When I first caught sight of the cover of this DVD I wasn't sure what to expect, sure the title implied it was about the last 50 years of Mini, but the cover prominently showed two new minis with an original mini tucked behind one of them.  However we're not ones to judge anything by its cover, so into the player the DVD went.  After the Duke video ident we got to a modest menu whereby we could view the whole film, select individual chapters or check out the extras, nothing scary or unusual here, but easy to use and get what we wanted.
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The main film is really a documentary of the Mini's 50th anniversary celebrations at Silverstone, whilst it occasionally goes off to details certain aspects of the mini world the show forms the real heart of the DVD.  The film starts with an introduction to the mini, a bit of history, showing cars that are present at the event, some archive footage and retelling the initial story of the mini and its success.  Famous faces are present to give some meat to the stories with Paddy Hopkirk, Rauno Aaltonen and Mike Cooper all giving some choice opinion.  The Cooper name also connects the original Mini nicely with the new Mini in the first section on the new Mini, showing a linage and connection between the two in terms of their choice of tuning partners.  This juxtaposing of old and new happens throughout the video and really helps connect the two sides of this particular scene.

I thought the controversy between old and new would be a bit of an elephant in the room during the film, however it is tackled head on and all sides of the discussion are represented, really though it is all about uniting mini owners old and new in their enjoyment of their cars.  A section on modified cars shows some cool modern minis as well as some interesting old minis.  I feel the section on the racing could have been a bit longer, but it was great to see some footage of the exciting three abreast action which really give you a feel for the atmosphere on the track.

Alongside all this there is a fun section with Russ Swift doing his thing in new and old minis and some quick interviews with show attendees.  The extras menu gives us a glimpse into the world of two guys coming over from the Isle of Man with their classic mini, from the fun of getting it running, through the journey and onto the show.  This is a really nice addition it shows how we all generally experience our car ownership and show attending.  I'd like to see more of this kind of thing from show DVDs, the stories behind the show, as well as the obvious show coverage.

If you were at the Mini United 09 event you should definitely own this memento, for everyone else, I'd say it was one to add to your Christmas list, the mixture of old with new is really well handled and there are some gems on here.  Hopefully we'll see more coverage of events like this, I'd love to see something like this produced for something like the Hayride.

To grab your copy head to the Duke Video website.

 

Posted on: October 12, 2009 05:10

A bike meet you say? Well, yes. Every Tuesday at Bassets Pole in the West Midlands, hundreds of bikers descend on the small local McDonalds to meet up, do wheelies, show off and generally have fun.

This meet always attracts some interesting cars too so I packed up my camera and met up with my friend Jack Topi. Now Jack’s car is worthy of a special mention; An ’86 Toyota Corolla hatch in full-on drift trim. Dripping in burned orange Lexus paint with a splitter dragging stance it certainly turned some heads.

  We got down to the meet about 8-ish and it was already packed.

 

  Unfortunately, it was fairly light on cars this week, but I did spot this K-Series Powered Clubby estate. Judging from the front of it, a little more space was required to cram the Rover lump in.

 

I was caught completely by surprise by a pair of metal flake VW Buggies that came blasting out of nowhere! (Hence the bad pics!!) Hopefully I will catch up with these two next time and get some better shots.

 

 

Clean 205 Leaving

 

  It was a pretty cool night with a laid-back atmosphere. Hopefully next time more cars will be out and a later evening will allow for some more pics.

 

  Check out the few other pics I took on our Flickr stream.

 

 

 

Posted on: April 23, 2009 03:43

It is difficult some times when faced with the sea of bland modernity in our current car industry to remember that once upon a time cars were often distinctively different, not just in looks but in technology and engineering.  Even during their time though these cars stood out for being particularly unusual.  They all however managed to be successful in spite of, or some times because of, their difference.

RX7

 

 

Despite the lukewarm reception the NSU Ro80 received and the relatively limited life given to the first Rotary Cosmo, Mazda continued to develop it's rotary engines.  With rotaries available in its saloon and coupe line up Mazda had proven the technology.  The choice of engineering isn't what makes the RX7 suprising, although it is unusual, what makes the success of the RX7 more suprising is the economics around its launch.  The Rotary engine whilst certainly a high in quality and engineering principles wasn't great on fuel efficiency, so when the RX7 launch during the late 70's energy crisis it didn't look like a great idea on paper, boasting as it did a Bentley rivalling 19mpg around town.  It is however testament to the quality of the machine and the enjoyment of the drive that the RX7 lives on and is still a success today, in the form of the RX8.


VW Beetle

 

 

The bestselling car in the world ever, depending on who you ask, the Beetle is without a doubt the very definition of the word success, however it almost shouldn't have been.  A design arguably robbed from Tatra, unusual engine location with eccentric aircooled nature, then there is the whole Hitler connection and factory destruction during World War 2.  This doesn't add up to 'success'.  However due to the persistence of Ivan Hirst and some fantastically imaginative advertising, the people of VolksWagen managed to turn this into the little car that could.  What’s more it has shown its quality time and time again over the years, resulting in the sort of cult status most cars envy.


