I'm a Briton and my very first car was a new Morris Mini Minor. I bought it in May 1962 and for a 22 year old in England at the time it was rare for such a young man to have a car, never mind a new one. It cost £492, 14 shillings and 6 pence I saved almost every penny I earned as an apprentice electrical engineer. My dad added some money and I took out a loan of £8 a month for 3 years. It was the love of my life and seeing this one today brought tears to my eyes. I wish I had my car now, it was tartan red.
Wonderful memory you have there and even remembering the price. My father tooled up to make the tools that made the car at one of the plants, Castle Bromwich I believe. Glad that you loved Issigonis's vision.
My first car was a free gift. Of course it was also a complete basket case that needed constant repairs just to keep it on the road. 1983 Chevy Monte Carlo. I kind of wish I had it back now that I can afford to actually do something with it. Back then though I had no job and was going to tech school and she got me there every day. Well, nearly every day. lol
That's why I don't accept offers to buy my Beetle here in Brazil. Whenever someone tells me how sorry they are for selling their classic car, I think, "I'll never have that."
frglee ; I'm a 60yr old yank in Maryland. When I was a kid, my friends and I would get on our bikes and pedal ourselves over to the Jaguar dealer to check out the new models. XKE was really cool. Looking forward to visiting England. Wife and I were in France in 2012 to pick up our daughter who had just completed a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS. Saw a couple of Mustangs. 65 coupe V-8 and 69 convertible. I love it when I see you blokes (is that a bad word?) and our German cousins pull out American iron at their local car shows on youtube. Cheers mate!
frglee ; I learned about the Mini on a "Mr Bean" Show. Ever see the episode where Mr. Bean goes into a building and comes out later to find his little Mini run over by a British armor personnel tank? (don't remember the name of the episode) I was just as heart broken as Mr. Bean. :(
Steve's a work friend of my dad's and by extension mine. A really nice genuine guy who knows so much and somehow manages not to sound condescending. He told me how awesome Jay was and how great his day was at his shop. Apparently made him feel at home and gave him as much time to play in his shop as he wanted. What a nice man Jay is for sharing all this.
Jay was also nicer to his guests on TV than most hosts, even when they were difficult, awkward, or nervous guests. Craig Ferguson was very much like Jay in this regard.
Royalty had them ? you mean the saxe coburg gotha dynasty , royalty is just made up like their titles as they live in palaces , charity is voluntary subservience to monarchism is not democracy, god bless america ..
Doug DeMuro said something similar (he profiled Jay's F1 but Jay drove the car, given its current value). Doug made a separate video on the background of making his segment.
I love it how Jay takes great interest in not only supercars but superminis too. The car looks like it has just rolled off the production line. Beautiful. Another great episode.
If you are very wealthy, now you can have a new handbuilt Mini off the 'production line'...www.davidbrownautomotive.com/news/mini-remastered-david-brown-automotive-launched-today-shoreditch-london/
I loved this particular show featuring that spectacularly restored 1965 Morris Mini Minor. Please pass my compliments and thank you's to Steve Nelson, not only for staying with the project to its completion but for choosing the color Clipper Blue as his color. That was the color of my very first new Mini. I bought my first brand new Austin Mini Deluxe Saloon for $1250 Canadian in 1966 right across the Detroit River from my hometown, Detroit, at the British Motors dealer in Windsor, Ontario. I've had another mini since, notably a 1970 Innocenti Mini Cooper III I bought here in Italy where we have lived since the 80s. Great car ... but as Steve knows ... the first version of your most special cars always hold a special place in your heart. You always remember everything, every detail about the very first one of those most extraordinary cars you were lucky enough to get your hands on. You never forget the first impressions, the first sensations no matter what comes after. The way it looked on that first encounter, how it sounded, how it smelled, how it took that first curve, How it started. How it stopped. How you worried over every little scratch or dent. How it felt let it go ... if you ever did. I'll never forget how much fun I had the first ...and every time ... I tossed that Mini into a corner. The only really obvious external difference between my Mini and Mr Nelson’s Mini was the wavy Austin grille. Watching you drive what appeared to my very first Mini back on the road …THAT was a special thrill for me. Thanks again. I watched that show twice. I'll be back.
What a nostalgia rush! I'm English and have spent my whole 56 years in Liverpool. During the late '60s - mid '70s my dad had a number of Minis. We had an 850 and a Clubman (with the dodgy sills and rotten wood!). They took us all over the UK for many happy family holidays and my sister and I loved it! My favourite scary story my dad told us was that on his way to work one morning he went to change gear and the stick just came out of the floor as the transmission went the other way - through the floor!! (Yes - I can confirm that Minis were indeed susceptible to rust, but the engines were so simple that they rarely failed & when they did they were easy to work on). THANKS FOR THE REMINDER OF HAPPY DAYS!!
Interesting : my first car was a new VW 1500 Blue Beetle [ Jan. 1967]. I sold it to a vicar when I emigrated to Canada in 1968. I hope he looked after it. Best etc. Bruce [ fellow Scouser].
This is nostalgia for me. My Air Force roommate in Fort Worth back in 1969 had a Cooper S this same color. He'd race it some weekends on courses laid out with pylons in a large parking lot and bring home the trophy despite racing against the supercars of the day. I still remember the sideways g-forces I would feel riding with him on the cloverleaf exit ramp just outside the Carswell AFB main gate. I was transferred to Upper Heyford, England in 1970 and immediately went to Oxford to buy a 1966 Mini 850, same color scheme as this one but completely stock, that I drove for a year and a half. Many fond memories! Like the time I stuffed my Mini full of guys well after midnight after a party - my story always had the number at 8 guys! - and got stopped by the police in some small town I'd never been in before and the cop let us go! I do remember getting it up to 80 on the motorway to London but there must have been a tailwind. This was the only car I ever had that I could drive routinely with the gas pedal pressed hard against the floor. It was the stock suspension that made this car so unusual. Hit a bump and the whole car seemed to lurch up. Take a sharp corner and there was almost no body roll. Amazingly fun to drive even with the tiny 850 cc engine.
My first car was a 1982 Leyland Mini 998. I also once had 8 people in the car and got pulled over by the police. I think it's a Mini owners' rite of passage. As everyone unfolded themselves from the car the cops were laughing so hard they let me off with just a stern talking to. Even though that car was a mess of rust and bad wiring and drank a pint of oil for every tank of petrol I still miss it. You could do any job on the whole car with just a set of imperial spanners and a Phillips screwdriver.
+Bill Walden Fascinating story. I remember as a young child, being in a Mini 850 in England on this one particular trip, probably in the late seventies; my dad was driving, my mum was in the passenger seat (obviously) and my sister and I were in the back seats. A rain storm hit us and the window wipers could not keep up! but we kept going through it and got to the Cotswolds just fine. It's weird, because for a pathetic 850cc engine, it took all 4 of us and our luggage for whole the weekend there and back and it just felt great. That car was around for years until my father upgraded to a Vauxhall Cavalier in about 1986.
I was there in England in the Sixties, when it was all happening. My best mate in Liverpool had a red B-reg bog standard mini (like the restored one featured in the video) and the colourful, nocturnal adventures we got up to in it are too torrid to relate here. Jay Leno was absolutely spot on when he observed that the sensation of speed in the mini was more important than the real speed. The car cornered fantastically well, too. Thanks for rekindling very fond memories of a fantastic era!
Roy Gardiner same with my brothers 1.2litre bog standard red death trap. Not a cooper, just the power without the offsets like brakes, wheels, tyres, and servicing lol. 1993 or 94 tho.
I have nothing but respect for you Steve! You have to be a real car-person to get why he restored this thing when it was so far gone. I still have my first car from high school and I will NEVER let it go! I always liked these old-school Minis'. They're like go karts on steroids! (Restoration Blog soon Jay!)
I still have my first car also. I have struggled financially to keep it and don’t think that I would be mentally ok if I lost it. it means that much to me. not really sure why...
I started watching JLG when I was 14, and I'm now 25. I've seen all the other YT car channels. This is still the best. It is the most interesting and educational.
"These are the sorts of roads this car was made for..." whilst driving on a straight 100ft wide equivalent of a UK motorway (highway), nah Jay, you should try them on a real 15ft wide (both lanes combined) twisty UK B-Road! That's where they really shine - full speed ease on roads a modern Ferrari would struggle with.
Those were exactly my thoughts - in fact, I scrolled to the comments to say so! But you were there first. The only car I've driven that came close to a Mini for fun on the twisties was a Peugeot 205GTi.
As many people have said in these comments, the sound of this Mini is very much part of the soundtrack of my youth. These were everywhere, my Teachers, neighbours, family and later on my mates had shed loads of these and they were the go to car when you got your driving licence. Great little cars, a bit iffy in the wet with the spark plugs exposed to the wet weather but awesome to drive. It’s great to see an 850 given the same love as the coopers get. Great vid.
