Flexing a classic first car - teenager restores and mods Austin Mini

Classic 1988 Austin Mini Mayfair Restoration Project - It's time to Flex!
Our 3rd instalment of ‘Generation Flex’ finds Miles, aka the ManDeLorean, meeting up with 18 year-old Freddie from York. Freddie was keen to flex his 1988 Mini Mayfair, purchased when he was just 14 and restored over 3 years (with his dad, Alan), every Sunday, because that's the only time they had spare.
In his own words: "We finished it just in time for me learning to drive and it was my first car at 17. It’s an extensive restoration with lots of customisation and a lot of time spent on the interior. It’s pretty much show car condition except a few minor niggles that come as the cost of using it as a daily".
The restoration has been done incredibly thoughtfully, with fantastic attention to detail, so it was an instant yes when we received Freddie’s email.
To read more about this project and Miles' and Jonny’s take on it, then head over to our Patreon page: / thelatebrakeshow
Thanks for stopping by The Late Brake Show.
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SUBSCRIBE for a broad-church of automotive appreciation spanning EV, classic, modified and future tech.
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Filmed and edited by: Wayne Lennon / wlennonphoto
Thumbnail by: Matt Tarrant www.matttarantdesign.com
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Jonny Smith Creative content maker, car presenter & car pervert for hire since '98
Website: www.carpervert.com
Instagram: / jonnycarpervert
Twitter: / carpervert
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
#classicmini #miniprojectcar #bestfirstcar #thelatebrakeshow

[@AllThingsAlex]

What a stunning little car, and a credit to its young owner. Great video, great interview. Lets hope the owner gets years of pleasure from owning it. Fair play.

[@thebritishautochannel]

It’s like luxury go-karting

[@freddiegriggs2277]

Except not that luxury 😅

[@JustBurnOil]

Only really find that minis are more go kart like with the 10 inch wheels. The 12 inch wheels are a bit 💩 for handling

[@gingerelvis]

Miles is getting more comfortable and natural with every video, great to see! And what a lovely Mini the lad and his dad have put together.

[@domweaver3488]

wood and pickett arches would set it off a treat

[@highplainszwifter]

My first car was also a mini 1000 with peco, wide mags, column dropper and buckets. Lovely job and great colour choice Dad 👍🏽

[@final_mile_music9713]

I learned to drive in a black 1987 mini Mayfair. I think that was a good start in SO many ways.

[@patrickdgarez86]

My first time seeing gen flex. Absolutely love that your are bringing in the new generation. Being featured like this on what is a growing channel is a shot of encouragement to these young gear heads. Hats off LBS and to the two young gents featured (and of course, the beautiful young lady they were speaking about). Great content!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Many thanks! The boys did us proud.

[@bencritchley2005]

@@shugthehornyhaggis what got your goat? When I have children I'd love to be able to do something like this with them.

[@charlessale409]

@@shugthehornyhaggis better a cool old mini than some hotshot new shit imo

[@darrylmac6150]

@@shugthehornyhaggis what's your problem? Daddy's money is a fair comment if its a Financed A Class or something. There's nothing wrong with a father buying a project for his child to teach them valuable skills. Is it Jealousy?

[@toby9055]

There isn't much better than a classic Mini as your first car to teach you the raw fun of driving - with zero assistance...no PAS, ABS, traction control etc. Just the basics. I loved this as my first car was also a Mini Mayfair...though that was in 1993. I could only have dreamt at the time that mine would look as good as this!

[@grantmckendry3323]

Great to have Miles back. Stunning Mini and well done to Freddie on the restoration.

[@chrisclark7181]

Won't say where it is to keep the anonymity but amusingly one of the roads you were driving on is where I crashed my mum's mini when I was 17, 30 years ago. It got fixed but she was livid. 🤣

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Gosh Chris, let's hope history doesn't repeat itself. We've all had a scrape at 17.

[@eamo106]

Had 3 Minis for mum, bought and sold 5 or so during University to pay my way. Love this , well done !

[@domweaver3488]

Really nice min. Son will be 17 this year and would love to revisit my youth. Crazy prices though. nice one.

[@weedaviec]

As a fellow mini enthusiast I love this car. Especially the wheels and spotlights. I've owned a 998, a 1275 and a 998 mini van that I hugely regret selling. Fun cars.

[@ChrisBWelch]

What a beauty! Great stuff Miles and team, Obi approves! 🐶

[@dankrafted]

lovely car and build, i went with Old English White on my mk1 escort, its not a ford colour but i wanted something non typical and more creamy, and it is a great looking colour. seeing this in the sun confirms i made the right choice. i stared out with a small capacity car and to be honest it was more fun than when i got something bigger. you could rag it all the time and never be close to the speed limit, all about smiles per hour not miles per hour. another great episode.

