Now in Maximum Mini Newsletter #125

New pictures of Unipower GT at Spa-Francorchamps

Lost Unipower GT has been hiding in basement for 54 years

 

Crashed Unipower GT repaired and raced in Denmark

Missing Unipower GT road test found

Now in Maximum Mini Newsletter #85

Everyone loves the Mini Marcos: here Lyn Marsh and Chris Marsh

Simon Goodliff drove it up the hill at Prescott

Marcos racer Cor Euser behind the wheel at Snetterton

Classic & Sports Car's Tony Baker taking photos at airfield

Now in Maximum Mini Newsletter #70

Le Mans Mini Marcos - getting there... almost

Beautiful Ogle SX1000 now for sale

More Mini derivatives in 'Lost & Found'

Why wasn't the MiniJem launched in 1965?

This tiny little snippet below may not seem special, but it is something particularly interesting. We know the Mini Marcos was launched before the Mini Jem as it debuted at the Racing Car Show of January 1966. But it had been seen at races as early as in September 1965. 

The MiniJem's launch took place at the Racing Car show a year later: January 1967. However, brochures and flyers handed out there state "This light efficient G.T. 2+2 was developed over two years to accept all Mini components (including the sub-frames) and yet be very strong."

And that turns out not to be an exaggeration now, as this little article dates back to February 1965. By that time the (first?) fibreglass shell was ready yet! Interestingly it doesn't name the car nor the company behind it, but it states: "A London firm hopes to market the shell in the spring or early summer." That really makes me wonder why it took another two years? Unfortunately we cannot ask Jeremy Delmar-Morgan who passed away in 2018 (click here). Now, there has been a Track Test publication in a magazine titled 'The Mini-Jem Prototype' which may well provide answers here, but unfortunately I don't have this (blurry copy below) and don't even know its source. Who can help me to it?

February 1965 article suggests the MiniJem's launch in spring or summer '65

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

But it takes the company until January 1967 to launch "After a two year development". Why?

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

This 'Track Test' article may well clarify things, but all I have is this blurry copy of it. 

Who knows in which magazine this was published and when? 

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

1500th post!

Well-well, another milestone reached - this is my 1,500th article here in Maximum Mini. I hope you still enjoy it.

If you can handle more Maximum Mini from my hand you can read this month's MiniWorld magazine with a comprehensive report on Mini based fire engines from all corners of the world, from the UK to The Netherlands and Denmark to even the USA and Australia. Or go for this month's Classic & Sports Car magazine, which has a 6-page feature on how a rather amazing Mini advertisement film was made in central Amsterdam back in 1975, with interviews from the people involved who explain how exactly they did it. Buy those mags to keep me going.

One more little piece of news: work has started on a new Maximum Mini book. Don't hold your breath as this one is going to take an awful lot of work, but then it's going to be something quite special.

Meanwhile, keep those questions, messages and snippets coming as well as these will secure this little corner of the world wide web to continue for years to come.

Mini based fire engines from all over the world in this month's MiniWorld

Picture MiniWorld magazine

And the making of a 1975 Mini advertisement film in Classic & Sports Car

Picture Classic & Sports car magazine

Maximum Mini now in MiniWorld magazine

If you've read MiniWorld magazine's latest issue, you may have come across editor Karen Drury's foreword: "We welcome Jeroen Booij to the MiniWorld team with the first of his From the Archives articles on significant and unusual Minis. The first article focuses on the Humberstone Design Mini Clubman. One of these Minis was supposedly commissioned for Julie Andrews by husband Blake Edwards, which is really rather cool"

Yes, I am now a MiniWorld contributor and Karen's words do make me feel very welcome. There are some great stories to follow: ones that I've always wanted to write but never found the right outlet for - too long for the Maximum Mini books and -weblog, too specialized for the non-specialist motoring magazines. So it was about time to team up! The Humberstone story is a good example and Karen and the team have taken out no less than 8 pages for it. Another cool feature in the same issue is that of the German-built Broadspeed GT replica. I'd say: buy that magazine to do yourself a little favour for Christmas this year.

 

MiniWorld's January 2023 issue features a lovely Broadspeed GT replica...

Picture Jeroen Booij

...As well as my first 'From the Archives' article. This one about the Humberstone Mini

Picture Jeroen Booij

It's an intriguing story about a 'what could have been' challenger to the W&P Margrave

Picture Jeroen Booij

Ogles in Japan (1)

Some time ago I was asked to write the story of the Ogle SX1000 for the much-respected Japanese motoring magazine 'Car Graphic', and that's what I did. It was published in the August issue. Most time went into the box-out on the last page, researching the cars that are in Japan. Six of them were relatively easy to find out more about and with the help of my friends Saiki Wada and Bunzo Yasuda we managed to contact all the car's owners, too. 

