NEW BOOK TAKES A LOOK AT THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE SMALL CAR

NEW BOOK TAKES A LOOK AT THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE SMALL CAR

Mini Scrapbook 60 years of a British icon

By Martin Port

Published by Porter Press International

Publication date: 17 June 2019

Softback ● RRP: £20.00

ISBN: 978-1-907085-94-9 ● 176 pages

Format 240mm x 300mm ● Over 400 photos

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Mini – a little car which made a big impact when it was launched in 1959. With its unique combination of aesthetics, space efficiency, engineering approach, and handling, the Mini was the brainchild of genius designer Alec Issigonis, and proved to be an instant hit – not just with the general buying public, but also with celebrities like The Beatles, Twiggy and Peter Sellers, and racers like Sir Stirling Moss. It became a much-loved staple of the British car industry – a position that it has arguably maintained for 60 years and continues to enjoy today.

In this latest addition to the Scrapbook series from Porter Press, the story of this unique little car is broken up into accessible nuggets and supported by an extensive array of archive and contemporary photographs, to illustrate just what makes the Mini so special, so loved and such fun!

Story highlights

• Setting the scene – Discovering why this charismatic little car is so loved around the world.

• From concept to reality – Revealing how Alec Issigonis and his team turned their thoughts from rough sketches to prototypes to production cars.

• The life of the Mini – Introducing each incarnation of the classic Mini, from 1959 to 2000.

• The Mini in competition – Exploring the car’s place in motorsport and the famous racers who got behind the wheel.

• Popular culture – From celebrity owners to appearances on the silver screen – including Brit cult classic movie The Italian Job.

• Tuning the Mini – Delves into a whole host of upgrades and add-ons that were available, including key tuning modifications as demonstrated by Downton, Cooper and Broadspeed.

• Mini variants – The Mini was the basis for many, many variations – from the Moke to the Midas, from the slightly strange to the downright absurd.

• BMW Mini – Brings us up to date, with a look at 21st-century incarnations, including the 60th-anniversary model – the latest in a long line of cars to wear the Mini name.

• Lots to look at – Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs, documents and memorabilia that document the car’s past, present and future.

• A very different sort of book – Dip in, dip out and discover all the fun of the Mini!

The author

Author Martin Port has worked in automotive publishing for 18 years – the last 16 of these for leading classic car title, Classic & Sports Car. Over the last 27 years, he has owned a variety of classics, from a Mini Metro to a Morris Minor, a Porsche 912 to a Series II Land-Rover, and, of course, the legendary Mini. The first of these was a 1968 Morris Mini MkII Super DeLuxe, driven from Cheshire to Berkshire with a hole in one of the valves. The second was a 1980 model rescued from a hedge in Richmond the day that it was due to be scrapped. Thanks to the Mini’s unique driving experience, which always puts a smile on his face, it will always have a corner of his motoring heart.

Also out now!

As well as being the 60th anniversary of the Mini, this year also marks the 50thanniversary of British cult classic film The Italian Job, in which of course the Mini plays a starring, scene-stealing role. Fans of the iconic little car can celebrate this milestone with another new title fresh from the Porter Press fold: The Self Preservation Society – 50 Years of The Italian Job. Written by the world authority on the film, Matthew Field, this new book takes a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at how the film made its way to our screens. It is based on more than 50 in-depth interviews with the cast and crew and lavishly illustrated with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and production documents.

MOTORCYCLE ACE ZEF EISENBERG SETS NEW FLYING MILE RECORD AT WORLD-FAMOUS PENDINE SANDS

MOTORCYCLE ACE ZEF EISENBERG SETS NEW FLYING MILE RECORD AT WORLD-FAMOUS PENDINE SANDS

Motorcycle ace Zef Eisenberg sets new Flying Mile record

Record-breaking racer Zef Eisenberg survived a 195mph scare to establish a stunning new benchmark for the Flying Mile at Pendine Sands in South Wales. Riding a specially made 400bhp supercharged Suzuki Hayabusa that was built and prepared by Eisenberg’s MADMAX Racing Team, he set a two-way average of 182.40mph on Saturday 6 April.

