Clio & Mini at Brands.

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I stumbled upon this vid earlier, some track day action from Brands of a delightful dice between a Classic Mini and a 197 Trackday car. A great watch, highlights for me - watching the Mini in the mirrors for the first couple of laps then the kerb bouncing towards the end! Brilliant!

 

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Epic ! Ed - what sort of engine/power would that mini likely have?

 

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Epic ! Ed - what sort of engine/power would that mini likely have?

It looks like an 'appendix K' race car to me, so in that case it'd be a 1293cc, running twin H4 SU's, probably good for circa 120-130 bhp. It'll not weigh much more than 500kg though..

 

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Thanks Ed - impressive power/weight ! I would really like to have a drive in a classic mini - so cool (and so small).

 

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Thanks Ed - impressive power/weight ! I would really like to have a drive in a classic mini - so cool (and so small).

Power to weight is one of the beauties of them & secrets to the performance they're able to serve up - particularly I find in the Mk1's, which were the lightest shells for various reasons. The size is also really helpful, it gives you a lot of road/track to work with. Aerodynamics really hamper the top-end though, you've got to be making a lot of horsepower to push them beyond about 120mph (on a race track of course!).
I'd caveat a drive in one with the fact that they're all so different now, if you get behind the wheel of a bad one - it will feel utterly dreadful. Find a good one to have a go in though and they are still really very surprising and utterly hilarious.

 

[Titan]

Ah loved watching that Ed

That Clio wasn't standard and he wasn't exactly pulling away from the Mini.

I never fully realised how much the rear coming around, would play a part
in how it went around a bend.

Even watching the likes of the Fiesta ST getting a bit of a lean on through
that very tricky first corner, and the Mini just staying flat and carrying a lot
more speed into and through the corner.

You obviously just have to be that bit extra careful and mind those curbs!!
That two wheeled bunny hop was very funny to watch, but he kept his
foot in, even while he was in full on Russ Swift mode

 

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I never fully realised how much the rear coming around, would play a part
in how it went around a bend.

Ah yes... the good old 4-wheel drift Francis.

My 1st ever Mini, which started life as a humble 'City E' and ended up as something quite modified, I set up the chassis to 4-wheel drift literally on demand.

Our 1965 example now, is a lot more standard in the chassis department, but circumspection is still needed on the road as the rear end could be quite mobile if you let it be!

 

[Titan]

I would have loved to have seen that little City E Ed.

I'd say no fast car was safe with you piloting that back in the day Ed!!

 

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I would have loved to have seen that little City E Ed.

I'd say no fast car was safe with you piloting that back in the day Ed!!

Haha! I think I've only got one pic of it, on some back road in Donegal somewhere, it's at the early part of it's 'transition' and has a tasty dent in the front bumper from some ditch visitation somewhere in Sligo!

 

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I use to regularly 4-wheel drift my old 1995 Punto SX - so much fun for so little £

 

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I use to regularly 4-wheel drift my old 1995 Punto SX - so much fun for so little £

Happy days Mark.

 

[Titan]

Haha! I think I've only got one pic of it, on some back road in Donegal somewhere, it's at the early part of it's 'transition' and has a tasty dent in the front bumper from some ditch visitation somewhere in Sligo!

Considering the love for motorsport over in that part of the world,I'd say you weren't the only one to add a few more gaps in the hedges,free of charge for the local farmers Ed

 

[Titan]

I use to regularly 4-wheel drift my old 1995 Punto SX - so much fun for so little £

I know this is not the place for this discussion,but you'd have to ask if manufacturers are going down the correct road at all.

When you look at the ever increasing,size,weight and power of modern cars, that just cant be used for anything more than a few seconds/minutes at a time,on public roads.

I think the likes of Colin Chapman,would be pulling what remained of his hair out,looking at the direction of today's motoring world.

 

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I think the likes of Colin Chapman,would be pulling what remained of his hair out,looking at the direction of today's motoring world.

He certainly would be after seeing that Lotus 'Hypercar' turn right into the barriers at the Goodwood FoS yesterday!! Talk about embarrassing...

 

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I would have loved to have seen that little City E Ed.

Here we go Francis, dug out the pic of 'NWS' somewhere in Donegal...



As I remember, sporting a slightly crumpled front panel and bumper, those were the days, I think I re-shaped the front bodywork with an old wooden mallet and some 3x2 from the shed! I can still run through the 'incident' in my mind and to this day I'm still blaming the straight on at a 90 right on the copious gravel on said bend....

 

[Titan]

Thanks for digging that out Ed, you obviously have all your old material and
pictures exceptionally well organised, very much unlike myself!!

It looks right at home in that landscape and on some of the best roads
in that part of the country.

Small, light, chuckable and nimble goes a very long way on roads like that
when you might be missing a few ponies under the bonnet, compared
to some other cars.

I can only imagine some of the adventures both you and the car had, and encountered
over the years.
No doubt there would be quite a few chapters from that part of your motoring
"This is Your Life" tales