Hot Car Magazines Modded Mini - April 1968

[mab01uk]

Does anyone else remember the Hot Car magazine Modded Mini as featured on the front cover below in April 1968 or perhaps have any other photos of it? I think it went on display at the Racing Car Show in London and the object was to use as many as possible of the many bolt on items available for Minis at that time! The roof rack and style of mods are now back in fashion I think with some younger Mini enthusiasts! I was only 11 years old back then but I clearly remember reading my older brothers Hot Car magazines and loving this Mini.............when my brother moved on to Cars and Car Conversions magazine around 1970 I continued to buy Hot Car for myself for a few more years (before also moving on to CCC) and still have some copies up in my loft that I can't bring myself to part with for nostalgia reasons!

[mk1]

I travelled the same path, My Grandad used to bring me Hot Car every month & although I am FAR (Ha, ha, ha) to young to remember the Modded Mini originally I have seen a few articles about it & remember it as being truly "Bling-tastic".

[Pandora]

isn't this the car that inspires Guru to get out of bed of a morning?

[1965MOKE]

That brings back some memories, The days when we thought the Opus HRF pretty cool
Do I rmember one of the main contributers using the registration GAY40 on his cars?

[mab01uk]

That brings back some memories, The days when we thought the Opus HRF pretty cool
Do I rmember one of the main contributers using the registration GAY40 on his cars?

I remember the Opus too!
GAY 40 was Tony Bostock, the editors personal plate on his Triumph Vitesse also used in many of the 'customising' and tuning features. That reg No. must be worth a bit now if still around! Tony Bostock was also editor of Car Mechanics magazine for many years but was too ill to attend CM's 50th celebration in 2008 and sadly died soon after.

[1965MOKE]

My Dad read CM in the old days and I learnt everything I know from Barry Cade's "tricks of the trade" and loved to see the contents of his "black museum"...how do people learn stuff today?

[morris-miner]

Can you really get a Mini Jem for £350 ?!?!?!

[littler]

this is a bit scary, i baught 20 or so CCC mags and some hot car mags on satuday form a garage sale down the lane!



ORX 7F test is a pretty good read.

[brbostock]

Hi there,
Spotted this post quite by accident - I am Tony Bostock's son and I have the original pictures of the Mini published on the front cover of the first issue of Hot Car. Let me know if you would like copies and I will dig them out.

The GAY 40 registration lapsed in the late 70s (I think) when my father loaned the bike which is was on to a friend while he was abroad. The friend didn't renew the tax = no more registration.
At least that's the story I got. He was understandably quite cross. Similar plates go for around £6k nowadays.

I have a whole library of back issues of Hot Car and Car Mechanics from the 60s and 70s so if there is anything else you are interested in, drop me a line. I do remember seeing the original test report of the Moke in one edition.

Cheers,
Ben.

[rich@minispares.com]

ben


you must be proud of your dads achievements - those magazines and features certainly came from a 'golden age'

do any magazines actually exist now that tell the average man on the street how to fix his everyday road car himself???


ive got a huge pile of these mags that where gifted to me (when I was about 14) by an old gimmer who lived down the street - there where about five wheel barrow fulls of them!

my parents where less than impressed when I wheeled them all home and spent ages sorting them out into piles of titles and years

oh, and I for one would love to see the original photos of the 'tat mobile!)

[mk1]

The CCC with ORX one of the first Car magazines I ever bought. I still have it somewhere.

There are no mags like it nowadays, cos you need a supercomputer to advance the ignition timing by a degree. cars are more reliable, but less fun nowadays.

[Gray]

How sad is that I have that ccc with ORX on my desk at work too!

[BRI MK1]

Hi Ben I raced gran prix midget racing many years ago and can remember your dad very well I will try and dig some photos out cheers Brian.

[Pete]

Paddy Hopkirk posed with that Hot Car Mini (at the RCS ?) probably as it had lots of bits on it supplied by his firm! I've got some good clear shots of them together if I can dig 'em out. Talking of C&CC, anyone know if there's an archive anywhere of photos featured in the mag ? All I've heard is that most of their 'stuff' had been skipped!

[mab01uk]

Hi there,
Spotted this post quite by accident - I am Tony Bostock's son and I have the original pictures of the Mini published on the front cover of the first issue of Hot Car. Let me know if you would like copies and I will dig them out.

The GAY 40 registration lapsed in the late 70s (I think) when my father loaned the bike which is was on to a friend while he was abroad. The friend didn't renew the tax = no more registration.
At least that's the story I got. He was understandably quite cross. Similar plates go for around £6k nowadays.

