Clik here to view.
CariMoke: the Jimini of Barbados
Did I know about a Moke copy from Barbados called the CariMoke? Reader Henk van Brakel asked me this and I had to admit I'd never heard of it. But I when I had a look at the pictures that Henk attached...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Swedish Mini Marcoses, built in Kälarne not Stockholm
When Neil Griffin wrote to me that a Swedish classic car magazine had published something about locally-built Mini Marcoses, my interest was awoken. I asked my friend Rainier de Klark, who lives in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Nimrod picture emerges
This lovely picture, with a man admiring the shapes of a Nimrod in a Reading street, turned up recently and was sent over to me by Jono Barber. The Nimrod seems to be a new one to me. The number plate...
View ArticleMore Quasar footage from BBC
More film footage from the BBC Archives, now of the Quasar Unipower. The prototype even, easily recognizable with its transparant inflatable seats. The comment is lovely, too:"Admittedly there is a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mini Marcos racers are everywhere
A string of Mini Marcoses in racing guise has turned up for sale recently. Let's have a look at the ones that are on the market at the moment.The famous 1976 TransXL Mini Marcos, a Mk4, has come up for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
CariMoke instigator speaks
A message from the horse's mouth, or so to speak. Scamp builder Andrew MacLean, who took over the Jimini project in the 1990s, let me know he was behind the Barbados built CariMoke also, indeed a...
View Article'Motor Sport tries Motorail' - the full film
It's been over eight years ago that I wrote about a promotional film named 'Motor Sport tries Motorail' about the 1968 Motorail Trophy (click here). I bought a dvd with the film at the time, showing a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Derivatives at London show plus Cilla Black's Mini Margrave
A fine selection of Mini derivatives made it to the London Classic Car show, held last weekend in Excel, London. A well-known Broadspeed GT, SHADO Jeep and Unipower GT were seen in action on the indoor...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dutch Mini Marcos looking for new owner - and engine
Some cars are turned into miniatures, but it can be the other 'round also. Take Marcel van Eenennaam's Mini Marcos, which was build up with the famous Corgi Mini Marcos model in mind using a paint...
View ArticleClik here to view.
John J Thomas' Ranger Cubs
John J. Thomas has been involved with several Mini based cars. He was a former Broadspeed employee who was involved with Magenta cars and became an agent for Ranger cars. He built a Ranger pick-up...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Will Chambers Special ever drive again?
After over twenty years of neglect, things finally looked good for the Chambers Special in December last year. The 1967 designed and 1969 registered one-off is based on Mini and 1100 mechanicals and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mystery Mini derivative (57)
Here we have a real mystery. These two pictures were found by Roald Rakers and he was eagle eyed enough to notice the A-series engine behind the single seat. Or actually: engines behind seats, as not...
View ArticlePersuaders''Space Queen Special' clip
This is what I wrote in Maximum Mini 3 about the vehicle seen below: "Made for the television series The Persuaders, this Mini Moke-based car appeared in the 1971 episode ‘The Long Goodbye’. As a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Mini's outer limits in print
Readers of Mini Magazine are updated about the restoration of the the Le Mans Mini Marcos in the magazine, where they can follow updates in the 'Our Cars' section. But since early this year I have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ecurie de Dez demonstrator - maroon or green?
The lovely photograph below of Dez Higgins' Ecurie de Dez Mini 2+2 was shared recently by Malcolm Savage. He wrote: "This is an official publicity shot with a local South Australian tv personality....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Where is New Zealand Status Minipower?
Status Minipower owner Nick Gale contacted me a while ago, writing: "I very much doubt you know of it as it's been at the back of my garage since the late 1980s" (picture here). He also told me he had...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The 1000th post - a look behind the scenes
Wow. This is my 1,000th article since I started this weblog. I haven't counted the hours going into it, but trust me when say that there have been quite a few. All for your pleasure of course - and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Holmbarth / Automec Special - did it race?
This old picture of a Swedish racing car was posted on a board for Swedish historic racing by Claes Boreus earlier this week. He asked if somebody knew what the car was and reader Eddie Fitzgerald sent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Antwerp shows some Mini derivatives
It's 60 years of the Mini this year, with a great number of exhibitions, shows, parades and festivals on its way to celebrate the Mini's anniversary. I have been made aware of several shows which will...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mini Jaba restoration - an update
Spanish reader and Mini Marcos owner Adrian is working on the restoration of the Mini Jaba also. This was the car found in a Barcelona scrapyard in 2013 (click here). He now sent me a couple of...
View Article