The Mini Cooper 35 Marked a Renaissance

In the 1990s, the Mini was undergoing a renaissance. Following the comeback of the Mini Cooper in 1990, Rover's strategy was in maintaining the popularity and perception of Issigonis' baby until the new car was ready for launch in 2001.
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[@TwinCam]

Hello everybody, I hope you enjoyed the video. I'd just like to apologise for the mess that is the lighting in this one. Almond Green is a gorgeous colour in real life, but my camera really isn't liking the several million greens in the whole shots. If only I had a camera with manual controls!

[@darcyoneill9377]

I bet. It's a lovely green - I'd lose the green (as dominating overkill) only for the steering wheel, not black, something closer to the dash wood's colouring, should I have such a beauty.

[@grayfool]

You can never have too many Mini videos. Anyone who complains just needs to go and drive one.

[@mhoppy6639]

With my type r by far the most enjoyable car to drive I’ve ever owned. I loved it dearly

[@philtucker1224]

Very few boomers still alive that haven’t had a mini at some point in their younger life 👍❤️👴👵

[@mhoppy6639]

@@philtucker1224 indeed. So glad I got the privilege to own one for a few years. Sold it for £900 I bet if it’s still running it’ll be worth lots more!!

[@philtucker1224]

@@mhoppy6639 yes 10k - 15k now..

[@tomwinch9107]

I tried to get into one in 95 when my mother-in-law was looking at cars - my body is too long to fit in a mini!

[@ducatobeing]

I had an 850 Mini, that I bought in 1978. It was an Austin, first registered in 1967. It had originally been light grey, but resprayed to Island Blue. It was £150, and I loved it! Of all the cars the I have ever owned, it is the only one that I would genuinely want to own again. The long gear lever was like stirring a bag of spanners, and the indicator tell tale on the end of the stalk made the car light up green inside as though it was piloted by a Martian. Good work Twin Cam.

[@Matthew-wj8cm]

My word, Twin-cam, you're such a brilliant channel. Nothing better than a morning coffee with this video playing. Your narration is so loveable. I've always wanted a Mini but the prices are in the clouds now. I have a 106 Peugeot 1124cc TU1 and I love that car but the Mini, it's just something else.

[@TwinCam]

That’s very kind of you to say 🙂

[@davidpeters6536]

I had a Mk2 Mini 1000 in 1973 and I put a three spoke 12 inch dished wheel on it with a lowering bracket so it was an inch nearer and 3 inches lower with a more comfortable angle. Not so easy in the car park but it was more fun to drive. It took a mechanic about 20 minutes to fit. Another great Vid Ed.

[@philtucker1224]

In 1971 my first car was a 63 mini 850 that I soon did an MG1100 engine swap on, and that’s when I really got the bug to learn how to tune cars. Ultimately that led me to get a job as a race/rally apprentice at Piper Cams in Kent and I had a wonderful few years there before getting married. Happy memories! 😁👍👌

[@asciimation]

That's the good thing about Minis, always room for another one. Or another review!

[@danhubert-hx4ss]

Running a 1969 Austin Cooper Mk. 2 I absolutely loved the remote gear change and seating position. And that being exactly 6 feet tall. We had lots of fun together, the Cooper and I.

[@warrenny]

dude, that shot at 1:10 That is an advertisement shot if I have ever seen one. Sure, the surroundings could be tidied up just a bit, but what I am talking about are the angles and placement of the car, etc. Really nice job. And also a really cool video once again.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

A brilliant video Ed, as always, you really enjoyed driving this little Mini, I really need to drive one of the original Mini's to experiance the joy they bring to people.

[@nigelcharlton-wright1747]

That reminds me… I must get my wife's Mini City back on the road in 2024. Love the fact you enjoy Minis and Metros.

[@paulsi1234]

You’d forgotten about it? 😂

[@malcolmpeake8893]

I'm always happy to watch another video about Mini's.