[@MiniMattTV]

Great to see the mini is still a young persons car even with the prices as they are

[@GTFour]

Beautiful vehicle. Got the colour and look just right.

[@PaulSmith-mn6bg]

Well done to Miles and Freddie. Great show Miles and great car Freddie. You can clearly see the time and effort which has gone into the car. Miles you can see the effort you have put into the show. Someone else mentioned it a nod to Jonny for this outlet too.

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Many thanks Paul.

[@taxus750]

Brilliant - a young feller getting his hands dirty with his Dad and, years later, coming up with a very tidy pukka Mini at the end of it. Park that at a car meet and watch the attention it draws. Bonus points for Freddie, cos he can drive a proper manual and knows what a carburettor is.

[@minuslr]

A mate at work sold me one of these in the same colour for £100 in 1993. It didn't look much for that money but boy it was fun, I used to slide it over all the roundabouts in town

[@kenhood4789]

Lovely job. Stunning little Mini, Back to the original is my preference too, I did notice a common mistake though with the radiator fan it is on the wrong way round. Smooth side to the engine and should have engine side embossed on it. It does still push air through the rad but not as effectively when incorrectly fitted

[@rjnation5042]

There's nothing as good as a well sorted Mini, just a huge bucket of fun, great to see a young fella doing it with his dad too, Rj in Oz

[@uraba624]

Great video! the host is super pleasant and makes these videos awesome.

[@alanmitchell6302]

Lovely car Great work

[@GTMarmot]

Fantastic job on that resto

[@auvokuustio]

This be a very nice addition to your normal and formal late brake show! Very nice Mini indeed.

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Cheers 👍🏽

[@onlycatclay3093]

One of 2 cars I have owned that are named after a jazz mag along with the Vauxhall Nova Club

[@UKUAPGUY]

Fantastic video 👍👍👍

[@richardhunt1384]

Built not Bought!!!! 😁😁😁👍👍👍

[@simonwebster6855]

Nice job I get all my parts from Huddersfield mini spares

[@rob_lightbody]

It's lovely... Although strictly speaking it should fail an MOT without wheel spats... Also based on their comments about sluggish handling at the rear, I think it needs tracking and alignment done (speaking from mini experience)

[@benhooper1956]

0:32 Miles that was on point!

[@mobiledevto]

YES! The youth are the future. Love to see younger people getting into classic cars or 'future' classics as well.

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

👊🏻

[@TheMrFunktastic2]

This is great!

[@markcady6882]

Awesome, what a beaut

[@adogmcdizzle]

Love a Mini. Looking forward to seeing more from Miles - he is doing a great job.

[@FabCoUK]

My mini is a car I’ll never sell. As my first car I’ve had it for 15 years now and I love everything that’s wrong and right with it. Happy mini-ing in your first car man, you’ll have those memories forever!❤️🚗

[@freddiegriggs2277]

Thanks mate!

[@grayfool]

It's great to see the younger generation getting into Minis. There is nothing else like them. Well done guys, Great video.

[@markwellington1254]

I love the Mini! Keep it up Miles and pretty soon you'll be doing every other show on this channel.

[@timcrummack2163]

Brilliant!

[@guspisano9777]

Well done

[@michaelmcardle]

Learned to drive in a 1977 mini when I was 8 in 1983 in murlough, co down.

[@freddiegriggs2277]

Thanks for making such an awesome video of my car Miles!

[@robcyster3909]

Lovely mini, great job Miles. Keep working with Jonny and his team. You are learning from a talented group who love what they do.

[@presterjohn71]

I don't know if it is an age thing (I'm 56) but the mini of my dreams was the almost forgotten about square fronted 1275GT. I did own the 1100 Clubman version for a while which I loved but always regret not buying a 1275GT.

[@adamclark7536]

Back in the late '70's my Dad bought a mini for me and my older brother to use for work and the weekend sport. It was such a good fun car to drive. I only wish my brother hadn't written it off! This mini looks really well put together and it sounds great too. Nice film.

[@jamesellsworth9673]

A fine start to the series! We LOVED the idea of Minis in the USA in my youth! They just needed to be built 'a bit better' to make the sale.

[@markonmotoring]

Who wouldn't love a Mini. I actually came very close to buying a Mini Racing green when I was 17 but something didn't stack up with the car and I walked away. It looked like a cooper but had a 998cc engine. It was nippy enough around town at least. I love what has been done with this car with the MK1 rear lights and the interior too. I actually drove a very late Cooper on the 13" wheels recently but I found it too harsh and heavy steering. I'd very much like to compare one on 12" or 10" wheels.

