29 replies to this topic

[THE ANORAK]

i thought you might like another one of my fascinating photos posts. this time the subject is a book i picked up from a second hand book shop on my holiday.
the book is simply called "mini" and was first published in 1979, although my copy is a 1983 reprint. all the pics are black and white and most of them we have all seen before, but there were a few new ones that caught my eye, enjoy


early mini crash testing...



interesting way to end a saloon car race ...



timo makinen on the having bonnet trouble on the 1967 thousand lakes rally...



I'm sure you are all familiar with the famous jumping mini pic, but this one is even more spectacular...



a publicity exercise set up by Morris public relations man Tony Dawson....

[minidan]

very nice pics!

[mini_mission]

awesome! on that photo of the upside down clubby- is that an exhuast sticking out the side?

[THE ANORAK]

how many people realise that when issigonis returned to BMC he was actually working on a series of three cars to help boost the companies current range ??
this was the largest one...



and this was the smallest, and eventually evolved into the mini...





rare photo of the Riley elf prototype codenamed RIL 8...



another crazy prototype, this time a long wheelbase 4 door mini...



and the mini clubman during it's styling stage in the hands of Roy Haynes...





after his rear extension was turned down, he created this in a final attempt to change both ends of the car....

[clubman katie B.F]

hmmmmm very interesting...have always wondered what a clubby would be like with an elf back end....nice, would make a good roadster in my opinion

[Timtom]

Interesting photos there Anorak!.. Strange!!!!!!

[Sprocket]

I'm sure you are all familiar with the famous jumping mini pic, but this one is even more spectacular...

Man, thats gonna be a harsh landing. Smart if he drove away like it was nothing


I have been reading up on the jumps performed on the filming of The Dukes Of Hazzard. There were two ways of performing the jump, nose landing or tail/ flat landing. The nose landing was the least harsh for the driver, but the worst for the car, tail landing was not so harsh for the car, but bad for the driver so the stuntmen were strapped into a sling that was suspended from the cage, just before the car was about to land the driver would clench up his arms, shoulders and legs pulling him up off the seat, so that when the car hit, the force of the impact was not carried through his body, th cars were wrecks every time. Best TV show ever, just watch the cars land and see the front and back ends bend

[THE ANORAK]

awesome! on that photo of the upside down clubby- is that an exhuast sticking out the side?

mmm, looks like it could be the exhaust flapping around, but i know one thing for sure...

...there's definitely a leg sticking out of this one !!!!

[8vAlan]

early attempts at disguising the mini during test runs. nicknamed 'the orange box'

[mini_mission]

awesome! on that photo of the upside down clubby- is that an exhuast sticking out the side?

mmm, looks like it could be the exhaust flapping around, but i know one thing for sure...

...there's definitely a leg sticking out of this one !!!!

OUCH!!!! lol

can i see a bracket there though, holding the exhaust into position?

[8vAlan]

this on was developed by issigonis WHILST he was designing the X9



rear view



nice a**e!!

Edited by ADministrator, 14 September 2007 - 05:34 PM.

[THE ANORAK]

early attempts at disguising the mini during test runs. nicknamed 'the orange box'

actually, the orange boxes were far from simply disguised minis. they were the very first attempts at laying out the car. the engines were the other way around, the battery was at the front and they had no sub-frames.
all these things would evolve from problems found during the testing of the orange boxes

[nev_payne]

flipping heck...thats some mean mini driving.

[8vAlan]

wow i didnt know that!! will have to add that to my 'mini devolopment write up'!! cheers ANORAK!

[Purple Tom]

Notice that the 4-door prototype has a Mk1 grille, early type lower front panel and sliding windows but also what look like mk3 style a-panels and internal door hinges? However the front lower corner of the door is curved as per the Mk1/2 doors. I wonder what made them change to the right angled corner....