This Mini comes from same town as me, the registration is a Bournemouth registration too, the LJ from the DLJ is a Bournemouth mark. So lovely to see. Greetings from Bournemouth
I'm 6'5" and I daily one of these things. Probably not the best idea since I've ruined the headlining by going over bumps but it's surprisingly practical. I find with any car that if you want to fit, you'll make it work; if you don't want to fit, you won't.
Leaving the works carpark in 1970 my passenger said "Stop, stop, stop"! He wanted to see how Jim McMurdo, at least 6'6" tall, managed to get into his Austin Mini. I am sure he had the modification installed that allowed the driver's seat to move much further back, reducing rear leg room from minimal to zero.
@@tigercat418 I always wondered what causes homosexuality, now thanks to tiger cat we all know, its when a guy gets pregnant and has a immune reaction to the pregnancy and immediatly becomes gay... Briliant!
@Random Stuffs About 4 miles from where I live in Scotland, there were two brothers back in the 1970s...George and Hugh Gracie... and at the time, they were the two tallest people in Britain. George was 7ft 3 inches,,,and Hugh was about 1 inch shorter.... They both (for some marketing reasons) were given Minis... they had to rip out the front seats and sit in the back. Here's a picture of George with his car. stuartfrew.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/image.png
I'm 20 now and when I was five we had a 1963 Morris 997 mc, it was osman green with a cream top. twin carb and ran on "AV gas" (aviation fuel) I loved the smell of it and only one guy who was 70+ knew how to tune carbs for AV gas. We sold it before we went to Australia and now that im back home in NZ I've now found out its still here in my home town in a local car show every year and i want to go see it. I could not click on this vid fast enough, brings back memories.
Hi Michael, it's almond green with a old English white roof. My father had the very first Morris mini Cooper in 1961. ( in england) in those colours . Cheers.
Agreed, this was a revolutionary and highly influentual car. Would make a very interesting 'restoration to stock' project car for Jay and his engineers as well.
My father (a Scottish immigrant) drove a mini that he bought new across Australia from Melbourne to Perth back in the 60's , unfortunately the car didn't survive the journey (he hit a rock damaging the sump) but he did and met my mother.
My deepest of Respect for the Guy bringing HIS Car back to life...and what a cute little car it is..well worth the effort i´d say. And im also glad to see that small car does not equal small story. Such a Car can tell way more then some F50 Garage Queen. Thanks for this Video!
Just driving down the road in the 90s in this tiny mini with evey one looking at us with a smile on there faces because I had 3 passengers who where almost the same size of the car inside. It was funny because the way you could fit very big people into such a small space.
Another Brit here, I had one of these has my first car. Mine was a Austin Seven though, the same with sliding windows etc. My parents bought it me on my 21st birthday in 1969 thinking I would get rid of my Triumph Bonneville, no such luck I run both of them. Another good road test of these old vehicles, love your videos Jay.
We saw Steve today driving. Great story. I asked him if when it grows up if it will be a major 😊 We ran into you at the pizza joint a few weeks ago. You liked my piazza loving dog Chip. I drive a all stock all original 58 Apache Custom Cab.
Loved it. At 15 my best friend bought a used 66 mini in the same colour. He had is drivers license before me. We spend many hours driving around northern Ontario lake country, camping and just being a couple of stupid teenagers. I had my first ever Big Mac sitting in that mini. McD's was just making its way into Canada back then. The mini days were over one snowy Canadian night on a lonely country road. After making a visit to meet a couple of new GF's, on the way home we ended up doing a 360 in the snow and then backwards into a telephone pole. I met the rear window latch with the back of my head. I was in the front passenger seat. The next morning I woke up with no memory of the accident at all or even the new GF I had just met. Temp amnesia due to shock. Glad it was not worse. Whenever a see a mini, I get a rush of memories!
It's crazy aye, I'm 34 and remember seeing them everywhere and one could be had for $50 running with no wof or reg, now they're a 10k car in decent shape. I knew where a paddock was with a few wagons and about ten standard bodied ones complete but rusted. They all got crushed but wish I had a barn back then and knew ahead of time to save them.
Brilliant stuff Jay - Who doesn't love a Mini Minor and what a fantastic example this is, it looks way better than any I've seen in England (and I remember them in car showrooms in my childhood). Makes me feel quite nostalgic as one of these was the first car I ever drove and my big sister had one as her first car, many a draughty, rusty, English mile was driven in that brilliant car.....seems like you really liked it too...thanks for posting as ever! Perhaps a Riley Elf next?
@@daryushdehnavi It's more like gotta advertise his channel and where to do it if not on other car channels? I kinda hate these spammers, but I get it, you have to hustle to grow and at least it's not just spamming "please sub to me"
My '66 Morris Cooper S, modified with boring, balancing porting and polishing the head, bigger carbs, a nice hot cam from Team Spreen Racing in NJ (the SCCA class C winners in the very early '70s), etc, got me in more trouble than any other car of my entire life (I'm Jay's age)! With all the engine mods and some suspension mods, it was a car that few others could keep up with on the "twisties!" If I hadn't wrecked it, I'd still have it to this day. I admire Steve Nelson.
Arguably one of THEE best cars to come from BMC. ( Oh, how I miss BMC cars in general ) I commented as above before I actually watched the whole video, but now,.I have to say, it is such a pleasure to hear Steve's comments and answers to Jay's questions. This chap knows his stuff but is not in a big rush to prove it, he politely waits for the question. This video is perhaps one of the more memorable ones that I have watched here because of these personalities. Well done, and thanks to Jay for this one.
It was the British Labour government that destroyed the UK car industry by forcing companies to merge as part of their nationalization plan. They did all of that to play to the unions. My father was a big union man but remember his mood changing as he felt it was starting to have a big impact on the automakers.
It seemed the auto union would strike just as the car companies were recovering. I kept wondering if the lack of quality was due in part because of the labour union.
The management of the British Motor Co was so incompetent they did not know how much it cost to produce the mini , probably lost money on every one they sold. But without Govt. subsidy there would not have been this masterpiece and lots of jobs and expertise would have been lost. It’s a tricky one to insist that “ free enterprise “ is the only winner.
I'm from Bournemouth so to find an American that can actually pronounce the name correctly is astonishing. Bournemouth is on the South Coast so it is one of the sunnier parts of the UK.
Minis are great. I grew up with these little wonders. I'm English, by the way. Evreyone had a min and you saw them in just about every street during the '60s, '70's and up until the early 2000's. I had five including a 998, a 1300 clubman estate, a 1275GT, and a 998 auto. Yes they made an automatic too. As ever Jay has something intersting to watch. Thanks for bringing back all the memories Jay.
So, you also have 10 pairs of the same suit in your closet, and 5 pairs of the same shoes? And you have always ordered the same thing from the menu at the same restaurant for the past 30 years?
I bought my tartan red 1962 Morris Mini-Minor in 1973 from my brother-in-law for my wife to learn to drive in as I had a company car at the time. She passed first time and drove it for the next 20 years when she got an Austin Allegro!!! and so it was put into a heated garage and there it has stayed until now. The registration is one of the last two digit, three letter combinations that was allocated prior to the introduction of the letter suffix. It has the long gear lever, with starter button and headlamp dip switch on the floor. I must get around to running it again, as it does not now need to be MOT tested or pay road tax for it, as the Government now class it as an historic vehicle!
This mini morris was very popular on south America countries they were unique and gas saver , people fix the engines and the brakes they used them for races and special events 👍 💕🌺😎
Back in 1969 in Amarillo Texas my first car was a 1958 Peugeot 405; it's similar to a Minor in size and horsepower. I was 17 and it was a great summer. I bought it from a soldier who brought it home from Viet Nam. I paid $75, drove it all summer and sold it for $110.
Heartwarming to see them cherished in the USA, even with some variations from the original. Mine was an original Austin mini automatic (rare) 1 litre. It enriched my university days around Sheffield (UK). I did not know how lucky I was. You're right about the surprising size of the passenger compartment. You can do it in a mini!
There is one aspect of the original 850 Mini that often gets over looked. It went round corners as well as and in many cases rather better than most sports cars of the period! Couple that with a 'true' gas mileage approaching 40 mpg and it was a young mans dream. All this and it could carry 4 adults or even more students! In 1969 2 of us gave a lift to 4 girls that had missed the last bus from a dance. They insisted there was "safety in numbers" so a 50 mile journey in an 850 Mini with 3 girls in the back and one on my mates lap in the front. You can't do that sort of thing today!