[@rogerrees9845]

Thank you for another great documentary....Such a fantastic car, so many wonderful memories.... Can't wait for the next video... Roger.... Pembrokeshire

[@samrobinson566]

Morning mate - thanks for the fab content this year; looking forward to 2024! Wishing you all the best for Christmas and New Year 👍🏻

[@TwinCam]

Thanks Sam 🙂

[@_renaissance.girl_]

Thank you for uploading your video. As a mini owner I love your enthusiasm, it makes me smile. Hugs from New Zealand. 💕 ^^

[@stevesas632]

Excellent video of a lovely little car. I still want a Mini one day, but will definitely look for a pre 84 one to take advantage of tax exemption. I've already got too many cars, so don't need to be paying anymore tax.

[@unbalancedcrank]

My second favourite LE Mini. If you ever get the chance to try a British Open Classic, that’s my fave.

[@zerocool5395]

Here in the US we refer to single point fuel injection as "TBI" or throttle body injection. My first car was an 87' Pontiac Firebird with a 5.0L TBI. It made 170HP and 285lb-ft. My second car was a 91' Firebird Formula with the 5.7L from the Vette (L98) and that engine each cylinder had a fuel injector. We called that "TPI" Tuned port injection.

[@peterthwaites5891]

I can always listen to you "Going on" about the Mini... Having first driven my Mum`s 1973 clubman saloon shortly after passing my test in 1977 and fitting it with the then obligatory small steering wheel and "Peco big bore tail pipe!" they were so much FUN, as you say thrashing about in a relatively low power small car is just ace, the only other car i owned that was so similar was my 1996 bright yellow Fiat Cinquecento Sporting... you should try one..

[@anthonystevens8683]

Another cracking video of another cracking Mini Ed. Around the time that the plethora of LE cars were being produced I think standard car sales were declining, The LE cars were a way by marketing to slow that decline. The Cooper 35 that you drive in the video looks awesome. I would love another Mini but can't justify the cost, space and time to keep one on the road. Many thanks for sharing.

[@davidbudgeon5098]

Thanks again for yet another Mini video - you can't have enough of them! My first car was a 1966 Mini 850 in Almond Green. There were so many changes in the intervening 30 years but the car in this video still reminds me of my first car.

[@georgegard.aka.currymonste1498]

Remember when I took my mini to janspeed .really nice people and did a banging job

[@rogerking7258]

Nerdery - the noun of the year!

[@justkidding9751]

Great vlog, lovley Mini. My first car was a Mini, i drove it so hard and eventually wrote it off but it was fun. I remember loving the car so much that when the breakdown truck turned up and had to right the car and get it out of a ditch it bounced as it landed on all 4 wheels and i shouted at the mechanic to Take it easy, thats my Mini. He said its a write off mate.😂

[@ethelmini]

I would guess rod change was mainly down to the Allegro. Remote change was a bolt on adaptation of the original Magic Wand gearbox. The remote set up is more substantial & more solidly fixed to the gearbox so can give a more precise gear change. How it has lots more joints & bearing surfaces to introduce slop through wear. The rod change has a separate selector housing connected to the gearbox by by 1 straight rod; a similar steady bar & fewer simpler components. It will have saved a fair bit in production costs, even over the Magic Wand & allowed BL to adapt the transmission to bigger models, like the Allegro, by just making those 2 rods longer.

[@roberttaylor6295]

Yippee! The return of the joyous fun of you smiling and giggling with the sheer excitement and pleasure behind of the wheel! It matched the great research, scripting, editing, presentation, the hallmark of your unique and enjoyable style. I loved every minute! May you do more real driving, and may the auto gods be good with you this Christmas and give you a Mini of your own in the sack at the end of your bed to join your eclectic stable! Thanks, Ed, and may I wish you and yours a Truly Happy Christmas and a continued success (and videos!) in 2024! Rob

[@MePeterNicholls]

I learned to drive and passed in a j reg cooper 1.3i. I loved driving l it.

[@OldCarsNewVan]

Great video. Was really hoping 50k subs was going to be your Christmas present but it'll happen soon I'm sure. Well done 👍

[@stoater1551]

Ed, thanks for another great video. I think you are a very talented presenter.

[@ClaireUKBarnFinds]

Really enjoyed this video, very well presented and researched. Mini’s are indeed a very fun car to drive 😊

[@plym1969]

What a great , fun and entertaining video! Wonderful stuff Ed! 🙂

[@oxfamshop]

The car you have there is much better than later ones

[@mrofnocnon]

You are indeed the ultimate nerd. Interesting video. I had a mini with this colour scheme. It was one of the few automatics.

