From -
New England Mini Owners' Club 
From -
New England Mini Owners' Club
Articles from the British Marque News - January to June 2003
January-February 2003 Issue
Prizes and surprises at the NEMO holiday fest
Framingham, ma, Dec. 15 - The turnout was excellent once
again for
NEMO's Holiday Gathering, held as customary at John Harvard's Pub. After
the usual meal (breakfast or lunch? You had your choice!) and libations,
the Yankee Swap gift exchange provided a few surprises and several items
being taken forcibly from their original recipients. A remote-control
model
Mini, for one, changed hands repeatedly, all in good fun (unless it was
taken from you, that is!).
A highlight of the affair was the presentation of the 2002
John Cooper
Enthusiast Award to the Newsbeat's own Dave Black. Considering all the
work
heıs done on our cars, who could deny him that honor?
There was also a parts auction officiated by Hrach with the
assistance
of Ken Lemoine.
It was a great day and a good time out for our Minis, both
classic and
modern.
Annual Planning Meeting Mar. 2
Harrisville, RI - Join us on Sunday, March 2nd, at Faith and
Bruce's for
a pot luck luncheon and our Annual Planning Meeting. Plan to arrive at 12
noon. The eating starts at 1 p.m. and the meeting follows at 2 p.m.
Time
and weather permitting, there will be R/C Mini racing after the meeting.
So
bring all your R/C racers, like the one you got at the Holiday Gathering
Yankee Swap!
We need your ideas on how to make NEMO an even better club.
Our numbers
have swelled and enthusiasm is high so now is the time to plan for when the
weather gets better. Also, the current 'people responsible for things'
deserve a break. Why don't you volunteer to help with the running of the
club? Areas where you can help include membership, articles for the
British
Marque, planning activities and tech sessions, or running a rallye or other
activity.
So bring a dish for the lunch table, your R/C racers and your
ideas to
make 2003 an even more fun Mini year!
Directions
The address is 5 Old Nasonville Road, Harrisville, RI, phone
(401)
766-6519, e-mail editor@britishmarque.com
From the Providence area: Take Route 146 North.
Take the Route 5/102
Slatersville exit off 146. Bear right off the exit ramp and take a left
(almost immediately) at the stop sign (a 'T'). You are now on Route 146A.
Follow directions from Route 146A below.
From the Boston area: Take Route 95 South to Route 295
South to Route
146 North. Take the Route 5/102 Slatersville exit off 146. Bear
right off
the exit ramp and take a left (almost immediately) at the stop sign (a 'T').
You are now on Route 146A. Follow directions from Route 146A below.
From the Worcester area: Take Route 146 South to the
Route 5/102/146A
Slatersville exit. Turn right off the exit ramp. You are now on
Route
146A. Follow directions from Route 146A below.
From Connecticut and Southern Rhode Island: Take Route
95 North to
Route 295 North (in Rhode Island) to Route 146 North. Take the Route 5/102
Slatersville exit. Bear right off the exit ramp and take a left (almost
immediately) at the stop sign (a 'T'). You are now on Route 146A.
Follow
directions from Route 146A below. (See below for an alternate route.)
From Route 146A where youıve all converged: Follow
Route 146A through
Forestdale. You will go through three traffic lights (one in Forestdale,
one at Slatersville Plaza, one at Gator's Pub). At Slatersville Plaza,
intersect with Route 102 by going straight. After Gator's, 'The Island'
will appear on your left and you will see a sign on your right for Wright's
Farm. Slow down and get ready for a left turn at Inman Road (ignore the
road on your left across the street from the sign). Make sure you use your
blinkers - this is a busy intersection. Take an immediate left after that
(onto Old Nasonville Road), and an immediate right into our driveway.
Note
An alternate route from Route 295 North: Take Route 7
West, past Bryant
College. At the next light (it's quite a ways, over 5 miles), go
right
onto Route 102. Take your next right at Inman Road. Make sure you
use your
blinkers - this is a busy intersection. Take an immediate left after that
(onto Old Nasonville Road), and an immediate right into our driveway.
Weıll see you there! Call (401) 766-6519 if you get
lost.
Take Apart Day! by Ken Lemoine
The Take Apart Day went well. What was taken apart?
Our club's newly
acquired Mini van, of course!
After a slow start, the dismantling picked up steam and by
the end of
the day not only was the drivetrain removed but all other components were
off, out, or dissected. The front and rear subframes were taken apart and
the engine was in pieces. All in all, a very productive day. We
should
reassemble it so quickly.
