Minis and Imps

[ERC]

Paul did you shift the grille down to run a standard bonnet? I always thought an Elf / Hornet bonnet would be great to push air to the carburettor, although often the speedo was moved and the 40/42 DCOE Weber had it trumpets in the speedo space.
Spgeti will love this ..

Its Ray, not Paul, Roger!!!! I never had an issue with airflow using a standard bonnet and the twin 1.5" SUs (which I also still have) as I did the same grille drop with the tattiest Wolseley Hornet you have ever seen, (same engine, but before a full, rebuild) which I sprinted and hillclimbed in the UK, with a fair bit of success, in the under 1300cc road-going modified class... That shell got left behind in the UK, but all the mechanical bits came with me.

With the Wolseley, I just cut the bottom off the grille, but with the Riley, I cut back the front valance and parked the oil cooler there and retained the full length grille, which looks better IMHO.

I had a fibreglass bonnet for this car and dropped the grille as my pet hate is bonnets that lift with the grille, usually making access difficult, not to mention smacking your head on it! When I look at my drawings of what the Broadspeed Elf was supposed to look like, I thought it would look pretty good, as the rear overhang was better looking than the standard Broadspeed with the GT rear end on a standard Mini base.

It was always going to be 'SMILEY' the Riley so I bought the personalised plate as soon as they came out. That plate is now on the Marcos, which has been off the road since 2006. The car was on the road legally very briefly in the early 1980's, but sadly, I never got the chance to see what it could really do, so the engine has only done about 200km running in since the build by a specialist in the UK who competed with a Turner (BMC A Series engine).

I have done the same with the Magnette project. The grille is now fixed - though easily detachable.

[Roger Dowding]

Autonews article March 23, 1970 entitled Fords Imps and Minis


Frank Hamlin " Sprint " type Mini.



and two Imps, Brimar and Harrington..

[John McKechnie]

Paul- what ever happened to your old De Joux ?
It has been a long time since I have ever seen one.
I had an orange one with a 1100 back in 1974/75 its on this thread-#155.
They were a really neat shape, very light and my wife loved driving it.
A friend Alex Isbey had one, it was Colin Broadleys old one- he was a radio DJ back in 60s/70s and he rolled it off the northwestern motorway. You may remember Alex in a Mini Cooper from the old Hill Climb days early 70s, very quick he was.
He built a Mini with a 1500 Maxi with 5 speed in, rolled it in a rally. He was part of the way putting this motor and subframe in this damaged De Joux and go racing again with it.
Last saw it at his house in 1976, sadly he is no longer with us, but what happened to this car?

[Paul Wilkinson]

Paul- what ever happened to your old De Joux ?
It has been a long time since I have ever seen one.
I had an orange one with a 1100 back in 1974/75 its on this thread-#155.
They were a really neat shape, very light and my wife loved driving it.
A friend Alex Isbey had one, it was Colin Broadleys old one- he was a radio DJ back in 60s/70s and he rolled it off the northwestern motorway. You may remember Alex in a Mini Cooper from the old Hill Climb days early 70s, very quick he was.
He built a Mini with a 1500 Maxi with 5 speed in, rolled it in a rally. He was part of the way putting this motor and subframe in this damaged De Joux and go racing again with it.
Last saw it at his house in 1976, sadly he is no longer with us, but what happened to this car?

That de Joux is one of three I have owned over the years. I had a rather special engine and box built for it and all the suspension/brakes was brand new and adjustable yadda yadda yadda.... Then the business we were in went a bit pear-shaped and we had to liquidate the toys, the de Joux, an s4 Lotus 7 and a Manta Mirage. That was 8 1/2 years ago and apparently the de Joux hasn't been touched since it was rolled off the trailer by its new owner all those years ago!