3 minis in my life (a cut and shut mk1 and 3), a 1275GT and a late 80s 1000, and oddly I can remember the smell of the interior and the engines as I watch this video 🤣
Love your content and editing. I just picked up a Jensen Healey and I'm in love. I think you'll love reviewing it and the Lotus 907 engine is poetry in motion (even though it managed to sink not one but two companies).
Another brilliant video featuring minis, I know both of those cars well, they are both beautifully presented.
Thanks Paul :)
My first car was a BL Mini Clubman estate
1100cc.
Bulk standard, 1979, Loved it.
Excellent as always. Really well researched and presented. I love the Classic Mini Cooper and own an R56 2012 Cooper S,
Thanks as always :)
The induction note on that is glorious ❤️
good to see the clothes peg trick still going strong
I really need a Mini in my life. Actually, we *all* need a Mini in our lives.
This.
So-o-o-o agree with Ed about swapping out an 'A' series, especially from a Mini. Its mid-range grunt and willing nature are essential elements in the car's character - and, on sports air filters, that wonderful intake 'snore' never gets old. Also agree about Hydrolastic. I had a 998 Cooper Hydrolastic and, while it was lees sharp than cones, I loved its suppleness. A much better set-up for UK roads.
I am very much now of the opinion that peak Mini is with twin carburettors and on Hydrolastic!
I remember we had in a company I worked for a mini van with a 1.2 litre engine. That was a hairy little beast and 3rd gear had to be held in with the stick to stay in gear with that awful gearbox running in the engine oil in the sump. I once delivered some cast iron fire casings in the back and it was so overloaded you could turn the steering wheel with a finger when stationery. Those were the days. Massive fun to drive.
I prefer the original one! Each to his own! Back in the Seventies we looked at Clubmans with contempt without realizing how much more sensible they were! When did you last see one! Admittedly Hydrolastic was an improvement!
I love classic mini details cars..
Alex's cars are to die for.
When we moved to South Africa in '75 my father bought a Mini 1375GT it was fun ro drive.
Thank you for sharing another great and informative video....please keep up good work!!....cheers !
Thanks Fred :)
What an awesome car the Mini is, it’s always been my favourite small car, I’ve driven one just round a car park when it was quiet and I still smile now thinking about it! So I can well understand how you feel about that Mini.😀
It’s on my “bucket list” to own and drive my own Austin Mini once I get enough funds together.
Thanks for sharing this vid, the car, and your enthusiasm with us Edd, looking forwards to your next vid. 👍
Thanks as always mate :)
Ridiculous power in such a small car.
Great presentation as always.
Thanks mate :)
Wow, I have driven lots of minis but nothing like this one. There used to be a book on tuning the A series and it described how to build a 100 hp one. TH-cam brings it to life..
I had an '85 Mayfair while stationed in Germany in the mid '90's. Last year for leaded fuel car and no "Cooper", but, still the most fun of the 26 cars I have owned. Would love an old Cooper.
It's been a long time since I've seen someone using a clothes peg on the choke knob. Took me back a bit. Great review.
Thanks Mark :)
Didn't have his handbag ! Lol.
Superb review & beautiful looking Cooper S. As a child of the 70s I really only remember the 1275 GT, due to the decals, as you say.
Thanks mate :)
That exhaust note! :)
Lovely Mk 3 Mini Cooper S Ed your face says it all so much fun to drive👍👍👍👍
You just cannot beat a Mini.
Another cracking review Ed. Back in the 80's I had a very tired R plate 1000 and I mean tired. The bodywork I was mostly made of what was left of steel resembling lace with a lot of P38/P40 stuff to hold it together and the engine mileage must have been wound back a few times. My second Mini was a Clubman 1100 Estate with the faux wooden bits, still with the 10" wheels and drum brakes all round. It was a far better car in every respect. It went well, handled brilliantly and the body wasn't completely infested by metal moth. In short is was brilliant. Yes I must be a tad potty but I'd love Mini Clubman (or classic front) Estate / van or even a pickup with a breathed on Cooper MK3 engine in it and I would me grin with a smile from ear to ear every time I'd drive it. Thanks for sharing Ed, another top video.
Thanks Anthony :)
I really do believe everyone should have a Mini!
You have to love the growl off the old A series engine and the transmission sound. These are the proper minis .
Can't beat it. Best sounding engine/gearbox of all time.
I think BMC sold the last Cooper S models around 1970 with a discount, and I was tempted, already having a 1275cc engine built into my former 1966 BMC 850, with nearly as much power! But it was a car which was absolutely, absurdly, bad produced (even from the corners of my frontscreen, it leaked in water!) and paint peeled off round the outside hinges. The window frames needed a knee between the body, to be bent in to meet the rubber seals around, being ½ cm out, with a lot of - extra noise.