A parts list requirement will follow. Most of the
pieces will need to
be replaced - i.e., all the bushings, gaskets, doors, wings, seats,
headliner, instrument cluster, wiring, brake and clutch pumps, wiper
assembly, shocks exhaust, front and rear bumpers, headlight buckets, etc.
On the beat with Dave Black
It's customary at this time of year to reflect on past events
- and
thatıs just what I'm going to do!
May found us at Chuck Gould's new Micro Car Museum in Hudson,
MA, for a
preview showing of his fantastic collection of FLCs (funny little cars).
Then there was June, where Mini was the featured marque at
British Cars
by the Sea in Waterford, CT.
July, as ever, found many NEMOites attending Mini Meet East
at
Charleston, SC.
September? Forever Stowe.
In October, we had the Halloween Party at the Mazzas' and
Cape Cod
Classic British Legends Weekend in Falmouth, MA.
And December - who could forget this Christmas party? I
want to thank
all of you for the honor of the John Cooper Enthusiast Award!
How many did I miss?
2002 was a very busy year for many of our members who chose
to dive in
and fully rebuild their lumps. It was also a year for the band-aid
cruisers!
Here, in no particular order, are some of the activities you've
undertaken this year:
Curtis battled carburetor, gas tank, and electrical problems
- and won!
Thom moved from Maine to Maine (you'd have to be a Mainiac to
understand). No word on the Mini.
Glen grappled electrical problems (Lucas only knows who
won!).
Ron repowered with a 1293/276/rod change lump.
Steve finished the Innocenti project and has a real jewel.
He also
imported and sold several Minis through the year. One's got a 1293 lump
from the House of Black. Steve is turning his passion for cars into a
full-
time business. Check out http://www.independentmini.com/
index.html, or
ring up (508) 330-0241.
Dan completed a full rebuild on his 1310 - now his engine
matches his
beautiful Mini.
Dave Newman put a new (rebuilt) short block in his old red
998.
Geoff reports progress on his 'S' restoration - the lump is
done,
subframes and body are currently underway.
Hrach is in heaven (on earth).
Gary is still waiting for help with his hydro pipe repair.
Ron sold his Mini Barn and built a bigger, better place next
door
(another one of those Maine things!).
Paul solved a vexing clutch problem, and then went out and
bought a
hot-rod Mini!
Greg is still in the middle of his darn project (I mean barn
project).
Randy and Betty hosted a challenging rallye and picnic - and
then went
and got married!
Joe and Greg are currently repairing (completely rebuilding)
some damage
to Joeıs lump.
Alex is keeping with tradition and rebuilding his 850
Traveller.
Bruce blew a gasket and then went and changed his water pump.
Don is beginning to move into his new garage digs.
Ken has embarked on a club project car. The van
currently resides at
Greg's (see 'Take Apart Day,' elsewhere on the NEMO page).
Ken (different Ken) had to wait for help to change CV boots,
then late in the season had to lay his Mini up for a tranny housing repair - long live
JB Weld!
The Thurd finally made it back in action late in the season,
but will be ready to go in '03.
Lots of new MINIs were delivered this year - and lots of
classics, too!
We all know who is having the most fun, though!
These are the activities as viewed in only one corner of the
club. Any omissions are purely accidental and all opinions are certainly on purpose!
Don't miss our planning meeting at Faith and Bruce's on March
2nd.
Bring your ideas and suggestions and let's make some memories in 2003!
An update from our racer
I won all 10 races that I entered and the season championship
for the 'Volvo Historic Series.' Also won the Mini Clash at Watkins Glen in
September. We had 17 of the best race Minis available show up for the races. They came from California, Illinois, Texas, Florida and elsewhere,
and I am happy to say that old #57 won it. The most fun of the year!
Dave Reid
MINI milestone
Oxford, UK., Dec. 17, 2002- The 200,000th MINI came
off the line at BMW Group Plant Oxford yesterday. The Chili Red Cooper with its white
contrasting roof is one of over 150,000 MINIs produced at the Oxford plant this year.
These cars are getting pretty common!
with capital letters - hence the reference in this article and Dave's to 'MINIs.' Must be a marketing thing; MG Rover did something similar with
the MGF at first, insisting that the 'F' be italicized when written about (eventually they forgot about it). Weıll follow BMW's convention when
convenient. Otherwise we'll just refer to them as 'new Minis.'