[@killerqueen9298]

I love your enthusiasm for the mini, note not Mini. BMC etc al are insisted on the lower case m. In my humble opinion it was as the greatest car ever designed. I love it. I wish I had never sold mine. Although I find it awkward to get my 76 years old body in and out of one these days. Fabulous review. You can never do too many reviews of the mini. Keep them coming😊😊❤

[@nakoma5]

It's funny noticing how bouncy the ride is like a bounce house lol, looks fun just for that.

[@andrewkingdon2000]

Hi, I have a collection of minis from 1960 up to 1999. I can confirm that the SPI Iis smooth and reliable and starts first time. The only difference between the SPI and the MPI (as far as I can tell) is that the MPI accelerates more smoothly and is slightly more responsive. I note that you interestingly mentioned the 1994 mini that Paddy used in 1994 Monte Carlo (L33EJB). I converted my SPI into a replica of that car. Complete with all the decals and roll cage and racing seats. I'm a certified mini nut. So please keep bringing on the videos and I am looking forward to the video about the MPI as I'd be interested to see if you feel the same way about them as I do. Incidentally, as far as I'm concerned, there is no better mini than any other. Each era has it's pros and cons. It's a bit like all the breeds of dogs there are. We each have a breed we can love and enjoy whilst still being a "dog lover".

[@TheInstructor66]

Just have to love the classic Mini. ❤ As a owner of a smaller classic myself (1969 Alfa Romeo Gt Junior), i agree about the feel of driving a small car. You can rev it, trash it around bends, and you are still at legal speed. Even if it feels faster. For me, its driving at the most basic. You driving the car, you not getting driven.

[@phils866]

Nothing, but nothing, (well, perhaps a 205GTi) puts a smile on your face like a Mini. Watching your video is proof of this. As I've mentioned previously, I used to work in an Austin Rover Garage, and the boss had one of these 35s, under cover, unregistered, with the covers still on the seats. It was auctioned off when he retired. But I seem to remember it had a black, crackle-finish dashboard, like on the rallycars, and not the wood on this one?

[@TwinCam]

Must have been done after the fact, as they all came from Longbridge like this.

[@phils866]

@@TwinCam Or perhaps my memory ain't what is used to be! Too many miles on my odometer! ;-)

[@jamesellsworth9673]

I agree with you about the lasting charm of the Mini. In America, they got their share of coverage in the major car magazines. I once had a basic Renault 5 for a few months: it was equally fun until one added a passenger and the engine just wasn't up to much.

[@mick0846]

I still have the jet black/ ritz/ and red hot corgi set from when I was a kid I would love to see the real ones together in real life

[@6ettinold]

I went to the Motor Show at NEC in 1998 as Rover unveiled the last Mini limited editions - the Sport LE and Mini 40. I was there when BMW launched the new Mini. I was asked by a bloke in the stand what I thought of it and I ripped him a new one. He told me had a hand in designing it. To this day I still suspect he was Frank Stephenson...he was very elinquent and slightly embarrassed. In my defence, I owned a pristine MK1 Morris Mini Minor and was involved with a couple of clubs. BMW had controversially sent out cease and desist notices to all the clubs, the two big Mini magazines and all the suppliers. They had trademarked the Mini name and decided no one else could use it. Obviously they saw sense and backtracked a few months later. It was a huge misstep & something that many are unaware of.

[@barryjackson8512]

Awesome cars. I had a turbo city x. (MG Metro engine) in the early 90s. Super fun car.

[@thatcheapguy525]

excellent explanation of how single point fuel injection works Ed. you mentioned Janspeed in the video and sadly Jan passed this year. way back in 1982 they sold me their road exhaust kit for my Hillman Imp which released a load more oomph out of the other engine upgrades; a mate had a Clubman 1275GT and we sure had some fun afterwards.

[@chrisbolton5461]

A cracking video. Great insight shown.

[@rob_lightbody]

Good video. Nerd thing though - you show the 20 and 25 as anniversary editions and link that to this one, but the natural link to those would be the Mini 35 edition (1994). Also the Sprite didn't have 'essentially the same performance as a cooper' - it was 53bhp vs 63bhp, which is a substantial % difference (I had a brand new one in 1995 and loved it).

