The mini.

What? An original Mini? Oh yes. They're just crazy fun. And it's not just any Mini. Come say hi.

Latest diary entry (Mini track day):
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A track day arrived. I'd been planning on bringing out my Seven but the weather was not cooperating with an open-topped roadster. So the Mini came out instead. It's the first time I've ever run a FWD on the track, and also the first time I've been out in the wet. At least I know the track pretty well so it wasn't all new to me.

The first session was in pouring rain. There was standing water on the track and the little Mini wanted to wag its tail pretty badly. It also couldn't put down much power, but that's not a big surprise. I was learning that the car wanted to be on power more than my usual RWD mount, especially when it came to keeping the tail in line through a downhill chicane.

As the track dried, I started to experience more understeer and difficulty in putting down power. A bit of trail braking helped the car to rotate into turns, but it was still abusing the fronts more that I wanted. My lap times were coming down but the car still wasn't working as well as it should. The only place it really showed its potential was through that chicane. In my Seven, that's one place where I move faster than anywhere else so I'm a little aggressive. The tail was dancing around and I was having to commit heavily to keep the car in line - but I was going through quic
(This one's long. Read the rest here.)

Latest photos
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On the track!
My toggle switches for the new dashboard.
The Seven and the Mini make pretty good room mates. They certainly don't take up much room in the garage.

Other cars in my fleet:
The Seven is the pure sports car - take everything that makes a sports car fun and leave the rest on the garage floor.
The Cadillac is a 1966 Cadillac Sedan De Ville that's just, well, excessive. And that's the fun part.
Basil is a 1967 Land Rover 88 Station Wagon that has been resurrected and taken far offroad.


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