Thanks to some kind help from a new friend, last night we got some more of my mini fixed getting ready for it's rwc. It's making me excited to take it out for it's first proper drive and the weather is getting better and better so I can't wait! So who remembers there first drive and did you do anything out of the ordinary like go away or do a big cruise like great ocean road or something like that? what did you do on your first drive?

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Regards Kermit (TadPole)

First drive of my car was to get petrol.
Second was to mechanic for roady.
Third was to vicroads for rego.
Fourth was to work.
Fifth was to melbourne for the minishow........gearbox spat the dummy on the way home.

That was pretty much it till 6 months later.

sounds like you had a bit of an up and down run to start with. what happened to the gearbox? all sorted now i hope?

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Regards Kermit (TadPole)

First drive in the MG. Unregistered from Anna Bay to Lemon Tree...about
20 minutes.
I was a bit worried about it....No number plates and a slight miss in the engine.

no issues there i hope?

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Regards Kermit (TadPole)

Blue Deluxe, a quick spin up and down a road at Umina. First ever drive of a MIni.

Purple clubbie, I don't remember this one...but I have blocked out a fair portion of this one lol

Green Clubbie...no doors or windows coasting down the road and around the corner to Kazjims place for its rebuild. Made it all the way on gravity alone!

Black rover...3 day drive back to the coast from Adelaide..Just awesome. Best 'first drive' I have had so far.

Red Van...Took it for a test drive and immediately had a grin. Just wow.

First drive Green Cooper S - in Collie WA around town. It felt so good after 6 years of building it and relocating it from QLD to WA near the end of the build. Oil light went on, spun a bearing and stuffed the crank......

Nb Race car - Ipswich Raceway TTT (Test Try and Tune) day - I blew the doors off a XW GT down the main straight! Most fun I've had with clothes on!

Blue Mini (currently 70% rebuilt as another race car) - Driving it around Blackwater QLD unregistered to get a road worthy certificate - pissy little 998 in it with cam and good head, drum brakes - I had a big smile even though it didn't go hard.

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1964 Nb Race Car - big bore short stroke & lots of revs - Sold
1969 Mk2 Cooper S - First Car

My first EVER drive of a Mini was on the day after my 16th birthday around what is now Bangor NSW, with the ink almost dry on my learners permit. It was not what you would call an exhilirating experience, as I had no idea about the clutch.

My first ever drive by myself was in that same Mini a year later with brand-new P plates from Caringbah to Kareela. I was exhilirated but also nearly crapping myself.

But the funniest one was my first drive of the finished Moke. I drove my wife and our two dogs to the local park. No plates or rego, just a permit stuck in the window. The Moke ran pefectly and we were having a great time. When we reached the park Sarah released Cooper's chain while I was finding a spot. He immediately dived over the side of the still-moving Moke and tore a ligament in his back leg. Then I had to drive in to town with no plates to take him to the vet.

Cheers,

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Brett Nicholson
Greendale (near Ballan) VIC.
1971 Morris Mini Moke
1966 Austin Mini
1965 Morris Mini Traveller
1973 LR Series 3 88
2007 LR Freelander 2

My first ever drive of a mini was when i got home from work my parents had gone to pick up my 67 deluxe without me knowing, it was wrapped in a red ribbon in the driveway.
I grabbed the keys (took the ribbon off) and took off for a spin from Endeavour Hills to Fountain Gate, as i was driving through the underrground car park(a very small section back then) i went for second gear and pulled the gear stick out of the floor.. I had to drive around for the next few days with just a little knuckle to change gears until i went to minibits and got a replacement.
3 months later i put a piston through the bore, 3 months later i put a rod out the side of the block and 3 months later another engine went bang, i bought a HJ Premier V8 after that and sold my deluxe A decision i have always regretted

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If its got tits or wheels its gonna cost you

1973 Solid side Leyland Mini Panelvan 1100 in Hairy Lime(Elma)
1976 Clubby project in progress
1966 Morris Mini Deluxe in need of a full resto
1971 Mini K Garden Art

My first ever drive was in my old man's Moke ute.
Remember it clearly even though it was nearly 30 years ago.
I was 15 and he taught me drive in the gravel around Ray Owen Reserve up in the Perth hills.

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Too many cars, and too little time.

I had just coughed up 2k for an untouched scarlet o'hara red 76 clubman. The owner took me for a 5 minute burst around springwood, taught me about mechanical symathy for the clutch bearing and brake pads, and then I was on my own. I remember just how quick it was changing lanes over you weren't paying attention.

Poor old clubby, I trashed the poor thing over the next six months.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

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

First drive was in a 78 Yellow Devil clubman just after I got my L plates when I was 16. Worst 20 minutes of manual driving ever in the history of the universe. Bunny hops, stalls, dropping the clutch you name it I did it. Despite this, in my mind, I was in heaven.

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First drive was in year 12 at school, we had a prac student (who is a member of this forum) and he drove a moke. His last day of prac he let me drive the moke around the main quadrangle sounding the klaxon....good times haha

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finally own one

1985....
Drove my Brother-in-Law's GT down on the Mornington Penisula....
Not long off my P's and my first car was an automatic 68 HR....
So when I pulled out off the layby - shot onto the wrong side of the road as the steering was so much more direct.
Amazed at the acceleration and speed, handling and braking of the mini....
I was hooked.
Went on to buy my first mini - a 77 998 LS a short while later....
then bought the GT about 3 years later... and still have it today

My first drive of a Mini was quite funny actually, I was about 16 or 17 at the time and had been driving since around 12 or 13 on private property and thought I was pretty good as a lot of kids at that age think.
My Mum bought a brand new 1963 Morris 850 from Goulds BMC in Northcote Victoria, my Mum said you can drive it home, the sales guy wanted to go through the pre delivery and show me all the features and controls but me being the cocky know it all 17 year old said no need mate I am right leave me to it. Well I jumped in hung the L plates and turned the key and nothing happened, hmm why won't it start, sheepishly I go round up the sales dood who has a grin on his face when I tell him this brand new car won't start. He shows me the start button on the floor near the seat, floor start button, whose idea was it to put it on the floor, felt a right fool and quietly drove away into the sunset, well actually it was raining.