Simon, do you remember the "car stacks" where you tried to as many people in the car as possible? When I was a teenager, the young bloke across the road from us has a mini. We would all try to stack into it for fun. One time we had 13 in the mini, then we decided to go roller-skating...it was about a 13km round trip, over a mountain road...we had a ball in that little car. I ended up buying one myself and as a family, we had 4 of them over the years, including a fully automatic, which was pretty rare in Oz in those days...ahh memories :))
I love this series, and interesting to see a vehicle I may well have seen in my youth on day trips to Bournemouth! I immediately recognised the DLJ index plate as having been registered there. Nice to see the owner kept the plates on and a sympathetic restoration job, too. 👍🏻
Greetings from UK, what a gem of a car, congratulations to the owner for saving it. As a penniless car-mad youth in the '60s / '70s I had a few Mini's, used to scrap them when the rust got too bad, there was not the massive industry there is today in keeping them alive (and no RUclips videos showing how to fix them!) In those days, BMC had inherited a network of dealers, Austin, Morris, Riley, Wolseley, MG etc When the new car was introduced they had to give these dealers a model to put in their different showrooms, hence the Austin 7, Morris Mini-Minor, Riley Elf, Wolseley Hornet versions (wonder why they never did an MG mini?) The public very quickly just called them all 'Mini', it was not some brilliant marketing move by BMC, people just loved the car and the nickname fitted it perfectly Just imagine, if they had not called one version the 'Morris Mini-Minor', it probably would never have gone on to become a brand in it's own right (although to people like me who grew up with the original product, a BMW Mini is not a real Mini)
So proud of Steve for keeping and nurturing his Mini! It's my favourite car of all time, since I've owned several and driven others. Shame you didn't get to shove it round some twisties. That's where a Mini shines, rather than on big in town roads.
Nice job of bringing back a original mini. My first driving car was a 1973 mini 1000. Kept it running with shoestrings and bubblegum. Till it’s big backyard restoration 1982. Through a ton of parts at it a 1297cc sprite 997 camshaft 750 fly wheel , 1.75 SU and lots more, it now went like stink. But wouldn’t stop or corner like original I lifted it for the gravel roads where I lived. In hopes to keep the exhaust system on in place 3 inch ground clearance. Now with 6” could go any where. I sold it and always thought I would do another 15+ years ago picked up 1 a 76 mini 1000 then later a 67 copper 1275s. No time or money have moved then 5 times now, OH the dream one day. Jay great job of your little car collection.
The shot at 24:55 cracked me up. "Tiny circus car passes in front of behemoth American musclecar" angle is pure comedy gold. :-) Jay loves 'em all and especially the ones with a story and this one is no exception. That's why I've always stuck with JLG - it's unique in the auto journalism world that way.
A Mini always brings a smile to the face. There's just something about them. This one is a beautiful example and clearly very well loved and cherished. Alec Issigonis was a genius.
Loved seeing this episode. My first car was an 850cc 1965 Morris Mini Minor, just like that, but in grey. I bought it in 1976. Loved it! I had to sell it and get something a little bigger with soundproofing as it was just too noisy screaming down the M3 motorway at 70 mph. Went round corners like it was on rails. The Hydolastic supension was great, gave a much better ride than the coils and shocks fitted to the example here. It semed much too lively over the bumps. Still I suspect that the parts would be very difficult to come by now.
Yeah, shame about the suspension. Lots of people are scared of anything out-of-the-ordinary so dump the hydraulic system in preference for coil springs and shocks. I learnt to drive in a Austin Mini 1000 - it spent many years going to the beach (for surfing with four surfboards strapped to the roof) until the sills rusted out and it was not viable to fix (needed complete stripdown and welding not worthwhile on a £250 car) My list of mods would be similar, but I would have put on an alternator, electronic ignition (lots of aftermarket kits were available in the 60s onwards) and put the guard on the front of the engine (no idea why it wasn't on there - stops water getting into the distributor when driving at speed in the rain) the rear side compartments are a handy place for a couple of speakers pointing upwards (a mod I did myself back in the day) and a radio/cassette taped to the dashboard :)
54 year old hydro bags are about as reliable as a 54 year old tire. There are no new hydro units being made. The coil spring replacement we use retains the comfortable hydro ride without fear of failure. Not to be confused with a coil over kit, these springs fit in the original location.
@@davidhunt240 My old Leyland Mini had the far simpler solution to keeping water out of the distributor. Get a rubber glove, cut the ends off the fingers, stick the glove over the distributor cab with one lead coming out of each finger. Job done! Speakers in the side pockets would have been way better than the speakers in mine though, a previous oewner had cut 2 holes in the parcel shelf for 2 4 inch speakers and I had the head unit screwed down to the dashboard with wood screws.
These aren't that rare here in the UK but that is in beautiful condition and Minis that are this good are rare everywhere. My mother had one when I was a boy and I have fond memories of it.
Thanks Jay, from an Englishman; it's encouraging to know you are an aficionado of ALL car makes, not just American 'automobiles' (whatever they are!). You are so lucky to experience and own some of the great UK cars, and in such wonderfully restored glory. One really has to drive any Mini to understand why they made 5.3 million of these iconic vehicles. And yes, we do call the 'trunk' a 'boot' across the pond. I urge anyone with a nostalgic bent to drive a Mini if the chance arises, and realise that a small car/small engine combination is every bit as good and fun as, for example, a Firebird with a huge V8 :)
My dad bought one of these for my mom back in the late 80's it wasn't new, it was a 1275 GT, it was red with a white top and a little white checkered stripe on the sides, different hood and front grill, roll up windows and the dials where on top of the steering column, a little MOMO steering wheel (that was fun to park), alloy wheels, wider tires (that helped even more with parking), i learned to drive in it. My grandfather my dad and i tore it apart and put it back together so many times i lost count. I can tell you a trick we learned for the distributor cap (the engine block is the same so it's in the same place). Because it stands low to the ground it picks up a lot of water and its prone to condensation it insulates the contacts and on cold winter mornings it wouldn't start (English cars go figure), my dad had the idea of making a little hole with a 1 mm drill on the back side of it, it allowed the condensation to evaporate, it wasn't perfect but it was better, instead of not starting at all, it took a little bit of time but it eventually came to life. In 1990 i turned 18 (legal age to drive here in Portugal) and i was able to get my drivers licence, it became my first car, my mom called it Joaninha (little Ladybug), because it was small and red i guess, so all my friends made fun of me because i drived a Ladybug, it didn't matter to me, a lot of them asked me for rides in it. I learned about 4 stroke engines with it, i even went on the first date with the lady a latter divorced in it. I 'll tell you that on a winding road there aren't many cars even today that can keep up with it, and the sound of that engine was glorious. The rust finally got to it and it got so bad i had to scrap it. There are still some rolling around here in Portugal and whenever i see one it sparks a lot of good memories of me my dad and grandfather having fun all dirtied up with engine oil and graphite messing about with the little Ladybug, it was kind of our summer holiday project, we went to my grandfathers house we laid all the parts on his garage floor and we took toll of what had happened to it that year, we could get used parts for it almost everywhere, there were a lot of them here, and they were cheap. Man i miss that car so much, so to see you doing a clip on a similar one, to me is a treat. Thank you Mr Jay Leno...
When I had mine in the late '80s, the usual thing was to take the black base of a 2 litre cola bottle (back when the base wasn't moulded into the bottle like it is now) and thread the ignition wires through the holes in the bottom. It helped keep the water coming through the grille from soaking the points.
We bought a 998 about 18 months ago. To paraphrase Han Solo, “Its all true. All of it.” Great fun to drive and work on. Not to spend if you do it right.
Jay has the enviable ability to host the most amazingly down to earth characters on his show. Why are all gearheads such happy nice people? We need more smiles for the miles.❤
Very cool! I love it. What no mention of the 63' Monte Carlo rally? This is one of the few cars that have remained cool no matter what year it is. Thanks.
Thanks, I greatly enjoyed this video because it brought back memories of my 1st mini, a red ’61 850 Morris. I was in college then and had no money so I maintained it myself. I smiled when he described the need to adjust the breaks. I became pretty adept at doing that. I had a large jack that allowed me to raise one side to a 45 degree angle. I still have the butter knife that I used to adjust the star wheels. Anyway, eventually I bought a 1275 Cooper S which in comparison was a rocket. One thing that really impressed me about the Cooper was the hydrolastic suspension. It is a great loss to the world of cars that even most of the still existing Cooper S mini’s have been converted to dry suspensions.
I loved the story about the MOT (Ministry of Transport) test.. I lived in London in the mid-1970's and had a 1965 Mini station wagon with genuine wood panels, in fact that model was probably the last true "woody" built anywhere in the world. Just before I sold it I took it in for its annual MOT inspection, and the mechanic told me that he would pass it as long as I promised never to bring it back again! The same problem: rust. One of the most interesting features of the 850 engine (actually 848 cc) was that in case your battery was low, you could start it with a crank. There was a slot in the end of the crankcase, and a hole in the fender well that could accommodate a hand crank.
How I love the old Min Bin. I remember it as a specular drive. My then partner loved it but had one complaint about the cone suspension, it made her t@ts bounce so much. Needless to say I loved watching her drive
Oh so good, one of the joy's of diving a BMC mini was that what ever the model from 850 shopper to 1275 Cooper S, they would corner at maximum speed, well maybe a lift off but no braking. What fun !
