I've always liked the looks and the "cool factor" of a classic Mini. I've been giving some thought to trying to get a classic Mini. I've seen many pictures of them, seen a handful in person, and even sat in one once. I've never ridden in one or driven one. I have tried researching this on the web, but there's not any good road tests/reviews of classic Minis out there. If I wanted to know the 0-60 time of a JCW MINI, the internet makes that easy. Same for a CVT Cooper. Slalom times and lateral g's? Easy to find. (Granted, the numbers don't tell the whole story, but at least it's something.) On paper, I wasn't impressed with the R53, but soon as I test drove one, I KNEW what my next car was going to be. I'd love to hear from folks who have these cars or have driven them. What are they REALLY like? In stock trim, the baddest of the bad (as far as I can tell) is the 1275 Cooper S with ~74 HP. I've seen 0-60 times of around 12.5 seconds for it. (Not exactly warp drive, but fun can be had without massive acceleration.) 1300# / 74 HP =17.6. My beater Civic yields 3000# / 140 HP=21.42, and my MINI 2800# / 210 HP = 13.3. My B4C Camaro 3700# / 275 HP = 13.5. The math doesn't work. The Camaro outruns the MINI easily in the straights, and the Honda gets up to 60 in a little less than 10 seconds. The classic Mini has a much better power to weight ratio than the Honda, yet the scant amount of data I can find tells me the Honda would kill it in a drag race. How well do they corner? How does the slalom times compare to an R53? To other cars? What about lateral grip? It boils down to this. On a typical twisty mountain road, is a classic Mini going to be fun, or is it going to have blue haired grannies in Buicks passing it shaking their fists for holding up traffic? I've owned a bunch of cars in my time. My MINI isn't the fastest car I've ever owned, but it is far and away the most fun. I want a classic to go with it, but I'd like to know what to reasonably expect from one with reasonable bolt ons. (No V-TEC, no 'busa, no R1 RWD, just an A-Series that a working guy could afford to build). If I was swimming in money, I'd get one like Charlize Theron drove in the Italian Job (Red w/white roof, bonnet stripes and 4 rally lights), but I'll settle for what I can afford. I'm hoping for something that handles like a go cart, can keep up with normal traffic on two lane roads, and is civilized enough to drive to work 2-3 times per month and play with on weekends. I hope this makes sense. Anyone have any insights?
:cornut: The person that comes to mind to answer your questions who has recent experience with 'Minis' and souping up the original engines/parts and knows what he's talking about is FireBro17. Send him a PM and ask him to come up on this forum to answer. He'll do it. He's one of the good guys. Jason
I'm sure there's folks who can answer this better than I, but a classic mini is never going to feel like you're holding up traffic. It's a bouncy,buzzy,darty,clattery, and thoroughly entertaining drive at normal street speeds. The power delivery of a classic mini is entirely different to a MINI. First gear is excellent for lighting the little tires, but in factory form it's a long throw to second, so you've lost momentum through each gear change. You don't want to risk slamming the gears, since they are spinning in the same oil as the engine. A stripped piece of gear tooth would get to circulate through the oil pump, the cylinder head, and the piston wiped rings if the oil filter doesn't catch it in time. However, it feels alive and fun the whole time. There's only a single layer firewall between you and the engine, so you hear and feel everything that's happening under the bonnet. The sides of the car are the same single wall thickness, so you are also aware of your surroundings much more than in a modern ride. You become more aware, for better and worse of what's going on around you. On a fun blast through twisty mountain roads it's exhilarating. On a long freeway run it's exhausting. You'll find excuses to take it out for a play every chance you get. Around town, a mini is really at home, but if you have to make a 90 degree turn to enter a highway, you'll find yourself waiting for a longer gap in traffic.
Thanks for the reply. I'm still trying to form a "performance profile" of a classic in my mind. In stock or close to stock trim, I'm guessing that it's about like an 80's economy car in acceleration. I'm thinking Cavalier, Civic, etc; NOT diesel Chevette, or Ford Escort. Back in 1978 when inflation, interest rates, and unemployment was running about 20%, my daddy bought a Ford Fiesta. He got it for $3995, and the dealer delivered it to the house while my mama and I were running errands. That was such a fun car. It may not be as great as I remember, but it'd nearly set its 12" Michelins on fire from a hard launch. It was SO much more fun to drive than the '78 Gutlass that mama drove. I learned to drive in it when I was well below driving age, and even took my driving test in it. Sadly, he traded it on a new S-10 truck when they came out. In 84, when I went off to college, we got another one as a father/son project. Unfortunately, it was too far gone for me to keep running after my daddy was diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer. The Fiesta was an economy car, but it was a lot more fun to drive than a Rabbit, Chevette, or anything else of it's day. I'm kinda hoping that a classic MINI is a lot like the old original MkI Fiesta. The pitiful thing is, Ford had the best economy car on the market and replaced it with the Escort, which was the biggest hoax ever put off onto the American public.
In stock trim, a 998 engined mini runs about on a par with a gas engine non-gti rabbit. The 1275 adds a substantial amount more torque, and will probably compare to your memories of the Fiesta. In my 998's, both stock internals but upgraded with stage one kits (air filter, alloy intake manifold, long centre-branch exhaust manifold and more free-flowing exhausts, plus a slightly thinner-richer needle in the carb), I can buzz around town with traffic. I'd lose a stoplight grand Prix to a moving truck if they were trying, but I can take a right angle turn at 30 without going out of my lane. There is little to no body roll, so direction changes take place as fast as the tires will let you. Performance as always is limited by how fast you want to spend, but in almost any mini save an 850 cc engined station wagon, if granny is shaking her fist at you, it's for driving like a hooligan, not for holding her up.
Rawhyde, I sent you a message. I would first suggest that you consider reading the forums on Mini Mania's website, for starters. As is so with this great website, there are lots'a very knowledgable Classic owners there who are very willing to share their bits of info with anyone who asks.... By compiling from several sources, I'm sure you'll find the answers you are seeking. Best of luck in your search and feel free to contact me anytime. :beer