I have a whole library of back issues of Hot Car and Car Mechanics from the 60s and 70s so if there is anything else you are interested in, drop me a line. I do remember seeing the original test report of the Moke in one edition.

Cheers,
Ben.

Hi Ben,

Thanks for posting information and yes please would love to see your original photos of the 'Hot Car Mini' if you can dig them out!
Also anything else that might be of interest from that great era of your dad's involvement with motoring magazines that you would like to share.

I guess you would have to find your dad's old bike with the GAY 40 registration still attached to re-claim it, there are ways to get back original numbers from the DVLA for classic cars/bikes but you need the original vehicle and some documentary evidence like old MOT's or tax discs to do it.

[mab01uk]

Paddy Hopkirk posed with that Hot Car Mini (at the RCS ?) probably as it had lots of bits on it supplied by his firm! I've got some good clear shots of them together if I can dig 'em out.

Not seen those before Pete so would appreciate any shots you can dig out...that Mini played a significant part in my early interest in Mini's and going along to that Racing Car show with my older brother and seeing it!

[brbostock]

Thanks for the info. Will try and track down details of the bike it was on.
It's very nice to know there are people about who were involved in the scene 'back in the day'.
There are so many pictures taken to support editorial in the magazine - once I have them digitised I will be able to send over any which might be of interest.
Kind regards,
Ben.

[brbostock]

ben


you must be proud of your dads achievements - those magazines and features certainly came from a 'golden age'

do any magazines actually exist now that tell the average man on the street how to fix his everyday road car himself???


ive got a huge pile of these mags that where gifted to me (when I was about 14) by an old gimmer who lived down the street - there where about five wheel barrow fulls of them!

my parents where less than impressed when I wheeled them all home and spent ages sorting them out into piles of titles and years

oh, and I for one would love to see the original photos of the 'tat mobile!)

Thanks Rich (and Brian),

I was and am very proud of Dad for what he managed with five of the national mags which he edited over the years. He got me into writing too and I did a bit for Autosport and MN.
It was fairly bizarre getting glimpses into his former life - for example, when we were standing at a bar in Pembrokshire and gentleman walked in having just driven a leg of a vintage car rally in his Austin 7 and said "you're Tony Bostock, aren't you?"
Needless to say, Dad was delighted his face was still 'known'.

The old mags are stunning, quite funny and a lot less pc than what we get now. The ads are particularly good, especially the illustrations.

Dad had a Mini in about 1995 - the only one he ever owned, but it got t-boned when he was going to collect the Escort which had the same thing done to it in the south of France.

I'll let you know if I find any Mini pics/features which might be of interest.
I seem to remember there were a lot of Minis involved in oval track racing at Wimbledon and other circuits in the 60s/70s.

I am looking forward to going through the all the issues. Hopefully there will be some more of Dad's in the mix. Last published feature I remember was him going sideways in a mk2 Golf.

Cheers, Ben.

[rich@minispares.com]

I guess you would have to find your dad's old bike with the GAY 40 registration still attached to re-claim it, there are ways to get back original numbers from the DVLA for classic cars/bikes but you need the original vehicle and some documentary evidence like old MOT's or tax discs to do it.

trouble is that even if you did find the bike and get the plate back, it would be non transferable,

so unless you REALLY want a derbi senda (or whatever ) with GAY 40 on it, its probably not worth the expense and hassle


I heard a cracking story recently about someone who 'parked' a load of valuable number plates on some mopeds as it was 'cheaper' than paying the retention certificates. trouble is the v5c's have been lost, the owner has died, the bikes have been sold and the plates are either now dead or stuck on the peds - its been a very expensive mistake as there was about 20 very desirable short numbers that are now worthless.......

[brbostock]

I guess you would have to find your dad's old bike with the GAY 40 registration still attached to re-claim it, there are ways to get back original numbers from the DVLA for classic cars/bikes but you need the original vehicle and some documentary evidence like old MOT's or tax discs to do it.

trouble is that even if you did find the bike and get the plate back, it would be non transferable,

so unless you REALLY want a derbi senda (or whatever ) with GAY 40 on it, its probably not worth the expense and hassle


I heard a cracking story recently about someone who 'parked' a load of valuable number plates on some mopeds as it was 'cheaper' than paying the retention certificates. trouble is the v5c's have been lost, the owner has died, the bikes have been sold and the plates are either now dead or stuck on the peds - its been a very expensive mistake as there was about 20 very desirable short numbers that are now worthless.......

Yeah, to be honest, the GAY 40 plate wouldn't be my first choice, personally.
I remember walking down Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, with Dad for a nostalgia tour and there was a chap there with '2B' and 'NOT 2B' plates on an Aston and a Rolls.
They must be worth a couple of quid!