Ausmini
It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 9:47 am

All times are UTC + 10 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 22 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2
Author Message
 Post subject: Re: Magazine cars
PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 10:23 pm 
Offline
998cc
998cc

Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:41 pm
Posts: 844
Location: Adelaide
Thanks for the link to the Hottest Minis magazine.
Any ideas on the whereabouts of the black Twini Mini?
An Adelaide car owned by a Rob Burns back in the day.
I have tried a couple of Rob Burns without luck


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Magazine cars
PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 12:09 am 
Offline
848cc
848cc
User avatar

Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2013 9:30 pm
Posts: 299
Location: Adelaide
IndigoBlueCooperS wrote:
Thanks for the link to the Hottest Minis magazine.
Any ideas on the whereabouts of the black Twini Mini?
An Adelaide car owned by a Rob Burns back in the day.
I have tried a couple of Rob Burns without luck

I haven't seen Rob for years, probably since 2001-2002. Back then he was living down towards Port Adelaide, though I'm sure he had moved since then... maybe up into the hills somewhere? He was a school teacher and used to move around a bit when he changed schools. I expect he'd possibly be retired now. I'm almost certain he had an unlisted number.
The last time I called in to see him he still had the Twini, but it had been off the road for a few years and needed a bit of tidying up. It was parked under a tree in his back yard due to a lack of shed space at the time as he was doing an engine swap on his wifes BMW with a Toyota or Nissan 6 cyl.
A few years later he advertised the Twini for sale, I think due to his new place having insufficient shed space, and a guy I know who also knew Rob went for a look but didn't buy it. I remember him saying that it was squeezed into a shed with so much other stuff in it that you couldn't get around the car to look at it! I have the feeling Rob didn't sell it then and decided to keep it. But that was also 10+ years ago.

I didn't realise it had been in any magazines. Rob is a quite private person so not many people actually knew about the car.
It was fairly quick for its time - both motors were out to about 1400cc, twin carbs, ported heads, etc. I remember a friend describing what it was like when driven in anger... straightening up from a u-turn, Rob planted his foot. It accelerated fairly hard and the front starts to break traction and slide slightly left as the rear is still pushing hard, the front upshifts and pulls straight as the rear started to spin/drift left, then the rear upshifts as the front starts to drift left again before it upshifts, then the rear again then front again and so on. He described it as a wierd crabbing snaking feeling, all while it kept accelerating. It braked fairly hard as well so I'm told. "out of the seat and hanging by the belts as he braked, before throwing it into another u-turn through the traffic island" or similar!
In fact I think the guy that was describing it still owns the turbocharged Oldsmobile V8 powered FJ that Rob built and is mentioned in the magazine article. That had been off the road for a long time and was getting a slow rebuild last time I saw it.

Damn... This is making me feel old! :lol:

_________________
Don't listen to what I am saying... just understand what I mean.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Magazine cars
PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 5:07 pm 
Offline
998cc
998cc

Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:41 pm
Posts: 844
Location: Adelaide
Tim, Thanks for the info on the old black twini.
Sounds like an interesting car to drive when "drive" is selected, with the power moving between the front and rear as it changed gears. Fun through the corners??
I wonder if it can be driven by manually changing gears - depend on how the gear stick / s are set up.
Hopefully we will see it on the road again one day.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Magazine cars
PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 6:01 pm 
Offline
1360cc
1360cc
User avatar

Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 11:32 am
Posts: 12390
Location: Sthrn HiLoLands, NSW, Australia
Remembering that John Cooper was nearly killed in a Twini...

https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-ne ... gine-mini/

_________________
"Show me the Mini!"


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Magazine cars
PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 6:47 pm 
Offline
998cc
998cc

Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:41 pm
Posts: 844
Location: Adelaide
Bit off topic, but if you are interested in Twini's have a read at this link.
Neil Preston is in the process of rebuilding a Twini that is based on Jag head engines on Mini gearbox's. This is the third Twini he has built, that I am aware of.

https://twiniminis.com/


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Magazine cars
PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 1:29 am 
Offline
848cc
848cc
User avatar

Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2013 9:30 pm
Posts: 299
Location: Adelaide
IndigoBlueCooperS wrote:
Tim, Thanks for the info on the old black twini.
Sounds like an interesting car to drive when "drive" is selected, with the power moving between the front and rear as it changed gears. Fun through the corners??
I wonder if it can be driven by manually changing gears - depend on how the gear stick / s are set up.
Hopefully we will see it on the road again one day.

I think when driven sensibly it was quite well behaved. I remember the comment that, if you ignored the noises that were coming from behind the front seats, from the passenger seat it seemed like travelling in any other Mini.

I also remember, after the front engine was started and he watched Rob reach for and turn the second starter key, my friend describing how he clenched his teeth and winced as he expected to hear the starter pinion throw into the already spinning ring gear - only to hear the rear engine crank and start. :lol:

It had a single gear selector that operated both transmissions, but the linkage to the rear trans could be disengaged with the idea being that it could be driven on the front power unit only. But as I recall, due to the lack of lubrication without the rear engine running, this couldn't really be done for anything much further than moving it around the yard.
I remember an idea being discussed about solenoids, check-valves and some modifications that might be needed to provide lubrication to the rear trans from the front engine so it could be driven like that... waaaay too complicated to be sensible!

_________________
Don't listen to what I am saying... just understand what I mean.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Magazine cars
PostPosted: Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:30 am 
Offline
848cc
848cc

Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:12 pm
Posts: 104
Location: Victoria
I was lucky enough to get my GT featured in Mini World UK Magazine a few years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

_________________
71 Clubman GT
63 Morris 850
66 Mk 1 Cooper S


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 22 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2

All times are UTC + 10 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 46 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  

cron

© 2016 Ausmini. All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.