Unfortunately you never got the chance to 'corner' with it...........thats where the fun comes in, those mini's can out-handle most cars.............I've driven a few myself in my time, even the later BMW mini's..........the BMW versions feel exactly like an 80's 3 series to drive..........there's no even coming close to how those little mini's handle.....thanks for sharing :-)
Jay really amazes me how knowledgeable he is about cars, I myself have been auto mechanic for 30 years I always read car magazines and I'm ASE certified I'm working full time with cars, he doesn't for him it's just a hobby part time, and Jay's knowledge really impress me.
Your strength shines through in this mate, and I thank you for sharing with us. My thoughts go out to you and your family. It was great meeting you at the Expo and messing about together. I wish you all the best.
i,m actually surprised how good the bodywork was for coming from the seaside, the way that Yank panel beater was speaking i was expecting a pile of rust. retired panel beater.
Im glad he chose to save it even though it was rough, here in the midwest i have never had the pleasure of seeing one in person but hope i get the chance!
I learned to drive in a 1963 Morris Minor Mini - in 1963. At 17 years of age. Lovely car to learn in.Of course I am a Brit- now living 8 miles from Jay’s garage!
Both my aunts were teachers and had a succession of minis from the first one with the starter button in the floor, the sliding windows and the wire slung door openers to the mk2 1000 with window winders and door lever openers. My sister had them handed down to her - my first car was an ex-RAC minivan which I managed to squeeze 12 people in on a campsite in Cornwall summer of 73! Loved that car - like a powered roller skate, great fun on roundabouts. Filled it from empty for £5!
So he doesn't offer a JLG embroidered denim shirt, but he does offer a JLG air freshener in the shape of a denim shirt LOL. www.lenosgarage.com/collections/all/products/jlg-denim-freshener
I`ve driven loads of (real) Minis in my time and no other car puts a smile on my face like the Mini does. Think street legal go-kart and that sums up the Mini perfectly.
Where I live in Australia, we used to have a big luxury car built by Holdens called the Statesman. and back in the early 80's a guy I knew where I live had one. he sent it to a special custom car building shop and spent many thousands having it turned into a beautiful street machine. while it was off being built he bought a Mini cheap to run around in, and when he got his Statesman back it was a gorgeous car to see. but he ended up driving his Mini more after that as he said it was more fun to drive. go figure.
12:34 the cooling fans were originally made of metal that were painted yellow in the 50s and 60s, later on somewhere in the 70s they switched to plastic yellow ones.
Wow.! These restored minis are nothing like the one my mum had brand new in 1971, it was built by a workforce constantly on strike and Put together so shoddily.
My grandfather used to have a 63 Willis jeep wagon, which he modified for camping while hunting or fishing. I could go on about it, but my main point is, it was the second car he ever owned. The first was a used car be bought from his brother, a Ford model T. The second was the Willis which he bought brand new. When it came to the accessories he didn't want a radio in it which surprised the sales man who tried to convince my grandfather to get one. He stayed firm and said he didn't want it, it's nothing more than a distraction! OK, fair enough, it's his car, he doesn't have to have a radio if he doesn't want one. Here's the kicker... Whenever my grandfather took my grandmother shopping, he would stay in the jeep with a portable radio he would bring. When alone in the jeep he would kick back and listen to a ball game or maybe the news. I always though that was odd, but it did save on the car battery which was far more expensive to buy than house hold D batteries. As much as I like Jay, if I had a classic car, I don't think I would let Jay drive it. He tends to drift over the yellow line a little too much for my liking, which would make me nervous as hell!
SpiritBear12; IKR! He knows he has to move the seat back but he squish's his self in the car 1st then moves the seat. I've seen him twist a hood while closing it. At least his hair is combed! lol!
Like the guy saying it came from Bournemouth. Think someone on Facebook said it came from Elfords Garage in Tuckton, Bournemouth. The letters L J on the number plate was a Bournemouth registration back then.
There were several moments when I laughed out loud and i'm sitting here all by myself in the pandemic working from home with just a very little bit of tears in my eyes from laughing LOL... i love these gentlemen, man, and their joy and excitement for these beautiful machines of the past! Sent this video to my dad, i believe he'll get a kick out of it too; he's about these peoples age : )
I had a 1964 Morris-Minor Mini, loved that car. Sold it to a TSgt. and he dropped some more money into it. Changed the Color, and shipped it to his next assignment. I spent 8 years in the UK. Owned 4 Mini's, a Maxi and a Opel Kadet. But the Mini was my favorite car. And still is, I so want one again. I have a restoration book for the Mini. My 850cc Mini always seemed to need a 5th Gear. Thought about taking a motor from Austin Metro and changing it all out for the 5speed in it.
I'm a Briton and my very first car was a new Morris Mini Minor. I bought it in May 1962 and for a 22 year old in England at the time it was rare for such a young man to have a car, never mind a new one. It cost £492, 14 shillings and 6 pence I saved almost every penny I earned as an apprentice electrical engineer. My dad added some money and I took out a loan of £8 a month for 3 years. It was the love of my life and seeing this one today brought tears to my eyes. I wish I had my car now, it was tartan red.
Wonderful memory you have there and even remembering the price. My father tooled up to make the tools that made the car at one of the plants, Castle Bromwich I believe. Glad that you loved Issigonis's vision.
I love youre story man. Only love 🥹
My first car was a free gift. Of course it was also a complete basket case that needed constant repairs just to keep it on the road. 1983 Chevy Monte Carlo. I kind of wish I had it back now that I can afford to actually do something with it. Back then though I had no job and was going to tech school and she got me there every day. Well, nearly every day. lol
Wow,great job
That's why I don't accept offers to buy my Beetle here in Brazil. Whenever someone tells me how sorry they are for selling their classic car, I think, "I'll never have that."
As a Brit, it really warms my heart to see these cars on American roads, and to know they are loved and cherished.
+1 :)
frglee ; I'm a 60yr old yank in Maryland. When I was a kid, my friends and I would get on our bikes and pedal ourselves over to the Jaguar dealer to check out the new models. XKE was really cool. Looking forward to visiting England. Wife and I were in France in 2012 to pick up our daughter who had just completed a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS. Saw a couple of Mustangs. 65 coupe V-8 and 69 convertible. I love it when I see you blokes (is that a bad word?) and our German cousins pull out American iron at their local car shows on youtube. Cheers mate!
frglee ; I learned about the Mini on a "Mr Bean" Show. Ever see the episode where Mr. Bean goes into a building and comes out later to find his little Mini run over by a British armor personnel tank? (don't remember the name of the episode) I was just as heart broken as Mr. Bean. :(
It was the labour British government that destroyed the car industry by nationalizing it so as to suit the unions.
+bighands69 Yes. Sad but true.
Steve's a work friend of my dad's and by extension mine. A really nice genuine guy who knows so much and somehow manages not to sound condescending. He told me how awesome Jay was and how great his day was at his shop. Apparently made him feel at home and gave him as much time to play in his shop as he wanted. What a nice man Jay is for sharing all this.
I always wondered if the guys Jay invites get to also have a tour of the shop.
Jay was also nicer to his guests on TV than most hosts, even when they were difficult, awkward, or nervous guests. Craig Ferguson was very much like Jay in this regard.
Royalty had them ? you mean the saxe coburg gotha dynasty , royalty is just made up like their titles as they live in palaces , charity is voluntary subservience to monarchism is not democracy, god bless america ..
@@onthemarketblog6444 as made up as God...
Doug DeMuro said something similar (he profiled Jay's F1 but Jay drove the car, given its current value). Doug made a separate video on the background of making his segment.
Jay, you made Steve feel like a King. This was a special day he will always remember, thanks for doing what you do.
Sound like you know Steve....
@@raneenelson5180 Sounds like he's just a nice guy.
This has to be the most down to earth interview I’ve ever seen. Literally just your average man and how he maintains a classic car.
Jay is the best
Agreed. A joy to watch.
I think the reason for that is because it is also a really down to earth car. In more ways than one.
Y5t5tt55 you get yt5tttt5ty66tt5t55t5t555t55t555
Y5t5tt55 you get yt5tttt5ty66tt5t55t5t555t55t555
Anyone who drives a Mini always comes out with a smile on their face. Great car. Cheers.
Yeah, the smile on their face is when they make it home without being covers in oily dirt when it fails on the way home.
@@ricardomierz8467 had a mini 3 years and it's never
broke down once, you're talking rubbish.
I love it how Jay takes great interest in not only supercars but superminis too. The car looks like it has just rolled off the production line. Beautiful. Another great episode.
In fact it looks better than production with the minor upgrades.
Better than factory.
ian lowden when this show ended YT autoplayed 2018 Koenigsegg Regera.
Yup not odd at all! Just showing interesting cars!
Id enjoy an episode or two on an Aussie muscle car like a restored Falcon XB. If he can do an episode on AMC Levi edition Gremlins......
