The ’63 car is still the best
shopping car I’ve ever owned and
looks wonderful in its original
Almond Green. It’s huge fun at
40mph, and with 34bhp and little
in the way of brakes, you really have
to drive the thing, even if just on the
way to Sainsbury’s.
The Cooper [pictured above] is
still very capable. I use it on regular
80-mile fishing trips across Dorset,
where the hydrolastic suspension
transforms the ride and helps keep
the tyres in contact with the tarmac
longer. It is perfect on country lanes
and even the tiny disc brakes work.
If you’ve never experienced a
classic Mini but can drive or buy one,
do. Mine have been fully restored
as they are keepers, but I’ve owned
at least eight over the last 30 years
in varying conditions and with up
to 110bhp (which is a bit too much
really). My favourites are the original
850 and the Mk1 hydrolastic Cooper
that I’ve kept, but they are all great
fun, especially when they’re road-
tax free, MOT exempt, cost £100 a
year to insure, and can have their
tank brimmed for £25. Enjoy.
RichardCarter, Sherborne,
Dorset
The hardertheycome
A few years ago, after 18 months of
ownership, I traded in my F80 model
BMW 325d. Not anevocar, to be
sure, but the reasons I didn’t keep
it for longer came back to me while
reading your review of the new 320d
(Driven,evo262).
At slow speeds – even without the
M Sport suspension – it felt stiff and
unyielding to bumps and potholes,
and yet at speed it was floaty and
imprecise – exactly the opposite of
what I expected and wanted, and
similar to what you felt.
INBOX
50 shadesofyay
Gordon Murray! What a legend! We
need more guys like him in the car
industry. The details of his T.50 (evo
- sound ridiculous. It literally
sounds like everyevoreader’s
dreamcar. I love his honest criticism
of modern/electric supercars and I,
for one, agree with all of them.
Naturally aspirated V12,
12,000rpm red line, manual gearbox,
three seats and 980kg. This sounds
like the car McLaren should be
building instead of churning out
slightly different versions of the
same car.
No doubt it will also look
stunning. From Murray’s sketch of
the profile it looks like a modern-day
McLaren F1, and that car still looks
stunning today. It hasn’t aged a
day – the only thing (externally) that
gives away that it’s from a different
era is the size of its wheels.
My only concern with the T.50
would be the fan that sucks air up
into the car and out the back. What
happens if you drive over some
horse manure? I don’t think any
cyclists you pass will appreciate the
brown shower...
One other thing is the name: T.50
isn’t catchy enough. I guess they
can’t call it F1, so how aboutWTF1?
KLi
MightyMinis
I share Richard Meaden’s love of
the original Mini (column,evo263).
I have a small collection of classics,
including a Ferrari F355 (manual
of course) and a S1 E-type – both
wonderful cars I couldn’t sell. But I
also have a couple of classic Minis
that I drive all the time: a pure and
completely standard ’63 Mini Minor
and a ’65 Morris Cooper with the
hydrolastic suspension.
[email protected]t
@evomagazinef
@evomagazineLETTER OF THE MONTH
Returnto the wild
I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVERSEE SUCHA GREAT REVIEWOF
a TVR again. Asa past owner of a TVR Chimaera with a verynoisy V8
engine, and then a Tamora after that, I was delighted to read your review
of the Tuscan versus BMW’s M Coupe (evo263).
The Chimaera was fantastic, but the little Tamora even better – 350bhp,
less than a metric tonne, no electronic driver ‘aids’. It squirted around
corners and bit you hard if you forgot that it was only you in control.
I’ve since had an Audi R8, 911 Turbo, 911 C2S, 911 C4S, Audi V10 S8s,
but – and this is the thing – they are all great cars but none has the soul and
character, or delivers the sheer driving enjoyment of my TVRs.
So, I have decided to sell my 911 C4S and look for a nice Tamora or
Sagaris.
Thanks for the trip downmemorylane.
Alastair Waite
The Letter of the Month
wins a Straton watch
The writer of this month’s star letterreceives a Straton Classic Driver watchworth £235. A brand new additionto Straton’s range, this chronographhas a 40mmcase and a stainlesssteel bracelet, and is availablein sixdifferent colour schemes – the winnercan choose theirfavourite.