In 1927, Sir Malcolm Campbell reached 174.8mph at Pendine in his iconic aero-engined Blue Bird. That record was unbroken until 2015, when actor Idris Elba achieved 180.361mph along the historic beach in a 650hp Bentley Continental Super Sport twin-turbo W12 – yet the intrepid Eisenberg needed only a single run in both directions on the ‘Green Monster’ to surpass them both, with a rear tyre that was found to be falling apart after the first run!

“The bike had been spinning the rear wheel for two miles at 240mph,” explained Eisenberg. “We were using a GP racing tyre, too – the best you can get, but I assume it’s not used to that much power or wheelspin. That’s why these records are so hard to achieve. You’re pushing human and engineering boundaries.”

The MADMAX team fitted a new tyre during the permitted one-hour turn-around time, enabling Eisenberg to complete his return run and establish the new record. For the third run, a harder compound of tyre was used, but the extreme demands of running at maximum rpm for nearly three miles – and constant wheelspin at such high revs – took its toll on the motorcycle’s highly stressed engine.

“I was doing 195mph approaching the end of the mile,” said Eisenberg of the moment the engine blew, “and my helmet visor and leathers were sprayed with black engine oil, obscuring my vision. I lost sight of the finish flags, but I couldn’t just slam on the brakes due to the sand. Fortunately, I managed to keep it straight and bring it to a stop.

“Then I noticed engine oil spraying onto the hot exhaust, but unless I jumped off and dropped the bike, I couldn’t get off because I couldn’t put the kick-stand down on the sand! Luckily, the oil never caught fire on the hot exhaust, as the bike would have burst into flames…”

The critical engine damage prevented Eisenberg and the MADMAX team from achieving their ultimate goal of 200mph for the Flying Mile, but they’d already done enough to break the all-out Flying Mile record for ’bike and car.

They will be back at the legendary venue during the Speed Week on 18/19th May with their 1200bhp Porsche Sand Racer. Painstakingly developed from a 2015 911 Turbo, this extreme machine will be driven by Eisenberg in an attempt to break the outright Flying Mile record.

His goal will also be to establish a new benchmark for the highest speed ever achieved at Pendine by a wheel-powered vehicle – a record that Eisenberg currently holds at 201.5mph on the MADMAX ‘Green Monster’, making the Suzuki the fastest-ever motorbike on sand.

A WELSH LOVE STORY ON WHEELS

CLASSIC TORQUE

FROM CLASSIC CHATTER

A WELSH LOVE STORY ON WHEELS

 The routes! What a delight to drive!” was the instant response of one German participant when asked for his view of the FIVA World Rally 2018, a 450-mile, four-day, non-competitive event held this year in the dramatic countryside of rural Mid Wales.

The annual event is open to anyone with a classic car they enjoy using, not just members of FIVA (the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens or international federation of historic vehicles).

While the location changes from year to year, Mid Wales proved a huge hit with the 25 participating teams, including two from Japan, four from Argentina, two from Slovakia, one from the Czech Republic and six from Germany – most of whom were new to Wales but have pledged to return as soon as they can.

“When driving,” continues Carl-Michael Emer from Germany, “one immediately understands the fascination of the Welsh people for the sport of rallying, because the terrain offers so many possibilities.

“Most of FIVA’s World Rally route followed small – even tiny – roads, sometimes just wide enough to let a car pass. Although it was called a ‘touristic event’, the driving was demanding, with tight corners, blind bends, steep uphill and downhill slopes (up to 25%), but we were always rewarded with breathtaking views in an ever-changing landscape. It’s easy to understand the affection the event organisers have for this region; and I think the participants now feel the same.”

Held from 28 August to 1 September 2018, there were four days of driving with a central base at the fabulous Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells, often regarded as the spiritual home of Welsh rallying. A detailed roadbook guided participants through the twists and turns of the route, while there was a relaxing break from driving when the teams took a steam train ride from Devil’s Bridge to Aberystwyth.

Event organiser Paul Loveridge added, “Many participants were amazed to discover the terrain and landscapes of Mid Wales – drawing comparisons with the alpine regions of Europe. What particularly struck them was that within a single mile, you come across radically different scenery that might encompass mountain passes, lush valleys or panoramic views across as many as eight or ten counties.”

Next year’s event will have a lot to live up to but, given that it’s being held in Austria, it shouldn’t disappoint. FIVA’s Austria Classic, from 22-26 May 2019, is again open to anyone – not just FIVA members.