Classic Minis...who owns one?

I don't have one, but my boss does. He loves it when it runs. It breaks down a lot!

 

Was very close to buying one until i realized i wouldn't survive if i took it on the highway. Some day....

 

it's british... they do that

 

^ This is true

 

I raced an ex-factory 970 in Europe in the under one liter class and in the old SCCA D-sedan class (also under 1 liter). I also raced it a couple of times when the D-sedans ran with the under 2 liter cars in the old Trans-Am.

The Abarth (Fiat 600 based) cars were faster, except on very twisty circuits, where front wheel drive was an advantage.

There was even a hemi-head Abarth 1000 called the Radiale, that put out 118HP from under one liter, but that engine was not legal in SCCA.

Even the cars without the radiale head bored out from 600cc to nerar 1 liter by Abarth put out about 85-90 horsepower. The best the Minis could do was about 75-80 horsepower!

I think you would be better off with an Abarth based on the Fiat 600, as it is ITALIAN...

You should be able to find a near perfect one for around $30,000...about $10,000-$12,000 more than a perfect Mini.

 

My aunt in France has one. One time my cousin was driving it to park it in a different place and he's 6'4" or something like that. One of the funniest things I've seen, lol!

 

I have a good friend who owns one, and a neighbor with one-- both love it!

Watch out for fakes, though. There are lots of later model Minis running around with pre-1968 titles. They're not that hard to spot, and apparently the DMVs in some states are starting to catch on.

 

It's funny you say that parker, I was thinking along the same lines. The wife is always going to car shows with me and thought it would be cool if she had her own ride to take. She's not really intrested in spending a lot of money, as she is not that passionate. After thinking about it she said that if we were to invest in such a car she would prefer a vintage mini, a vintage bug convertible or a Karhman Giha (coupe or vert). At this point it is just idle, uninformed conversation, but I would love to know more and get a fix on what year models are best, along with an idea of a fair price from somebody with a bit of knowledge of these vehicles.