[@freddiegriggs2277]

The ride isn't brilliant on these wheels but frankly it's never going to be super comfy anyway, so I sacrifice my spine for the looks haha.

[@nathanblowers9848]

I have just bought an 87 Mayfair 1275, so much fun, good vid guys!

[@mikethomas2138]

Brilliant.

[@SteveMorton]

Another great video from Miles and the crew. I think Miles should interview the Project Binky guys! I have to say Miles your presentation style and skills are getting much better with each video, well done.

[@scottlehuray7062]

Beautiful job, and tastefully done i bet they are chuffed with what they have created. Perfection.

[@adamgriggs6995]

Very much so

[@mk2nathan]

Still tempted to apply for this because I think this series is absolutely brilliant for showcasing to 17 year olds like myself that you can have a cool first car. I have a mk2 golf which I built with my Dad (see pfp) stupid low on coilovers , bbs wheels and the rest of the car has been restored back to what I’d call an OEM+ in a little over 4 months from a car which needed a tonne of welding, paint and love to a car which wouldn’t look to out of place in a show and shine line up. Great video as always and I hope that it inspires other 17 year olds to get something different and get a cool car. I have said before to a few people that the Sixth form car park is a see of same old Corsas and Fiestas because no one of my generation seems to be interested in cars anymore. Such a shame. Really hope this series convinces people to get something different.

[@Theoriginalramjammer]

Nicely done with tasteful and subtle mods. None of the all to common overdone tacky Union Jack stuff. I clicked like before I had seen a moment of the footage! Great 👍 work 🎥🏁🥇

[@headrace4863]

Brilliant… proper way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Learn skills for life and a real result at the end. This v PlayStation…. No contest. Nice work lad. 👍

[@robertavery152]

Excellent resto and video, great to see another generation of enthusiasts coming through! Really well presented too.

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Cheers Robert 👍🏻

[@OnzaRob]

Lovely Car , I had an f reg mini cooper s when i was 18! 1967 F reg! Things not mentioned, Mk1 rear light conversion. rear subframes are not difficult to change, front ones are because of the engine, but dont rust because the engine keeps it covered in oil!

[@theloneranger2101]

All credit to the young owner and his Dad, they made a lovely job of restoring a Classic Mini. The sound of the Mini going down the country lanes in this video was so recognisable as a original Mini, no mistaking that sound for any other car. 👍🙂👍

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

So true.

[@neildaniel8232]

Completely reminds me of me at that age! Had a Mini as my first car after being obsessed with them from 13 and doted on it with the aim of a full restoration in the future. Sadly circumstances meant I had to sell it when I was 24 but 16 years later I have another one that is son going to be made into the Mini I always wanted. Never selling it.

[@The2Ez4]

Theirs 2 drivers in my area who drive minis regular in my local area,I see them wizzing around sometimes and one time I saw them both on same day driving opposite sides of road passing each other, it was a magical moment because that is such a rare occurrence to see two at once passing each other. I Was smiling all day after haha.

[@freddiegriggs2277]

We were passed by one while filming this!!! How's that for unlikely

[@noddynoodle7060]

Beautiful little mini. I like that they didn't go overboard on a big engine upgrade. The fun in Mini's has always been in the corners for me. 😊. And i like that Gen Flex is not TLBS, it's different and provides an alternative perspective on things. It's all about variety, we get to pick up what we like and put down what we don't. Cheers to Jonny and the TLBS team.🤜🤛

[@benhooper1956]

Fantastic video Miles & Co. snappy delivery, keeping it on point and great flow, this series keeps getting even better. While I am not a Mini person myself, that is a really, really smart example, wonder if it gets attention in the school car park? Freddie you've got a great, natural camera style too, really well spoken and smooth. If you ever decided to do more car video content, you'd be superb methinks!

[@freddiegriggs2277]

Thank you very much and yes it does get attention at school haha!

[@benhooper1956]

@@freddiegriggs2277 No problem! Very few people at my school understood pop-up lights lol

[@lukeframpton3671]

Do love a mini

[@gazz5998]

Oof that burns. casually referring to my first car as not "special". Its true but still, hurts. I always struggle to watch these gen flex videos as it always shows me what i could have done but couldn't afford. Still great to see an original mini in good condition.

[@dcallan812]

Nice car, in great condition. My sisters first car was mini but with sliding windows. 🤣 great video 2x👍

[@freddiegriggs2277]

Thanks :)

[@dcallan812]

@@freddiegriggs2277 👍👍

[@jondonnelly4831]

Its a Mini Adventure!