Mini

If the Beetle is a triumph of intriguing design and great marketing then the Mini is a triumph of ingenuity and practical problem solving.  The Sir Alec Issigonis penned design put a wheel at each corner and everything required to move a family of four around the country in relative comfort in between.  In a world of large lumbering family saloons and sleek Italian sports cars the dumpy little mini seems somewhat incongruous.  It may well be that stand out nature, its diminutive size and stylish simplicity that caused it to be the transport of choice for London's swinging set in the 60's.  Couple that with its rally success and you end up with an iconic car.  Now days transverse mounted front wheel drive small town cars don't seem such an unusual idea but in 1959 the concept really was a step out of the standard engineering box.  Oh and the door pockets are deep enough to fit milk bottles in, how many modern cars can boast that!?


Porsche 911

Really you could lump this with the Beetle, except it doesn't come with as much political baggage, the reason it has been separated is that the car is still living, still unusual, still being innovated, and really it shouldn't even work.  An air cooled flat 6 powered, sports coupe, with the engine mounted rearward of the back axle is a recipe for many many crashed cars and some eccentric handling characteristics.  However Porsche engineers and persisted with the design and layout long after most companies would have given up.  By sticking to their guns with the design the chassis and weight distribution has been gradually improved over the cars lifecycle, with the modern 911 derived cars boasting class leading performance and handling.  Of course the danger of driving the lunatic 911 Carrera of the 80's is missing now days, which may be a good thing for road safety.


Smart forTwo

So I said at the start that roads are currently a sea of bland modernity, there are still car makers that are willing to take risks and produce something different for that chance at the big prize, the cult car.  Some are lazily trying to reclaim or relive old glories, Smart on the other hand looked at the same problems that Alec Issigonis and came up with their modern solution.  A small, two seater city car, with changeable plastic exterior panels and a turbo charged three cylinder engine.  In the clogged up cities of Europe the risk paid off and despite a troubled start the Smart forTwo has become everything a cult car should be.  Expect to see these gracing the floors of classic car shows in years ahead, they already have owners clubs and Smart car shows.  Even if you are not a fan the Smart shows that innovation still lives in the motor industry, so the future is hopefully bright for those of us who love something a little bit different.

 

 

Posted on: October 16, 2008 05:31

It's time for some more old school rimmage!

 

  Sportmax 002:

Hot on the heels of the Konig Rewind rims (see New Old School Wheels - Part One) came the 002 from Sportmax which came in great sizes (7 or 8 inches wide with a +15 or 0 offset respectively in 15 or 16 inch diameters), a variety of colours (black, gold, gunmetal, silver and red) and a great design, albeit with a feature that brings positive and negative aspects - the double-drilled centres. Multiple PCDs (114.3mm and 100mm) mean a compromise in looks, but also brings the cost down...check on ebay.com for unbelievable prices. There's a downside to that bargain price though - Sportmax wheels have become a victim of their own success and have suffered image problems in some scenes (a BMW forum even has a 'say no to Sportmax' smiley!). 

 

Sportmax 512: 

 Not an official line but it seems reasonable to assume that the 512 was intended as a replacement for the 002. It comes in the same sizes and colour combinations but with a slightly different design (less successful than the 002 in my opinion). As with the 002, these suffer from snobbery in some circles but if you're on a budget these offer fantastic value for money if you can get someone to ship them to you (from my experiences US sellers are reluctant to send these to the UK).

 

XXR 513: 

A rebrand (Sportmax changed their name to XXR - perhaps to counteract the snobs?) and another new style sees Sportmax, sorry XXR on track for some more success with the Minilite/Superlite/Watanabe-esque 513 - interestingly the designers opted to leave off the fake split rim bolts this time - an improvement perhaps? Still in the same great sizes and colours...and remaining at a wallet-friendly price. In fact, I've got a set in my front room waiting for tyres as we speak!

 

SSR MkI: 

Yep, one of the most desirable of the old school favourites is available new from SSR - the MkI. It's available in 12, 13, 14 and 15 inch sizes with widths from 4.5 to 9 inches. Their three piece construction means all sorts of offset configurations are available. PCD wise just about any four stud from 98mm to 114.3 is possible with five stud PCDs an option on the 15" only. Check www.more-japan.com for details on all SSR rims, but sit down before you look at the price!

 

SSR MkII: 

My favourite Japanese wheel ever, available new?  No need to pinch yourself, it's true! 13, 14 and 15 inchers are available in widths covering 6 to 9 inches in half-inch increments. The four spoke design limits the PCD to four stud only (100-114.3mm). Just to make sure that you haven't got the same rims as everyone else the MkII can be ordered in any one of nine different colours! Mini fans might be surprised that a very similar wheel - the FL-II is available in 6 or 6.5 x 10 sizes just for them.

 

SSR MkIII: 

We had Konig B-bombs in the last instalment, but these babies are the originals. If you're willing to spend the money than you can be rollin' the real thing...sizes, bolt pattern and colour options are the same as the MKII above, it's just down to your personal preference to which style you'd go for I guess - a hard choice, but one I'd love to be in a position to make.  

That's all for now scenesters...expect (finally!) some Hayashi action in part three and maybe some morsels from the Mooneyes range.  Watch this space.

 

 

Posted on: April 2, 2008 05:02