One of a 'historical reference series', this book is a compilation of 34 articles from contemporary UK and Australian motoring magazines which trace the development of the Cooper and 1275 GT. In chronological order they are:
1961: 3 articles, in 10 pp., describe the newly-introduced 997 cc BMC Mini Coopers - the Austin 7 and Morris, with some interior photos, specifications, distinguishing features. The Austin 7 Cooper is road-tested; performance figures are given - with a reported top speed of 87 mph/140 kph (54 mpg at 30 mph sounds pretty good these days!);
1962: a tweaked Cooper by Alexander is reviewed....with the 997 taken out to 1122 cc, twin 1.5" SU's and a 3-branch exhaust fitted. Top speed now > 100 mph. A second article from 1962 road-tests the 997 Morris Mini-Cooper... standard exterior, interior and engine-bay photos, and specifications/ performance figures;
1963: 'Is the Mini-Cooper too costly' is the catchy title of the first article - Ian Fraser of Australia's "Wheels' magazine reviews the 997 Cooper in Oz....his decision was that 950 quid was the best value for money for a 4-seater at the time, and the Cooper was 'noticeably faster than the Austin Healey Sprite'. Also in this year the UK 'The Motor' Magazine road-tested the 1071 cc Cooper S. Informative text, more detail than the Oz article, more interior and exterior pics. Comparisons with earlier Coopers made, and handling discussed. Finally, a December '63 article from 'Autosport' describes the 109 mph Speedwell modified 1152 cc 'Clubman Mini-Cooper' ;
1964: 'The Shattering Cooper 'S'' is another Oz-perspective on the 1071 model, 5 of which had been prepared for competition in Oz. The article describes the modifications Peter Molloy made to one of these cars for racing; 'S day at Mallory' details the Mallory Park wins of the 997 Cooper S works cars; 'Autocar' road-tests the 1275 cc Morris Cooper S - its specs better than contemporaries - 'one of the quickest ways of getting from point A to B in safety'. Plan views give dimensions, pics are of interior, engine bay.
1965: Four articles cover: a road-test of the hydrolastic 1275 Morris Cooper S, Timo Makinen's win at Monte Carlo, Minis in Competition (UK), and a road test (The Sooper Cooper) of the Australian 1275S, which was based on the Oz Mini De Luxe shaving about 500 quid off the local version compared to the fully imported UK version. The tester was impressed with the performance of the Cooper S!
1966: Six articles include a GBP100 conversion of a Cooper 'S' by Broadspeed, with pics and specifications; GT Equipment's 'low-line' racing Mini describes a contemporary top-chop; the trials and tribulations of a 'Mini across the Sahara', including burst suspension >1000 miles from the nearest BMC distributor!; half a page on a works Cooper s;4 pp. opf pics and specifications of 'The Giant Killer' Cooper S from Australia's 'Sports Car World', and finally, a detailed 3 pp. track test of a Janspeed 1293 Cooper S.
1967: Four articles - Stewart & Ardern's Mini-Sprint GT gets half a page; another Oz contribution, 'Sooper Cooperformance' describes (enthusiastically!) the features of a 'rally' Cooper S, with 4 pages of photos and specs; 'Cars and Car Conversions' compares the 998 Cooper and 1275 Cooper S; a road-test of the Unipower is titled 'Baby GT powered by Mini-Cooper' from the UK 'Motor' magazine. This is an unusual 2-seater not seen in Oz.
1969: Two articles: 'Drag day for hot Minis' compares eight modified Mins, ranging from an Oselli 850 to Unipower, Marcos and Downton cars, the quickest of which was a full-race Downton Austin Cooper S (15.7 sec for the 1/4 mile, and 0-60 in 7.3 sec.) A short column of text describes the mods on each car. 'The most demon Mini yet' describes Alec Poole's turbocharged Complan Mini - 1.8 litre 180- bhp 8-port Cooper-S based engine, capable of 142 mph
1971: Three articles: 'At last - a comfortable Mini' introduces the Clubman and 1275 GT, with comparative performance figures against contemporary small cars (middle of the range). Pics are of the UK version, including a Clubman Estate. 'A mouthful of Amals' is an 'Autocar' page on an Amaliorated cross-flowed 1293...124 bhp. 'Motoring Plus' from 'Motor' deals with the same eight port car in considerably more detail...an Abingdon special from British Leyland Tuning Dept, with an aluminium cross-flow head and four Amal carbs - 'the noisiest car we have ever driven'
1973: 'Minisprint' from Cars & Car Conversions is a clever cutn'shut by Neville Trickett to produce a much-lowered Mini;
1974: 'The Cooper S was Leyland's best....Little Big Horn Car' from Sports Car World is an Oz retro perspective on how good the Cooper S 'was' three years after production of the model ceased in Oz. The test car was an ex-NSW Police car - the verdict 'the Cooper S is on the way to becoming a classic'.
1978: 'Mini Cooper' from Thoroughbred & Classic Cars - a three page comparison of a 1071 Cooper Car Co 'S', a Clubman 1275 GT, and a Carlow Stage 3 1275 'S' provides a good summary of the features and performance of the three cars, with photographs.
1979: 'Champion Mini Track Test' from Autosport reviews the 105 bhp Longman Clubman.
Verdict: As a compilation, 'eclectic' would have to be the word to describe it....mostly Coopers, from factory to highly tuned, with a few 'others' thrown in, some well-informed Mini folks doing the describing, some motoring writers, some journos, so the depth of information varies. There are contrasts between the UK and Australian views which are interesting. The photographs, black & white reproductions from magazine articles, suffer from lower quality paper and poor contrast. However, for contemporary views of the competitive Mini, including some of the famous names no longer with us, it's a readable reference source.
Review by Russ Shiel, Albury, Australia
(Presently restoring a '68 Oz Morris Cooper S to its' original Sapphire
Blue/White)
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Copyright © 1997, Russ Shiel - validated (3.2s)