The Mini Mag. ..... Volume No.3 No.2.... 2001
  February 2001

Volume 3 Index. | Article Index.
Collectively Coopers.
with Stephen Dalton.

Read all about it.

Books and the Mini could be said go hand in hand with each other. There’s certainly no shortage of tomes covering all aspects of the Mini on how to maintain, modify, restore or just admire the history that is Mini. The Rob Golding authored effort from 1979 simply titled "Mini" with Paddy Hopkirk’s 1964 Monte Carlo Rally winning 1071cc Cooper S on the dust jacket could be blamed for starting the resurgence in a Mini enthusiasts readings. But it is the publishing’s of a selected few publishers some 15 years previous to that this article is about to delve.

Minis were still in their infancy when Mini books started appearing on bookshelves. With items such as Christabel Carlisle’s - Mini Racing, Kenneth Ullyett’s - The book of the Mini and Laurence Pomeroy’s - The Mini Story - all long out of print and obscure at best to lay your hands on. Of the 3 title’s Mini Racing was the hardest to procure. Never having even laid hands on a copy until one of Melbourne’s leading motor book dealers, Tony Johns literally gave me his personal copy purchased brand new in 1963. The same year he updated from an even then elderly Austin Seven to it’s then modern day replacement the Morris 850. The deal being he simply wanted it to go to a Mini enthusiast - and knowing I collected all that sort of trivia, became the lucky recipient.

In the true sense of it Mini Racing is not really a Mini book as such, a more suitable title would have been "How to begin motor racing". As that is what this little 58 page gem delves into. One senses a degree of novelty with Mini Racing from a publishing perspective, although the information is quite relevant - even perhaps now - giving a good scope of information to those wishing to go motor racing. Without sounding unfair on the author Mini racer and music teacher, Christabel Carlisle her experience on the subject at hand was pretty minimal when written, having only taken up motor racing in 1961 with a Mini that she received as a 21st birthday present. Having caught the motor racing bug while helping a friend who raced his Austin Healey Sprite. That considered though, didn’t stop BMC Competitions manager, Stuart Turner from missing out on an opportunity for some added publicity by having Christabel join his small crew of lady race / rally drivers. The publishing novelty factor quite obviously being that it was written by a lady racing driver - rare then and not a lot different 40 years later.

Not wishing to turn this into an article contrived to upset the lady readers amongst you, there is a point under the heading of "Mechanical knowledge" that I would like to share with everyone, for like then it remains quite pertinent all these years later - "There is no denying that mechanical knowledge is an asset. A girl, fortunately, never has to pump up tyres or check the oil - at least I never had to and anyway did not know how to." It then continues with - "A man, however, cannot wander around the paddock asking ridiculous questions. Unless he can afford to have a mechanic, the sooner he learns about engines the better." And if ever there was any doubt, the drawing published with this statement tells a story itself. Just allowing myself to be a little cheeky - keep fluttering those gorgeous eyelids ladies (he writes tongue firmly in cheek!!).

Moving on before I get shot down in flames, Kenneth Ullyett’s effort The Book of the Mini is in retrospect a fine publishing effort with the items discussed and the originality of the photographs used - even if the title holds little imagination. Although in fairness it is from a series of The Book of the… Phantoms, Silver Ghost (both Rolls Royce), Bentley and Jaguar as far as I’m aware from the same author. Under his auspices of the Royal Automobile Club, Ullyett allows his tome to give quite a technical and indepth background of the Mini and those behind its manufacture, all as a way to celebrate Mini’s 5th birthday in 1964. There’s chapters devoted to Herbert Austin & William Morris giving a brief history of the 2 motoring moguls whose huge motor manufacturing facilities went on to form the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1952. Creating the nemesis for Alec Issigonis to rejoin the Morris/BMC team and let his fertile mind bring the ADO15 project to fruition - ADO15 being the Mini’s codename within BMC (under BMC, ADO being the acronym for Amalgamated Design Office and not Austin Design Office as usually published).

Of course Alec Issigonis has a chapter devoted to this very private and creative man, as too does Charles & John Cooper and their Cooper Car Company (the Issigonis chapter perhaps worth an article in its own right in a later issue of this tome). There’s also chapters relating to the Mini’s then already extensive competition background - including a chapter specifically on the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally victory held earlier in the year of publication. You also get to read about Mini’s design and manufacture, the Mini variants and coachbuilt versions built for those with the necessary finances to afford such luxuries. All up this book is certainly worth seeking out.

