35 replies to this topic

[Notepad12]

Are they suitable for motorway/dual carriageway way driving? Only ones I've drive are the 1,3..

[MIGLIACARS]

there very very slow for modern day trafic.   0-60  26 secs if in tip top condition.

 

you would be brave on the M1

[Marco1972]

Yes I agree

Ok as a city run about but massively underpowered for motorway use

[CityEPete]

My brother had a '66 850 it really flew along!

[Cooperman]

An 850 will cruise at 60 mph at just over 4000 rpm.
Most classic cars are slow compared with modern cars, but the 'retro' performance is what classic car ownership is all about. Old cars have a charm other there own in the same way as other old things.
I own a classic sailplane and whilst it doesn't fly like a modern glass fibre sailplane it is just wonderful in its own way.
Our Minis are relatively slow, uncomfortable, noisy and, most of all, FUN!

[mab01uk]

In a standard 850cc Mini you will notice slight inclines on motorways that you would not even notice in a modern car........the technique used to be get as much speed up as possible down any hills and use the momentum gained to get you as far up the next incline as possible before you have to work the engine hard using lower gears!

[absx2]

After owning and driving minis for 33 years I find it amusing to hear peoples different opinions on what is or is not acceptable for today's roads.

So just my two penny's worth, My 850 Super Delux was great fun, 70 mph in 3rd was the norm and I didn`t care if it went bang because I had and still have 8 or 9 spare engines. They are supposed to be a weak motor and with no cam bearings I suppose they are but I couldn`t kill it.

I worked with a guy in lands end Cornwall that commuted to and from Scottland every weekend in a standard 1989 mayfair.

Another friend commuted to and from Wiltshire in a 1972 1000. He could change the dynamo brushes in the dark     

We had a couple of 850 works vans that took us on 200 mile round days trips once a week every week for years with no problems. They actually rotted out before they broke.

Slightly off topic. I was a passenger in a mini Ritz with a stage 1 kit on a 460 mile round trip to Castle Combe that included 2 track sessions. That poor car was beaten mercilessly all the way up, around and back. The outside lane of the motorway for mile after mile with the needle off the speedo was, well I blame his youth :)  That little motor went on and on and the looser it got the more it revved. In the quest for power my friend purchased an out of the box 1380 complete with dyno report, it blew up fairly quickly.

So you may of guessed I love 850`s and 1000`s and no matter where I drive here in Cornwall they are much faster than the car that`s holding me up ( usually doing 40 mph and braking every time they see a car on the opposite side of the road) Everywhere has a 30 or 40 mph speed limit now even from town to town so the little motors that require a bit of forethought or slingshot as I call it are great fun without losing your licence and if I need to do a 200 mile trip its no problem as i`ve been doing it for decades.

[Notepad12]

I only ask because I have seen a mk2 850 cc...mm looks looooovley and shiny

[AlexMozza]

In my opinion a good 850 engine, with good gear box can be one of the best minis to drive, they just purr along.

Something that is often forgotten when people are banging on about a new 1380 quad can twin turbo engine their mate has in a 88 City....

Edited by AlexMozza, 06 June 2016 - 07:40 PM.

[pbradbury660]

When I bought my Mk1 Austin I brought it up the M1 from Northampton to Yorkshire. It wasn't the fastest but it sat quite happily between 50-60! Yes you need to think ahead a bit more to overtake lorries etc but I love my 850 and wouldn't swap it for a bigger engine! In fact I can't wait to put my Moke back to a 848 from a 988!

[mab01uk]

With a standard 850 or 998 the key driving technique is you have to think ahead and read the road and then they can be great fun (except on motorways).......however most modern drivers don't read the road ahead as they have instant power and acceleration or are too busy looking at the sat nav or their phones.......

[62S]

With a standard 850 or 998 the key driving technique is you have to think ahead and read the road and then they can be great fun (except on motorways).......however most modern drivers don't read the road ahead as they have instant power and acceleration or are too busy looking at the sat nav or their phones.......

Ah, the good old days when you had to think ahead and maintain a good level of awareness and only had a speedometer and a couple of other gauges to distract you?

[MrBounce]

I remember my friend leant me her 79 850 in the 90s when my car was in the garage. It was of course a but slow but had so much charm and was unburstable.

She eventually sold it and bought an 82 Mayfair which was horrible by comparison.

[Haynes]

I love my 850 and if you have the chance of a nice example then definitely go for it.  

 

However anything over 50 gets noisy - and they can struggle up hills that a modern car wont notice.

 

If I drive into work I dont look forward to the 3 miles on the dual carriage way, you feel so small and vulnerable when a lorry drives up your ar5e and you cant accelerate out of trouble.  And on A roads the tw4t in the audi behind will always want to drive a lot faster and harsh your mellow.  But you do do still find yourself being held up through the twisty stuff.

 

 

For some 850 motorway inspiration check out the beginning of '4 weddings' , 30 seconds into this:

[Cooperman]

I am restoring an 850. It is a 1964 Morris version. Now I have a couple of 998 lumps sitting in my store, a 1275 A+, a Mk.1 'S' lump and two 850 engines. I shall be fitting the 850 engine which is original to the car, despite it being seized up and needing a very full rebuild.

The only alterations I'll make will be a slightly better cam, a cleaned-up head with around 9.5:1 CR, a Duplex timing chain and a 'gas-flowed' carburettor.

The only other mods will be a Facit electric fuel pump and Mk.1 Cooper 998 7" disc brakes to avoid the need for brake adjustment. With the 7" discs I can still fit the 3.5" x 10" original wheels and it is definitely a 'period mod'..

Then it will be a real classic Mini and will be suitable for driving anywhere really, although the standard seats will seem a bit uncomfortable after those of my modern cars.