Rollin' On 13's (Driving the classic Mini)

Review by Carlos Siwi:

Ah yes, I have also driven a Classic Mini. On a Mini Meet & Greet here in Mexico one of my great Mini friends exchanged keys to his 2000 year model cooper for my 2002 cooper S. The first impression is getting inside the cabin. No it is not tiny, its small because you are sitting close to your companion, but believe it or not you feel you have more space on the classic then on the new MINI. The steering wheel is sitting in a funky position, almost like those school buses we as kids always wanted to steer. The steering column comes straight up from the steering gear which sits just about 30mm in front of your feet, so you can imagine the angle. The gauges are mostly hidden because of this awkward angle, so there is no point in checking the speedo. You sit very low, almost feels like the seat is actually resting on the road. Visibility is great all around except for checking stop lights up above. Well, enough with setup. Now onto the drive…

…You turn on the engine and first thing you notice is the sound of it just across a thin metal wall that sits in front of your feet separating the engine. The classic Mini I drove had K&N induction system with an improved exhaust, nology cables, and other upgrades to improve performance over the 65hp stock engine which made the sound beautiful. But the sound of the engine is quickly replaced by the whining of the gearbox once you reach higher revs. Shifting is not sophisticated but easy because there are only 4 gears.

The car is very bouncy considering I was riding on the 13 inch wheels (comparable to the 17 runflats on my cooper S, but imagine that with a car about 40% lighter) The steering is not as responsive as the new MINI due to it not having any of the direct steering power assisted on the new one, but don’t get me wrong, it reacts pretty fast considering the engineering of its time. Tossing the classic Mini around doesn’t make you feel you are in a tiny car, thats because the wheelbase is comparable to a compact car of today. But its quite nimble nonetheless. Now the feeling through cornering is almost like driving a 2 by 4 with wheels attached to each corner, tire squishing, and tiny suspension travel makes up for the unnoticeable body roll. You feel that the center of gravity on this car is sitting on the floor, and you’re the only thing inside being tossed left and right. Go fast into a 90 degree corner, throw the steering wheel all the way, step on the gas, and you will turn. It oversteers, but step on the gas and you get whip-lashed right back into track and oversteer almost disappears. But the Classic Mini was a much less serious, more rough, a little less precise thing to drive than the new MINI….

…But its much easier to have a blast in the classic. The new one I would just say its the mature bigger brother, but not less fun to drive. Although I love my new Cooper S, I will be buying myself a classic to toss around and play with it on weekends.

Thanks Carlos for letting me post this first hand account. I think most new MINI owners have this amazing curiosity with the classic so it’s always exiting to see reviews like this one.