April Articles
Help wanted
by Ian Cull
Harrisville, RI: NEMO held its Annual Meeting at Faith
and Bruce's on
March 2nd. Those who missed it missed a great pot luck food spread,
including ultra-garlic hummus from Hrach and incredible chocolate mousse
from Barbara. You also missed the amazing views from their house and a
chance to count MINIs and Minis (well done, Lisa, for winning the count).
Upcoming events were discussed. There was concern that
it may already
be too late to book rooms for the big event, Mini Meet East 2003 (Québec,
Canada, July 1-4). Plans are developing for 2-4 groups of Minis to make
their way up there. If you wish to join a group, contact the Contributing
Editor for more details. And if you donıt know about the event, check out
http://www.mainlyminismontreal.com/mme2003e.htm
Also discussed was a need for new volunteers. NEMO has
many members but
few contributors. In addition to a new Contributing Editor, we have a new
Treasurer (thanks, Lisa), but we still need a great organizer to coordinate
the NEMO events. We also need more contributors to these pages.
Volunteers, please raise your hands or e-mail me with ideas and
contributions at gbmini@adelphia.net.
Ken and Greg discussed the club's "project car" (see the
photos on this
page). It was decided that it will be converted into a trailer, kitted out
to provide refreshments at NEMO events, although debate continues on whether
to cut off the bonnet (which will make a sensible length trailer) or leave
it Mini shaped (which will look better). A lot of willing hands will be
needed to do this conversion in time for MME 2003. For more details, read
"Floorless Mini."
There are also plans to purchase a large banner to identify
NEMO at
events. It will be based on the 1998 Mini Meet East "Minis plus
wing"
logo;
the original 'Mini over New England" outline (as in our masthead) will
remain the club's official logo.
Custom NEMO apparel is also now available with the same
logos. Read
"Wear NEMO" for more information.
The Mini/MINI debate continued. It must be noted that
there were no
Minis present (their drivers all chose to leave them tucked up for the
winter), so hooray for the three MINIs that were present.
New MINI owners, if you wish to get
more out of NEMO, you need to
get in! If anyone has modded their MINI, we wish to hear about the
results!
Dave Black needs new MINI competition. Today there was an announcement of
the John Cooper Works package for the Cooper S coming Stateside in April,
which should interest some owners.
We also wish to draw the attention of new MINI owners to the
"Mt.
Washington MINI Run" being organized by Cape Cod Mini on the MINI2 forum.
Go to http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21147
and click
on "Motoring Up Mt. Washington" (or e-mail me). We hope for between 30
and
50 MINIs on June 21st for a private sunset drive up the mountain.
Of course, classic Minis are also welcome.
Floorless Mini
by Ken Lemoine
This fall we retrieved the Austin van from its long-term
hiding place in
Vermont and brought it back to the garage of Greg Mazza in Grafton, MA. We
had a great disassembly day, where any parts that were still connected to
each other were separated. When the day was done only the sheet metal body
remained in one piece, kind of. Six of us picked the body up so we could
clean up under it and it nearly folded in half. The undercarriage was
completely rusted away, so badly that there were no salvageable floor panels
left. None! It quickly became known as the Flintstone-mobile.
In December we held an impromptu auction at the Christmas
party in an
attempt to raise some funds to begin the restoration. We found that many
members had donations of parts we could use to redo the van, including
another engine, new fender, seats, headlight buckets, etc. What we didnıt
have though was a bottom. We decided to wait for Greg to get his
compressor
ready so we could blast the body to prepare for the many hours of bodywork
to be done.
In the meantime everybody came to a similar decision. A
new van body
would cost a whole lot less than what we would spend doing this one. At
the
NEMO Annual Meeting, we came to a reasonable conclusion: get a trailer
frame, modify the body to fit it, and weld up the result into a trailer for
use at club functions. The ideas really got going once the decision was
made. Put a generator in the engine bay so we can make the margaritas and
light the night; install a condiment shelf into one side and a grill into
the other, and removable taps on the side door handle slots; rig up a pop-up
tent and serving tray that could slide out the back...
As the pictures of its current state
attest, we are still many
issues from the finished product. We are actively seeking a 4' x 8'
trailer
frame to begin the rework, so if you have one please let us know. When the
frame arrives we will have a welding tech clinic. We are sure Paul will
turn us all into welding specialists.
Stay tuned for updates.
