Appropriately, there's a modern Mini Cooper or, as BMW would have it, MINI Cooper) hard on our tail as we cross the M40 motorway and leave Banbury behind. A few minutes ago we were tucked up in a warehouse-like photo studio on one of its sprawling industrial estates, but now, after a long day photographing the car you see here, there’s time to spend a few minutes playing.
Although this Mini Cooper S has a top speed of 95mph, its peppy-for-the-time acceleration is no match for the modern car’s, driven by a commuter who is clearly quite keen to get home. But then we arrive at the first of a series of sharp, 90° corners and suddenly the balance of power changes...
Yes, it’s all true. Everything you've read about the Mini Cooper’s handling is gospel. This tiny car simply rockets around the first corner as if it’s on rails. By the time we're halfway along the next straight, the following MINT is only just exiting the corner; after the next bend, it’s so far behind that the driver has decided his tea can wait another few minutes. In a contest of Mini versus MINI, David still has a few tricks to show Goliath.
This giant-killing ability has been a large part of the original Mini’s appeal since it first appeared in 1959, of course, even with the cooking’ 848cc single-carburettor engine. Unlike every preceding BMC car since the Morris Minor in 1948, the Mini retrospectively known as the Mini 850) was genuinely revolutionary, with its transverse engine, integral gearbox sharing the engine oil, front-wheel drive and rubber-cone dry suspension. Light weight and the wheel-at-each-corner design gave the Mini superb handling that went a long way to compensate for its modest 34bhp power output.
Esta historia es de la edición January 2023 de Octane.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición January 2023 de Octane.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Back to a different future
Pontiac's Tempest was packed with improbable engineering and ingenious bodgery from a young John DeLorean. Sam Glover drives an early survivor
Rupert Keegan
A life in motorsport, from Formula 3 to Formula 1, via frustration with Sir John Surtees to turning down an offer from Paul Newman
RED & GOLD
What's the best classic bang for your buck? A fire truck, says Jay Leno, especially when it has a V12
NART BEFORE TIME
Unseen in public since 1988, this ultra-rare and forward-thinking Ferrari 365 GTB/4 NART Spider will soon be unleashed at The Quail, Monterey. David Lillywhite got to see it first
FORCE FED
The 911 Turbo also celebrates 50 years this year and it all kicked off with the G-Series
G FORCE
From under-the-radar collector status to realistic daily-drive prospect, the G-Series is the air-cooled 911 of the moment. As it hits its 50th anniversary, Porsche authority Steve Bennett tells us why
The Maestro remembered
A huge memorial service for Sir Stirling Moss OBE brought central London to a standstill
Nathalie McGloin
The only female tetraplegic racing driver in the world and co-founder of Spinal Track, charity supporting disabled drivers
Atomium
An iron molecule, 100m tall and scaled-up 165billion times, was the future in ’58
The Valjoux 7750
Rendered obsolete in the late 1970s, Edmond Capt's wonder movement is not only back, but selling 200,000 units a year