23, ultimate Frisbee Player with Broken Leg, from Brighton via Exeter Uni, now in london. Drive a S...
23, ultimate Frisbee Player with Broken Leg, from Brighton via Exeter Uni, now in london. Drive a Shortened 2 seater convertible mini...? Why on earth are people trusting me???(!)
Member since:16.05.2001
Reviews:17
Members who trust:5
Okay. So you take a normal mini. 10 foot long. Then you think, "What do I need all that space for?" So you lob out the front seats, pick up yer angle grinder and chop it in half. A few times. And get rid of the roof (What dya need one of those for in England?)
So now you've got 4 bits of car. Throw away the middle bit and the roof, and weld the other two bits together and you get an 8 foot long death trap! So a bit of strengthening.. few box sections accross the middle, weld the doors shut (what's the point of doors anyway -Dukes of Hazard never needed them..?) Now you've got the makings of something quite amusing...
Several vats of filler later, and a few kilometers of sandpaper and you're ready to spray the thing with some paint. Ferrari Rosso red seems appropriate.
So you end up with an 8 foot long go-kart, no doors, no roof, no problem parking any way round you want, and more of a head turner than most other £50k sportscars! When someone pulls up next to you at the traffic lights in a £150k Ferrari, puts down the window and tells you "You have a cool car" you know it was worth it...!
A few light April showers later and you wonder about the whole roof philosophy... Holding the umbrella while meandering along the M25 isn't gonna look good when you get got by a speed camera. Head along to Oxted Trimming Company (In Oxted, -they do all the roofs for Caterhams) and a few poppers later you've got a roof. After figuring out how the hell to contort through the cloth windows to enter the Tardis you're ready to face the British Summer.
It's only a 1000 auto, but thats quite fast enough, and the auto just adds to the go-kart 'squirt and go' feel. The steering is like nothing else i've encountered. At low speeds you can throw the car round anything -turning circle pretty similar to that of my push bike! Be warned tho -don't apply the brakes at high speed - the car will pull a stoppie! (-back wheels come off the ground and try to overtake you!)
As long as you keep the back bench seat and are prepared to argue with any bobby with a lack of a sense of humour, you can fit 3 people into the cockpit (put in a seatbelt in the middle). The leg room is generous compared to that of a normal mini. The boot is as vast as any other, so you've got plenty of space for all those suitcases.
Why should you do this? It's the funniest car I've ever driven. Every time i get into it I can't help but grin. Even traffic jams are fun! Other mini drivers not only wave and flash but pull emergency stops to figure out what went wrong!
Why shouldn't you do this? You spend your life trying to explain to people why you're driving a car thats been savaged by a tin opener. But it makes people laugh -that can't be bad really...
You need to see it to understand - leave me your email and i'll send a pickie or two...
Good Mini Contacts (Dial 192 if number not listed -sorry):
Custom Roofs: Mark at Oxted trimming Company, Oxted (Roof and doors all fitted cost £600!) To make your long mini a convertible: Kieths convertibles, Summerset. (normal roofs, roof frames, or he'll do the whole car including everything for about £500!) Parts: www.minispeed.co.uk 2nd hand: www.loot.com owners club: www.miniownersclub.co.uk Insurance: Adrian Flux are superb for custom cars -£200 or so! 08700 692202.
PS - since i first wrote this op several more mini categories have appeared.. and i should also point out that (to my knowledge) coopers are only 1.3 not 1.6!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Fantastic handling, very smooth ride and stylish looks Disadvantages: Not as fast as the ol-style Mini Cooper, and the centre mounting speedometre is slightly off-putting at first
Advantages: Excellent design, this car is affordable and cool at the same time Disadvantages: If you're used to power steering and ABS brakes, it will be a challenge at first
Advantages: Fantastic handling, very smooth ride and stylish looks Disadvantages: Not as fast as the ol-style Mini Cooper, and the centre mounting speedometre is slightly off-putting at first
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