[@MrAdopado]

I loved my old minis ... when I was that age they had to be rusty old things unfortunately ... the tradition in my family was "if you want a car pay for it yourself" so I learned how to keep them going at the least cost. Rust only got dealt with when they inevitably failed an MOT! I would have loved one in this condition but that was as likely as owning a Ferrari.

[@kingwheelie]

Agreed; had minis all my young life, one of which ha a drivers door which fell off whenever it was opened!

[@bobeden5027]

I used to have a part time earner replacing t he rear subframe mounting panel, it's not hard to remove a subframe, hey?

[@secretwpn]

The owner is very well spoken and holds well in front of the camera 👍 and has a good taste too, lovely project.

[@freddiegriggs2277]

Really appreciated!

[@RobsonRoverRepair]

Absolutely fantastic example and what an enthusiast.

[@domweaver3488]

Insurance on my first car - a 79 Mini 1000 was £500 in 1993!

[@northernowl7087]

What a fantastic diverse channel there seams to be something for all of us always had a lot of time for Johnny smith brilliant presenter with extreme knowledge

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Many thanks. Variety is the idea. No tribes here.

[@AdamLeask]

Watching this makes me want to own a classic Mini! Freddie has done a fantastic job!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

He really has. Lovely chap, too.

[@sirdigbyminge1639]

She's a beauty!

[@fionaurr]

go on fred

[@R0n8urgundy]

Love this series, Love this channel.

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Cheers.

[@ab3000x]

"...it's more of a volume than a throttle" i love it!

[@micheltebraake7915]

And many more projects to follow. This is a very good start.

[@Skiridr22]

That’s a beautiful mini one of the best I have seen in awhile

[@normls8615]

Is this year still hydrostatic? These in Cooper form were raced at Bathurst

[@gerryjamesedwards1227]

I had an 1100 Special ages ago, Stage 1 head, straight through exhaust and 1" spacers all round. A total grin machine.

[@freddiegriggs2277]

Sounds ace

[@kennywallace1]

Same colour as Project Binky. 👌

[@iam_anderdingus]

Great to see these ‘yoofs’ and their passion for cars 👍😎

[@awood12345]

Cool series, what a great car to have at that age. He is going to take care of it after putting in that work.

[@freddiegriggs2277]

Damn right!

[@zapfanzapfan]

Gives one hope for the next generation 🙂

[@AdamsWorlds]

Cant go wrong with a nice Mini. Had a proper love hate with my old one. Would love another though totally bonkers and not practical but just so much fun. Another cracking video Miles! Well done.

[@deancooper_DC21]

Yes Jonny. About time 👍🏻

[@GIXXERUKX]

Great car, tastefully done 👍

[@freddiegriggs2277]

Thank you!

[@SharpblueCreative]

And Mini taught Lamborghini a thing or two with the Mini as their first proper supercar’s engine is mounted the same way albeit in the back.

[@Cloverleaf7642]

Excellent episode, thanks boys.

[@stevenbennett3922]

Do those tyres not have to be under the arches?

[@FabCoUK]

Can’t have anymore than 1/3 of the tread showing, and those will be skinny tyres, so should imagine it’s just an advisory. I have the same every year at MOT with 4.5J Dunlop reverse wheels and no arches

[@kimbeveridge3174]

Great video which takes me back to my first car, a 1275GT. Had loads of fun in that and it taught me everything I know about mechanics, mostly down to it falling apart all the time. My current fun car, which I've had over 19 years now, has a familiar number plate F645NLM. Now there's a coincidence.

[@sholasholade]

I really like this series on the channel! Amazing! Well done 👏🏾

[@pipmeister2103]

Passed my test in a mini in the 80’s & owned one or two in the 80’s & early 90’s. Cracking upload & good job 👌🏻

[@guylambrechts2303]

Love the color and spec. Very well balanced. Job well done!

[@nicsmith9120]

Best mini I’ve ever seen was a o e white and black roof car. It was a cooper s, just amazing.

[@pcr8918]

Sounds great and love the drilled out door furniture.

[@Phil535]

Looks great and incredible achievement, however those wheels sticking out with tread exposed looks somewhat iffy (not road legal) 😉

[@FabCoUK]

You can have up to a third of the tread showing, it’s perfectly legal 😃

[@robertavery152]

Can have up to a third of the tread showing and still legal, may get an advisory at MOT time.

[@Phil535]

I think you may find Construction and Use regs (the stuff a copper can report you for) will say any area of tread not covered and liable to flick crap up is non-compliant. MOT pass/fail is not always the same rules as C&U.

[@Grantly]

Go on youngboy

[@mattlaggs5151]

Intro is 👌🏻. And it’s a mini. Outstanding! Love where generation flex is going guys. Fantastic addition to the channel!