STOLEN - Mk1 Cooper S Rally Car

Rally driver and classic Mini enthusiast Peter Horsburgh has had his Mk1 Cooper S rally car stolen from the drive of his home in Brightwell-Cum-Sotwell near Didcot in Oxfordshire on Sunday 3rd Dec '06.

Stolen between Sunday 11.00pm and Monday 7.00am. The car is a 1965 Red and White Mk 1 Cooper S Reg 277 BRX. The car has Cobra seats embroidered with Peter Horsburgh and Mark Appleton, Gold 5 inch....

MINIS ON THE MANX 2008 - RETURN OF PETER HORSBURGH & ‘277 BRX’

At long last the successor to my stolen rally prepared Austin Cooper S, 277 BRX, has emerged from a 12 month rebuild of another Cooper S I bought in 2007. This car is a Morris Cooper S first registered in 1965 and converted into a 60’s rally replica, but not prepared to the current regulations for special stage rallying, and is now stored off-site for obvious security reasons.

Despite my knowledge of old minis...

The 2013 Flanders International Rally Challenge (FIRC)

I am currently preparing my faithful Mini Cooper S “277 BRX” for a foray into Belgium to tackle the 5 rounds of the FIRC championship (www.firc.be).

This year the car has been upgraded after an engine rebuild at Southam Mini and Metro Centre. To try and eliminate last year’s head gasket failures we have fitted a Comitech gasket along with the split 45 Webers which give a very torquey extra 20bhp. To cope with the additional power we have fitted a Quaife ATB limited slip diff. I have not liked these in the past as they do add a trickey dimension to the handling on bumpy twisting tarmac roads but after a lot of suspension tweaking it is just about controllable!

Flanders International Rally Challenge – Round 1 ORC Canal Rally 2013

One hundred and fifty crews made up of 93 modern and 54 historic cars assembled in sunny conditions at 8.00 on Sunday 2nd June in Oostrozebeke, Belgium. The rou

Historical Article - March 1992 - Wild Thing!

In 1988, a humble 1973 Mini 1000 was minding its own business somewhere in London, when along came a young Mini freak called Jason King, who wanted to change it for ever, and make it famous.

Jason persuaded the owner to take £450 for the car, and then proceeded to throw £12,000 worth of presents at it for the next 3 years. Every minute of Jason’s spare time was spent working on his new car and every minute of his working time was spent looking for spares.

Historical Article - April 1994 - Monte Mini -The complete story

Monte Mini -The complete story In January 1994, Monte mania dominated the headlines in the motoring press. The idea that a Mini was again competing in a round of the World Rally Championship, 30 years after its first win, seemed to grab journalist's imaginations. The Paddy Hopkirk entry was first in and received much of the early coverage. Another Mini was announced from the same camp, and then another appeared.

Historical Article-August 1994-8-Port Power

8-Port Power The Arden 8-port cylinder head was designed over 25 years ago, yet it remains one of the most powerful and effective heads available for the Mini A-Series engine today. Designed with racing in mind, the alloy Arden 8-port head was conceived by Jim Whitehouse in 1966/67 to take full advantage of a change in Group 2 regulations, which allowed more freedom in cylinder head design.

Historical Article-August 1994-8-Port Power

8-Port Power The Arden 8-port cylinder head was designed over 25 years ago, yet it remains one of the most powerful and effective heads available for the Mini A-Series engine today. Designed with racing in mind, the alloy Arden 8-port head was conceived by Jim Whitehouse in 1966/67 to take full advantage of a change in Group 2 regulations, which allowed more freedom in cylinder head design.

Historical Article-August 1994-Identical Twins

Identical Twins Mini Spares need no introduction. For Mini nuts it's a Mecca for spares and tuning and even the non-converted can't have missed the company's involvement in the Minis comeback in the Monte Carlo Rally.

Historical Article-August 1994-Identical Twins

Identical Twins Mini Spares need no introduction. For Mini nuts it's a Mecca for spares and tuning and even the non-converted can't have missed the company's involvement in the Minis comeback in the Monte Carlo Rally.

Historical Article - April 1994 - Monte Mini - Preparation

The Monte Minis were entered in the 1300cc Group A category, which demands stringent safety requirements and a minimum weight of 760kgs. Our Mini weighed 760kgs prior to a full removal of all sound deadening material. The new homologated multi point roll cage from Safety Devices was fitted. This is not a job for the average enthusiast.

Historical Article - April 1994 - Monte Mini - Preparation

The Monte Minis were entered in the 1300cc Group A category, which demands stringent safety requirements and a minimum weight of 760kgs. Our Mini weighed 760kgs prior to a full removal of all sound deadening material. The new homologated multi point roll cage from Safety Devices was fitted. This is not a job for the average enthusiast.

Historical Article-November 1995-Northern Exposure

Northern Exposure Mini Spares North, the expanding northern arm of Mini Spares Centre, will be expanding still further before Christmas. After 9 months of operation, we are pleased to report that sales from our northern operation in Harrogate have exceeded all expectations. Manager Neil Booth is seen here, absorbing the finer details of his store's performance, against the local competition.

Historical Article-November 1995-Northern Exposure

Northern Exposure Mini Spares North, the expanding northern arm of Mini Spares Centre, will be expanding still further before Christmas. After 9 months of operation, we are pleased to report that sales from our northern operation in Harrogate have exceeded all expectations. Manager Neil Booth is seen here, absorbing the finer details of his store's performance, against the local competition.