website for Jeroen!

[Jack of all trades]

http://www.minilove.info/mcvi.html

Maybe there's one he missed before

[AMCO72]

I just LOVE the Sabrina looks like something off the streets of India !! The Unipower GT is still way ahead of the rest of them, which are all quite frankly hideous. Just leave Issy's design alone please.

[mk1coopers]

I just LOVE the Sabrina looks like something off the streets of India !! The Unipower GT is still way ahead of the rest of them, which are all quite frankly hideous. Just leave Issy's design alone please.

I really hope your not including the Sprints in that comment !!!!

[AMCO72]

Yep....they look as though an elephant has sat on them!!!!! I say again....leave the original alone.

[mk1coopers]

Wash your mouth out , it would be a boring world if we all liked the same things

[AMCO72]

Mk1coopers.........at 72 years of age my mouth has been washed out so many times that it is squeeky clean!!!! I am very happy for you that you like the minisprint, and as you say it would be boring old world if we all liked the same thing. However I cannot see the point of this customising craze that the original Mini in particular suffered from....lowering the roofline, sometimes dramatically, and shortening the body, sometimes dramatically. Lets take the minisprint which you are so fond of. Was the idea to save weight? You loose about 1/4 of the glass area which certainly saves a bit of weight, but not much. Everything else is pretty much the same, so not a lot of gain there. A lowered roofline would improve the air-flow over the body a bit. The screen is still at the same angle though, or very close, so not much improvement there, as the front and grill are the same. With the lowered roof it becomes quite a mission to get comfy inside, certainly for my 6ft 2inch frame, with a helmet on, unless you sit on the floor. So maybe it is just the human thing to change what was a perfectly ok design just to be different, and stand out from the crowd. Do all the minisprints win their races against 'regular' minis because they are so swift through the air? I doubt it. The Broadspeed was another customising job that I think looks frightful. But that is just me. I wonder if you own one of these things? You sign yourself Mk1coopers......which I presume means you have one of the original cars, and I'm sure you would not contemplate a roof chop on that. So 'viva la differance' mk1coopers. Have a nice day.

[Pete]

[quote="AMCO72"] You sign yourself Mk1coopers......which I presume means you have one of the original cars, and I'm sure you would not contemplate a roof chop on that. [quote]

Errr.. bit late for that !

[Pete]

So maybe it is just the human thing to change what was a perfectly ok design just to be different, and stand out from the crowd. .

I'm not a fan of Minisprints per se, especially when the're all out of proportion as so many DIY jobs tend to be but a proper one like Trickett's or S&A to me look absolutely right, in fact if you look at a proper one that's all in proportion long enough the standard Mini actually starts to look all wrong in comparison !

[AMCO72]

That must be my trouble Pete.....I haven't studied one long enough to appreciate its subtle curves and lowered stance. Actually I have never seen one in the flesh, unlike the Broadspeed, so I must be talking through a hole in my head.

[guru_1071]

amc


i can tell that you have never driven or sat in a sprint.......


mine accomodates my 6 foot frame with ease, its a very very comfy car to do long distances in (ive done over 600 miles in a weekend, and ofen use it week in, week out for comuting to work. the only thing it does struggle with is three up when going to the pub, fortunatly mark f is a little 'un, so we can jam him in the back seat!!!

the only real problem i have in mine over using my standard car is been able to view traffic lights through the screen, that and running out of petrol because the gauge doesnt work....


the lowered body makes a massive difference to the wind, try this, fit a roof rack to a standard mini and strap a big trunk to the roof, now do 70mph on the motorway........


....makes a huge diference!!!!


mine will sit at 70+, returning 40+ to the gallon - the difference over a std height mini is staggering


unfortunately since day one people have fiddled with minis and chopped and hacked them about - its this versitilty which has made the mini the success that it is today.

i honestly dont think that ive owned a bog std mini

[Pete]

amc


the lowered body makes a massive difference to the wind, try this, fit a roof rack to a standard mini and strap a big trunk to the roof, now do 70mph on the motorway........


....makes a huge diference!!!!

The Status 70's kit car should go like a proverbial rocket then ! That's if the bonnet doesn't blow off !

