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Why is the mini the best?

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<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> MarkB said: I'd like to build a replica Healey Fiesta. It's funny how some wide wheels and the Healey wings on the grill, can change the pedestrian Fiesta image. Something like finding out your school librarian is an exotic dancer at night. It seems that if the exact specs could be found, it would not be hard to create, and since it was built to US specs, we Yanks could have a cool little British "hot hatch" and it would be emmissions legal.<hr></blockquote>

Now that would be a neat project, go for it.
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I have a Road & Track article about the Healey Fiesta that should provide some help, but the trick is finding a Fiesta now, they are getting scarce on the ground these days.


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> MarkB also said: As for the Mini, now that BMW has given the name over to "fashionista" pretension, I'd go for converting a Riley Elf to a cabriolet, with Mini Cooper S specs. Too bad Elf is a wimpy name.<hr></blockquote>

Haven't you ever heard of the Wolseley Hornet cabriolet? in 1965 Crayford built 57 Hornet cabriolets for a special contest for Heinz Ketchup (57 varieties... get the idea). This was their very first convertible conversion, moving on to chop the tops off of many British Fords (but that's a different story...) The Hornet Crayford cabriolet didn't come with a Cooper S engine, but I'm sure that some might have them by now. And I know of at least one in North America now - in Edmonton, Alberta.
 
Hey Sherlock,
Great minds do in fact think alike. Trouble is, the only thing that stands between me and my head full o' ideas, is money. I would like to see that R&T write-up, or get the publication date, for definite future reference. Such a build would make more sense than some of the other projects I've considered.
As for the Wolseley, I thought about that. It has a cleaner looking grill and no "wimpy" name. I thought of the Riley because it is a fancier car, if I remember BMC heirarchy correctly. That Hornet one-off, at 57 built, sounds kinda expensive.
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P.S. A thesaurus will in most cases list Sprite as a synonym for Elf, so please don't tell anyone about my own car's wimpy name.
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[ 03-18-2003: Message edited by: MarkB ]</p>
 
"Too bad Elf is a wimpy name."

I know some Tolkien fans who might disagree. Still, point taken.
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Sherlock:
...the trick is finding a Fiesta now, they are getting scarce on the ground these days...<hr></blockquote>

There are probably more IN the ground than on top! Mine started rusting at the rear hatch. I spilled a quart of oil in the spare tire well one time. Made a heck of a mess, but kept the iron oxide at bay. It was a really fun car, though, especially in the snow.

US cars were made in Cologne, with the 1600 Kent engine turned sideways. (I don't recall the specs on European cars.)
 
There you go with your funny jokes again Webb!
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But seriously, to add my two pennorth (British term) my Mini was a lot of fun to drive, even with 848cc. No top end, of course, but decent torque, which could make acceleration seem more exciting than it really was. I can't add to the technical and design comments that precede this, but would like to state that if you ever drove a Mini, despite its shortcomings (pun intended) you fell in love with the thing, especially the early cars with the exposed hinges and the sliding windows. My Mini EBF 486 C was a 1965 example, the first car I ever bought for myself, and I loved it. I would love to own another some day.
 
Thanks for posting the link to the article! I just checked - I have the complete year of '79 Road & Tracks on my shelf. (You can buy them as soon as I figure out how to work the eBay thing...) But back to the car...I second all the bad things they said about the brakes...there was a long steep hill near our house with a light at the bottom. Gravity was not our friend! But otherwise lots of fun...
 
I had a Fiesta for several years in college. Made once a month trips with it from Georgia to New York City. I loved it! Orange with a radar detector and a CB. Not one ticket in two years of giving it serious stick up I-95! But there was a lovely yellow Fiesta S in town that I just couldn't touch. Blew me away every time. I couldn't figure it out because I knew my base model was lighter than his. Finally caught him and he revealed that his Dad worked for Ford Motorsport and it had a few goodies on it and some engine work. Well, after becoming good friends I took my car up to his Dad's place in Augusta, and his Dad told me to leave it there for a week. He would never tell me what he did to it, but I just couldn't believe the difference after that. A car that was already a blast became incredibly fast off the line, with good midrange torque for its size. Hard to believe it was the same engine. Anyway, would regularly go Rabbit and Golf hunting after that. Huck6, if you ever want to let your '81 go, I'd be interested. I've got a '63 Mini that eases all my stress, but I'd love another Fiesta.

Wayne
 
Sorry Wayne, but I let the Fiesta go years ago (shortly after the stick shift broke off in my hands while tooling up the Blue Ridge Parkway). Traded it in on a Jeep CJ (which dropped its clutch while driving back from Gatlinburg).

You can bet that when I get my mini, I will keep it far, far away from the Smokies!
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