"Classic Mini in Zhongxiao Dunhua, Taipei
Of the minis that I’ve seen in Taiwan there’s been a distinct lack of what I’d say are classically preserved cars. Probably due to a combination of lack of parts, Taiwanese liking new and shiny, neglect and just the fact that most minis are getting on in years, the cars I see are usually modernized.
There are however still classic cars still to be found if you keep your eyes open.
I found this wonderful example whilst walking out and around Zhongxiao Dunhua in downtown Taipei.
Of note are the whitewall tires, the ‘white’ indicators (which also double as parker lights). The chrome mirrors sitting on the bonnet might be aftermarket though I’m not too sure.
From the rear the mini looked pretty good too;
Inside you had the centre cluster dashboard left intact and whilst the bucket seats were missing, at least the trim was still retro.
All in all an awesome example of what a restored and well maintained mini should look like. I shudder to think how much money must have been spent on it!
(Apologies about the bluriness, the photos were taken around the time I just got my N8 Nokia phone camera. There was a bit of a learning curve but I’ve since gotten the hang of night time shots).
June 5th, 2011 at 2:46 am ausGeoff(Quote)
Looks in surprisingly good condition (even if it were in Australia). The fender mounted rear-view mirrors were an Asian peculiarity of the era. You’ll notice a lot of fully-imported older Toyotas and Mazdas and Datsuns sporting them downunder.
I owned one of these shitboxes in the seventies, and it was — unfortunately — one of the worst vehicles I’ve ever owned. Major, major ongoing issues with the electrics (and the battery was in the boot, and the distributor was immediately behind the grille!) and also with the disastrously dysfunctional “Hydrolastic” suspension.
I’m surprised that a rust-magnet like the Mini could even survive a couple of years in what I imagine to be a relatively wet and humid climate.
Re your phone camera issue Oz, you might wanna invest in one of these babies, particularly for night shots. You can also wrap its “legs” around your bike’s handle bars.
http://joby.com/store/gorillamobile/original
June 6th, 2011 at 11:45 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
I never had any problems with the battery being in the boot, what impact was that having?
Never really had any problems with the distributor being next to the grille either. If you wanted to work on it you just had to unscrew the grille off.
I do remember reading about people complaining their distributors would stop working in the rain but I personally never had a problem, even in downpours. Failing that, you could always just slip a plastic glove over the cap.
Ah yes, good ‘ol hydrolastic. I personally never had hydrolastic but I have heard it being referred to as hydrospastic many a time
.
Probably rust treated I’d imagine. I had this done to my mini back in Australia so I’d hope most were sprayed here in Taiwan.
Cheers for that. These shots were back in January I think… Coming from a N95 it took me a few weeks to work out I could use the touchscreen shutter which gives me a few seconds delay to hold the phone steady.
Unless I’m on something moving it’s pretty easy to take clear night shots with the touch shutter.
June 6th, 2011 at 3:02 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
The older open-vent lead-acid batteries often emitted hydrogen (called “gassing”) which in the confined space of the boot was a potential risk, particularly if the regulator was overcharging the battery. The other issue was corrosion in the battery well.
In winter, I used to put a sheet of Alfoil behind the grille. You also had to take the grille out to change the oil filter (easily).
LOL. Yeppers… remember that too. You could put additional shims over the mounting bolts to lift sagging hydrospastic suspension, but I’d run out of shim space, and the nudge bar was almost dragging on the road.
Unless of course you’re snapping some little aegyo Asian chick and the old heart rate approaches breakdown point.