Have to agree with Rich, I was a passenger all the way back from the 2009 Goodwood Revival in Mark's Minisprint, all five hours of a journey or whatever it was and was perfectly comfortable. I couldn't stand up for a week but that's not the point ! We weren't hanging about either, I think Mark's got the mistaken view that's it's so short it goes under radar guns !

[JC T ONE]

We weren't hanging about either,

I think Mark's got the mistaken view that's it's so short it goes under radar guns !

another bonus, to the owner of a proper Sprinted Mini

[mk1coopers]

Lets take the minisprint which you are so fond of. Was the idea to save weight? You loose about 1/4 of the glass area which certainly saves a bit of weight, but not much. Everything else is pretty much the same, so not a lot of gain there. A lowered roofline would improve the air-flow over the body a bit. The screen is still at the same angle though, or very close, so not much improvement there, as the front and grill are the same. With the lowered roof it becomes quite a mission to get comfy inside, certainly for my 6ft 2inch frame, with a helmet on, unless you sit on the floor. You sign yourself Mk1coopers......which I presume means you have one of the original cars, and I'm sure you would not contemplate a roof chop on that. So 'viva la differance' mk1coopers. Have a nice day.

@ AMCO72, Pete is right its 40+ years to late for one of the cars thanks to Mr Trickett , but I don't think I'll be chopping the S anytime soon , in answer to some of your points, measuring the screen angle I got around 35* on the standard car 46* on the Sprint (it's a GTR cut with a full size screen and no roof gutter), mine is stripped to the bone inside, it never even had carpets back in the day, just black paint, though it does now, the sides and back screen are plastic, it may also be the only one built from new with a fiberglass front (early composite technology ), when I put it on a weigh bridge it came out at just over 600KG, a usefull weight saving I would say, it's only a 998 (Taurus tuned), but trust me it's quicker than a comparable 998 Cooper. At the end of the day we all have different tastes, I don't particularly like the Sports Pack (Moonbuggy Pack ) on the later cars, but some people love them, my original comment about the Sprints was tongue in cheek, but to me they are one of the nicest conversions because they still look like a Mini, and that's the most important thing to me

[AMCO72]

Pretty soon I'll be so full of holes from being shot down that there will be nothing left.....and that will please plenty of people. Hows the weather in the UK at the moment. I hear its been very cold, but I hasten to add that's only what I've heard, so is probably wrong.

[mk1coopers]

19 C today and sunny , seriously though, no one is doing any shooting at you, this forum is just not like that, it's great to have input from everyone on the little box we all love so much, people are just posting about their experiences owning and driving Sprints, and I'm sure there are members that have Broadspeed GT's and other conversions that don't like the other cars in the first posts website link

[Pete]

At the end of the day we all have different tastes, I don't particularly like the Sports Pack (Moonbuggy Pack ) on the later cars, but some people love them

Amen to that, they do look they've overdosed on steroids.Forget the 'Paul Smith', they look like the 'Fatima Whitbread' of Minis !

Back to kit cars, that Biota is certainly one ugly b****rd ! Closely followed by the Fletcher ! (sorry Paul !) . Best looking plastic Mini ? Big soft spot for the Jem, Unipower and the lovely Aurora (not in that list sadly).

[JC T ONE]

Anorak/bonus info -

The Unipower on the site, was owned by the gentleman to the right in the picture (behind it)

His name is Simon Lee, and he was the Cheif engineer, when my car was rebuilt/converted at JanSpeed.

The Unipower now lives in Japan.

[Jeroen Booij]

Hey, thanks Jack. That's very kind of you.
It's a really great overview isn't it?
Not so sure about the Sabrina though!

[Jack of all trades]

Jeroen,

Glad you like it, as there are some that aren't in your book maybe you learn aswell.

The Sabrina is not my cup of tea either and as far as i know it's a one off (thankfully).

And i don't know what to think of the Banshee, it looks like a Unipower without the roof.

Thank god we all have differend taste!!

Jack

[Pete]

When Noddy decided to build his own Morgan.........

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Mini-Cooper-S-/1 ... 2c63bf38f3