MiniFest, 2019

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Some people think there are two kinds of Minis:  old ones and new ones.  But did you know that there are actually Morris Minis, Austin Minis, Wolseley Minis, Riley Minis, Innocenti Minis and Rover Minis - what you might consider to be the "old" Minis?  They're all real Minis, I promise!  Of course, there are also Mini Mokes.  And then there are "new" Minis, as produced by BMW since 2001.    


Other than an Innocenti Mini - the Italian version of Sir Alec Issigonis' iconic design - all of the above were on show at Tasmania's 2019 MiniFest.  Pretty much all the variations were present, too, from the classic two-box that we all know and love, through to vans, a wooden-framed Traveller (in essence, a station wagon version of the van), Clubmans and Cooper Ss.    


One version that I had hoped to see - a classic Broadspeed fast-back - wasn't represented.  However, I do know that there is an immaculate blue one in Tasmania that's occasionally seen at the annual Picnic at Ross. 


















This is a Rover Mini, an edition that was never officially sold in Australia.  To my mind, it's a great version to own, combining a 1300 cc engine with fuel-injection, air-con and any number of luxuries simply never thought of for, let alone fitted to, the earlier classic Minis with which it shares a body.


How did they fit all those extra features in?  Only just, it appears!  Compare the under-bonnet shot above with those of some of the older cars and I'm sure that you'll agree.


















The blue car above is a Wolseley Hornet - essentially a Mini with a re-jigged front end, a tiny boot and what look like Morris 1100 / MGB / MG Midget / Austin Healey Sprite-style tail lights.  Its twin - the green one below - is a Riley Elf . Mechanically, they're Minis.  Don't go imagining that badge-engineering is anything new!  Both cars belong to Chris Mayne and he campaigned one - the Elf, I think - in early Targa Tasmania events.








This clearly isn't a Mini.  However, I figure that if the MiniFest organisers are happy to allow it - an Austin 1800 - in their display, I'm quite willing to include it, too, especially seeing it's in such good nick and looks so elegant with its alloy wheels, complete with Austin-logo centres.










I've often wondered whether there was a bit of a classic -v- new Mini rivalry amongst the cognoscenti.  It seems not.  


The silver one above belongs to my friend, Av, who loves hers because it totally embodies the pre-BMW Minis of her childhood in England and reminds her of her grandfather's Mini.  Another friend, Bec, owns the blue example below.  Bec's a big fan of the original, too, owning four Clubmans currently in various states of restoration.  She also reckons hers is very reminiscent of her parents' classic Mini, which says something about BMW's design team, in that they were able to create something far greater than just a Mini look-alike.    














If I'd had any say in handing out awards at MiniFest - I didn't, by the way - I'd have given a very big gold-gong for most excellent under-bonnet wiring to this magnificent blue van!  I love wiring with a weird obsessiveness that frankly worries me but I could hardly imagine a tidier job, as evidenced by the photo below.  Beautiful!  Just beautiful!!




This Clubman was very interesting, too, having been fitted with a rare cross-flow head.  I imagine it would breathe a lot better than a standard head, as well as allowing an easier fit-up for the side-draft Webers shown below.









Mitchell is rightfully very proud of this immaculate Clubman.  And no wonder; its panels, paint and interior are flawless!





If the cross-flow head equipped yellow Clubman several photos up the page is clever - and it is - this 16 valve twin-cam conversion is next level!  According to the handy blurb placed beneath the bonnet, it's a standard 1275 cc A-series block bored out to 1380 cc and fitted with a Nissan Micra head plus a good number of other trick mods.  Nice!


Whilst it is goodbye to MiniFest for another couple of years, it's great that the better weather is coinciding with a big hello to the car show season, with a good number of events all over the state.  So, here's to classic cars in all their glory!  Hoping to see you on the road or at the next event ... .  






U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Please feel free to have a look-see around the rest of the UMPH site and don't be shy about sharing this post, too!

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