Historical Article - Nov 1992 - Visit Across the Pond

Every year in America and Canada, Mini enthusiasts get together for a Mini “Convention”.  In fact there are two held, due to the copious quality of “surface area” that makes up North America and Canada!  One designated Mini Meet West and the other (Surprise surprise) is the Mini Meet East.  Each year one of the numerous Mini owners Clubs volunteers to arrange and conduct the meeting at a venue in their area.

I attended my first Mini Meeting  in 1987 when it was held in Canada at a place called Montranc Blanc where it was staged at an out of season ski resort, and nearby race track.  I was amazed at the level of organisation and attendance.  Some of the entrants had driven several thousand miles to attend, and everyone had a thoroughly good time.
This year the Mini Meets were staged at Columbus, Ohio (East Meet and Flagstaff, Arizona (West Meet).  Better than that, they were staged one weekend after the other.  So my summer holiday seemed decided, and just to make it a little different I decided to do the whole journey in the company of my friends Keith and Deb Degauque who organise the Mainly Mini Owners Club in Quebec Canada.   They also import parts for their members from Mini Spares and have been doing so for some12 years.  This of course, entailed flying out to Quebec first, driving down to Ohio (around 800 miles) then across to Flagstaff (a further 1800 miles).

I flew out on June 25th.  The Mini Meet East started on the 27th, so it was all a close run thing.  It wasn’t helped by my outward bound plane leaving3 hours late!  I got off the plane, into a car and was driven to Keith and Deb’s house where we got into their Econovar (transit type thing) and left for Ohio towing Keith’s ‘Silver Bullet’ Mini.  This car was bought by Keith new, wherein he fully deseamed it and fitted it with hand-crafted metal wheel arch extensions, alloy wheels, and a series of different tuned motors, currently running a modified 1275 ‘S’ unit.  He’s a really whiz at “Solo” racing (autotest to you and me), and  regularly stunned local opposition by thrashing them even with his 998cc engine in.  A nice car.
We were also to “herd” sever Minis being driven to the Meets, but we decided against driving Keith’s Bullet, as it would have had to carry three of us, enough luggage for nearly two weeks – and somebody needed to have a trailer in case of any “deaths” along the way.  After all, it was a near 5,500 mile round trip!  Five Minis started off from Quebec – in fact two of them had already covered a hundred odd miles before we started.  Both of these were quite remarkable.  Owned by Denis Bolsvert (Denis Greenwood to those English people) and Yve (can’t remember his surname).  Denis’s car was great.  A Mini limo, superbly done.  Lengthened by 12 inches and not a join in sight.  Slide and tilt steering column from a Cadillac, motorised flip front, dark tinted glass, it was beautiful and a real head-turner.  Yves car is a MK1 that has also been superbly rebuilt by Denis.  It is so clean you wouldn’t believe it, but there is originality in there too.  The entire back seat area is occupied by a huge oak cabinet that houses the most amazing in-car sound system I have ever seen.  I think it would give that Kenwood car a real run for its money!  Then there was Brian’s green, standard and clean Canadian Mini.  Odd changes to make it a little more pretty – wheels (Revo’s) and chrome bumpers to replace the really ugly Canadian “knee-height” jobs.  Rounding it off were Ian McGee’s red Mini and a white Mini driven by two French Canadian brothers (damn, what were their names?).

Now, driving at 65 mph (55 mph across New York State) means that progress is a little slow.  “Pitting” every 220-250 miles to fill up with fuel and oil for the Minis (these guys drive cars with pretty worn out engines!), showed things further.  Soon Denis and Yve had disappeared into the distance.  Ian’s car was finding it hard to maintain reasonable cruising speeds.  So, after a few hours driving an overnight stop was decided upon.  These small roadside hotels are incredible value for money, especially when a little skull-duggery was employed.  It’s simple.  One person goes to register (Deb did this – her part Jewish ancestry leads to a bartering at the slightest opportunity, so we always got a good deal – especially as she is not shy at coming forward!), the rest of you hide someplace in the car park.  You rent two rooms with two king-size beds in each for our people.  Everybody else shares, effectively halving the already “discounted” price previously bartered for!  Fully air-conditioned, free ice machines, ensuite bathrooms with proper showers.  Very good.  Ice machine is of great importance – every morning the cooler was filled to chill drinks for the day’s drive.

The journey to Ohio was pretty uneventful.  No road-side service on repairs needed to be carried out, and no one broke down.  We got to Columbus mid-evening on 26th June, after a couple of food stops at these amazing “fast food” joints that are everywhere.  Talk about cheap!  And the food is always first class.  I mean, breakfast for 3.95 dollars!!Real burgers and all you can eat salad bars for 4.95 dollars.  I can understand why Americans tend to be overweight!  I ordered a “large” drink with my first American lunch – BIG mistake!  I was given a small bucket full of foot beet!  I could have swum in it “Small” was big enough from then on, and cans of coke, root beer, etc. when bought by the “two-four” (case of 24) averaged 15 a can!

