OUTSPAN MINI DRIVE
7 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 55
Yes , i t’s a m o n o co q u e , l i ke a n F1 c a r
It’s just as bonkers inside. Driver
gets a seatbelt, passengers don’t
arrangement rendered the orange
orb prone to performing impromptu
forward rolls. The trigger for these
gymnastics was the heft of the 848cc
four-speed automatic powerpack, the
A-series engine accessed via a lift-uplid cut into a dashboard stylishly
s u r f a c e d w it h or a n ge c a r p e t. T he
carpet and its plywood substrate,
incidentally, do a surprisingly good
job of suppressing the Mini motor’s
cheery threshings.
There’s only one door and it’s
cut into the rear – its stay is a
bent-wire hook of the kind used
to secure garden gates – raising
uncomfortable questions over how
you might get out should an errant
vehicle squeeze the Orange by
sm a sh i n g i nt o it f r om b e h i nd. A
rear-ender is less likely than an
incursion into the Orange’s flanks,
however. Its girth is slightly wider
t h a n t h at of a 7. 5 -t on ne lor r y, w it h
hu ge c u r v e s of p e e l ov e rh a n g i n g t he
dinky 10in wheels like the belly of a
five-pints-a-night man.
Such juicy width allows the
O r a n ge t o b e a l mo s t s u mp t uou sl y
upholstered within, its ceiling and
walls surfaced with deep-padded
vinyl stitched to resemble fruitsegments. The cabin ambience
is of a teenage fantasy bedroom
circa 1973. Sunset-hued bench
seats are mounted beneath each
of t he ge ne r ou s side w i ndow s ,
and they’re broad enough to
allow their occupants to lounge
luxuriantly, unencumbered by
seatbelts. The driver gets one,
this mild reassurance being
potential compensation for the
fact that while your right leg lives in
the tunnel-like footwell housing ◊
a Mini into a distinctly unstable-
looking giant gallon can of 20-50.
The Outspan Mini was more
ambitious than this, however,
requiring the creation of sizeable
moulds to produce a peel-textured
monocoque complete with the
green leaves of a stalk. Beneath this
were stuffed the aforementioned
subframes, the axles a mere 48in
apa r t. Unt i l s ome c onc r e t e ba l l a s t
was added below the f loor, this
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The orange orb was prone to
performing impromptu forward rolls
a