Mini Magazine - Summer 2018

Our Minis
Positioning the MED front
rad in the refurbished
front subframe.
Stephen Colbran
Contributor
Fresh graphics for the Mini and
its rolling for good measure.
MINI LIFE I’ve been
around Minis since I raced
one aged 13, I rebuilt a
Mini as my first road car,
and have owned many
others along the way. I’ve
since driven, written about
and photographed some
of the best cars on the
scene. No longer using the
long-term project car, in
2017 I decided to sell most
of my possessions and go
racing again.
MINI SPEC My Mini was
once a Mini Miglia, built
originally from a new
Rover Motorsport shell in
the early 2000s. Corgi
produced a die-cast model
of the car and it’s had a
good deal of success over
the years. It’s set to
compete in the Mini Se7en
S-Class, a limited-tuning
starter series with an
emphasis on DIY prep.
My dad’s project is a Mini
Clubman with a Vauxhall
Astra VXR engine shoehorned
up front.
MINIS OWNED
Mini Se7en racer
VXR-engined Clubman
To do list
1. Install brake lines
2. Build an engine
3. Set up the
suspension
Racing stripes
In an effort to go faster, stripes add at least 10bhp to a race car you know...
Obviously it’s most important
to be fast and safe on track,
but a race car has got to look
the part too. With that in mind I got
busy on Photoshop to create a livery,
or a few as it happened, then fired
some ideas back and forth with the
graphics company. Between us we
came up with a simple yet retro-style
design, featuring the Mini Se7en S
Class green and black from the
existing trim and bumpers.
Inspiration came from one of my
Scalextric Minis and a PlayStation
game I used to play years ago.
Until the vinyl started going down
I wasn’t quite sure how it would turn
Ed from Signs and Graphics UK
working his magic with the vinyl.
out away from the screen, but it’s
come out a treat. Ed from Signs and
Graphics UK popped over for the
afternoon and started wrapping.
With over 10 years of experience, he
made it look far easier than it is,
although the job still took about
three hours from start to finish.
These guys are used to wrapping full
vehicles, from company vans to LMP
cars, to much bigger stuff. In fact,
Ed’s previous job before the Mini was
Gran Turismo wrap on an artic truck
for a GT race team - it was a threeman
job apparently!
Where size works in the Mini’s
favour, those compound curves are a
nightmare for bubbles, combined
with the external seams to wrap
around. I’ve seen full wraps on Minis
before, but I’m not convinced it’s
sensible on a car that’s known to rust
from the inside out. Rust under
wraps on a race car is far less of an
issue than with a road car left outside
year-round. Either way, if the vinyls
are applied by someone who knows
what they’re doing, it certainly helps.
You might also notice that the
Mini has gone from a bare shell to
rolling on the floor this month.
Progress is going well as I invest
every spare hour into the build. I
lifted the shell up and off the trusty
wheel-o-matic pallet creation and on
to its Minilite wheels. These are
regulation alloys from series sponsor
Mini Spares - either these or older
100+ rims, but they’ve been known
to crack with age and the Minilites
are a great price for the quality.
On the other hand, tyres are
expensive for 10s at £118 plus VAT.
Unlike road-going tyres that are
produced in huge numbers, Dunlop
only supplies these crossplies to the
Mini Se7ens, production is more
complex and all that adds up to a
larger bill. It’s an unavoidable cost,
but at least there’s good support at
race meets. Even better was a hint by
seasoned competitor Graeme Davis,
who recommended asking around
for people’s old cast-offs. For
someone who just wants to go testing
and have a play, the front-runners’
old tyres are plenty good enough.
That handy advice netted me four
part-worn race tyres for £50. That’ll
do nicely!
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