An Oz Miniacs impression:
Some spurious facts pertinent to this small volume (which, seen in it's true light, is a national treasure!). 1996 Oz population: 18.5 million. Mini's produced or imported: ca. 200,000; Books (apart from service manuals) specific to Ozmins: 1 1996 UK population: 58 million (DANIEL..VERIFY CORRECT NO. PLEASE) (Errr... 1,2,...). Mini's produced in UK: >4 million; Books specific to UK Mins: >30.
All clever scientific massaging of these figures clearly demonstrates that Oz is underrepresented with Mini literature. Why this should be so is not apparent, but the late perception by an Oz motoring writer (and not a Mini afficianado at that) that there was indeed still a market for Mini's and the need for a descriptive tome thereon, produced this slim volume. Thus, as the only one of its' kind on Oz Mini's, it is a 'must have' for the dedicated Miniac in Oz, a worthwhile addition to the bookshelves of Mini taxonomists worldwide, and a generally informative series of comparisons of the various Oz Min's and derivatives with those produced elsewhere. It isn't John Parnell's "Original Mini Cooper and Cooper S" , but wasn't meant to be.....it is one of a series of 'spotlights' on various cars available in Oz, consists predominantly of motoring reports gleaned from contemporary publications (akin to the Brooklands Portfolio series), has more illustrations than text, and will no doubt irk the buyer of a purported Oz Cooper 'S' who wants to know what the numbers mean....body, VIN, compliance plate, engine numbers, etc, and other identifying features of various models are notably absent. It could be argued that this wasn't the purpose of the book, but from a Miniac's point of view, is a glaring omission. That said, this is more than a coffee table volume, and less than a purists identification guide....but it stands alone.
There is no index front or back, and no chapters, so the following review is a brief summary, sequentially through the book. Parentheses below give the section title. Note also that only Morris, and later Leyland badged cars were produced in Oz, so all reference to 'Mini' refers to Morris/Leyland Mini's. Austin Mini's were never produced here, although a very few have been imported privately.
The introduction (Background and development) summarises, probably from a UK volume, the history of the development of the Mini in the UK, and Alec Issigonis' contribution to it. A couple of paragraphs (In Australia....) detail Davis' introduction to prototype Mini's in Oz in 1960, when he was commissioned by BMC Australia to drive one and report on its sales prospects....he underestimated the eventual sales in Oz! He notes that the Australian retail price was $1550. Oct. 1962 saw the first Coopers in Australia (The Mini-Cooper takes its bow), fitted with the UK .997 engine, replaced in 1963 with the Riley Elf .998 engine, also from the UK. The Mk 1 Cooper S, with 1275 engine, came in July 1965....at $2280 it was more expensive than the Holden HD sedan ($2140). May 1st 1969 saw production of the MK 2 Cooper S, which continued in production until August 1971, whe it was replaced by the Clubman GT.
Then follows a page on Mini's in local Touring Car events (Motor Sport Downunder), notably the swamping of the 1966 Armstrong 500 at Bathurst....16 Mini's were entered, and Cooper S's took the first 9 places. The snippet is recounted of the Finn, Timo Makinen, rolling his Min, flipping it back onto its' wheels and finishing his lap only 14 seconds down! Unfortunately, this was the last year Mini's won outright.....development of big V8's by both GM (Holden) and Ford (Falcon) saw the Mini's relegated to class wins in 1967 though to 1976, which was its last appearance at Bathhurst.
A single paragraph (A Raging Success) summarises very briefly some of the production changes, notably the development of a wind-up window door in 1964, predating its adoption by UK production. A page (Mini Moke!) then summarises production of this basic model in Australia, moved from the UK in 1966 after flagging sales. Notably, an Oz Moke Californian completed the 30 day, 30,000 km London-Sydney Car Rally in 1977, driven by Hans Tholstrup and John Crawford, coming in 35th of 49 finishers out of a field of 75.
The concluding page-and-a-bit in this introductory section (The Mini Evolution Continues) notes: the introduction of the .998 engine (Oct. '67); 4-speed automatic transmission (Jan. '68); 1100 cc Mini Deluxe Mk 2 K (Mini-K) (March '69); introduction of Leyland Clubman 1100 and 1275 (GT) (Aug. '71); Mini SS (a 500 car limited edition run in 1976); .998 Mini LS (March '77); Mini Sunshine (sunroofed version, Oct. '77), and finally, a 1275 LS in the latter half of '78, when Leyland shut down production in October. 176,284 Minis and 26,142 Mokes had been built in Australia. Mokes continued to be built in Oz unitl 1981.
A 3 page chronology then lists the history of and changes in the Mini as relevant to Australian production, with UK benchmarks also noted. Useful information on features, engine capacity, contemporary pricing etc. No body/chassis/engine no's.
Specifications: largely derived from service manuals, this section gives dates, models, engines, transmissions, performance, chassis, clutch, suspension, steering, brakes, electrical, ignition, exhaust, wheels, tyres, instruments, seating, dimensions and prices at time of introduction details for, respectively Morris 850/Morris Mini Deluxe/Morris Mini-Matic/Morris Mini K........Morris Mini Cooper/ Cooper S........Morris Mini Moke/Leyland Moke.......Leyland Mini Clubman/Leyland Mini.
A contemporary view is given by "Mini Minor used car notes adapted from 'Which Car for You?", in which Davis reviewed problems a buyer of a used (or in some cases badly used!) Min would face.
Then follow 48 pp. of B&W, and 8 colour plates, of Mini's at rest and in action. Not all are of Australian cars, indeed a couple are of a (!) Metro....nevertheless some very good comparative photos of Oz production models.
The second half of the book consists of contemporary reviews, from which some of the earlier summaries are drawn. They are, sequentially:
Thanks to Marque Publishing Co. for the review copy of this worthwhile book.
Reviewed by Dr R.J. Shiel. Albury, N.S.W.
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Copyright © 1996, Russ Shiel - validated (3.2s)