DeTomaso Mailing List: May 2000, Message #98

Congratulations Mike you've discovered the joys of driving the mighty Mini!

We've had a number of minis (7) over the years, 4 Cooper 'S' and a variety
of others.
At present we have a lightweight Cooper S race car, an immaculate historic
Cooper S race car and a just restored ex Police chaser Cooper S, the cops
used to drive them here back in the seventies, even with surfboards on top
to catch the unsuspecting speedster.
The mini can more than hold it's own with bigger more powerful cars,
especially in the wet as my son found out in his historic racer, passing a
300hp Mustang on the inside and outside of corners only to get blasted away
down the straights.
They are enormous fun to drive.

Lars
Longchamp GTS #3215

----- Original Message -----
From: <MikeLDrew@aol.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <detomaso@realbig.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 3 May 2000 10:01
Subject: Mini is big fun!


> 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
>
>