(My co-worker, Barbara’s first year Morris Mini-Minor, affectionately named “Buffy”)
Wordless Outtake: 1959 Morris Mini-Minor – Makes Parking Easy
– Posted on November 18, 2015
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Curbside Classics Archives
(My co-worker, Barbara’s first year Morris Mini-Minor, affectionately named “Buffy”)
A real Mini not one of those awful BMW things, not really rare around here I see plenty of them everyday.
Well they are quite rare here in the northeastern U.S. Say what you want about the modern MINIs, but if it were not for BMW, MINI would cease to exist today.
And it gave the former DAF-Volvo-Mitsubishi-Smart ForFour factory a new and bright future.
Surely someone would have wanted that brand if BMW hadn’t?
You say as if it would be a bad thing, I suppose overproduction of PSA 206 drivetrains had to go somewhere.
MINI does not exist today as a true “Mini.” It is more a bloated caricature.
I think of them more as an homage to the original but in a modern wrapper. Ive driven a supercharged Cooper S. It was a hoot. Whats NOT to love about them? They look cool, theyre easy on gas, handle like go karts, theyre pretty quick out of the box and plenty of goodies to hop them up can be had. Nothing boring about them but depending on the model, you can live with them just as easy as the grocery getters. The downside is theyre spendy for such a small car, but if you care about the driving experience, it wont let you down.
“Whats NOT to love about them?”
They are a royal PITA to work on.
That kind of maintenance headache is a dealbreaker with many cars for me, and it’s something that isn’t marketed to customers, who don’t feel the pain until their warranty’s are up(when they have to shell out for the long book hours themselves).
It’s particularly comical with the “Mini” since the real much smaller Mini had ample room to work under the hood and access everything. And the whole freaking front end lifts up with the hood on the current one, for apparently no real reason at all.
Also worth a chuckle, check out the alternator placement on the final original Minis!
Already have something that out handles the new mini better to drive better built so no thanks.
“Whats NOT to love about them?”
I just got rid of my 2009 base model Cooper. I stress the rid, because the car was incredibly fun to drive but astronomically expensive to maintain. I’ve never had a car needing so much work at 75,000 miles. I had a huge repair bill earlier this year, and another was upcoming. Combined with the scheduled maintenance costs, I could have leased a new Mercedes or BMW for the same money. After my last service call, I drove directly to a Honda dealer and bought a Civic.
I ended up bookmarking a diagnostic webpage because living with a MINI is a constant game of figuring out what the warning light d’jour is saying.
An ex-girlfriend and I bought a Mini Cooper soon after their US market introduction. We picked out the options and then followed the build process online. When the car came, my ex was thrilled and I enjoyed driving it. It handled exceptionally well for a FWD car, and the BMW design and supplier use were obvious. My ex intended to buy another car to use up and keep her beloved Mini forever. Three years later, it was gone. The dealer was 70 miles away, and it seemed like half the miles the car accumulated were racked up going there. Stuff failed that you don’t even think about on a quality car, like the chrome falling off the grill in less than a year. BMWs are just as bad, but I didn’t recognize that at the time. It was actually kind of sad how fast the Mini Cooper shed its appeal.
My wife just won one in a competition, the same orange as Johannes posted above. She takes delivery next week. Her first car was a ’67 Mini. Should be interesting….
Congratulations !
I had a 1961 model back in the 90’s (in New Zealand.) It needed nothing but some occasional water, oil, and some fuel.
It had leather straps as door hinges. One day while I was getting out of the car the leather snapped and the door fell off! Great car.
More than 35 years ago an aunt and her son (which makes him my cousin) both had a Mini at the same time. My cousin had a brown 1300 with an extra tiny steering wheel, and my aunt drove a special blue edition with light blue striping, IIRC it was called the Lady. It had an onboard blue umbrella as an accessory.
I saw one buzzing around St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota FL the other night while we were enjoying an amazing dinner outdoors at Cafe L’ Europe. I seem to recall that the car came by 3 or 4 times.
Even tiny Scion appears to be huge by compare!
Uhh, that’s a Scion TC. Hardly “tiny” by any stretch, with all due respect. Now if it were an iQ that would make an interesting comparison. From the front, I suspect the Mini would still look small compared to an iQ.
If squeezed, it looks like you could put two of them between the Audi and Scion. Just don’t try to use the doors!
When I lived in Memphis, about 10 years ago, someone had one of these. I haven’t seen a BL Mini since then. However, someone here in Jacksonville has/had a Riley Elf that they were trying to sell a few months ago and I saw it on the street a few times. The asking price for that Elf was $14,500. Those cars are so small you swear they could fit in the trunk of a “normal” car.