NEMO tech notes
by Dave Black
In member news this month, we've heard from Dick Stanley in
Ellsworth,
ME. He's been battling a leak in his hydro suspension and then was in
need
of a pump to refill the system. Dick owns Stanley Subaru, so his mechanic
was able to build an evacuation pump using an a/c charger, complete with
gauges! His Mini is no longer a low-rider and is currently in the body
shop
for a re-spray. We look forward to seeing your car this year, Dick!
Tom Judson decided that by the time the roads were fit to
drive on, we
wouldnıt have time to replace his radiator/hoses/water pump in a tech
session, so he came over yesterday to pick up the parts and will be doing
the job at home. (Keep the phone lines open!)
Bill O'Connor (Duxbury, MA) called with a drive axle
problem. Seems he
stripped the splines in the right side drive flange while driving his 998.
Can you believe a 998 has enough power to do that? His Mini is in the barn
awaiting parts and will be back in operation shortly.
Ken and Brett Lemoine brought MoMini over to the barn for a
complete
lumpectomy. Before leaving, they suggested we remove the hood. About
90
minutes later the whole engine was out on the floor! This is Brettıs
first
lumpectomy and he's on a steep learning curve to Mini Master Mechanic
status!
Steve Dodge continues to amaze us as his inventory of Minis
For Sale has
swollen to eight! Check it out at www.independentmini.com.
Itıs time to start thinking about autocrossing. We
really should make
an effort to go to as many of these events as we can. Itıs a great way to
meet other sports car enthusiasts, and the Minis always get a great welcome.
If youıve never been to one, go to www.ner.org
and read a little about
whatıs required before you go. Call one of us to see if weıre going to
have
a good showing and get ready to drive your car as hard as you want! Itıs
a
full day of fun, so bring a lunch.
The Solo II schedule for this year is limited to the Devens
site in
Ayer, MA, and the dates are April 13th, April 27th, June 29th, July 26th,
July 27th, and August 17th.
As you know by now, we have a new Contributing Editor.
Ian Cull has
volunteered to step in and help make NEMOıs news page a little less
one-sided. I thought I was going to get off the hook completely, but Ian
insisted that I continue to write ³Tech Notes,² so youıll continue to get
news of our mechanical adventures (or misadventures) from the Mini Barn.
Thank you, Ian, and we look forward to a balanced report on
activities
of our Minis and MINIs.
Thank you, David and David!
by Faith Lamprey
You read it right. NEMO has a new Contributing Editor
(Ian Cull) and a new Treasurer (Lisa Mastrandrea). It was great to have Ian and Lisa
readily volunteer for these important functions.
Our former Contributing Editor (Media Czar is our NEMO title
for this position), David Black, will still be writing technical articles. Dave has
served as Contributing Editor for the past seven years, producing articles for us month after month. We appreciate all his hard work and look forward
to reading his "Tech Notes" for many months to come.
David Reid has served as our Treasurer (Keeper of the Money
was his official title) since the inception of the club in 1993. So after 10 years
of keeping the books, Dave has passed the reins (keys to the safe) over to Lisa. If you see Dave on the racetrack, make sure you thank him for all
the years he kept NEMO solvent.
So thank you, David and David, for all your dedication to
your assigned tasks and for your support of NEMO over the years!
May Issue Articles
A new Italian Job
Mini fanatics know every line of the cult movie The Italian
Job, made in 1969 and starring Michael Caine and a fleet of Minis performing
driving stunts in Turin. Now a new Americanized movie, also called The
Italian Job, is set for release at the end of May. It stars new Minis (MINIs)
acting, hopefully, just as entertainingly as the originals. It also stars
Mark
Wahlberg and has sequences both in Italy and Los Angeles.
NEMO's Vince Tamburo is organizing a meet to drive to a
theater to watch the movie when it is released. The tentative date is May
31st and the place is Braintree Cinema 10, but check with NEMO or Vince.
We need a good turnout of MINIs and Minis.
(courtesy
Paramount Pictures)
Last minute update!
As we were going to press, Vince contacted us that he has
arranged to get us free tickets for a private screening with the press and
automotive journalists, if we bring our cars. This screening is sponsored
by Paramount Pictures. The only problem is it has to be during the week.
So, it is scheduled for Thursday, May 8th, at Braintree AMC Cinemas at 7:30 p.m.
Bring your Mini or MINI and be the first on your block to see the movie!
Paramount needs a count of how many cars and people to expect, so contact Faith
at aurora@aurora techedi. com or (401)
766-6920 to let her know if you are coming and bringing a Mini or MINI.
