Who are you & where do you come from?

[mk1]

Right, as things have been so up in the air for a while I thought I'd start a new version of an old thread, one that has historically proven to be very interesting & long running.

It's the perennial who am I thread. I know this is covered to some extent in the Introduction section, but as few people go there I thought I'd start a new version here, and to get the ball rolling. . . . .

I'm Mark Forster, I live in the North of England near the beautiful & historic city of York, which has been around since before Ceaser was a lad. I'm 50 now & have been into my Mini's since I was 17 or so, so that makes it over 30 years interest mainly or should I say almost exclusively focusing on the early cars from 1959 through to the late 60's or possibly early 70's at a push.

My first Mini was a Damask Red Mini 1000 that was first registered in 1973, it didn't stay standard for long & ended up as a 90 odd BHP hillclimber that I was moderately successful in. Over the years I have had a few interesting Minis including a MK2 1275 S, a Speedwell 1100, a Supercharged Traveller & a 1071S c/w Downton tuning equipment. I currently own a 1960 850 with just 17,000 miles on the clock that is fitted with an original Downton touring conversion, a 1071cc Neville Trickett Mini Sprint, a very nice historic racer / hillclimb Wolseley Hornet & I also have the original Speedwell 1275 S demonstrator LGW 123 D that is currently being restored. I have raced, rallied, Hillclimbed & autotested all sorts of Minis & have always considered myself a jack of all trades & very definitely a master on none.

I have run the MK1 Perf Cons web site since 1999 which is considered to be (not by me) the biggest public archive of original Mini tuning material & original BMC factory documents available anywhere, I know there are larger private collections, but what use are they to anyone but the owner.

As well as Mini-ing, I own a WW2 Willy's Jeep.

For the last year or two I have struggled with the Mini scene as I have watched the prices & associated bickering increase, but I have now decided that the MK1 forum & site will be a haven from such things where true enthusiasts can converse on an equal basis as long as they treat the other members with the respect they would expect from others.

Well that's me, who's next?

[Pandora]

I'm Al (Alastair Brown), I'm 39 and live in Dunfermline, just over the river from Edinburgh. I am, until Friday, an HM Inspector of Health and Safety with HSE, but am about to re-enter the real world, working at Edinburgh art college.

I am currently mini-less, and have been for the last few years, though I think I have had about 7 over the years, inclufding a '66 Cooper when they were afordable, a '71 van with a 1310 Downton engine, an Elf that was so Horrid my uncle refused to put it through an MOT for my own safety! (my first car)

I have a peculiar habit of buying old spaceframe racing car projects, usually with A-series engines and often of un known provenance, and later realising I don't have the space / skill / time / resources etc to finish them....... So far I have had 'Pandora' (also known at the Mistron, hence the 2 'nom de plume's I use on forums - rather than it being a name I go by at weekends and after dark!), a mid engined 2 seater sports racer, the Coldwell Mink F3 / Clubmans car, and the current unidentified resident of my single garage. Seems to work as a hobby, so no doubt more will come and go!

I also have a huge prediliction to oscure fibreglass

I did work for a few years in the classic car auction / sales business, so have had the chance to drive / play with a fair number of interesting stuff, but these days my young family means I am rather limited in what toys I can afford!

As well as a Midget / sprite, my current 'itch' I want to scratch is for a '60s Moke, and a Gilbern GT

Next!

[foxy52]

Hi, foxy52 here, at present in our Overstrand ,North Norfolk home though we have a place at Ferring in West Sussex ..John Coopers second ancestral home..!!!..I used to chat to john and Michael at Worthing rugby club when I lived there.... going back to 79/80 I remember having a test drive with John in a blue inno they had for sale.. a left hooker with tan upholstery..very nice !!!......... I bought a MK 2 Golf GTI instead !!! LOL from West Sussex Motors... no longer in biz !!!......cheers foxy52

[GraemeC]

I'm Graeme from the southern end if the Lake District and the fantastic roads it offers. I dabble with historic road and navigational rallying and also autotesting. I also built a 1275GT for my wife, just to make sure I can get garage time without problem
Relatively new to Minis I'm constantly learning from the local masters of my sport, some of which are on this board. I'm constantly in awe of the history and knowledge some of you guys have. I've made some good friends through Minis though but the car does seem to take over your life!

[Chalkie]

I am Stephen 22 from Kettering in Northamptonshire that's not quite that north...

I work for halfords part time, Mechanical and engineering trained to level 3/2 in both. I own a 1979 Austin Morris Mini 1000 (build late 76) Restoring to its former glory with a few little tweeks but nothing anyone will notice.

been on the forum awhile but this is more research end than talk alot but Hello!

