Ford Prefect
Well-Known Member
So I?m bored, and therefore decided to do something which I had promised/threatened some people with a few times already: post my car...
It?s a Mini One, built in September 2001 it?s one of the very first of the "new" Mini generation. It?s basically my first car, as the two I had previously weren?t technically "mine". It started it?s life as a sort of general purpose car for anyone to use in the carpool of a company in Berlin.
I had never really liked the BMW Mini at all, until I actually drove one. I got the car in September of 2003, and considering it only had 16000km on it, it was quite cheap. But I?m pretty certain most of those kms were done in Berlin traffic, and it does have a few bumps and has certainly seen some hail damage. As I mentioned, it was used as a cheap car you could give to anyone, so it?s about the most standard version of the Mini you can get. The only options it had are A/C, fog lights, rev gauge, and a radio that plays tapes (yay). So all in all nothing special, but great for an ongoing (and never ending) project.
Ironically, within less than 10 days of getting the car I had my first contact with the ring. I drove it around for two laps of the GP-circuit and Nordschleife along with a large group of other Minis, an event which was used to fill the gap between other stuff going on just before a VLN race. The car was still in it?s stock form with steel rims and the wobbly One-suspension, and while this was quite adventurous and not a lot of fun, it heavily (very heavily) influenced my life and that of my car.
So a lot has happened since then. The car will probably go past the 150000km mark within a week, and compared to other early Minis, has caused me very little trouble. I do obsess about taking good care of it, but it has seen quite a lot of action on the N?rburg- and Salzburgring, and will complete it?s first lap of Spa in about a month if all goes as planned.
Anyway, I won?t bore you with all the history so here are some pics. Unfortunately I don?t have a decent camera, and have therefore never really taken the time to take any proper pictures, and I don?t know anyone with the proper equipment who?s been up for it either, so most of the stuff here is what other people posted on the internet or emailed me. If anyone finds their work here and would like it removed, just let me know.
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/3650/dsc0177wm.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/6947/dsc0514wm.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/3138/32touris001920070520.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/3041/32touris072620070520.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/8665/20070616touri10422.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/4889/dnq8s9283.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/4760/img0776j.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/6506/img4338.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/4002/pict1106.jpg
http://img242.imageshack.**/img242/5332/324g.jpg
http://img242.imageshack.**/img242/7366/glp1s.jpg
http://img242.imageshack.**/img242/2535/glp2.jpg
http://img408.imageshack.**/img408/2865/img1443.jpg
Over the years my Mini obviously had a few things done to it, mostly by myself, in order to make it more ringworthy and generally more fun, here?s a rough summary:
-standard MTH/Hartge ECU remap
from quite a while ago, when MTH still made proper stuff
-Hartge coilovers
nice, but not really made for the track, the only bad investment I made on this car, soon to be replaced by KW V3 coilovers when I finally have time
-Recaro Pole Position seats
-rear interior stuff completely removed
-sway bars and rear axle from the Cooper S
-OZ Superturismo GT 7x17 on 205/40 Potenza RE050
-shiftlight from the R56
-brakes: ATE powerdiscs with Ferodo DS pads, along with better brake fluids (still experimenting), and brake lines from Dickhaut Specials.
-Cooper transmission (ie lower gear ratios)
-powerflex bushings on the front wishbones
Hope I didn?t completely bore everyone to death
cheers,
Alex
It?s a Mini One, built in September 2001 it?s one of the very first of the "new" Mini generation. It?s basically my first car, as the two I had previously weren?t technically "mine". It started it?s life as a sort of general purpose car for anyone to use in the carpool of a company in Berlin.
I had never really liked the BMW Mini at all, until I actually drove one. I got the car in September of 2003, and considering it only had 16000km on it, it was quite cheap. But I?m pretty certain most of those kms were done in Berlin traffic, and it does have a few bumps and has certainly seen some hail damage. As I mentioned, it was used as a cheap car you could give to anyone, so it?s about the most standard version of the Mini you can get. The only options it had are A/C, fog lights, rev gauge, and a radio that plays tapes (yay). So all in all nothing special, but great for an ongoing (and never ending) project.
Ironically, within less than 10 days of getting the car I had my first contact with the ring. I drove it around for two laps of the GP-circuit and Nordschleife along with a large group of other Minis, an event which was used to fill the gap between other stuff going on just before a VLN race. The car was still in it?s stock form with steel rims and the wobbly One-suspension, and while this was quite adventurous and not a lot of fun, it heavily (very heavily) influenced my life and that of my car.
So a lot has happened since then. The car will probably go past the 150000km mark within a week, and compared to other early Minis, has caused me very little trouble. I do obsess about taking good care of it, but it has seen quite a lot of action on the N?rburg- and Salzburgring, and will complete it?s first lap of Spa in about a month if all goes as planned.
Anyway, I won?t bore you with all the history so here are some pics. Unfortunately I don?t have a decent camera, and have therefore never really taken the time to take any proper pictures, and I don?t know anyone with the proper equipment who?s been up for it either, so most of the stuff here is what other people posted on the internet or emailed me. If anyone finds their work here and would like it removed, just let me know.
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/3650/dsc0177wm.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/6947/dsc0514wm.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/3138/32touris001920070520.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/3041/32touris072620070520.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/8665/20070616touri10422.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/4889/dnq8s9283.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/4760/img0776j.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/6506/img4338.jpg
http://img100.imageshack.**/img100/4002/pict1106.jpg
http://img242.imageshack.**/img242/5332/324g.jpg
http://img242.imageshack.**/img242/7366/glp1s.jpg
http://img242.imageshack.**/img242/2535/glp2.jpg
http://img408.imageshack.**/img408/2865/img1443.jpg
Over the years my Mini obviously had a few things done to it, mostly by myself, in order to make it more ringworthy and generally more fun, here?s a rough summary:
-standard MTH/Hartge ECU remap
from quite a while ago, when MTH still made proper stuff
-Hartge coilovers
nice, but not really made for the track, the only bad investment I made on this car, soon to be replaced by KW V3 coilovers when I finally have time
-Recaro Pole Position seats
-rear interior stuff completely removed
-sway bars and rear axle from the Cooper S
-OZ Superturismo GT 7x17 on 205/40 Potenza RE050
-shiftlight from the R56
-brakes: ATE powerdiscs with Ferodo DS pads, along with better brake fluids (still experimenting), and brake lines from Dickhaut Specials.
-Cooper transmission (ie lower gear ratios)
-powerflex bushings on the front wishbones
Hope I didn?t completely bore everyone to death
cheers,
Alex