OK this isn't mine as such, but it's part of the family. I can't remember ever starting a thread about it 
As the title suggests, it's a Mini 30, built in 1989 to celebrate 30 years of Mini manufacture. It's Cherry Pearl Red, apparently the last ever one off the line. Came with a lovely black leather-bound book ("Mini Thirty Years On" by Rob Goulding, with a limited edition numbered insert etc) and we bought loads of tat at the time to go with it - Mugs, Keyrings, I even got the massive huge dealer poster of it off the wall of the showroom ;D
When we got it home we noticed marks in the paint under the lacquer on the door pillar, it was a trainer-print! I kid you not! It went back to be resprayed, I guess someone in the paint shop gave it a good kick ;D
My Mum has owned it since new. The 998 lump died and it was replaced with a 1275cc one, made a big difference and with an LCB manifold and centre-exit exhaust too it sounds fantastic! When the tyres went bald we put wider ones on the stock rims, which again, made a difference. New uprated headlamps went in when the old ones rusted out too.
It's been in three accidents - none of them our fault! One was in a supermarket car park, woman didn't think there was a car in the space so turned in, into the back of it, hit it so hard that it pushed it into the car in front so both the front AND the rear needed work. Other times was stopped at lights and at a roundabout, people running into the back of it.
It had all the front end redone about four years ago, rust was getting hold, but it's starting to come through again now. It'll need doing again next year.
Took it down to visit Rob (Judgie off here) of RNJ Motorsport, gave it a compression test and a general lookover, engine was pronounced strong and healthy Found a hole in the rear wheelarch, Rob did a cracking job of it:
Most recently it went to a local Mini specialists to be looked at - M&Ms in Warrington, highly recommended - as the steering has been weird for a while and it felt like the engine was falling out... They hoiked it up on the ramps and showed me all the knackered bushes and mounts, so it got front Hi-Los with new rubber cones, all the engine mounts done, new tie bar bushes and subframe mounts etc. Exhaust was holed so new one too (same as the old), and new steering column bushes. One of the brake calipers was knackered so a new one was fitted and a few bits tidied up in the engine bay etc. They did a cracking job, it feels so taut and eager again, no slop at all ;D
So that's it! Driven every day, no plans to modify it further or anything. Just thought you might like to see it ;D
As the title suggests, it's a Mini 30, built in 1989 to celebrate 30 years of Mini manufacture. It's Cherry Pearl Red, apparently the last ever one off the line. Came with a lovely black leather-bound book ("Mini Thirty Years On" by Rob Goulding, with a limited edition numbered insert etc) and we bought loads of tat at the time to go with it - Mugs, Keyrings, I even got the massive huge dealer poster of it off the wall of the showroom ;D
When we got it home we noticed marks in the paint under the lacquer on the door pillar, it was a trainer-print! I kid you not! It went back to be resprayed, I guess someone in the paint shop gave it a good kick ;D
My Mum has owned it since new. The 998 lump died and it was replaced with a 1275cc one, made a big difference and with an LCB manifold and centre-exit exhaust too it sounds fantastic! When the tyres went bald we put wider ones on the stock rims, which again, made a difference. New uprated headlamps went in when the old ones rusted out too.
It's been in three accidents - none of them our fault! One was in a supermarket car park, woman didn't think there was a car in the space so turned in, into the back of it, hit it so hard that it pushed it into the car in front so both the front AND the rear needed work. Other times was stopped at lights and at a roundabout, people running into the back of it.
It had all the front end redone about four years ago, rust was getting hold, but it's starting to come through again now. It'll need doing again next year.
Took it down to visit Rob (Judgie off here) of RNJ Motorsport, gave it a compression test and a general lookover, engine was pronounced strong and healthy
Found a hole in the rear wheelarch, Rob did a cracking job of it:Most recently it went to a local Mini specialists to be looked at - M&Ms in Warrington, highly recommended - as the steering has been weird for a while and it felt like the engine was falling out... They hoiked it up on the ramps and showed me all the knackered bushes and mounts, so it got front Hi-Los with new rubber cones, all the engine mounts done, new tie bar bushes and subframe mounts etc. Exhaust was holed so new one too (same as the old), and new steering column bushes. One of the brake calipers was knackered so a new one was fitted and a few bits tidied up in the engine bay etc. They did a cracking job, it feels so taut and eager again, no slop at all ;D
So that's it! Driven every day, no plans to modify it further or anything. Just thought you might like to see it ;D