Thanks
Stephen

[Andrew1967]

I'm Andrew, aged 45 and live in Norfolk. I work for a local company that is part of a huge international oil company. I am a cryogenic pipe work fabricator and fitter. I build nitrogen pumping machines that basically turn liquid nitrogen pumped at around 50-100psi in one end, into nitrogen gas, pumped at up to 15000 psi at the other end, that is used in the oil fields for various applications.

My interest in Minis started when I was about 9 years old, when I saw a Mk1 S belonging to the owner of a garage where my father used to work. Real 70's type S, deseamed, monotone black with Shadowlite type glass, big dash with loads of dials and bucket seats etc.

I got my first Mini, a Harvest Gold 1972 1000 when I was 16 and got it on the road for when I was 17. I sold it a year later and got a Mk1 Fiesta. UEX69L is still taxed according to DVLA but it has since been blue and currently red, so whether it's the original car or a 'tax exempt special' remains to be seen

I bought a factory monotone black Mk2 998 Cooper in 1986 for £75. It was a total shed but I restored it and still own it. I have also got a 1960 850 that I have owned for around 16 years. Next up is my '64 Mk1 Cooper S replica, aka the Yellow Peril. It's pretty much as close to a real S as you can get and is great fun to drive at a fraction of the cost. Finally is my '75 pick up, a longer term project. This is (or was) really really rough. My father owned it for many years and it was a case of I take it on and attempt a restoration or it gets cut up. I am halfway through the welding, but another pick up project ( now in Japan) and currently some house construction/renovation has put it on hold. Should get back to it in the Autumn.

Due to the daft prices Minis and their spares are now attracting, the pick up will be my last Mini to restore from scratch, although my 998 Cooper will need a body rebuild again soon to bring it up to the standard of my other cars. I am currently considering what car to look for next.

I do all aspects of the restoration apart from engine machining. Certainly keeps the costs down

[InimiaD]

Known as Dai, 55 and living on the end of the A48 in West Wales. Working as a Works supervisor in the historic monuments sector.
Started dabbling in Minis at the age of 16 and had my first when i was 18 (I think). £110 for a 64er with a 1100 motor and wider steel wheels which turned out to be a set of LP883s. Still got the wheels. Bonus.
Started stage rallying at the tender age of 20 in a 63 Morris (still regret scrapping that shell) (idiot) which was eventually re-shelled into a Clubby GT which got me many class wins and a championship win in 85. (in class) Most of the car is long gone, but the motor is still in the shed somewhere.
Had numerous Minis over the years and like most of us, regret getting rid of them, but never been without one since 76.
Currently restoring a 67 Woody, then a MK 2 S is next on the list, then a 61 Morris. I use a 68 MK2 Austin SDL as my daily and do the local classic shows and road runs.
Had a hand in panelling up and prepping a current APP K Mini for a certain Mr Owens earlier in the year which was a nice change. In fact, that car still has my heater box in it which was meant for my Woody.

[Lakeland997]

Great idea. This way if I ever upset someone on this forum they'll know where to find me!

Anyway I'm Andy (Walkingshaw) 48 years old from West Cumbria (the real North of England Mark ).
I run a Volkswagen and Kia dealership here (but wait...) as I grew up it was a Morris/Leyland garage and I owned my first Mini 1000 at age 16 and several more after that. I briefly had a Mk1 Cooper but sadly scrapped it when I discovered the floor was made of fibreglass and air. At age 20 however I made amends by fully restoring a Mk2 S (VHN909G where are you now?)

After a 20 year break from Mini ownership, and a very brief fling with a 1950s Beetle, last year I bought a 1962 997 in bits. You can see more details elsewhere on the forum. I'm trying to keep my sons involved to encourage a new generation of classic Mini fans.
Since then I have also acquired a 1966 Rally prepared shell from a real gentleman on this forum that I intend to build up as a historic rally car and a 1977 1275GT as a daily runner that will hopefully be back on the road soon. But be warned, I can't seem to own a Mini without modifying it. Now that the forum is safe again I'll try to get some pictures and details up on those two soon.

[Richspec]

Another Cumbrian here!
Richard, 40 years old Weather Station technician for Vaisala covering Manchester to Glasgow area with overlaps to my colleagues to the north, south and east. What this means in the simplest sense is that I maintain the roadside equipment which provides the councils and local authorities with road temperature data (& other stuff ) over winter so they can decide to grit or not.