So luckily I didn't waste my money, but bought a new 1970 BMW 2002, which was a proper built car in every way!
Minis were poorly built, but to be fair, in 1968 a Cooper S only cost £921, while even a boggo-spec 2002 was up at £1597!
Another great Mini video Ed. At the time I couldn't believe they brought out the Clubman without a hatch, I couldn't see the point.
Marketing, I can only imagine. Easier to promote a new front-end as being a new car than actually implementing any expensive new features. Ask Ford, they managed that for years!
Excellent presentation well delivered iconic car and colour….
Thanks Michael :)
I really enjoy this channel.!
Thanks mate, very kind of you to say 🙂
Have too differ with you on choice of the “best” Mini Cooper S models, my favourite is the Mk2. Although still having the drafty sliding windows , it already had the larger rear light clusters , but also retained the ever practical door pockets and the hydrolastic suspension. The badges also added to the racing pedigree of the Cooper S models , particularly on the Morris badged models. There used to be an advert for Dunlop Formula 70 tyres with a white Morris Cooper S with customary black roof tucking into sharp corner, proper Mini Cooper territory. When Lord Stokes at BL got rid of commission based advisors such as Daniel Richmond , or royalty earners like John Cooper , they inadvertently took away some clever marketing, notably “Win on Sunday sell on Monday “attitude. Their success in motorsport in the 1960s speaks for itself , but taking away that “specialist” activity, they became even more mainstream , sales dwindled and Ford took the mantle in the 1970s with introduction of the Rally Sport (R S) brands particularly with the Escort and needless to say , look how their motorsport success and consequently, sales went during the 1970s ! Another missed opportunity by BL
I do like the Mk2, and the more time that goes by the more I appreciate it.
I think that although I like the Mk3 the most, the Mk2 is still ahead of the Mk1!
It's an interesting topic the racing, because I don't think anyone would argue against the fact that Ford began selling performance cars because of the Mini's success!
Back in the early 1970s I had a friend who owned a 1275S, what a car! I owned an MG 1100 at the time, it had the wet suspension and was a great, though rather slow car. I now live in rural New Hampshire USA, a Mini would be perfect here.
The 1098cc engine was torquey and quick too. The later clutch and 12" wheels with fresh rubber tyres helped a lot too
Super interesting! She's certainly different to the mk1 but much more usable, certainly in the warm weather 🤣
Bugger. Just realised I didn't namecheck your channel in the video. I'll post a pinned comment.
I see Mini, I click Like!
That sound is unmatched!
Can't beat it.
I'm an American who was saddened when both the 3000 A-H and the 1275 Cooper S were stopped importing in '68. But that Clubman was always ugly to me and I remember when it came out. Great video, though!
We hand wind-up windows in our Minis in OZ from about 65-66 in the new model,the Mini DeLuxe and the Cooper S'.
So did the UK from ‘66, I just phrased the video incredibly poorly 😅
While (I think) all Aussie Minis had wind-ups from that point, only the top of the range Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf did over here, and as they have a proper boot and different front-end, they’re rather in a different category to the ‘traditional’ Minis 😅
Nice video thanks.
Thanks Paul
Love love love. My favourite car
I watched in rapture as I recognised where you were filming. Firstly the static scenes were just by Bredbury Hall, at the end of Dark Lane a national cycleway. Then you drove along the A560, past Woodley precinct and towards the M60 in Bredbury. This is the back yard of High Peak Autos who feature the area in their videos. More power to your elbow, love your stuff. Hope you enjoyed your trip to Stockport East.
This is what hooked me on this channel. Ed and I live just a few miles apart, and so his videos mainly feature places with which I am very familiar. In fact, when he posts pictures of one car or another, I try and figure out where he took it, then go and recreate it, just for the geographical test. Unfortunately it never looks quite the same with a MkI Skoda Fabia.
Best car I ever owned was a 1963 Mini (the one with that oar for a gearlever) with a standard 850 gearbox bolted under an 1155 Morris engine. I added a Weber and oil cooler at a later date.
A blue with white roof one (bought new) was the family car back in the day (my dad's final fling with nearly ten years and three previous Coopers and Cooper S's before me and my brother couldn't fit in the back any more), so a real blast from the past for me. I remember a mechanic who'd just serviced it referring to it as " ... a very hairy little motor". However, I distinctly remember it as having chrome badges on the boot, not the typically Leyland one on this example (I can't picture the bonnet, but it wasn't the badge seen here).