Directions to AMC Theater in Braintree (121 Grandview Rd.)
from Route 128 (I-93 North): Merge onto MA 37 South/Granite Street via
Exit 6 toward Braintree/Holbrook. Turn right onto Forbes Road. Turn
(slight) left onto Grandview Road.
Don't miss this special event!
Notes from the Mini Barn
by Dave Black
April saw a minimal amount of activity in the barn, but a
preponderance of activity falling from the sky. The weather station we
installed during the winter has recorded 12.05 inches of rain (not including
snow) in the past 6 weeks. Any of the rest of you ready from some hot, dry
days?
Bill O'Connor's 998 Mini is ready to drive away with new
drive flange and brake disc. Bill will sell it to any interested member;
you can see it at the barn in Woodstock till he picks it up, then it will be in
Duxbury, MA. Call me at (860) 974-1952 for details.
Ken Lemoine drove "MoMini" home yesterday with his
fresh 1293. Reassembly of his lump went without incident, all the tolerances
came well within factory specs, and the thing purred contentedly for at least an
hour on the test stand. No leaks and all systems appeared normal.
Ken, Hrach and I proceeded to ease the lump back into the Traveller and all was
going
well until I noticed water dripping on the floor. At first, we thought it
was coming from the heater hose, which had been disconnected momentarily to
affect final connection to the car's system. No such luck. We
determined
the leak was definitely coming from the radiator itself.
A brief discussion ensued wherein we decided it was probably
easier to change the radiator in the car without removing the engine again.
More than two hours later, we began thinking it would have been easier to bite
the bullet and do a removal. An inordinate amount of time had been spent
aligning the water pump, pulley, and fan to install those four little fan bolts.
Patience was the byword, and finally the bolts found their little holes!
While it was still on blocks, I instructed Ken to try
starting the engine to make sure all systems were properly connected.
Crank and crank and crank, then BOOM! A wicked backfire that had us all
giggling like school boys! I knew the problem was timing. We soon
had it sorted and MoMini drove off into the sunset. Yep, it had taken from
10 to about 6:30 to reinstall the lump, but I consider it time well spent (I'm
the only one in my household who thinks so!).
There's nothing in the works now except Geoff Neiley's
subframes. Ken arranged for delivery of a blast cabinet as part of his
engine deal and as soon as that is hooked up, Geoff's project should proceed
quickly. Any help would be greatly appreciated by all involved (especially
Geoff).
NAIAS report: MINI wows the women
Dearborn, MI - The MINI Cooper has won the first-ever Best
Vehicle of the Year Award from the newly formed Women in Automotive Journalism (WAJ).
The award was presented during a North American International
Auto Show breakfast hosted by the Womenıs Economic Club of Detroit at the Ford
Motor Company Conference and Event Center in Dearborn.
The 2003 WAJ awards mark the first time a large group of
women automotive journalists have come together to speak with one voice to honor
what they see as the cream of the crop of new automotive offerings. The
winning vehicle was chosen by a majority vote of 46 U.S.-based women automotive
journalists. Voting was completed through confidential, online
balloting at the awardsıweb site, www.wajawards.org.
And for the boys...?
MINI goes even quicker with help from John Cooper
New York, NY, Apr. 16: Today, MINI USA announced the
U.S. debut of the John Cooper Works upgrade for the MINI Cooper S at the New
York International Auto Show. The upgrade package, developed by the John
Cooper
Works Company in England, will be available for retrofit through MINI dealers
and will not affect the MINI new car warranty. Indeed, the package will
also be warranted to four years/50,000 miles.
The package includes an uprated supercharger, enhanced
exhaust, and reprogrammed engine electronics. Also included is a high
performance engine head with improved port flow designed to work with the new
supercharger. Engine performance is raised from 163hp to over 200hp, and maximum
torque from 155ft-lb to 177ft-lb, resulting in 0-60 times improving slightly
from 6.9s to 6.5s. The new Eaton supercharger has coated vanes to increase
flow pressure and a new pulley design, which results in a higher rpm to further
increase power. The engine ECU has been recalibrated to optimize engine
performance and drivability; a more lively throttle response is promised along
with improved midrange acceleration. The stainless steel "sport"
exhaust reduces backpressure and gives a "throatier" exhaust note.
Externally the Works upgrade is subtle. Visual cues
include distinctive twin chrome exhaust tips, a badge on the rear deck lid, and
under the bonnet, a silver intercooler with the John Cooper Works logo and
individually numbered valve cover plaque.