But the biggest surprise came from a much-rumoured 7th car over in Japan. It turned out to be more than just a rumour and we did find out more about it, too. The car has been hiding since it was exported to Japan in 1983 and is still pretty much shrouded in mystery, but I'll let you soon know what I found as I'd like to review them here slightly more thorough than the box-out in Car Graphic allowed for. Stay tuned.

Car Graphic magazine featured the Ogle SX1000 recently

Picture Car Graphic / Jeroen Booij

The cars featured are ones I photographed in recent years...

Picture Car Graphic / Jeroen Booij

...Like this stunner of a white car that is in Switzerland

Picture Car Graphic / Jeroen Booij

As well as this one! But it's the box-out on the last page that exites perhaps most

Picture Car Graphic / Jeroen Booij

Zagato Mini Gatto in Jidéhem's Starter

Look what was sent to me! Another page from the old Belgian comic / motoring magazine Starter, which used to be so richly illustrated by the artist Jidéhem. I wrote about it before as some Mini based had made it to the magazine's motoring reports in the 1960s (Mini Jem, Ogle SX1000 and Quasar Unipower - click here). Somehow I'd missed out on the Zagato Mini Gatto, which was featured also in 1961. A great favourite car here and one I still regret not having bought many years ago. Thank you very much Frank Lannoye!

Spirou behind the wheel of the Zagato Mini Gatto as drawn by Jidéhem

Picture Jidéhem, via Frank Lannoye

It's named BMC 850 Zagato here. "While the design is well carried out, it can be accused for having an unusually long bonnet to house the famous small transverse engine"

Picture Jidéhem, via Frank Lannoye

Happy Easter 2022

Easter is all about eggs and buns, ham and lamb and spending some time with the family. If you enjoy reading old murky magazines, like I do, it may be a good moment to do so, too. I found the three mags below, making good use of what looks to be the same photoshoot with a Mini Beach Car. Happy Easter!

Easter reading: 3 x Motor magazine featuring the same Mini Beach Car in 1964, 1965 and 1968

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Car Graphic Classic - Mini variants and Maruyama interview

When there's something about Mini based cars in magazines, they find their way to here from wide and far and wether they are old or new.The latest issue of Car Graphic Classic from Japan did, as it happens to be a Mini special. I was lucky to contribute a piece, but what has to be much more interesting is an interview with Kazuo Maruyama, the caretaker of Mini Maruyama - Tokyo's Mini Valhalla. Apart from that Mister Maruyama is the owner of an incredible number of historically important Minis and Mini derivatives. There was no doubt he was the man to visit when I started writing about these cars and I did that in 2007 and 2008. However, this is the first time I've seen a full feature interview with the man, which was about time. Pity I can't read it, but I'm sure a translation will be possible these days. You can order the magazine here.

UPDATE 11 March: Translation now made and supplied by the article's author Yoshi Hayata. Thank you so much!

 

Car Graphic Classic is a beautiful magazine with this issue focussing on the Mini and its offspring

Picture Car Graphic / Jeroen Booij

Kazuo Maruyama may well be called Mister Mini derivative. He is interviewed in this issue

Picture Masayuki Arakawa / Jeroen Booij

Biota article gives some new insights

A whole string of articles on Mini based (sports) cars has been seen in print in the last few months and TKC magazine's Biota feature is the last in line. This is a particularly interesting article of seven pages with some great detail and insights. Several of the pictures used have never been seen in print before also, so this is a must-have for the Biota enthusiast.

TKC's always friendly editor Steve Hole, who penned the piece himself, was kind enough to offer a £1 discount on postage for Maximum Mini readers regardless of where they are based. For the UK people that means free postage. Go to this link and use the discount code MAXMINI to order the magazine with the discount. Thanks Steve, keep up the good work!

7-Page article gives some new insights and photos that have not been seen before

Picture Jeroen Booij

January/February 2022 issue is the one to look out for, or order it direct online

Picture Jeroen Booij

Never seen before: John Houghton holding the demonstrator's bonnet on the left, 

Bill Needham seated on the right on the Autospeed show in January 1968

Picture TKC archive

Meet the 1963 MiniSprint

You and I know the MiniSprint as the Neville Trickett Mini-variant with its low roof- and waistline, built from 1965-on. But did you know that two years earlier another MiniSprint had been there? Or, well, the idea for one? I didn't. Reader Kees Plugboer sent in an article from a 1963 magazine which mentions the car as an idea by a certain John M. Hill of Wednesbury, Staffordshire. The article also mentions "What we are doing is passing on a rumour for precisely what it's worth, together with some thoughts of our own."

