Anyone here drive a proper mini? If so what model,

Soon to pick up a 1990 Cooper RSP-S 🙂

what's an RSP-S?

Had a few mini's but don't llke them in LHD format so not anymore 🙁

1990? That's not a classic! 🙂

My mate restores them, this is his '63

Very nice, they seem to hold their value really well.

About 10 years ago I had a one with a 1293cc in it. Was very quick but my partner wouldn't get in it as the inside would smell of petrol!!!

Isn't the RSP the limited edition cooper when they first relaunched it again?

That's blood lovely Jason, youre mate has done a cracking job on that one. I've one of the last 'classic' minis made '00 Cooper sportspack in blue/silver…had about half a dozen before that, love em!

He races too every now and then 🙂

Had minis for years, last one was a '74 clubman with 850 engine in it. Great fun to drive when in tip top condition but by jings do they need a lot of maintainance and repair, lots of skint knuckles and swearing during those times. Had three minis, every one scrapped due to body work, and every one of them shared the same engine and rear subframe.

have fun!!

pretty much the only cars I've ever owned myself (other than a year with a smart)
No car at the mo myself (share other half's Alfa at weekends)
really miss 'em, Will get another in a year or so purely for weekends

this is the one I miss the most

My Brothers building something like this at the moment.
He's said I can borrow it too, I can't wait 8)

Minis are great

I have a friend who owns one (it's currently broken), he's properly into photography and just picked up his first mountain bike last night, he's also expecting his first baby. You have to be rich to have that many Money Pits.

Haha! Awesome, maybe we should start a STW mini massive!!

An RSP was the LTD ED Cooper when its was relaunched after it left the line up in 1971. RSP stands for Rover Special Projects.

The 'S' pack was an performance option offered by John Cooper garages endorsed by Rover.

yeah they can definitely be money pits I know I spent £000's on some of mine

Bikes are my main money pit nowadays, still want one though,

Next one will be fitted with a steel flip front though
I too have had enough of grazed knuckles etc
my hands used be a right state when I used to have my Turbo one (up there ^), there was next to no room for anything in there

From this:

To this:

I miss that car 😥 It was/is my first car. Its tucked up in the garage at home whilst I'm at uni. Using that green beast as a bike transporter 😈 Its quite nice to have a shit car.

I was hoping this was about skirts and with pictures! 😥 there were a lot of classic mini's around in the sixties…bring em back i say 😉

Got some 10" Cooper steel wheels propping stuff up in the garage, and some minifin brake drums too. Any use to you guys?

I had one of the last 1275 carb version (91) Coopers, before they went over to fuel injection.

The 'S' pack was an performance option offered by John Cooper garages endorsed by Rover

If that's the 85-90bhp conversion they did, you will love it.

Mine was fitted with this kit as an upgrade and transformed the car. Smiled ever time I took it out.

Have you seen some of the prices a decent classic Minis are fetching now!

Mine, clean for once:

Never did like the spots on the front of mine. If I had one now, I would love to have a early MK1 or Mk2 in old English White, no stripe, no large wheels, totally standard.

PJ266 – I had a felicia estate for a bit too, it sure was good to have a proper battle wagon! It's now in Mongolia…

I worked for Rover back in 1990 when it was launched and had never realised it was called the RSP…

I was fortunate enough to work on the introduction of the fuel injected version which came out a couple of years later. Even better was that my own modified injected version was a convenient base for calibration of the engine management system for the Cooper S version.
That was a great car. I sold it to get a Rover 114gta. Stupid stupid stupid

1985 Mini Mayfair

Love it! Light blue, but no pics to post.

Had it since I was 17, wouldn't swap it for anything. Could do with some work, still, I've got loads of time to imagine all the things I can do with it before I finally have the money.

If you have not already alexonabike, check out:

http://www.rsp-cooper-register.co.uk/

I had a 91 Rover cooper, red with white roof also with an su carb. I hade it Stage 1 tuned with an janspeed LCB, K&N filter and RC40 exhaust. Set up on a rolling road, went from 63 at the fly to 65 at the wheels….. mucho fun. Only span it 3 times!

Sold it 10 years ago as the rust was beginning to get out of hand. Ever since every time I have driven a twisty B-road I wished I hadn't. Occasionally my wife has said she'd get me another one….

I had a MkII Mini 1000 and later a Clubman 1275GT. Loved both those cars although they were both falling to bits.