Unconfirmed pricing is $4500 plus up to ten hours of labor,
but replaced engine parts are returned to MINI. It is supposed that the
price has been set to keep the upgrade 'unique."
The non-S Cooper version of the John Cooper package will not
be offered for sale in the U.S. market.
Any other business...? by Ian Cull
Ken Lemoine reports slow progress on the Mini trailer, no
doubt also affected by our New England climate. The trailer components
have been found and work is underway to prepare a work area; once that is done,
a "work days" plan will be formalized, so be prepared to help.
Dave Newman says that very few people placed orders for NEMO
T-shirts, only five orders (including him and me). We need more NEMO
participation! The T-shirt is great value at only $10!(plus shipping) Dave
is hoping to improve the logo
(better scanning or new artwork) to improve the image quality. (see
website home page for vendor link to purchase)
The Mount Washington MINI Run (June 21st) continues to be
organized by Steve Barnatt (on www.MINI2.com).
There will be a morning meet and drive along the Kancamagus Highway, with an
early evening BBQ meal and a sunset drive up the autoroad. Designs for a
special car decal and T-shirt are also progressing. Currently 27 people
have signed up (including two children) in 15 MINIs. We have MINIs from
NJ, CT, NH, VT, NY, and MA, but we need more, hopefully some Minis, too.
Contact me for an e-mail link to more information.
If any new MINI owners are suffering with squeaky sunroofs
now that the weather is good enough to open them, check out Sean Bartnik's guide
to silencing them, http://www.type2.com/bartnik/mini_sunroof.html.
And finally, I wish again to request more from NEMO readers.
In an attempt to encourage MINI and Mini owners to submit their cars, I show the
roof of my new MINI, now painted with Union Jack by Sublime Restorations of
Rowley, MA. The painted finish is perfect, beating any decal I have seen.
Now show me yours!
(photo
by Ian Cull)
One year of MINI in the USA
With the first new MINI being sold in the U.S. in March 2002,
MINI USA has now completed a year of sales. Total volume exceeded 32,000
(significantly higher than the stated sales goal a year ago), with a 43% split
to the uprated Cooper S model. Prospective MINI owners still face waits of
6-9 months in many parts of the country (including the New England
area), although our favorite local dealer, MINI of Peabody, is shipping vehicles
from other dealers in an attempt to satisfy demand. (They have sold over
700 MINIs in their first year!)
June 2003 Articles
The Italian Job!
by Ian Cull
Braintree, Massachusetts - On May 8th, an incredibly successful event took
place in
Braintree. If you missed it, you missed a great gathering - and a good film
with many tributes to the original.
Mr. Bridger is out of jail this time, but still "the man in charge" (for
a while at least) and the movie revolves around the activities of Charlie
Croker, but he seems to have lost his accent! Three new Minis (MINIs) also
star < red, white and blue like the 1969 movie - and we are treated once
more to stunts including driving down stairs and through train and sewer
pipes.
Classic Mini fans, you are in for a treat, too, with Charlize Theron
driving a red Mini with some skill.
Around 40 (new) Minis and (classic) Minis attended the preview at
Braintree. I wish to
personally thank Vince for arranging the event; he told me that he in turn
wants to thank all the people who helped put it together - Kelly Brosch and
her associates at Allied Advertising, Faith Lamprey, Paramount Pictures, AMC
Theatres, and all who participated. A great time was had by all.
The cinema was pretty full, with over 100 people cheering when the (classic)Minis
and (new) Minis appeared. I think Jason from northern Vermont traveled
furthest,
arriving in a velvet red Mini to match Faith's!
And consider this item from The Boston Globe, Friday, May 9, 3003:
"Speaking of The Italian Job, last night members of the New England Mini
Owners (NEMO) local chapter gathered more than 50 vintage Mini Coopers at
the AMC theater in Braintree for a special screening of the movie. The Mini
has a major presence in The Italian Job..."
film
Other business
Thanks to Dave Newman for highlighting
http://www.calverscorner.com/, a
well organized website with loads of Mini-related tech info.
Roadfly has created a forum specially for classic Minis at
http://forums1.roadfly.org/mini/forums/ classic/. Join and communicate with
other British enthusiasts.
Notes from the Mini Barn
Dave Black has been unusually quiet this month! But a steering rack
tech session has been announced for May 31st (in the Barn, in Woodstock, CT)
at 10 a.m. Bruce and Faith and their Mini will be there!
Ken and Greg have been unable to proceed with rebuilding their Mini due
to lack of space.