14 replies to this topic

[Giomassi]

Hello All,
 
I drive a LHD 1989 998cc 'Racing Green' with just under 80'000 kms on the clock.  

Back in the early 90's, I had the opportunity to drive a friend's 1275; when I stepped out of his car, grinning from ear to ear, I knew I had to have one.  Life, very often, got in the way.

And so, possibly because she was fed up of hearing me bang on about it for the past 20 odd years and could take no more, my wife decided to buy my first mini as a surprise gift. She has regretted it ever since 😂.  

Thanks for having me, TMF 👍

[Landie]

Welcome to the forum.

 

It was nice of your Wife to buy you a Mini, shame she regrets it. Let her drive it and she might not regret it and come to love it like we all do.

Luckily my Wife is the opposite, we have a few trips planed and she always says "Can we take the Mini?"

 

Good luck with your Wife and happy driving.

[Giomassi]

Thanks!


It was lovely of her to buy me a mini 😍 To be fair, it's more the cost of parts and tools that took my wife by surprise. It is by far the most expensive hobby I've ever had 😬 she enjoys the car, and my boys love it too; they are 9 and 4 and always want to come for a drive. It's just when she sees me hovering around the minis spares website, which is rather often, she knows another lump of money is coming out of the pot 😂😂

Where are you planning to drive to this year? Anywhere nice? The mountain roads where I am are perfect for a mini. I've not had the opportunity to do any long road trips yet.

[Baldspeed Racing]

Welcome and what a stunning place to live, I was there 7yrs ago on a trip and loved the place

[Giomassi]

Thanks Baldspeed! Did you drive over?  It's a good place to go for a spin, especially when the sun is out   

[Baldspeed Racing]

Thanks Baldspeed! Did you drive over?  It's a good place to go for a spin, especially when the sun is out   

no we were on a coach tour, so stopped at Lake Como in a hotel and did some tours locally like Lake Garda for the day which is also well nice. The roads were so good (bar being a large coach) so did think my mini would be fun and also riding around there on one of my bikes 

[cooperd70]

Welcome to the forum! Drove around Lake Como in my 1990 998 Flame Red JCC (same edition to your Racing Green, but a year younger) on a trip from the UK, through France, Switzerland and Northern Italy some few years ago. A mini is perfect for some sections of road around the lake that are very narrow 🤣😂

I will have to dig out a few photos!

PS - my profile pic is one I took on the lake

Edited by cooperd70, 28 March 2025 - 12:58 PM.

[Giomassi]

Oh cycling's huge here.  I have quite a few friends who are passionate about road cycling. I prefer mountain biking personally; I feel safer.  It's also a bit safer for my children to come along too - Italian drivers aren't exactly known for being at the top of their game, and road cycling around the lake can be a bit of a gamble sometimes . Garda is also very lovely. 

Driving a mini across the northern boarders of Italy should definitely be included somewhere on the bucket list...  The Stelvio Pass and the Great Dolomites Road are a must

[Giomassi]

Thanks for the warm welcome Cooperd70!  Did you do that drive in the summer?  With no air conditioning it'd be quite a sticky drive 🥵

My family used to drive from London all the way down to Sicily every year (it took 3 days).  My folks up front and 4 kids in the back, in a B reg Audi 100.  No air-con, and the automatic windows in the rear used to stick in very hot weather and only wind down an inch or two (the mechanics at the time could never seem to figure out why).  My mum would also refuse to open her window too much because of her hair 😂😂😂 It was absolute murder.

The Swiss roads are great.  I also once drove around france for a few months in my late teens in a 1970 VW Westfalia T2.  We did the West coast there and I remember it being very beautiful.  I'd definitely do that route again.

Edited by Giomassi, 28 March 2025 - 01:44 PM.

[Landie]

Thanks!


It was lovely of her to buy me a mini To be fair, it's more the cost of parts and tools that took my wife by surprise. It is by far the most expensive hobby I've ever had she enjoys the car, and my boys love it too; they are 9 and 4 and always want to come for a drive. It's just when she sees me hovering around the minis spares website, which is rather often, she knows another lump of money is coming out of the pot

Where are you planning to drive to this year? Anywhere nice? The mountain roads where I am are perfect for a mini. I've not had the opportunity to do any long road trips yet.

I am also surrounded by mountain roads which are great for a Mini. I am planing on driving to a city 2 hours away called Kamloops and also to my Sister in Law who lives near Vancouver. Both places are great for driving the Mini adn we are looking forward to it.

[Giomassi]

 

Thanks!


It was lovely of her to buy me a mini To be fair, it's more the cost of parts and tools that took my wife by surprise. It is by far the most expensive hobby I've ever had she enjoys the car, and my boys love it too; they are 9 and 4 and always want to come for a drive. It's just when she sees me hovering around the minis spares website, which is rather often, she knows another lump of money is coming out of the pot

Where are you planning to drive to this year? Anywhere nice? The mountain roads where I am are perfect for a mini. I've not had the opportunity to do any long road trips yet.

I am also surrounded by mountain roads which are great for a Mini. I am planing on driving to a city 2 hours away called Kamloops and also to my Sister in Law who lives near Vancouver. Both places are great for driving the Mini adn we are looking forward to it.

I had to Google Kamloops!  It looks awesome :)

[cooperd70]

It was July...and HOT 🥵 🥵

There were two of us on the road trip and we cooked a little. Thankfully the original owner ordered it with a sunroof. I'd never been a fan of sunroofs in minis...tho I'm not sure if we'd have coped without it.

We had intended to drive down as far as Isola d'Elba but it got too hot. Instead, we headed down from the lakes and then hooked a right at Genoa, travelling along the coast back into the South of France before heading back diagonally across the France to the chanel. The mini never missed a beat the whole trip.

It's been a few years, but have been thinking of doing something again just recently.

Your family trips in the Audi sound like very fond memories...if you'd have flown you'd probably not remember them in as much detail 🙂

Edited by cooperd70, 28 March 2025 - 10:05 PM.

[Giomassi]

They are indeed the fondest of memories. At the time, as children, we wished we could have flown, but looking back, flying would have short lived and a little sterile.

I take annual road trips now with my wife and children; it's a bit different nowadays, with accurate sat nav, air conditioning and all mod-cons, but even when things get a little hairy after some long hours, I still find myself beaming 😁 Fortunately my wife was subjected to similar trips in her youth and also enjoys it very much.

This must be why I enjoy the mini so much; it really does bring back all of the true emotions of being on the road. Never a dull moment ❤️

[roblightbody]

Hello from Scotland, and welcome to this excellent forum, and to the crazy world of the Classic Mini !

 

Drove to Switzerland in the Mini, but now you're making me want to drive over to Lake Como !

[Giomassi]

Thanks! It's a brilliant forum. I've been a long time stalker and I'm so glad I paid the membership in the end. I should have done it much sooner!

I would love to do the NC500 route in the mini one day, and visit a few distilleries along the way 😉 I manage to get to Edinburgh once or twice a year for work; your part of the world is very beautiful and I feel it needs to be explored a bit more. I'd need a jolly good set of wiper blades though 😂 I'd also like to sort out the rusty areas on my car before visiting a wetter country. The car needs new door skins, some scuttle work and a couple of other jobs which are currently filling me with fear.