I've had minis since my first car when I was 17, always having at least one, with many abandoned projects along the way.
Currently have three and I can't see this changing much now. An '88 Red Hot track car with Vauxhall XE power and lots of trick bits, a 63 SDL with the 8 port and MS fuel injection and the '65 Bitsa which is in build. We've always had a selection of nice engines from turbo's to Vtec's to superchargers and 8 ports, but not both of the latter at the same time, yet

I've been active on many mini forums for too many years and moderate on 16vminiclub, through messing with these tin boxes I've met some great people and long may that continue.

I also run our local classic mini club and have done for around 15 years now.

[almondgreen]

Hi,

I am Andreas Klein, living in the middle of Germany, 44 years old, driving Mini since 1990.
I have 4 children and in the moment I am at home as a houseman....
I own a 1971 MK III Mini with many modifications and a 1971 Mini Pickup, waiting for restoration since
1994....
Im a very interested in classic Mini Tuning and have a nice little collection of brochures from Speedwell etc.

[Red Mist]

Enjoying reading this thread!

My name is Neil Kavanagh, 28 years old, from Dublin, Ireland. Always fancied a career involving cars, but have worked in radio since I was 16!

Been a car fanatic since I can remember and bought my first Mini at 19 (a Mini 30), which consequently got written off after a week! Had a modified '87 City after that followed by a modified '91 Cooper until I decided to build a historic race car in 2006. Raced that until an incident in 2009 - when I decided a pure racing car was not my idea of Mini ownership - and bought a '64 road car instead to which I fitted my race engine! The car has just been rebuilt and I plan to use it for weekend blasts, track days, and the occasional historic race.

I've definitely become a bit of a Mini snob over the years, and generally don't look twice at a Mini now unless it's 60's, or a race/rally car! If I had more money (radio doesn't pay as well as I'd like!) I'd love to have an Appendix K Cooper S in the garage along with a standard van or pick up for the road.

Who's next?

[cpr1]

Hi everyone, Raymond from Malta, 44 years married with 3 kids,work as an automechanic got the mini bug about 20years ago, also collect automobilia at the moment i have a 62 Cooper, 65 Cooper S 1275, 1980 Van, 60 austin mini, escort mk2 a 1954 BSA 500 shooting star and a couple of BSA Bantams. all of these need restoring.

should any forum members be in sunny Malta, will be happy to meet for a beer

Cheers Raymond

[billycooper]

Billycooper.... My names not Billy or Cooper !, billy_cooper is my eBay name, and up till very recently I sold 1/43 scale models on there. The name came from when I started to drive and the local fuzz nick named me that, in the late 70s early 80s when running a Mk 2 Cooper 998 I seem to get a lot of attention from them, constantly getting '5 day wonders' and being pulled up for noisy exhausts or even once a noisy straight cut box ! .... There was a few of us that used to terrorise the town and the fuzz all gave us nick names .... Those were the days !, a slap wrist and off you go again.

So my name is Steve Murphy, 51 years young , Worked at a BLMC / Austin Rover dealer from 16 years of age till it all went pear shaped, now a sales exec at a Peugeot dealership in Kendal, which is where I live also. Into motorsport and currently hill climbing a Subaru Impreza WRX Ra (sorry) just wanted something really quick before I got too old !

No Minis at present, sold my last one 8049SR 1071 S in 2011, but looking for a another project Mk1,
Also owned among others CTD469E works replica Cooper S used for Classic rallying in the 90s, car now in Germany I'm told, and VTV587J Cooper S again used on classic rally's, winning the Devils Own outright in 2000, and hillclimbs, I also ran a very successful mk3 in the 80s, constant top 15 results in stage events (when there was 100 entries in those days) car (and driver !) had a lot of input from the late great and a big local hero Dave Metcalfe, works Vauxhall driver and his team at 'Atkinsons Motorsport' here in Kendal, and was a real RS2000 / Sunbeam eater.

Also competed in a 1973 Escort Mexico in historic stage events, winning my class on the Manx in 91, as well as owning such diverse cars as Serra Cosworth / Cavalier GSi red top (better than the cozy) / 205 GTi's / an old 911 / BMW cooper S and of course countless Minis used for road / rallying / hillclimbing / auto testing and anything else I could do with them.

Mk1 minis with competition history interest me the most, my father rallied A30/A35/A40 and Coopers in the 60s and supplied a lot of ex Abingdon gear through a BMC dealer in the lakes he worked at, I got my first Mini at 15, we built a 998 Cooper with a few tricks on it ready for when I was 17 although I didn't start competing in Motorsport till I was 20, girls and beer had my interests before then ! , ... Nothing's changed there then !

I have pics of all my old cars on my Flickr site, as well as ex works cars, and old BTCC pics, probably seen by most of you already

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16788879@N02/sets/

[ronie]

Hello.

