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175 bhp Minis!

post #1 of 15
1/23/07 at 10:35pm
Thread Starter 
This one is for GetSmart...must be an absolute blast - or like trying to hold on to a team of deranged shire horses!
http://www.gomini.com/fs/vtec/vtec.htm
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post #2 of 15
1/23/07 at 11:59pm
I went to GOMINI a couple years ago. It was run by a guy named Bobby Pack. They had two cars that were built by an outfit in Britain yet said they built them. They took $5k of my money as a down payment on a car. After 8 months and NO CAR, I had to have my attorney interject. Bobby Pack is know in the Mini Community as a con man! Check out MiniMania.Com and search the forum. I ultimately got my money back (yet some folks did not). I have had a couple Minis...Currently I have a 64 with a VTEC. It has about 165bhp and yes it is a blast!
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post #3 of 15
1/24/07 at 1:35am
Wow, I want one really really badly. I will run my altima into the ground first though.
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post #4 of 15
1/24/07 at 4:06am
Weren't the old Mini Coopers famous for their rallying powers?
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post #5 of 15
1/24/07 at 6:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LabelKing
Weren't the old Mini Coopers famous for their rallying powers?

The Mini Coopers pretty much vaulted to fame in 1964 when Paddy Hopkirk won the Rally Monte Carlo. I believe they won the rally two more times in the 1960s in addition to many other rallying wins over another fifteen or twenty years.

They didn't do so badly on the racetrack also. The cars are genuine killers.

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post #6 of 15
1/24/07 at 1:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Full Canvas
The Mini Coopers pretty much vaulted to fame in 1964 when Paddy Hopkirk won the Rally Monte Carlo. I believe they won the rally two more times in the 1960s in addition to many other rallying wins over another fifteen or twenty years.

They didn't do so badly on the racetrack also. The cars are genuine killers.

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+1

I may have also mentioned it before but not only did my aunt have a Mini when I was growing up, my dad used to rally them on an amateur level when he was young. Those little bastards are perfect for stages like in Cyprus that are tight, twisty and technical. Just hold your foot down and turn the wheel!
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post #7 of 15
1/24/07 at 1:33pm
that's badass!

a guy I know of locally only rebuilds 60s Minis....I think he'd be interested in your link.

alas my Cooper doesnt have nearly that pedigree being a modern BMW production, but it gets me around well enough.
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post #8 of 15
1/24/07 at 2:07pm
My GF wants one.
Could someone who owns one elaborate on why it is a blast to drive?
Is it really fast 0 to 60? Does it have really great road holding? Is it rear wheel drive? How is the steering, is it really tight or light and rubbery like most modern cars?
What about gearshift? Is it short throw and precise. Does it have drive by wire with a big delay or is it really responsive? Thank you.
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post #9 of 15
1/24/07 at 2:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dkzzzz
My GF wants one. Could someone who owns one elaborate on why it is a blast to drive? Is it really fast 0 to 60? Does it have really great road holding? Is it rear wheel drive? How is the steering, is it really tight or light and rubbery like most modern cars? What about gearshift? Is it short throw and precise. Does it have drive by wire with a big delay or is it really responsive? Thank you.
Frontwheel drive, very compact lightweight and agile. The first succesful example of a modern front-wheel drive vehicle. Sir Alec Issigonis was involved in a few of British Leyland's projects but this was the culmination of his genius. I am sure a few people here can tell you what the modern Mini One that was manufactured up until I think two years ago drove. Hell, I'd buy one if I came around it but I cannot fit my kendo gear in it (same reason I did not get a Miata )
Quote:
Originally Posted by Get Smart
that's badass! a guy I know of locally only rebuilds 60s Minis....I think he'd be interested in your link. alas my Cooper doesnt have nearly that pedigree being a modern BMW production, but it gets me around well enough.
I'd still consider one, Jason. Those are nice; as long as most of the reliability problems have been worked out they are a treat.
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post #10 of 15
1/24/07 at 2:59pm
would someone please dispel the rumor that minis are unsafe in collisions?
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post #11 of 15
1/24/07 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renault78law
would someone please dispel the rumor that minis are unsafe in collisions?

I don't have a link handy but I do remember a JDPower safety report citing the new Mini was one of the safest cars on the road, in case of collision due to a steel rollbar construction or some sort.
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post #12 of 15
1/24/07 at 3:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renault78law
would someone please dispel the rumor that minis are unsafe in collisions?
Oh god. That is a continuation of the way that US motormakers were trying to battle the invasion of smaller more nimble vehicles in the 1980's even though many of them were actively making succesful vechiles that were smaller than US offerings outside the continent. Pish tosh. There, I said it. From a perspective of physics, material science and kinetics, it is pure pish tosh. A small car with a well designed crumple zone will generally do better than a larger vehicle that is dependant on pure size, even if they collide with each other. Oh and the new Mini is a lot larger than you think. The Cooper S (Curb Weight 2679 lbs) weighs more than my Celica (2425 lbs) and it is twice the size of the original. Checked the NHTSA database - 2002 through 2006 four stars in every category (2007 has not yet been tested) http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/Index2.cfm (cannot work out how to link it) Check this out for some images compared with a token large vehicle http://www.bridger.us/2002/12/16/Cra...operVsFordF150 Note that even comparing vehicles within the same manufacturer, say the Tacoma and the Corolla, size and safety are not necessarily correlated. Another article from Edmunds http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/saf...8/article.html
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post #13 of 15
1/24/07 at 4:27pm
My girlfriend has one. I love it! If I didn't have to haul large cargo, I'd have one. They corner great!
Great to work with the dealers(at least here).
she knew exactly what she was getting and they didn't
sit there and haggle over shit. She went alone to get the car and didn't feel like she was being scammed.
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post #14 of 15
1/24/07 at 8:01pm
Wow, what a machine. That sounds like such fun.
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post #15 of 15
1/27/07 at 3:59pm
Holy shit, they're in Atlanta! I'm going to need to visit this place. A vintage Mini body with Honda motor and uprated brakes/suspension is the rare kind of hot rod I could really see myself getting into.
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