Cheers for the link Ski, Already there! 😛

This went to the great rust heap in the sky a few years ago 😥
It was my first car, had it for 4 years, so much fun on 10s with s discs. Will get another one when I can afford to buy/run a nice one

Damn that's Schweeet!

I share an 81 City with my son, we've (I've) sorted the suspension and brakes and next on the list is fitting the 1275 we've got lying in the garage.

My old one

They are ace fun. I used to take this one round roundabouts in third gear, foot flat on the floor, one rear wheel off the ground. A reet giggle.

Here's a cutting question – can minis and bikes mix?

Here's a cutting question – can minis and bikes mix?

Yes! I had two people and two bikes in mine regularly. Not always the cleanest or most scratch-proof bike transport though.
I seem to remember Jenny Copnall having a nice bike rack on hers. I may have made that up though!

More pictures please

I had one of the later 1275GT's. Engine was smoking like hell when I bought it so it got rebored, put a stage 2 head on it and a twin delorto carb (38 I think), it absolutely went like stink. It was reasonably quick in a straight line but where it really excelled was in the corners.

At the time the car drivers that were really up for a race were XR3i and cosworth drivers. The 1275 would leave an Xr3i without even thinking about it but the cosworths would be up my arse until we got into some twisty lanes and then they'd disappear.

Great little car. Apart from the bodywork and radiators.

edit: And here's a bloke facto. I can barely remember the first time I had sex but I can remember my first cars registration – fnd 515v

Yeah course they can, get a Paddy Hopkirk roof rack and you're away

If I could get this mother of a Kayak on then a bike or two will be no trouble
two's probably the limit though with kit

Never saw the appeal to be honest, used to get driven to school in one as a kid, too small then! Though I do kinda like the one a mate had, was very similar to this:

my 97 klein attitude used to drop behind the front seats in the rear footwells with the wheels off. also had a roof rack for it. and went all over with my longboard on the roof, and camping gear in the back

damn I'm nostalgic now…..

My parents had one it was 91 i think, brg mini cooper with white stripes and white roof and the john cooper signature written in the stripes. The bought it new and collected it from the importers. It was the first car i drove at 11 on the drill square.

Since then i have been besotted with them but ive not had the money for a decent one or to keep a crappy one going.

Keith, stop willywaving 😯

Keith, you are aware of the law about overhangs on vehicles ? (max of 60% of the distance between the front wheels and the rear of the vehicle IIRC).

I had a 1990 Checkmate in British Racing Green with a white & green mouldy roof! It was only a 998cc but I did the following:

K&N Air Filter
Tuned Exhaust
LCB Manifold
998 Cooper S Head
1.5 Rockers
Electric Cooling Fan
Modified Carb & Inlet Manifold to Vizzard Spec
Stainless Brake Hoses
EBC Pads

Tantrum 600.4 Power Amp
Alpine Sub, 300W
MB Quart Component Speakers & custom fibre glass pods
Marantz Head Unit & Changer

It used to go like stink!! Easily beat a 1275 and many other hot hatches. Have no idea on the top speed, speedo only went to 90 I think, it just kept on going! Fitted Weller 8 Spokes, didn't handle as well, didn't slide predictibly, steering felt numb, so took them off.

Great fun, I miss it, but it was also a money pit!

I dont have any pictures, because it looked totally standard The rust on the A-Panels, Scuttle, Doors, Boot, etc; fooled a lot of people into believing it was a banger!

It did spend more time off the road than on the road, but that was the whole point… It taught me a lot about cars, and why mechanics hate working on them.

I had three,

'78 Pickup, 998cc, very cool

'84 saloon, 998cc bright orange rustbucket, full length sunroof, bullbars and 12" alloys (orange)

'94 Cooper, 1293cc white with black roof. Ended up binning the fuel injection and having a single SU with stage 3 head, yada, yada, got to 95bhp!

I loved them all, especially the cooper but the tin worm got to it. I have to content myself with a Lancia Integrale these days… 🙂

PS. That blue turbo is beautiful…

I had an old english white pick up. 1400cc, 10 inch wheels, Cooper S discs.

A pal restores them. Mostly 60's Cooper S models. he has an awesome works rep.
http://www.theminiworks.co.uk/

Here's a cutting question – can minis and bikes mix?

With regards to carrying bikes: I used to get one inside my 1984 Mini Ritz to go racing, but I did have more spare time back then (it took a while).

Answering the question more generally: The saying used to be "have a crash, lose your legs" – I think because the steering column was rumoured to have a habit of crippling drivers in accidents.