If you are very wealthy, now you can have a new handbuilt Mini off the 'production line'...www.davidbrownautomotive.com/news/mini-remastered-david-brown-automotive-launched-today-shoreditch-london/
I loved this particular show featuring that spectacularly restored 1965 Morris Mini Minor. Please pass my compliments and thank you's to Steve Nelson, not only for staying with the project to its completion but for choosing the color Clipper Blue as his color. That was the color of my very first new Mini. I bought my first brand new Austin Mini Deluxe Saloon for $1250 Canadian in 1966 right across the Detroit River from my hometown, Detroit, at the British Motors dealer in Windsor, Ontario. I've had another mini since, notably a 1970 Innocenti Mini Cooper III I bought here in Italy where we have lived since the 80s. Great car ... but as Steve knows ... the first version of your most special cars always hold a special place in your heart. You always remember everything, every detail about the very first one of those most extraordinary cars you were lucky enough to get your hands on. You never forget the first impressions, the first sensations no matter what comes after. The way it looked on that first encounter, how it sounded, how it smelled, how it took that first curve, How it started. How it stopped. How you worried over every little scratch or dent. How it felt let it go ... if you ever did. I'll never forget how much fun I had the first ...and every time ... I tossed that Mini into a corner. The only really obvious external difference between my Mini and Mr Nelson’s Mini was the wavy Austin grille. Watching you drive what appeared to my very first Mini back on the road …THAT was a special thrill for me. Thanks again. I watched that show twice. I'll be back.
I love this car too.
Thank you, the whole project and result stills seems like a dream come true.
“The sensation of speed is much funner than speed itself.” That’s so true.
What a nostalgia rush! I'm English and have spent my whole 56 years in Liverpool. During the late '60s - mid '70s my dad had a number of Minis. We had an 850 and a Clubman (with the dodgy sills and rotten wood!). They took us all over the UK for many happy family holidays and my sister and I loved it!
My favourite scary story my dad told us was that on his way to work one morning he went to change gear and the stick just came out of the floor as the transmission went the other way - through the floor!! (Yes - I can confirm that Minis were indeed susceptible to rust, but the engines were so simple that they rarely failed & when they did they were easy to work on).
THANKS FOR THE REMINDER OF HAPPY DAYS!!
Interesting : my first car was a new VW 1500 Blue Beetle [ Jan. 1967]. I sold it to a vicar when I emigrated to Canada in 1968. I hope he looked after it.
Best etc. Bruce [ fellow Scouser].
Fantastic restoration, as an Englishman it's always great to see one of our classics alive and kicking in the US. A beautiful little motor.
:)
Definitely the most iconic car we Brits made. Originals go for huge money now and I rarely see one.
This is nostalgia for me. My Air Force roommate in Fort Worth back in 1969 had a Cooper S this same color. He'd race it some weekends on courses laid out with pylons in a large parking lot and bring home the trophy despite racing against the supercars of the day. I still remember the sideways g-forces I would feel riding with him on the cloverleaf exit ramp just outside the Carswell AFB main gate. I was transferred to Upper Heyford, England in 1970 and immediately went to Oxford to buy a 1966 Mini 850, same color scheme as this one but completely stock, that I drove for a year and a half. Many fond memories! Like the time I stuffed my Mini full of guys well after midnight after a party - my story always had the number at 8 guys! - and got stopped by the police in some small town I'd never been in before and the cop let us go! I do remember getting it up to 80 on the motorway to London but there must have been a tailwind. This was the only car I ever had that I could drive routinely with the gas pedal pressed hard against the floor. It was the stock suspension that made this car so unusual. Hit a bump and the whole car seemed to lurch up. Take a sharp corner and there was almost no body roll. Amazingly fun to drive even with the tiny 850 cc engine.
My first car was a 1982 Leyland Mini 998. I also once had 8 people in the car and got pulled over by the police. I think it's a Mini owners' rite of passage. As everyone unfolded themselves from the car the cops were laughing so hard they let me off with just a stern talking to. Even though that car was a mess of rust and bad wiring and drank a pint of oil for every tank of petrol I still miss it. You could do any job on the whole car with just a set of imperial spanners and a Phillips screwdriver.
+Bill Walden Fascinating story. I remember as a young child, being in a Mini 850 in England on this one particular trip, probably in the late seventies; my dad was driving, my mum was in the passenger seat (obviously) and my sister and I were in the back seats. A rain storm hit us and the window wipers could not keep up! but we kept going through it and got to the Cotswolds just fine. It's weird, because for a pathetic 850cc engine, it took all 4 of us and our luggage for whole the weekend there and back and it just felt great. That car was around for years until my father upgraded to a Vauxhall Cavalier in about 1986.
Yep it is a POS. BMW mini is much better.
@@nickmageebrown1981 There is one problem with the BMW mini. It's anything but mini in size. It's just a brand name for an ugly car.
nickmageebrown1981, maybe better but half the fun
The best thing about Jay is that he's like a regular guy.
He is a regular Guy. Like every guy. One the Bankacount is different.
Yeah, it takes sophistication and a lot of class to sound like a "regular guy"
I was there in England in the Sixties, when it was all happening. My best mate in Liverpool had a red B-reg bog standard mini (like the restored one featured in the video) and the colourful, nocturnal adventures we got up to in it are too torrid to relate here.
Jay Leno was absolutely spot on when he observed that the sensation of speed in the mini was more important than the real speed. The car cornered fantastically well, too.
Thanks for rekindling very fond memories of a fantastic era!
Roy Gardiner same with my brothers 1.2litre bog standard red death trap. Not a cooper, just the power without the offsets like brakes, wheels, tyres, and servicing lol. 1993 or 94 tho.
Parked up on Crosby beach?lol
:)
👍
I have nothing but respect for you Steve! You have to be a real car-person to get why he restored this thing when it was so far gone. I still have my first car from high school and I will NEVER let it go! I always liked these old-school Minis'. They're like go karts on steroids! (Restoration Blog soon Jay!)
I still have my first car also. I have struggled financially to keep it and don’t think that I would be mentally ok if I lost it. it means that much to me. not really sure why...
Got one of these myself. A MKIII Cooper S. Owned it for 16 years and I’m never getting rid of it.
one of the greatest cars of all time
You can tell that Jay really loves this little car.
I started watching JLG when I was 14, and I'm now 25. I've seen all the other YT car channels. This is still the best. It is the most interesting and educational.
Waiting all week for my new jay leno fix while watching the old episodes
"These are the sorts of roads this car was made for..." whilst driving on a straight 100ft wide equivalent of a UK motorway (highway), nah Jay, you should try them on a real 15ft wide (both lanes combined) twisty UK B-Road! That's where they really shine - full speed ease on roads a modern Ferrari would struggle with.
Or drive it on the pavement, as I do sometimes with my Classic Mini Cooper.
I think they dubbed that voiceover on the wrong shot, if you look at the scenery on the next shot...
Those were exactly my thoughts - in fact, I scrolled to the comments to say so! But you were there first. The only car I've driven that came close to a Mini for fun on the twisties was a Peugeot 205GTi.
I've heard, though, it has a suspension that would let you feel tiny pebbles on the road, so I hope they're cleared off well XD
@@bernlin2000 Yes - Minis were the motoring equivalent of the fairy story about the Princess and the Pea!
As many people have said in these comments, the sound of this Mini is very much part of the soundtrack of my youth. These were everywhere, my Teachers, neighbours, family and later on my mates had shed loads of these and they were the go to car when you got your driving licence. Great little cars, a bit iffy in the wet with the spark plugs exposed to the wet weather but awesome to drive. It’s great to see an 850 given the same love as the coopers get. Great vid.
This Mini comes from same town as me, the registration is a Bournemouth registration too, the LJ from the DLJ is a Bournemouth mark. So lovely to see. Greetings from Bournemouth
I'm 6'2 and my wife is 5"11. We traveled all over england in one of these! It was an interesting experience!
I'm 6'5" and I daily one of these things. Probably not the best idea since I've ruined the headlining by going over bumps but it's surprisingly practical.
I find with any car that if you want to fit, you'll make it work; if you don't want to fit, you won't.
Did it have a sunroof?
we once had five 6 foot plus guys in my mates one
Awesome!
Leaving the works carpark in 1970 my passenger said "Stop, stop, stop"! He wanted to see how Jim McMurdo, at least 6'6" tall, managed to get into his Austin Mini. I am sure he had the modification installed that allowed the driver's seat to move much further back, reducing rear leg room from minimal to zero.
This is why I’m subscribed to Jay
One week it’s a Bugatti, next week a mini
I'd rather have the Mini!
If you like Minis, be sure to check out Project Binky here on youtube, you wont regret it!
@@tigercat418 I always wondered what causes homosexuality, now thanks to tiger cat we all know, its when a guy gets pregnant and has a immune reaction to the pregnancy and immediatly becomes gay... Briliant!
@Random Stuffs throw out front seats 😉
@Random Stuffs About 4 miles from where I live in Scotland, there were two brothers back in the 1970s...George and Hugh Gracie... and at the time, they were the two tallest people in Britain. George was 7ft 3 inches,,,and Hugh was about 1 inch shorter.... They both (for some marketing reasons) were given Minis... they had to rip out the front seats and sit in the back. Here's a picture of George with his car. stuartfrew.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/image.png
Random Stuffs sunroof
I'm 20 now and when I was five we had a 1963 Morris 997 mc, it was osman green with a cream top. twin carb and ran on "AV gas" (aviation fuel) I loved the smell of it and only one guy who was 70+ knew how to tune carbs for AV gas. We sold it before we went to Australia and now that im back home in NZ I've now found out its still here in my home town in a local car show every year and i want to go see it. I could not click on this vid fast enough, brings back memories.
