H234WMB is a 1990 Rover Mini Cooper RSP (Rover Special Products). It was introduced as a limited edition of 1000 cars. At the time all current production Minis were only 998cc but the Cooper was fitted with a 1275cc MG Metro based engine. Trim levels were upped with leather trim and colour keyed mirrors, wheel arches and Cooper wide slat grille. I have owned the car from new and travelled far and wide with my club - Mini Mad Merseyside - attending shows all over the UK. Many Mini enthusiasts may remember at a certain show in the Midlands, Himley Hall to be exact, when a large part of a large tree came crashing down on the club stand, a hot potato wagon, my friend Steves 35th Mini and my Cooper!! The roof was caved in at the back and the wing dented and the whole thing was alive with greenfly! Fortunately the car was fully driveable even though people thought I had rolled it. The car had a new roof and wing repair and was good as new.

One year our club members on the job got friendly with a camera crew following us around that were making a Mini video. We helped them with their CB radios and we ended up in the opening scenes of Mini Mania on the streets of Liverpool and Blackpool dressed up as Beatles (The Minimals!) with the instruments sticking out of the window of my Mini - rear side windows were removed! We were stopped by the real police because our groupies were chasing us in their Mini Cabrio standing up. Great fun driving on the pavements of Blackpool and playing chicken with the trams!! (We did have permission - legalised mayhem). If you look carefully at the scene where we drive past one of the arcades the real registration plate is on show!

I first took the car to Italy with my friend Andy, and we did the next few Jobs together coming first in the Navigational Rally in 1993. When Emma and I got together (and consequently got married) I felt I'd better change my navigator (Andy understood!) and on subsequent Jobs we have consistently been 'up there'.

After a break from Italian Jobbing the need to go again called and so did Paul and Jeannette from the club. The car was in quite a poor state at 127,000 miles or so. I had a new front end fitted by Jed at A & J Autos in Southport and extracted and dismantled the engine when head removal showed a fair amount of wear. The block and head and other bits were taken to tech in Warrington to be machined. A rebore with new pistons was required and I had the lot balanced. The shell came back from painting a month before the Job just after I had finished rebuilding the engine - looked fantastic!

The car was readied and we took it to a show a week before the job - ran a treat - but verrry sloooww running it in. Stickers from sponsors were applied about midnight on the day we were to set off and the headlight switch was a little dodgy on the M6 but that was all. The car ran sweet as a nut including a run up the Col de Turini which only ourselves (four cars from Mini Mad) and Mini World had the nerve to fit in to the itinery - with the pictures published as proof!

Now we look to the Job this year. The car has been on my mums driveway since we moved house four years ago and Paul is 'encouraging' me to get it moving. It needs at least new door skins and a rear subframe, but the high mileage on the running gear is bound to need attention. Various performance parts have been fitted over the years so it's not all old but standard parts must need a little more!

It WILL be ready!!

Will keep you all informed of progress on the forum and the gallery.

Phil

PS Changed the original fanbelt at 100,000 miles - just before the last Job before the big rebuild :)