[@michaeltutty1540]

Another really interesting video, Ed. I think it was 1981 for the last year of the Mini here in Canada. Whatever year it was, I looked at it at the Toronto International Auto Show. I'm 6'3", and the friend I went with was 6'6". The two of us did fit in the car, but you could almost hear the car groan as 200 kilograms of us sat in it. A couple summers ago I saw a Mini being driven. It made the Volvo 240 feel the size of a Rolls-Royce. Much as I love the idea of one, they are just too tiny to consider here. After I retire and move to Belize, I may give that another thought.

[@TheCurlyP]

Oh really love this green

[@willswheels283]

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Mini, and you can have as many as you like on your channel Ed! It’s 1 car on my bucket list I’d love to own, I got to drive a Mini Mayfair around a Morrisons(then Safeway) car park one day and I just couldn’t stop smiling the whole time I drove it! You were getting bounced around a lot in that car, it must have been hilarious to drive and great fun, I’m so envious lol Please correct me if I’m wrong but there was one other car that also used the A series engine I’m sure at the time of the last “proper” Mini’s and that was the Ledbury Maestro and Apple 2000 in 1.3 guise. Another great vid Edd, I always like your vids mate, very informative.👍

[@23gps]

Back in the 80's, one of my wife's family had a Rover franchise. They had an ERA Turbo on the stockist that wasn't getting much interest. Still regret not buying it when it was offered to me. Doh!

[@mhoppy6639]

I had the rsp!!! H153 WMB

[@wolvoman1]

Blimey, that aerial needs to be aware of 'low bridge' warnings, lol

[@benc8386]

Great video! Besides the existence of 106s and things, as you mentioned, in the early 90s you could also buy a decentish 10yo Mini for not much more than £500. Another reason why these were very much a niche product by then.

[@stanelder9995]

That particular car has had work done - some of it not very well. The passenger door fits poorly at the bottom rear (even for a Mini 😂) and it looks like that door, plus the driver’s side wing have been painted.

[@TwinCam]

This car has really been through the wars! The current owner has had it nearly 20 years, and even by then it had already received a replacement rear quarter panel, presumably due to a small crash. What I will say though is that this has the sharpest handling and best gear change I’ve experienced in a Mini. It really is a good one, even if it’s 12 shades of green!

[@jacksonsmith5490]

What is RSP? Great videos, btw love it

[@tombankwel4822]

I love the coopers, i AM a bmc mecahnic,

[@tombankwel4822]

PS i Was a padavan in 1968, in the bmc garage, Austin morris triumph wolseley Riley and vanden plas models, in 1972 i picked up a brand New triumph gt 6, in royal blue 💎, love at first sight, i would love to own a gt 6 again, and a westminster 64 "model, same colour, and of course the 4 ltr Austin Princess, rools royce engine, you dont see many anymore

[@philhealey4443]

No clichéd Carnaby Street references....can this be a Mini review?😂

[@Mute_Nostril_Agony]

I’m sure my 1959 Austin Mini had an electronic fuel pump under the fuel tank

[@BobAbc0815]

Oh dear! Its another Mini with miniscule changes...😂

[@r6ymy]

Ive never driven or owned a mini, but did experience a variety of Austin, Morris and MG1100 and 1300 which were great little cars. I started watching this thinking it's a great looking car, and keen to see how it drives. However seeing you being bounced out of the seat continuously, and having to downshift to second to make it up a hill, I think I'll stick with my Alfasud Sprint.

[@TwinCam]

I guarantee you’d have to shift down to second to get up that hill in an Alfasud. Well, at least a 1300ti like I tested last year. It’s a very steep hill, and the speed humps on it totally knacker your progress every time you build up speed. Plus, the engine in your old Austin 1300 is essentially the same one found here, but the Mini is lighter, so is faster.

[@r6ymy]

@@TwinCam mine is a 1500 Veloce, so another 28bhp over the 1300, and it's quite torquey, although maybe the speed bumps would still defeat it. Where is the hill?