Are you low carb
OSMAN was Osama Bin Laden's last name when he was in the U.S., his full name was Tim Osman while he was here.
all the minis I've owned and i never knew they did a 997, all mine were 998.
Hi Michael, it's almond green with a old English white roof. My father had the very first Morris mini Cooper in 1961. ( in england) in those colours . Cheers.
Michael Semenoff
A 1963 Mini with a 997cc engine was a Cooper.
Don't understand why Mr. Leno doesn't have a car as relevant as this one in his collection... It was a milestone in compact cars!
Agreed, this was a revolutionary and highly influentual car. Would make a very interesting 'restoration to stock' project car for Jay and his engineers as well.
There's something about this car that just puts a smile on my face. And if you were to add the Benny Hill music that would be the icing on the cake😂
My father (a Scottish immigrant) drove a mini that he bought new across Australia from Melbourne to Perth back in the 60's , unfortunately the car didn't survive the journey (he hit a rock damaging the sump) but he did and met my mother.
My deepest of Respect for the Guy bringing HIS Car back to life...and what a cute little car it is..well worth the effort i´d say.
And im also glad to see that small car does not equal small story. Such a Car can tell way more then some F50 Garage Queen. Thanks for this Video!
Just driving down the road in the 90s in this tiny mini with evey one looking at us with a smile on there faces because I had 3 passengers who where almost the same size of the car inside. It was funny because the way you could fit very big people into such a small space.
Another Brit here, I had one of these has my first car. Mine was a Austin Seven though, the same with sliding windows etc. My parents bought it me on my 21st birthday in 1969 thinking I would get rid of my Triumph Bonneville, no such luck I run both of them. Another good road test of these old vehicles, love your videos Jay.
We saw Steve today driving. Great story. I asked him if when it grows up if it will be a major 😊
We ran into you at the pizza joint a few weeks ago. You liked my piazza loving dog Chip.
I drive a all stock all original 58 Apache Custom Cab.
Look forward to seeing you around town.😀
Steve Nelson yes I’ll have my truck online in a few weeks see you around
Loved it. At 15 my best friend bought a used 66 mini in the same colour. He had is drivers license before me. We spend many hours driving around northern Ontario lake country, camping and just being a couple of stupid teenagers. I had my first ever Big Mac sitting in that mini. McD's was just making its way into Canada back then. The mini days were over one snowy Canadian night on a lonely country road. After making a visit to meet a couple of new GF's, on the way home we ended up doing a 360 in the snow and then backwards into a telephone pole. I met the rear window latch with the back of my head. I was in the front passenger seat. The next morning I woke up with no memory of the accident at all or even the new GF I had just met. Temp amnesia due to shock. Glad it was not worse. Whenever a see a mini, I get a rush of memories!
Currently restoring one myself in New Zealand. Great show thanks, Jay.
My best friends Dad has a Mk1 floor start sitting for decades in a garage in Wellington...
@@fotorabia His name isn't Hamish M... is it?
It's crazy aye, I'm 34 and remember seeing them everywhere and one could be had for $50 running with no wof or reg, now they're a 10k car in decent shape. I knew where a paddock was with a few wagons and about ten standard bodied ones complete but rusted. They all got crushed but wish I had a barn back then and knew ahead of time to save them.
Awesome!
👍
Brilliant stuff Jay - Who doesn't love a Mini Minor and what a fantastic example this is, it looks way better than any I've seen in England (and I remember them in car showrooms in my childhood). Makes me feel quite nostalgic as one of these was the first car I ever drove and my big sister had one as her first car, many a draughty, rusty, English mile was driven in that brilliant car.....seems like you really liked it too...thanks for posting as ever! Perhaps a Riley Elf next?
I just like the mini because it's Mr. Bean's main.
@@VramanNoodles Of course Mr. Bean actually owned a McLaren F1 for about 18 years.
I purchased my first car, a 850cc Mini, in 1969. I cost me 135 Pounds and i sold it two years later for 150! Replaced it with a 1000cc Cooper.
Seeing grown gentlemen coming out of these in Jamaica was always entertaining when I was a child.
I see you comment everywhere!
adam lz, doug demuro, b is for build to name a few... i see you everywhere too. i suppose we have similar tastes
@@daryushdehnavi It's more like gotta advertise his channel and where to do it if not on other car channels? I kinda hate these spammers, but I get it, you have to hustle to grow and at least it's not just spamming "please sub to me"
Are you a clown or do you just see clowns coming out of these?
Ever know you wer from Jamaica thats cool as hell
My '66 Morris Cooper S, modified with boring, balancing porting and polishing the head, bigger carbs, a nice hot cam from Team Spreen Racing in NJ (the SCCA class C winners in the very early '70s), etc, got me in more trouble than any other car of my entire life (I'm Jay's age)! With all the engine mods and some suspension mods, it was a car that few others could keep up with on the "twisties!" If I hadn't wrecked it, I'd still have it to this day. I admire Steve Nelson.
Really cool that a man could restore his very first car into his dream. A dream I think all car guy just get. Congratulations to him!
Arguably one of THEE best cars to come from BMC. ( Oh, how I miss BMC cars in general )
I commented as above before I actually watched the whole video, but now,.I have to say, it is such a pleasure to hear Steve's comments and answers to Jay's questions.
This chap knows his stuff but is not in a big rush to prove it, he politely waits for the question.
This video is perhaps one of the more memorable ones that I have watched here because of these personalities.
Well done, and thanks to Jay for this one.
It was the British Labour government that destroyed the UK car industry by forcing companies to merge as part of their nationalization plan. They did all of that to play to the unions.
My father was a big union man but remember his mood changing as he felt it was starting to have a big impact on the automakers.
It seemed the auto union would strike just as the car companies were recovering. I kept wondering if the lack of quality was due in part because of the labour union.
The management of the British Motor Co was so incompetent they did not know how much it cost to produce the mini , probably lost money on every one they sold. But without Govt. subsidy there would not have been this masterpiece and lots of jobs and expertise would have been lost. It’s a tricky one to insist that “ free enterprise “ is the only winner.
I'm from Bournemouth so to find an American that can actually pronounce the name correctly is astonishing. Bournemouth is on the South Coast so it is one of the sunnier parts of the UK.
USA rules the world sorry england
Millwall or nothing
Minis are great. I grew up with these little wonders. I'm English, by the way. Evreyone had a min and you saw them in just about every street during the '60s, '70's and up until the early 2000's. I had five including a 998, a 1300 clubman estate, a 1275GT, and a 998 auto. Yes they made an automatic too.
As ever Jay has something intersting to watch. Thanks for bringing back all the memories Jay.
So, you also have 10 pairs of the same suit in your closet, and 5 pairs of the same shoes? And you have always ordered the same thing from the menu at the same restaurant for the past 30 years?
When were you in my house? Mind you, you didn't look in the garage or you would have seen the the Lotus Exige and the Citroën DS too.
haha, i can still hear the sound of those automatic minis.
I bought my tartan red 1962 Morris Mini-Minor in 1973 from my brother-in-law for my wife to learn to drive in as I had a company car at the time. She passed first time and drove it for the next 20 years when she got an Austin Allegro!!! and so it was put into a heated garage and there it has stayed until now. The registration is one of the last two digit, three letter combinations that was allocated prior to the introduction of the letter suffix. It has the long gear lever, with starter button and headlamp dip switch on the floor. I must get around to running it again, as it does not now need to be MOT tested or pay road tax for it, as the Government now class it as an historic vehicle!
This mini morris was very popular on south America countries they were unique and gas saver , people fix the engines and the brakes they used them for races and special events 👍 💕🌺😎
Greetings from Bournemouth as we’re a seaside town the salt in air wouldn’t have helped the rust situation 🙂🙂🙂🙂🏴🏴🏴🏴
Exactly, as I once lived in Poole, and everything old was rusted there too...
Same
@@davidhollenshead4892 u used to live in Ringwood and bought a 997 cooper from e a w Davis in 1965. Rog.
The classic mini engine sound. At one time you’d hear it on every street corner. Lovely.
I was born in 65 and this is one of my favorite cars thank you mister Jay Leno
Back in 1969 in Amarillo Texas my first car was a 1958 Peugeot 405; it's similar to a Minor in size and horsepower. I was 17 and it was a great summer. I bought it from a soldier who brought it home from Viet Nam. I paid $75, drove it all summer and sold it for $110.
Brings back memories of Paddy Hopkirk and Pat Moss / Carlsson!
Heartwarming to see them cherished in the USA, even with some variations from the original. Mine was an original Austin mini automatic (rare) 1 litre. It enriched my university days around Sheffield (UK). I did not know how lucky I was. You're right about the surprising size of the passenger compartment. You can do it in a mini!
