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Reading a classic car magazine this morning, i came upon an advert for a classic car colloection for sale. One of the cars was this 'mini' mini!. I remeber seeing things like this in magazines now and again back in the 70's and 80's, but have not seen one for ages. Absolutely brilliant!, imagine using this to pop down town for a couple of errands?!. Doesn't seem too expensive to me either, given the price (BL) Mini's can fetch these days (and i don't just mean Cooper's, or cars with motorsport history)
www.collectionforsale.co.uk/1979-mini-mini
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Cute (especially if it were in British racing green), but I'd hate to be in an accident in one of these.
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Having got the wrench scars on my knuckles and welding burn scars from the original Mini's in the 70's I wouldn't have it at any price. And my driveway doesn't have oil stains on it anymore!
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Cars are a bit like trousers. If you get some that are the right size for you then they'll be fine, if you have some that are a bit too big, then you'll manage, and indeed there will be occasions when they feel especially comfortable, but trousers, or cars, that are too small, well, there really isn't anything good or useful about those. ;-)
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On the other hand I can remember several very tall men who were surprisingly comfortable in a BL Mini - more so than in any other small car. Apparently you could reverse the seat brackets to give more travel.
After the Mini, the original Ford Ka was a good small car for tall people, given the deerstalker-on-wheels shape of the body.
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On the other hand I can remember several very tall men who were surprisingly comfortable in a BL Mini - more so than in any other small car. Apparently you could reverse the seat brackets to give more travel.
Wasn't Issigonis himself about 6'7"?.
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Reminds of when the Henki Pod caravan first came out:
www.henkipod.co.uk/
I liked the idea of having one, but read a review where a couple tried one out for a weekend. They thought it was okay, but they just got fed up with being stared and pointed at. I suspect this car would be in that category for me.
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On the other hand I can remember several very tall men who were surprisingly comfortable in a BL Mini - more so than in any other small car. Apparently you could reverse the seat brackets to give more travel.
After the Mini, the original Ford Ka was a good small car for tall people, given the deerstalker-on-wheels shape of the body.
My old mid 90s Micra was the same - surprisingly good on headroom. I suspect, like with the original Mini (though not as bad), that was because it had less metal between the occupants and the road. The Micra was a (then) NCAP 2* rated car back in the 90s.
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Just found this for sale on Autotrader, thought it would fit right in with the title of the thread!,
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20180925084...1
I know my taste in cars can be a bit weird, but i really would love this!. I have had the opportunity to get up close to one of these when working on a premises shared by a Daihatsu dealer, and they had one as a promotional vehicle. BTW, there are auto versions available, which can take two, albeit in a very 'cosy' fashion!.
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Just found this for sale on Autotrader, thought it would fit right in with the title of the thread!,
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20180925084...1
I know my taste in cars can be a bit weird, but i really would love this!. I have had the opportunity to get up close to one of these when working on a premises shared by a Daihatsu dealer, and they had one as a promotional vehicle. BTW, there are auto versions available, which can take two, albeit in a very 'cosy' fashion!.
LOVE that.....even the colour...so quirky and useful too....and economical.
Nice to see something that is just a bit different for a change...I'd have one.
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Despite having a large car currently. I generally love small cars
My all time favourite was my Suzuki Cappuccino. Such brilliant package in so small a design.
Japanese Kei cars are brilliant.
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My youngest, an (almost) 18 year old budding actor, really likes small cars. I sent him the link to the Midget, and also a link to a Youtube clip of them racing!. He was also going on to me a while a ago about a tiny car he'd seen at work. I later established it to be a Daihatsu Copen. But his favourite is the Isetta bubble car, so he was most intrigued when i showed him the electric interpratation of the Isetta currently in development by an Austrian entrepeneur!.
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I love small cars. Just back from an Italian holiday where every other car is a fiat Panda, my favourite car ever and we have my daughter's on the drive right now. It's the perfect size and it's utility means it's chosen every time over our larger vehicles which aren't exactly huge. Cars have become like the population, bloated, obese and oversized. We probably need a good oil shock as in the 70s to change direction, to encourage a trend to energy efficiency. Which is the reason the original Mini was developed back in the late 50s. I've had 4 in total and they are memorable to drive. A brilliant design but hopelessly unsafe and terribly made, they were pigs to work on which was most weekends. As for rust, yes, everywhere, as with most stuff from that era. Ownership for absolute diehard classic fans, I wouldn't bother these days!
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The nearest one can get nowadays for small dimensions but plenty of room inside, and a feeling of space, is the VW Up and its Skoda and SEAT siblings.
I read somewhere that they may not be replaced as they don't make much money. That'll be a shame, but I suppose that athough they have to be priced lower to sell, it probably doesn't cost all that much less to make an Up than it does a Polo or Golf. When Min prosuction started in 1959, BMC lost money on every Mini they made, I believe.
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Last Wednesday I was given a lift to the classic car afternoon/evening event at Luton Hoo. There were two really small cars there - an original Fiat 500 and an Isetta bubble car. I have memories of a longish trip five up as a student in a Fiat but not sure I would want to own one. If I had the Isetta I would trailer it to shows - it looks more vulnerable than a motorcycle with the opening front.
Some years ago a friend's son got an original Mini. Trying it again after many years I found I could get more comfortable than in the newer BMW variant!
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