DeTomaso Mailing List: May 2000, Message #80

Hi guys,

Just wanted to share a great experience I had on the way home from Vegas.  I 
have been totally intrigued with the DeTomaso Innocenti Mini since I first 
saw it at Monterey last year.  

(For those that don't know what I'm talking about, check out this photo from 
Monterey:

http://members.aol.com/mikeldrew/Mini.jpg

Sorry it's in black-and-white; shopping for a color scanner this week!

This car was formed by using the chassis etc. from the British Leyland Mini, 
topped with a Bertone body and fitted initially with a British Leyland-style 
motor, but later with a three-cylinder turbo Daihatsu engine, which is what 
Larry's is equipped with.)

I have a soft spot in my heart for quick little cars, and this one got my 
attention.  So after Vegas, I drove up to Carson City and then spent most of 
the day Monday driving it around to get an impression of what it's like, and 
to shoot a bunch of photos.

What an absolute GAS this car is!  My giggle-meter was pegged almost 
immediately!  I spent quite a lot of time on broad, sweeping Pantera-style 
roads, and thus the car was largely out of its element, but it managed just 
fine.  And it was an absolute hoot in the tight, twisty stuff where Panteras 
start to become more work than fun.

I was really surprised at how much I liked this little thing.  For one thing, 
it really scoots.  I'm used to thinking of Performance Cars within the 
context of what I own (Pantera, Shelby Mustang, Shelby 427 Cobra), and that, 
to me, means Big Power, lots of noise, and acceleration and braking that 
flattens your innards and bulges your eyeballs.

This car doesn't have that.  Instead, for lack of a better word, this car is 
ZIPPY!  It's built for the Stoplight Grand Prix and really excells there.  
Surprisingly, there is absolutely no turbo lag, because apparently the turbo 
builds boost immediately.  Even trolling around town at 1500 rpm, the boost 
gauge showed positive (there's no numbers, just a plus and minus side), and 
stepping on the gas gave smooth, seamless power with none of the on/off 
character that I was expecting.  I did manage to find a rather serious flaw, 
perhaps due to the high altitude; if I stomped on the throttle below about 
3000 rpm, the car would hiccup (almost as though it was flooding), then clear 
its throat and pull.  Probably just needs a little fine-tuning.

The seating position felt high and upright, giving a good view of the road, 
almost the same feeling I get in an SUV, only lower! :>)  It certainly felt 
much less sporting than my VW Scirocco.  The seats were somewhat strange, 
feeling like about 7/8 scale.  The headrest which should have been behind my 
head, for example, only came up to my neck.  Larry makes the thing look like 
a circus clown car!  But it would be perfect for those 5 foot 9 and under.

The steering was absolutely outstanding--incredibly light, precise, and VERY 
quick (three turns lock-to-lock.)  The wheel felt great too; it's 
leather-covered and if you close your eyes you'll swear you're holding a Momo 
Prototipo or a LeCarra.  Just perfect.

Shifting, unfortunately, was the worst I've ever felt in ANY car; incredibly 
vague, rubbery, and not inspiring at all.  And the shift knob was 
square--what's up with that???  Thus I avoided any real performance driving 
that involved rapid gearchanges, since I was never confident I'd select the 
right gear unless I was extremely careful.

The brakes were extremely strong and powerful, despite their diminuitive 
size.  (How much brake can you expect to fit behind 10-inch wheels?)  As 
there is no power assist, pedal effort was a bit heavier than I'd like and 
the feel was almost "wooden"; I suspect it would benefit to a switch to a 
master cylinder with a smaller bore.  Oddly, the master cylinder itself isn't 
oriented fore-and-aft they way virtually EVER other master cylinder is; 
instead it faces straight up-and-down; the brake pedal pushes a rod skywards 
into the master instead of forward.

The exhaust note is pretty neat, difficult to describe though.  Less than 
1000 cc's from a three-cylinder makes an unusual, although very appealing 
sound.

I never really beat on the car in the corners the way I routinely do in my 
Sciroccos (or rental cars), but I did push it a few times just to see what 
would happen.  Although the car probably has no more body roll than my 
Sciroccos (both of which benefit from suspension tweaks), because the seating 
position is higher, the perception of roll is exaggerated slightly.  It never 
felt tippy however.  At the limit the front end would begin to wail, and 
backing out of the throttle slightly would cause it to immediately tuck 
gently to the inside of the corner and tighten the line, making the car 
extremely easy to drive on the limit.

Given the Lilliputian dimensions of the car (remember, externally it's the 
same size as a Mini Cooper, except slightly taller), it is absolutely 
enormous inside.  Although I was alone, I felt as though I had lots of elbow 
room to both sides.  The back seats would be less cramped than my Scirocco, 
which is considerably longer, but also much lower.

Due to the extreme forward seating position of the driver relative to the 
wheelbase (you think Chrysler invented Cab Forward Design?), the wheelarch 
intrudes seriously on the feet, just like a Pantera.  Unless you rest your 
foot behind the clutch pedal, there's really no place for your left foot 
unless you drive with your left leg bent.  Oh well.

I desperately wish I could have driven this car in an old European city with 
cobblestone streets.  Due to the tiny wheelbase, the turning circle is 
ridiculously small.  It's absolutely perfectly suited to the type of 
cut-and-thrust driving so common in Paris, Rome etc.

I've never driving a British Mini before but have always heard they are 
wonderful driving cars.  Since this car is built on the same platform, I'm 
here to tell you, it's really true.

I initially spotted this car for sale in Monterey and immediately thought 
about buying it, then talked myself out of it and showed it to Larry instead. 
 I'm kicking myself now, because this thing is great.  And it's the only one 
(known) in the United States, making it also unique.

Larry typically parks the thing in the paddock with the keys in the ignition, 
and will let anybody who wants to drive it.  If you ever see it and have an 
opportunity to take it for a spin, definitely ask to do so!  As long as you 
view it in the proper context (this is no Pantera!), I guarantee you'll enjoy 
the heck out of it! :>)

Mike