There is one aspect of the original 850 Mini that often gets over looked. It went round corners as well as and in many cases rather better than most sports cars of the period! Couple that with a 'true' gas mileage approaching 40 mpg and it was a young mans dream. All this and it could carry 4 adults or even more students!
In 1969 2 of us gave a lift to 4 girls that had missed the last bus from a dance. They insisted there was "safety in numbers" so a 50 mile journey in an 850 Mini with 3 girls in the back and one on my mates lap in the front. You can't do that sort of thing today!
Simon, do you remember the "car stacks" where you tried to as many people in the car as possible? When I was a teenager, the young bloke across the road from us has a mini. We would all try to stack into it for fun. One time we had 13 in the mini, then we decided to go roller-skating...it was about a 13km round trip, over a mountain road...we had a ball in that little car. I ended up buying one myself and as a family, we had 4 of them over the years, including a fully automatic, which was pretty rare in Oz in those days...ahh memories :))
Truly!
@@grandy2875 It is believed that the record was 24 people in one Mini!
And you , very unhappy, as you had to drive and keep both hands on the wheel? :-)
Yes you can fit 7 passengers plus driver into a Mini although it does get a little tail happy!
I love this series, and interesting to see a vehicle I may well have seen in my youth on day trips to Bournemouth! I immediately recognised the DLJ index plate as having been registered there. Nice to see the owner kept the plates on and a sympathetic restoration job, too. 👍🏻
I would drive this beauty every single day except for rainy days
Greetings from UK, what a gem of a car, congratulations to the owner for saving it.
As a penniless car-mad youth in the '60s / '70s I had a few Mini's, used to scrap them when the rust got too bad, there was not the massive industry there is today in keeping them alive (and no RUclips videos showing how to fix them!)
In those days, BMC had inherited a network of dealers, Austin, Morris, Riley, Wolseley, MG etc
When the new car was introduced they had to give these dealers a model to put in their different showrooms, hence the Austin 7, Morris Mini-Minor, Riley Elf, Wolseley Hornet versions (wonder why they never did an MG mini?)
The public very quickly just called them all 'Mini', it was not some brilliant marketing move by BMC, people just loved the car and the nickname fitted it perfectly
Just imagine, if they had not called one version the 'Morris Mini-Minor', it probably would never have gone on to become a brand in it's own right (although to people like me who grew up with the original product, a BMW Mini is not a real Mini)
So proud of Steve for keeping and nurturing his Mini! It's my favourite car of all time, since I've owned several and driven others. Shame you didn't get to shove it round some twisties. That's where a Mini shines, rather than on big in town roads.
Such a wonderful little car and it’s so heartening that he spent so much time and love on restoring it
Wow, I only live about half an hour from Bournemouth. Amazing to see such an amazing car from so close to home being run around by Jay Leno!
Nice job of bringing back a original mini. My first driving car was a 1973 mini 1000. Kept it running with shoestrings and bubblegum. Till it’s big backyard restoration 1982. Through a ton of parts at it a 1297cc sprite 997 camshaft 750 fly wheel , 1.75 SU and lots more, it now went like stink. But wouldn’t stop or corner like original I lifted it for the gravel roads where I lived. In hopes to keep the exhaust system on in place 3 inch ground clearance. Now with 6” could go any where. I sold it and always thought I would do another 15+ years ago picked up 1 a 76 mini 1000 then later a 67 copper 1275s. No time or money have moved then 5 times now, OH the dream one day. Jay great job of your little car collection.
Nicely restored Mini Minor Cooper.
Such a beautiful car. I loved driving the mini's when I was young. Jay's right about the sensation of speed... like driving a go-kart.
Agreed!
Great video. I am from the UK and when I was a kid these cars were everywhere.They are not seen often nowadays which made this a real treat to watch.
The shot at 24:55 cracked me up.
"Tiny circus car passes in front of behemoth American musclecar" angle
is pure comedy gold. :-)
Jay loves 'em all and especially the ones with a story and this one is no exception.
That's why I've always stuck with JLG - it's unique in the auto journalism world that way.
My first three cars were Minis. What a beautiful restoration.
A Mini always brings a smile to the face. There's just something about them. This one is a beautiful example and clearly very well loved and cherished. Alec Issigonis was a genius.
Loved seeing this episode. My first car was an 850cc 1965 Morris Mini Minor, just like that, but in grey. I bought it in 1976. Loved it! I had to sell it and get something a little bigger with soundproofing as it was just too noisy screaming down the M3 motorway at 70 mph. Went round corners like it was on rails. The Hydolastic supension was great, gave a much better ride than the coils and shocks fitted to the example here. It semed much too lively over the bumps. Still I suspect that the parts would be very difficult to come by now.
Yeah, shame about the suspension. Lots of people are scared of anything out-of-the-ordinary so dump the hydraulic system in preference for coil springs and shocks. I learnt to drive in a Austin Mini 1000 - it spent many years going to the beach (for surfing with four surfboards strapped to the roof) until the sills rusted out and it was not viable to fix (needed complete stripdown and welding not worthwhile on a £250 car) My list of mods would be similar, but I would have put on an alternator, electronic ignition (lots of aftermarket kits were available in the 60s onwards) and put the guard on the front of the engine (no idea why it wasn't on there - stops water getting into the distributor when driving at speed in the rain) the rear side compartments are a handy place for a couple of speakers pointing upwards (a mod I did myself back in the day) and a radio/cassette taped to the dashboard :)
Shocks are hydraulic, they have oil in them!
54 year old hydro bags are about as reliable as a 54 year old tire. There are no new hydro units being made. The coil spring replacement we use retains the comfortable hydro ride without fear of failure. Not to be confused with a coil over kit, these springs fit in the original location.
@@davidhunt240 My old Leyland Mini had the far simpler solution to keeping water out of the distributor. Get a rubber glove, cut the ends off the fingers, stick the glove over the distributor cab with one lead coming out of each finger. Job done! Speakers in the side pockets would have been way better than the speakers in mine though, a previous oewner had cut 2 holes in the parcel shelf for 2 4 inch speakers and I had the head unit screwed down to the dashboard with wood screws.
Nothing you can't buy for a mini really huge parts availability and aftermarket support, a truly incredible piece of design.
The mini was my first car, so much fun to drive
Cymru am byth.
@@AstronomyWales Da iawn 👍👊
These aren't that rare here in the UK but that is in beautiful condition and Minis that are this good are rare everywhere.
My mother had one when I was a boy and I have fond memories of it.
What a nice visitor is this guy... great choice jay .... you are the best !!!
Thanks Jay, from an Englishman; it's encouraging to know you are an aficionado of ALL car makes, not just American 'automobiles' (whatever they are!). You are so lucky to experience and own some of the great UK cars, and in such wonderfully restored glory. One really has to drive any Mini to understand why they made 5.3 million of these iconic vehicles. And yes, we do call the 'trunk' a 'boot' across the pond. I urge anyone with a nostalgic bent to drive a Mini if the chance arises, and realise that a small car/small engine combination is every bit as good and fun as, for example, a Firebird with a huge V8 :)
My first car was a 1959 Austin Seven (Mini) and have loved Minis ever since. Really, really wish I still had it!
Woodgate425 -Yep, I think we all have those same regrets but this is the life we live ✊✌️
My dad bought one of these for my mom back in the late 80's it wasn't new, it was a 1275 GT, it was red with a white top and a little white checkered stripe on the sides, different hood and front grill, roll up windows and the dials where on top of the steering column, a little MOMO steering wheel (that was fun to park), alloy wheels, wider tires (that helped even more with parking), i learned to drive in it. My grandfather my dad and i tore it apart and put it back together so many times i lost count. I can tell you a trick we learned for the distributor cap (the engine block is the same so it's in the same place). Because it stands low to the ground it picks up a lot of water and its prone to condensation it insulates the contacts and on cold winter mornings it wouldn't start (English cars go figure), my dad had the idea of making a little hole with a 1 mm drill on the back side of it, it allowed the condensation to evaporate, it wasn't perfect but it was better, instead of not starting at all, it took a little bit of time but it eventually came to life. In 1990 i turned 18 (legal age to drive here in Portugal) and i was able to get my drivers licence, it became my first car, my mom called it Joaninha (little Ladybug), because it was small and red i guess, so all my friends made fun of me because i drived a Ladybug, it didn't matter to me, a lot of them asked me for rides in it. I learned about 4 stroke engines with it, i even went on the first date with the lady a latter divorced in it. I 'll tell you that on a winding road there aren't many cars even today that can keep up with it, and the sound of that engine was glorious. The rust finally got to it and it got so bad i had to scrap it. There are still some rolling around here in Portugal and whenever i see one it sparks a lot of good memories of me my dad and grandfather having fun all dirtied up with engine oil and graphite messing about with the little Ladybug, it was kind of our summer holiday project, we went to my grandfathers house we laid all the parts on his garage floor and we took toll of what had happened to it that year, we could get used parts for it almost everywhere, there were a lot of them here, and they were cheap. Man i miss that car so much, so to see you doing a clip on a similar one, to me is a treat. Thank you Mr Jay Leno...