My name is John, I'm 38, and I live in Athens ,Greece. I work at the Swedish Embassy.

I started my Mini life with a red 1979 Ini 850 fitted with a 1000 engine 20 years ago. I have been through a lot with that car. It was my only vehicle for over 10 years. I am on my fourth engine and third gearbox. It now looks (sort of) like a pre-66 mk1 racer and is used mailnly on trackdays.

I have just finished the restoration of a 1961 Austin Beach Car prototype I found in a scrapyard a few years ago.

My curent Mini project is an Authi Mini 1000 Van that belonged to Olympic Airways and that was stationed in the old Athens Airport. It will be finished in a few months time.

I am very much into classic cars in general, so I own a 1962 Lotus Seven, a 1968 Citroen DS Safari, a 1974 Alfa Romeo Gt Junior and a 205 GTI 1.9. Before I became a father I used to participate at various regularity rallys as well as trackdays and autotests.

I also have a soft spot for vintage small frame Vespas, owning more than 30 of them.

I love Classic Car Shows, Meeting, Races, gatherings as well as touring Europe to attend events like Classic Le Mans.

[YMJ]

male
50
married + two boys
former full-time professional footballer, now a sports physio attached to a Premiership club and live on a farm somewhere in West Anglia
tit about App K racing when I can afford it and buy and sell Mini parts
have always been doing up Minis since I was an apprentice
first mini 850 MkIII ARK 482H in white
second mini 850 MkII VBM 561G in blue
third mini 1000 MkIII CNM 668Y in harvest gold
fourth mini Cooper 1275 S AppK racer YMJ 681 in tweed grey (formerly a cherry red 850 that my dad used to race up to 1965 - see avatar)
also owned a black minivan hearse with crimson padded interior which caught fire in 1986....'cannot remember the plate!

[abri]

Hi all, I'm Abri, aged 33, from Cape Town, South Africa. I am a technician at an environmental research institution monitoring climate change. I have always liked minis and got my first one, a 1098cc 1975 Mini deluxe in 2006.

When that one was written off after a drunk driver crashed into me, I promptly replaced it with one of the same which I had resprayed back in its original colour.

I then moved to California for three years and left minis behind until I discovered the Mk1 performance conversions forum and site. This caused an intense interests (some would say obsession ) with Mk1 minis and learning about original SA specs.

Since returning to SA, I've had a 1965 Austin Mini 850, totally original while using the 1098 as a daily driver. That was until I had my first taste of 1275 power in the form of a yellow 1275E Clubman. Lovely car with mint interior.

I sold the 850 sadly due to lack of space when I bought two late 1966 Austin Cooper S's. At the time I wanted to use none of the Mk1 cars as daily drivers because I was too scared of letting them stand in the rain at work every day. Cape Town winters mean rain all the time and minis rust to bits here faster than anywhere else in SA.

I currently still have the two 1275 S's and my latest acquisition, a 1963 850 which I recently put back on the road. I don't have space for more than 3 minis where I live, so the 850 is now what I use every day. I'm considering some mild mods to it to give me a bit more power. The one "S" is for sale.

This forum has been instrumental in my development as a mini nut, so like everyone else, I am extatic about Mark's decision to keep it going. Thanks to everyone for making it a great place to learn.

....next...

[surfblue63]

A lot of people on here have met me, but for those who haven't I go by the name of Stuart. I'm an exiled shandy drinking southerner who now reside up north. My trade is in HVAC, commissioning and validating clean rooms. These days though I try and avoid work and buy and sell model cars.

My car history started with VW's, learning on a 1971 1300 Beetle in 1981. I've owned loads of air cooled and water cooled VW's over the years, but gave them up in the early '90's when home buying and my son became priorities.

My first Mini experience was my mothers Mk3 1000 Auto. It didn't last very long after I had a go in it and wrecked the forward clutch trying to spin the wheels in it.
My next Mini experience was when I went into a Dutton Forshaw showroom in 1985 and traded in my Alfa Giulietta for a brand new Mini Ritz. I kept it for 8 months and 14,000 miles. I found it to be a laugh but to small as an every day car. I replaced it with a rather nasty MGB Roadster



Next Mini thing I brought a Wolseley Hornet in 1987 to teach my then girl friend to drive. It only cost £140. She passed her test after about 6 months and it was sold and replaced with a '72 1200 Bug.
Fast forward to 2007, and I started looking for a car for my son to learn in. I found a Mini Sprite on Ebay for £1200. After picking it up a driving it I was reminded of what a laugh they were.

My other hobby is taking snaps of cars when I'm at shows, you might have seen the odd picture posted on the forum from time to time.