[@jamesengland7461]

Oh no, another Mini video... just reminding me how much I love this car but can't justify buying one here in the US and putting 50,000 miles a year on it 😢

[@gaufrid1956]

You can make as many Mini videos as you like, and I will watch them. I learnt to drive in a 1965 Mini 850, which was my first car. My second car was a 1963 Mini 850. I still have fond memories of them, along with the memories of spraying WD-40 on the distributor in the middle of thunderstorms. I'm sure that was why there was a lot of storage space in Minis.

[@jeannoelsandrazie1874]

👍

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

Why does that car have a passenger seat on the drivers side?

[@TwinCam]

It doesn’t. The seat folding latches aren’t generally used in a Mini, and they sit on the inside edge as they were designed for the Metro but don’t really fit in between the pillar and seat of a Mini. Minis have different seat bases, and as they had since the mid-‘70s, have a lever to pull out on the seat base that unlatches the entire seat base to access the rear.

[@TheInstructor66]

Im norwegian, and i wonder why the steeringwheel are on the passengwr side. 😂

[@blackdogRexy]

I went to a Paramedics dinner about 40 years ago with a girl who I drove in an early model Mini which had yet to have after market seat belts installed. One of the paramedics at my table insisted I immediately get the seat belts installed due to a quirk of the early models for people involved in collisions. Of course both passenger and driver would be thrown forward with the driver impacting the steering wheel which would then snap off and leave the driver impaled on the steering column which was essentially a spike with a steering wheel mounted at the top.. The passenger would be thrown forward and impact the door of the glove box which opened at the slightest impact and would be parallel to the floor of the car when open. The passenger would impact this with their legs with a significant possibility of both legs being severed completely. I accused them of taking the Mick but the guy claims to have attended a scene where a man was impaled and the all the man wanted was a cigarette. Intriguingly as soon as I was back in the car I bashed the dash board next to the glovebox and it immediately opened to he position described previously. I have researched this online and have come up with zero but have never forgotten the story. Has anyone heard of this quirk of the early model MInis.

[@TwinCam]

I wouldn’t count on it being true, as Minis didn’t have gloveboxes until the 1990s, nearly thirty years after seat belts became mandatory. That is, unless you mean an early Riley Elf, which was a serious rarity compared to a normal Mini. The only way this would be a common occurrence is if many people happened to fit the same aftermarket dashboards to pre-1965 Minis that weren’t fitted with the optional seatbelts, unless they didn’t wear them as, of course, they weren’t compulsory to wear until 1983.

[@philiptownsend4026]

Rubbish.

[@mikecawood]

Happily Rover didn't retain the new MINI, because if it had, the car would have disappeared along with Rover.

[@TwinCam]

As MG Rover, certainly. But had the Rover Group generally not have been split up between MGR, Land Rover, and MINI, there’s a chance the company could have survived with a brilliant product like the R50 and the upcoming L322 Range Rover. Naturally, investment was what they needed most, and their image wouldn’t have helped the R50, but it’s an interesting thought exercise. The question would have been about why BMW abandoned two projects they were deeply involved in.

[@davidspendlove5900]

What a lovely car.

[@jetsons101]

Calling the Mini a "Relic" is like calling the Mona Lisa a finger painting......

[@TwinCam]

Cars age. It’s often forgotten, but in the late ‘80s, Minis were worth very little and were not desirable cars. My Dad had one as his first car, and while he loved it, it was uncool, and he was keen to move on as swiftly as possible to his MG Metro.

[@alexanderstefanov6474]

Pretty sure DaVinci painted with brushes

[@jetsons101]

I still remember the first time I road in a Mini, Yes there are quite a few in the US, but it was like somebody put a 327 V8 on a roller skate. It was so much fun to drive up in the local Palos Verdes hills.... Ed, with every video they get better and better.@@TwinCam

[@jetsons101]

LOL, I think you're right......@@alexanderstefanov6474

[@wordreet]

And there it is. The whole list of reasons to love a Mini! And the Metro? Meh!

[@TwinCam]

A K-Series Metro is about 85% of the fun, but with practicality, comfort, and refinement thrown in. If I was driving one every day, it would be a no brainer. Plus, the co-owner of this car is about to start dailying his Metro GTi…

[@wordreet]

@@TwinCam I'll still say Metromeh. 😆 It's a new word!