In England we just put a Rubber glove over the distributor cap and it solved the problem.
When I had mine in the late '80s, the usual thing was to take the black base of a 2 litre cola bottle (back when the base wasn't moulded into the bottle like it is now) and thread the ignition wires through the holes in the bottom. It helped keep the water coming through the grille from soaking the points.
Yep, the distributor cap in the wet. I carried a can of WD40. Dry the HT leads with a dry rag and a quick squirt of WD40. Started every time.
I drove a 1275 Clubman prepared by Colin Clan about three days after I passed my driving test, scared the bejesus out of me!
@@adrinathegreat3095 Marigold by choice. :-) But never the pink ones ! You had tohave some street cred.
I need one of these. I like my modern Mini, but I still want to have the real thing in my garage.
You mean the Maxi!
I love these small cars, I too have owned a new Mini, but I think I prefer the ragtop on the old Fiat 500 - just a bit more functional and fun!
HNP Racing
You find very nice ones in Japan, but the prices are soaring now!!!
We bought a 998 about 18 months ago. To paraphrase Han Solo, “Its all true. All of it.” Great fun to drive and work on. Not to spend if you do it right.
I've got 2. One you can have, full disclosure, it's worse than this one was
Lol
Watching Jay get into this car confirms it was designed for young drivers. What cool car, love Jay Leno and his garage.
Jay has the enviable ability to host the most amazingly down to earth characters on his show. Why are all gearheads such happy nice people? We need more smiles for the miles.❤
Jay brings gorgeous machines to me... therefore, I love Jay.
You wanna bump chins?
Very cool! I love it. What no mention of the 63' Monte Carlo rally? This is one of the few cars that have remained cool no matter what year it is. Thanks.
Back in the 80's i used to have a 1974 mini clubman 1000. Great little car.
Thanks, I greatly enjoyed this video because it brought back memories of my 1st mini, a red ’61 850 Morris. I was in college then and had no money so I maintained it myself. I smiled when he described the need to adjust the breaks. I became pretty adept at doing that. I had a large jack that allowed me to raise one side to a 45 degree angle. I still have the butter knife that I used to adjust the star wheels. Anyway, eventually I bought a 1275 Cooper S which in comparison was a rocket. One thing that really impressed me about the Cooper was the hydrolastic suspension. It is a great loss to the world of cars that even most of the still existing Cooper S mini’s have been converted to dry suspensions.
I loved the story about the MOT (Ministry of Transport) test.. I lived in London in the mid-1970's and had a 1965 Mini station wagon with genuine wood panels, in fact that model was probably the last true "woody" built anywhere in the world. Just before I sold it I took it in for its annual MOT inspection, and the mechanic told me that he would pass it as long as I promised never to bring it back again! The same problem: rust. One of the most interesting features of the 850 engine (actually 848 cc) was that in case your battery was low, you could start it with a crank. There was a slot in the end of the crankcase, and a hole in the fender well that could accommodate a hand crank.
How I love the old Min Bin. I remember it as a specular drive. My then partner loved it but had one complaint about the cone suspension, it made her t@ts bounce so much. Needless to say I loved watching her drive
Oh so good, one of the joy's of diving a BMC mini was that what ever the model from 850 shopper to 1275 Cooper S, they would corner at maximum speed, well maybe a lift off but no braking. What fun !
Unfortunately you never got the chance to 'corner' with it...........thats where the fun comes in, those mini's can out-handle most cars.............I've driven a few myself in my time, even the later BMW mini's..........the BMW versions feel exactly like an 80's 3 series to drive..........there's no even coming close to how those little mini's handle.....thanks for sharing :-)
Jay really amazes me how knowledgeable he is about cars, I myself have been auto mechanic for 30 years I always read car magazines and I'm ASE certified I'm working full time with cars, he doesn't for him it's just a hobby part time, and Jay's knowledge really impress me.
Your strength shines through in this mate, and I thank you for sharing with us. My thoughts go out to you and your family. It was great meeting you at the Expo and messing about together. I wish you all the best.
I got hit by a Morris Minor once. I had to go to the hospital to have it removed.
Clever ... got wit.
But for the fact that the Morris Minor is a completely different car. This is a Morris Mini....
LOL !
Ian Worley ...indeed, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t hit by a Morris Minor
@@ianworley8169 They were originally called the Morris Mini Minor.
Loving the shout out to Bournemouth!!!
i,m actually surprised how good the bodywork was for coming from the seaside, the way that Yank panel beater was speaking i was expecting a pile of rust. retired panel beater.
Im glad he chose to save it even though it was rough, here in the midwest i have never had the pleasure of seeing one in person but hope i get the chance!
I learned to drive in a 1963 Morris Minor Mini - in 1963. At 17 years of age. Lovely car to learn in.Of course I am a Brit- now living 8 miles from Jay’s garage!
Both my aunts were teachers and had a succession of minis from the first one with the starter button in the floor, the sliding windows and the wire slung door openers to the mk2 1000 with window winders and door lever openers. My sister had them handed down to her - my first car was an ex-RAC minivan which I managed to squeeze 12 people in on a campsite in Cornwall summer of 73! Loved that car - like a powered roller skate, great fun on roundabouts. Filled it from empty for £5!
Steve really knows his stuff!
It would be cool, if Jay made and sold denim shirts with Jay Leno's Garage embroidered on them. I would buy one.
Yeah man, I bet he would make even more money selling some swag for his channel!
@@desertbrewcrew1974 www.lenosgarage.com/collections/apparel
he would have to move to bangladesh, first.
@@matthewmoore6688 THANX A BUNCH
So he doesn't offer a JLG embroidered denim shirt, but he does offer a JLG air freshener in the shape of a denim shirt LOL.
www.lenosgarage.com/collections/all/products/jlg-denim-freshener
I`ve driven loads of (real) Minis in my time and no other car puts a smile on my face like the Mini does. Think street legal go-kart and that sums up the Mini perfectly.
Where I live in Australia, we used to have a big luxury car built by Holdens called the Statesman. and back in the early 80's a guy I knew where I live had one. he sent it to a special custom car building shop and spent many thousands having it turned into a beautiful street machine. while it was off being built he bought a Mini cheap to run around in, and when he got his Statesman back it was a gorgeous car to see. but he ended up driving his Mini more after that as he said it was more fun to drive. go figure.
@@catey62 makes sense! very fun car!
2 really genuine fellas just talking about cars, love it
12:34 the cooling fans were originally made of metal that were painted yellow in the 50s and 60s, later on somewhere in the 70s they switched to plastic yellow ones.
Wow.! These restored minis are nothing like the one my mum had brand new in 1971, it was built by a workforce constantly on strike and
Put together so shoddily.
Masher unions and management at one another’s throats sadly
My grandfather used to have a 63 Willis jeep wagon, which he modified for camping while hunting or fishing. I could go on about it, but my main point is, it was the second car he ever owned. The first was a used car be bought from his brother, a Ford model T. The second was the Willis which he bought brand new. When it came to the accessories he didn't want a radio in it which surprised the sales man who tried to convince my grandfather to get one. He stayed firm and said he didn't want it, it's nothing more than a distraction! OK, fair enough, it's his car, he doesn't have to have a radio if he doesn't want one.
Here's the kicker... Whenever my grandfather took my grandmother shopping, he would stay in the jeep with a portable radio he would bring. When alone in the jeep he would kick back and listen to a ball game or maybe the news. I always though that was odd, but it did save on the car battery which was far more expensive to buy than house hold D batteries.
As much as I like Jay, if I had a classic car, I don't think I would let Jay drive it. He tends to drift over the yellow line a little too much for my liking, which would make me nervous as hell!
SpiritBear12; IKR! He knows he has to move the seat back but he squish's his self in the car 1st then moves the seat. I've seen him twist a hood while closing it. At least his hair is combed! lol!
Like the guy saying it came from Bournemouth. Think someone on Facebook said it came from Elfords Garage in Tuckton, Bournemouth. The letters L J on the number plate was a Bournemouth registration back then.
There were several moments when I laughed out loud and i'm sitting here all by myself in the pandemic working from home with just a very little bit of tears in my eyes from laughing LOL... i love these gentlemen, man, and their joy and excitement for these beautiful machines of the past!
Sent this video to my dad, i believe he'll get a kick out of it too; he's about these peoples age : )
I had a 1964 Morris-Minor Mini, loved that car. Sold it to a TSgt. and he dropped some more money into it. Changed the Color, and shipped it to his next assignment. I spent 8 years in the UK. Owned 4 Mini's, a Maxi and a Opel Kadet. But the Mini was my favorite car. And still is, I so want one again. I have a restoration book for the Mini. My 850cc Mini always seemed to need a 5th Gear. Thought about taking a motor from Austin Metro and changing it all out for the 5speed in it.