I go to events almost every weekend and can usually be spotted by my hat and camera covering my face.

[pad4]

Pad4 here or Paul Davenport as Im known to me mum, 43 and oop north in Bolton

Have a business making Polycarbonate windows for race / rally cars , its a crappy job as im always having to go to M Sport, Prodrive, AMG , mess with group b cars, historic stuff etc...

First mini was a 1975 1000cc in Glacier white which became red n white with a few mods here and there, sadly Tin Worm got the best of this which was replaced with another Mk3 - found in a scrap yard with no engine , everything indicates it was a mk3 S apart from log book which says its just a mini 1275 - still have this car which will be next years project

Had about 6-7 other minis , all mk3s over the years in various states of tune

Had a break from minis from about 13 years ago when i started the business untill I saw RMR666H which just kicked it all off again , learnt to drive a mini again and was hooked, Ive added a few more to my collection and now have

1970 Mk3 historic rally car (now in need of TLC)



1971 MK3 Cooper S - Std black road car



1971 MK3 Cooper S - 8 port FIA historic rally car (ex keith bird)



1972 MK3 Cooper S - Project track day


1973 MK3 mini 1000 De Lux - factory fresh std car



At some point all but one will have to go as i have a thing for Metro 6R4s but i'll never be
without a mini

Pad

[Chris64]

Hi all,

I'm Chris, 33 from Gloucestershire. I work as a Geographical Information Systems specialist for an Environmental government quango. I'm a complete petrol head, interested in all aspects of motoring, moderns, classics, motorsport, etc etc. I had my heart set on a Mk1 Mini as soon as I passed my driving test, swayed by their rallying pedigree, kart like handling and design purity. The search for one was somewhat quicker than expected as I did the thing you are never supposed to do and bought the first one I saw, a 1964 Super Deluxe. It was just what I wanted, an honest little car with new front wings, sills and a fresh coat of paint but with plenty of scope for improvement. It's also my first and only Mini and I still own it sixteen years later!



It was my only car for some 4-5 years and was pressed into service straight away and tasked with taking me and my belongings up the M6 from Worcestershire to Lancaster University every term. It wasn't long until I realised the old 850cc engine (a goldseal replacement) and drum brakes were barely up to the challenge of daily driver duties so as a summer project back in 1998 I think, my Dad and I bought and rebuilt a 998cc Cooper engine and Cooper S disc brake set up so it goes a bit better now.

After a few more years of daily use and a new job with a longer commute necessitated something more modern (two Mk2 Golf GTIs followed by a Lupo GTI and now a Bora V6 4motion since the children appeared) and the Mini was retired to more leisurely duties and a full restoration a couple of years back. Now I tend to use it for sunny days, shows and the odd autotest etc. Since having two children I get a bit less time to play but my eldest daughter loves the Mini and hopefully my new baby boy will end up as a petrolhead too - they probably don't have a lot of choice!



Like Neil K said above I'm probably something of a Mini snob too and only really interested in pre 1980s Minis and not really involved in the Mini club scene - apart from this website of course which covers everything about Minis I love - the rallying and racing history, the personalities involved in it's development, period tuning etc.

Cheers,

Chris

[bryan]

Im very old, 61, been retired for years but do various bits and pieces, and live just north of London

First Mini was my mothers - a '66 Island Blue Morris DOT 433D which me and my Dad supercharged for her. She didnt appreciate it, and she drove his Rover 2000TC from then on !

Next was another Mk 1 Morris, a '61 MOT failure which cost £10, but it was MINE! I welded it up, fitted Cooper mechanicals to it, then a tuned 1275 engine. Kept the drum brakes....

Next, a written off '68 Mini 1000, CNO 323G, which I stretched straight between two trees, and a 1380 on twin 1.5 SU's engine went in that. I sold it to my sister....

A '71 1275GT , JUK 201K followed. An absolute beauty,one year old, 6000 miles, in bronze yellow. I thrashed it mercilessly for 3,000 miles, overheating it constantly. I then bought an Elan and got hooked on those.

Many years later, in the early nineties I bought a white, black roof one owner '63 Austin 1071S, 4420 PF, with under 30,000 miles on the clock. Mini Machine freshened up the body. It was perfect, Why did I sell it, especially to Sussex Sportscars, who bought it unseen. I think it went to Japan.

Last year, the Mini bug bit again, and I bought a fantastic 24,000 mile one owner (but very rusty) Almond Green Morris Cooper 970S BFX 322B, which Fred Waters of Nippy Cars restored for me. What a brilliant Mini specialist he is.

Delighted the forum has a future. Thanks for that , Mark.

I wonder if any of the above are known?