It goes on: "The car is roofless, with a low laminated glass shield replacing the original screen and fixed side windows cut to give an uninterrupted line, racing car style. Low heavily bolstered hug'n'hold individual seats for the driver and one passenger replace the rather skimpy standard items, and a carefully shaped steel tonneau welded-in where the back seat used to be makes the entire tail-section even stiffer then it used to be."

"So you're sceptical. So you think the MiniSprint, even if it exists at BMC, will join the Issigonis beach car in the prototype garage as a one-off diversionary doodle? Frankly, so do we. But even if a production version never reaches your friendly Morris dealer, we see nothing tos stop you doing the job."

And indeed, I do believe that some cars like John M. Hill's MiniSprint did materialize, the creations by Paul Banham and Dierk Mengers spring to mind, but I wonder if there were any of them dating back to the 1960s also? Feel free to share what you know.

The MiniSprint, as thought up by John M. Hill in 1963 - 2 years before Neville Trickett's MiniSprint

Picture Small Car magazine, via Kees Plugboer

Unlike Trickett's MiniSprint this one came as a roadster or speedster. Well, I don't think it came...

Picture Small Car magazine, via Kees Plugboer

Lining up the Mini derivatives!

There's no doubt that Mini derivatives are gaining popularity. The NEC in Birmingham was the venue of a classic car show last weekend and the Minikits Club had really done its best to show a wide variety of Mini based cars, which had worked out particularly well. On their display not only three Stimson cars (Mini Bug, Trek and Scorcher) but also a lovely TiCi and ultra-rare Hustler Sport. They also had a separate corner with a Mini Marcos and two GTM Coupes in primary colours red, blue and yellow. Well done boys! 

Another display which looked particularly good was that of the Unipower GT Owners Club & Register, with three cars on display: Mark Glashier's road car, a chassis/body under construction and Gerry Hulford's racer. Gerry has also just finished a long-awaited book on the Unipower marque, of which I hope to receive a copy soon.

Meanwhile, Curborough track was the scene for a photo shoot of four Mini based beauties, soon to star in Classic & Sports car magazine. Two of them with the power at the front wheels - a Mini Jem and an Ogle SX1000 - and two with the power at the rear - a Unipower GT and a Deep Sanderson 301. Roger Garland was there to assist and take a few pictures himself, which he flashed over. He added: "We had tried to get a recently restored GTM, but the owner had to work that day. We also had difficulty finding a suitable Mini Marcos, hence the Mini Jem - a very capable substitute!" Absolutely, and thank you very much Roger. Soon in their full glory at the newsstand near you, or so I understand!

Curborough track last week: Unipower GT, Mini Jem, Ogle SX1000, Deep Sanderson 301

Picture courtesy Roger Garland 

NEC Birmingham last weekend: Hustler Sport, TiCi, Stimsons Scorcher, Mini Bug and Trek

Picture CMH Photography / Minikits

And more from Minikits: GTM Coupe, Mini Marcos and another GTM Coupe

Picture CMH Photography / Minikits

The Hustler is a real rarity. "The work that has gone in to it is unreal", said Minikits-man Paul Wylde

Picture CMH Photography / Minikits

 "The guy restores and makes panels for rare Astin Martins and spent his youth there"

Picture CMH Photography / Minikits

Stimsons had come out in force for the Minikits club stand. Purple Mini Bug...

Picture CMH Photography / Minikits

...And the Stimson Scorcher of Minikits' driving force Paul Wylde...

Picture CMH Photography / Minikits

...Plus a Stimson Trek found by Barry Tilbury a couple of years ago now

Picture CMH Photography / Minikits

Also on display with Minikits this well known TiCi to ad more colour!

Picture courtesy Paul Wylde

Also at the NEC was the Unipower GT Owners Club & Register, with Gerry Hulford's racer front

Picture courtesy Paul Wylde

...As well as the lovely road car in similar bright yellow owned by Mark Glaisher now...

Picture courtesy Paul Wylde

...And a chassis/body that is under restoration. Good to see these cars being restored

Picture courtesy Paul Wylde

More Unipower at the Curborough track last week. That's Tim Carpenter's car

Picture courtesy Roger Garland

...And the other rear engined Mini marvel there: Robi Bernberg's Deep Sanderson 301...

Picture courtesy Roger Garland

...While this left hand driven Ogle SX1000 racer is owned by Guy Loveridge...

Picture courtesy Roger Garland

...And the freshly restored Mini Jem Mk1 of Goff Allen, who had a Mk2 before

Picture courtesy Roger Garland