In that case it must have been a Mk1 or Mk2 Cooper :)
@@TwinCam Indeed, you are correct. I actually remember the plate - VVB 542G, so it was a 1969 MkII. I always had the impression that it was the last revision and that it was among the last made in 1969-1970 (ETA - possibly overheard dad saying it was the last of the *type* and assumed it meant of the Cooper S - I was nine at the time), didn't know they carried on until mid-1971 (I've never seen one of these 'Leyland' badged ones until now).
I used to have the best Cooper s they ever made.
It was the 1071 Cooper s and how I wish I had it now!.
Incredible, iconic car, as racing car made by Issigonis since 1959, I think! Cheers Fabrizio- like 97
I see, I click like, I watch. Gud vid 👌👍
Love that colour
Great Video on a brilliant little car, best wishes from the BGT.
Thanks mate :)
Great video and I agree the Mk3 is the best - I own one! What Ed doesn't say is that they only made 1,500 Mk3 Cooper S with about half exported and half registered here in the UK, making the Mk3 Cooper S just about the rarest Cooper S (other than the 970S homologation specials)
What a great watch, one of my favorite cars out of the UK ever. No speeding tickets... lol
Thanks as always Mike :)
@@TwinCam Great watch, love minis.
I loved my 1275gt... and then I grew up and replaced it with a Fiat 128 3p coupe. Wow... now that WAS the pinnacle!!! ;)
I do love a 3P. One went through a Car & Classic auction a few months ago. So cool.
Me and my father built what we thought the mk3 s should have been.
Black white roof and 130bhp.
Still have the car although uts not driven much these days
From the mid 1960's,the mini cooper 's' was used by the New South Wales Police Force (Australia).
Mr Twin Cam in Australia the wind up windows came in the early 60s and l do agree the greatest decade for cars was the 1960s to the early 1970s and the mini one of the most revolutionary cars ever made and the transverse engine and front wheel drive are part of the norm every Jspanese South Korean Chinese manufacturer does it although there were front wheel drive cars around before the mini but they were fone with longertudernal motors but the mini changed all that as for the 100hp from this sweet little mini what a pocket rocket puts a smile on your dial
Indeed. 1965 I believe?
The first UK Minis to get wind-up windows were the Wolseleys and Rileys, in 1966, but for the general range, unfortunately, it took until 1969. When the British Mk2 Mini was launched in 1967, road testers complained at the lack of wind-ups!
@@TwinCam The issue with the sliding windows made the minis easier to steel l think the adoption of wind up windows a lit bit harder to steel and there are vehicles that you can still with wind up windows in Australia the the Suzuki APV van and the Toyota Hilux ute workmate the poverty spec Hilux
Always liked the minis but I think that has more to do my fascination with gokarts. Still I’ve seen some with a Honda swap and that’s really what I’d be interested in. Maybe someday.
Nice outro!
What's going to happen to the cats when you leave?
Also: Waking up at 9.30 am! What has happened to you?!?
These and the vw bug and camper have done well the year and kept price well
You should look into the Australian Cooper S, MK1 to the end, Wind up windows with quarter lights, production ran until 1971. Even though prod was flipped to "MK2", it was a MK1 shell.
Indeed. Aussie Minis are exceptionally cool, though my choice would be a GT with the cool decals down the bonnet and onto the wings!
For a while the NSW Police used them as pursuit cars; they could hide in the bushes unseen to motorists and zip out after you like a scalded cat. That's how I got my first speeding ticket at Gundagai. In the end the NSW cops gave them up because the hard suspension was giving the poor dears back problems (that was their excuse anyway). I think they really just wanted to tool around in big wallowy Fords like the American cops they saw on TV. Incidentally my first car (and the only new one I ever had) was a Mini 1100. I loved it, but had to sell it in the end because those little wheels could not handle the corrugated and potholed outback roads I was driving on then.
Great review (as usual), but I'd pick you up on just one point, which is in any case just a matter of opinion - namely describing the A-series as one of the all time great four cylinder engines. As a design, I don't think it's that great, particularly in the bore/stroke ratio (yes, I know there were some oversquare versions), combustion chamber design and siamesed ports. Ironically, I think it is regarded as a great engine simply because it had the luck to have been used in the Mini, which was such a great car. Had it only appeared in the likes of the Minor and the Austin 1100 I don't think it would have been regarded as anything other than a competent design for its era.
Thanks Roger :)
The A-Series on paper may not have been anything special, and certainly before 1961 it wasn't special, but the way it was developed by BMC and its advisers made it among the most characterful and most flexible engines available.
By the metric that it's nothing special, almost no engines available in standard road cars would be considered 'great', barring a few like the Honda S2000 engine.
One of the reasons that the Mini range sold so well was the hero car status of the Cooper S. Buying the Cooper name was a very good investment. Removing the association with Cooper may have been a good idea for the bean counters in the short term, but it was a very bad decision for the company long term.