It’s my understanding, from what I’ve read on paper and online that the BMW Mini is MORE trouble-prone than the BL Mini ever was. But then again, it’s more complicated/sophisticated.
There are three Elfs on trademe at being sold as a lot bidding was still under 1K last time I looked still not rare in NZ.
I think more troublesome is probably an exaggeration, and with a car produced for 40 years, it’s harder to make blanket statements in that regard. (Some of the early headaches were resolved, some quicker than others.) On the other hand, I can’t imagine there are many things on the current MINI that could be fixed with bailing wire, duct tape, and wire coat hangers.
And classic British cars are quite trouble prone. Classic Minis are no exception. Although easy to work on, the very limited space under the bonnet does pose challenges.
Someone I used to know had a Mini (not a MINI) whose steering rack actually fell off in traffic at one point. I have heard many stories of old British cars exhibiting a whole range of old British car infirmities, but that one takes some kind of cake.
They arent trouble prone the biggest failing is poorly trained mechanics not knowing how to do proper repairs, mind you I dont own BMC stuff I prefer things built well first time round.
It’s super impressive that someone still has a functioning 1959 Mini-Minor. There was lots of development work still to be done when they were unleashed on the public, and most survivors are more recent everywhere in the world.
Call me old-school, but this is the real Mini. I’ve never owned or driven, but I have ridden in one, and I find it more comfortable than it looks like it’d be.
I remember here in Miami some years ago parking my ’84 CRX alongside a yellow, nicely-restored Mini. What a contrast. The Honda was quite small compared to most vehicles on the road, but looked huge next to the tiny yellow box. Sadly, I’ve never had the chance to ride in or drive a Mini.
It’s a huge win sometimes. Modern cars are typically large and people don’t like parking in right sides. My 1978 mini will often get me prime parking spots.
Good protection from receiving door dings.
I love how tiny it is. I’d be afraid of getting in an accident in this, but I suppose that anyone who uses a car like this as a daily driver is super-vigilant on the roads.
I wouldn’t worry at all, look at it this way – it’s literally half the size of a typical modern car, eg 50% less chance some other maniac clips you than you would have in something larger.
50% less chance of being seen by a semi driver, too.
If you’re driving a classic Mini–in North America at least–pretty much everyone else on the road notices you.
Or, as Alex Dykes says in the YouTube comments re: his recent road test of the new Smart, “The Smart depends on other vehicle’s crumple zones since it does not have any of its own.”
That sounds like utter nonsense to me. And it is, because the current Smart ForTwo got 4 out of 5 stars in the Euro NCAP crash test.
By the way, there’s always a boss above boss, as we say. Drive the biggest and safest sedan on the market, meet an 18-wheeler and you lose.
Sweet! You see old school Minis on the road here in the Portland area fairly regular. Im guessing they trickle down from Canada. Very cool little cars, and they look like a blast to drive.
Yes they were a major hoot to drive .. and the early ones cornered like they were on rails .. the later ones (with hydrolastic set-up) were not as good .. however, you did not want to be rear-ended as having the battery sitting next to the petrol tank just inside the left side of the boot lid was not a good thing .. some ppl got trapped and burn’t alive like that
Very cute. Nice ride Barbara.
Nice car ! .
Too bad only one picture .
I’ve ridden in , driven and worked on BMC Minis , they were basically enclosed go – karts , very fun indeed but less so as you age .
My Son pushed me hard to buy one of the many that are in So. Cal. , they’re a bit too crude even for me .
A Buddy or two have Riley Elfs , very nice and when massaged a bit faster than anyone imagines until they try to catch it in the canyons .
-Nate
Here are a few more. We displayed it in our showroom for our 2016 Clubman launch party.
Thanx Brendan ! .
As I live in So. Cal. , there are still plenty left and not overly $pendy to buy .
Of late a fair quantity of right hand drive ones have been purchased and direct imported , also affordably .
Me , I went through the RHD phase in the 1970’s win Vintage VW’s , after the novelty wears off they’re a pia and maybe dangerous in traffic here .
Every so often I get roped into working on one of these , usually out on a Road Rally when the owner isn’t mechanically inclined , they’re really simple (? crude ?) in design easy to service and repair with very basic tools .
Maybe an Elf some day , maybe not .
-Nate
Rear
Interior
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Smart. Car.
I would love to own a proper Mini one day, but they seem to be unreasonably expensive for what they are. It’s the same problem with series Land Rovers. I suppose that is what happens when a car becomes iconic.