Moving onto Laurence Pomeroy’s The Mini Story heralds what must surely be one of the most under-rated Mini books thus published - mainly because, like the aforementioned book it was published in 1964 and as such means procuring a copy isn’t always that easy. It’s not really a thing of beauty in a visual sense, being quite bland if the truth be spelt out, but the text comes from one of those ‘old school’ authors of the wordsmith variety. This could also be counted as a pitfall too - as due to this style of writing can mean concentration from the reader needs to remain pretty high to follow the plot (mind you that could just be my lack of reading ability, I should have just reviewed the pictures!!).

Being an engineering associate of Alec Issigonis and former technical editor for England’s Motor magazine, ‘Pom’ had a head start to extract the relevant information from the likes of Issigonis that made this book possible and as accurate as is ever likely to be.

It also made it easy to get the Mini’s creator to write the introduction for the book. Upon reading showing a couple of those many eccentricities Alec Issigonis is known to have had. It is indeed worth re-telling within this article -
"I have known Pomeroy almost as long as I can remember. Throughout the years our favourite topics of discussion have been very narrow. Cars and food. In the case of cars the chief discussion has inevitably been about the pros and cons of the front and rear engine and I hope that I have made a small contribution to humanity as a whole in converting Pomeroy, even though the task has been arduous. In the case of food, however, argument is limited. You either like steak and kidney pudding or you don’t. It so happens that we both adore it.

In the course of my professional career three things that I have taught myself stand out clearly. The great convenience which is offered by the small car in normal day-to-day motoring. How it is relatively easy to make a car directionally stable if it is nose heavy. How good a swing axle rear suspension can be if it is used in a way never intended by its creator.

I was really weaned on Austin Sevens so it is, perhaps, natural that in my professional work I dislike designing big cars. When I was middle-aged I was doing research work at Morris and had a pretty free hand on the development of suspension and chassis problems in general. At that time I had converted some experimental cars to independent front wheel suspension and in the course of this work came across the deadly hazard of directional instability. Very little was known about this problem in those days but by continual effort and experimentation I eventually got a bad handling car to steer to my satisfaction by making it nose heavy. Modern experimenters will be horrified at the crude approach to the problem but to me the effect was so dramatic that I will never forget it.

Previous to this George Dowson and I had designed and built the Lightweight Special. Being young we tended to copy prevailing design trends of the day which left us with a swing axle at the back of the car. In the course of a very muddled day during practise at Prescott (hillclimb track) we found the car almost uncontrollable. When one is in such a state of confusion one tends to do the most unexpected things, in the course of which we accidentally lowered the back of the car very considerably. Practice time was running out and it was, therefore, essential to do a few runs with the car looking ridiculously knock-kneed. The benefit of the highly negative camber rear wheels was astonishing and I mention this accidental discovery because it taught me a fundamental lesson long before the practice became common place in racing car design. Nevertheless today I avoid the swing axle, which is only suited to vehicles which have no big load variations to meet, and, as an old man, I revolt against freak geometry effects in the suspension to correct inherent design faults, such as tail heaviness.

The Morris Minor (the other Issigonis creation) was amongst the first small cars to be designed nose heavy and, logically, this concept requires front wheel drive but I did not know how to do this at that time. Since then, however, I have accumulated sufficient experience to solve this problem, hence ‘The Mini Story’.

I would like to end up by saying that I am very relieved to find that the task fell upon Pomeroy to write this book instead of myself as I find writing a disagreeable occupation - Alec Issigonis"

 Due to Pomeroy’s technical background The Mini Story features fairly heavily with technical comparison of Mini’s competitors (or ADO15 as he tends to call it throughout) of the first 5 years production, some indeed of mathematical proportion that labour on a bit. To break the text up somewhat there is a variety of photos of prototype and production ADO15 and with his publishing background Pom was obviously able to procure technical cutaway drawings relating to features of the Mini from another Motor staffer, Theo Page and cartoons from Russell Brockbank that also relate to the Min. There is also 11 pages devoted to the original envelope or tablecloth type sketchings and text of Alec Issigonis himself. All done on one of those spur of the moment scenarios to help stress his thoughts of the Mini’s design to other members of his close knit engineering team whom had the task to turn his artwork into three dimensional reality. Once again well worth seeking out.

For those of you who may wish to find these pieces to add to your collection of Mini memorabilia, the following details may be of assistance when chasing these titles up with specialist dealers. Mini Racing by Christabel Carlisle was published as a softcover edition by Hennel Locke Ltd, The book of the Mini by Kenneth Ullyett in hardback (with dust jacket) was published by Max Parrish Ltd and The Mini Story by Laurence Pomeroy, published also in hardback (with dust jacket) by Temple Press.

Don’t expect a lot of change from \$100 if you find the Ullyett and Pomeroy books in very good condition with dust jacket intact from a specialist motoring book dealer. While I’d consider the Carlisle book would command around $50 from a dealer.

Happy hunting
Stephen Dalton