Owners: Razeen, Raa-id and Riaz Ismail
Car: 1976 Austin Mini now called Jerry
Bought in: 2020
Mileage when purchased/now: Unknown. We added about 1 500 km since taking ownership
Current value: What value can you place on such a beauty…? We had an offer of R180 000 and turned it down, Jerry is definitely not for sale.
Why we bought this car: We bought this as a project car, after a good friend brought his mini around. We loved the idea of a classic 1976 Mini, especially the way it sat in the corners. Lockdown presented a good lesson in how to bond and spend time together and this car was the perfect outlet for this. We learnt skills we would never have otherwise done and enjoyed every minute of it.
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Common issues with this model: Where do we start… what can go wrong, goes wrong. Cooling is a big problem with these old Minis. When we got our car it was in need of lots of TLC, we had to do lots.
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Major repairs we’ve conducted: The brakes have been serviced and upgraded to discs. We also upgraded to braided hoses for additional safety. We replaced the brake and clutch master cylinders after a pipe burst. Engine stabilisers were added to reduce engine shake. We changed the exhaust and added a ‘branch’ to replace the standard headers and added a bigger carb’ for better breathing. All suspension rubbers were upgraded. We also added an anti-roll bar for better handling.
We’ve redone the dashboard twice, to make sure we got the look we wanted. We added a roof rack to give it the right look, and to carry the spare tyre. We’ve added retractable seat belts, foglights and LED brake lights.
But it never ends. We have more ideas in the pipe-line. These include a wooden steering wheel, adjustable suspension and new shocks. And after that probably a few more things.
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The best thing about our car: The sheer pleasure it gives when it starts and then purrs on a drive. The feeling of G-forces when going around a corner at speeds that should not be possible. The fuel efficiency. We are now hiring it out to pay for parts. What’s life if you do not have new car parts incoming?
The worst thing about our car: We don’t get to drive it enough.
Tech spec below the gallery
1976 Austin Mini Tech Spec
Engine: 1 275 or so we think, it might be a bit bigger.
Transmission: four-speed manual
Power: we would also like to know
Torque: see above
Top speed: not something we want to disclose, but we have seen 140 once
0-100 km/h: Who measures life in this way. We choose to think about the pleasure.
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