We registered, got a bag full of freebie samples of car care stuff, identity wrist bands, and free cold beer.  Another stunning meal at rib-joint, loads of Mini talk, then much needed bed.
There were 151 cars at the Meet and 258 odd enthusiasts.  REAL enthusiasts.  These people lived and breathed Minis.  It was quite inspiring.  Cars of all shapes and forms were there.  “Shit-boxes” to full race cars.  The standard of preparation of 90% of the cars was quite remarkable.  The restored standard cars were incredible considering the parts availability.  One guy who made if from Canada (Ron Cummings) had a totally original MK1, even down to the original type cross-plies!  Never been restored, original paint etc.
Shows, fun-kana, rally, autotest and a wide angle picture were all undertaken, followed by a huge BBQ.  Sunday saw the prize giving after a really good buffet.  Denis won prizes for his Limo; Yve won “people’s choice”.  The weather was hot and sunny and a good time was had by all.  Then it was time to load up and head west.  Oh, one car that is worth a mention – a Mini with a V8 Chevy engine mounted where the back seat should be.  In fact it occupied 70% of the inside of the car!  Two fibreglass seats were the only other items vying for space in the car.  It was fitted with a transaxle from a Corviar, rear wheel drive.  Truly awesome.  You had to have a firm grip on the steering wheel to avoid being inhaled by the carburettor when the engine was running.

By the time we departed from Columbus we had some new arrivals to the convoy.  Sean in a really clean MK1 had arrived from Mexico and “Mad Mountain Mur” from Regina Saskatewan, Canada.  These two plus Denis, Yve and Flagstaff.  We also picked up Kevin Jensen from Ohio in his “Woody Wagon” with Terry (female) from California riding shot gun.  Brian decided not to drive his car across so it was left at Kevin’s house.  Now this guy has to be the envy of all Mini owners.  This garage is about 40’ x 28’, has a huge loft read n I hate him for it!  He has all kinds of Mini vans and estates, plus a Moke.  All pretty original.  A guy called Pete Stoble and his family tagged along in his Econovan towing his very quick 1071 cc powered autotest special Mini.

The journey took us through several States to include Indianapolis, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas and New Mexico.  No serious disasters were encountered.  Plenty of fuel stops, a blown bottom hose on Kevin’s car, a change of points on Kevin’s car some mixtures adjustments due to altitude changes (up 6,000 free from Ohio).  The heat/humidity in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico was overpowering.  Auxiliary rads were added to the Minis using zippy cable ties and grilles removed to try and keep them running under 200f.  Two traffic jams were encountered – not bad in 1,800 miles, the pilots of the Minis having to push their bollides in the traffic to avoid cooking their engines.
One eye opener was when Sean and Murray decided to do a driver change at 70 mph in the idle of the carriageway!  I was gob-smacked, they didn’t even slow down!  San climbed into the back while Murray kept his foot on the gas, and then slid over to take control!

I developed an abscess under one of my teeth on the Monday and by Tuesday night I was climbing the walls in pain.  I had previously decided to try and make it to Flagstaff before I sought attention – but I just wasn’t going to make it.  That night we stopped in Tucumcari (ye it does exist – not just a made up town in Westerns such as “For a Few Dollars More”).  So at 7.00 a.m. the receptionist phoned the local dentist who said to come down straight away.  She drilled my tooth and put a temporary filling in it, gave me a lecture, some x-rays, then relived me of 106 dollars and we were on our way again.  We tried out a number of eating places, “Shoney’s featuring where-ever possible as they did “eat all you can” bars for 3.95 dollars and the food was excellent.  A new saying was introduced by Murray:  P.M.S.  This is “Post Meal Sleepiness”, and seemed to be suffered by all and sundry.  Mainly due to the quantity of food consumed in these joints, and the very hot and humid atmosphere.

WE arrived at Flagstaff late in the evening on 3rd July.  Registration was completed in a very posh hotel.  Marble floors inlaid carpets, very plush rooms – hardly a “Mini-people place”.  But very nice.  Only 53 cars were exhibited here, with 160 people attending.  But the level of preparation was very high.  All the usual events and shows took place in this very clean, friendly town.  Once again a good time was had by all.  We visited the Grand Canyon – words cannot possibly describe it, it has to be seen to be believed”   We were laughing at the thought of these poor settlers years ago having travelled cross country for months, survived the heat, deserts, Indians and myriad of other obstacles, to be trolling happily along on this flat pain, dotted with bush and trees to suddenly come face to face with this absolutely enormous hole in the ground.  Enough to break the hardiest of men.
I bumped into an old acquaintance, none other than David Vizard.  He’s flown down specially to the Meet to see what was going on.  He hadn’t changed at all, so Californian living must have agreed with him.  I also got to see Bill Gilcrease’s splendid space frame Mini in the flesh (as featured in Mini Tech News November 19991).  It is even better in real life.  Bill has done an exceptional job on this car and has painstakingly developed it over the years – honing it into probably the quickest Mini racer out there.  The “show down” between him and Mike Kearney's Fortech Mini will be at the National runs-offs in Atlanta in October.  Good Luck Bill – I’ll be rooting for you!

At the prizegiving on Sunday evening (once again a superb meal was served) the Canadian contingent won more than their fair share of prizes.  I think Denis won 5 or 6 by himself!
Then it was all over and the long trek back to Canada was started.  Everybody decided to make their own way back, so the blue touch paper was lit.  Keith driving for 12 – 16 hours each day with radar detector switched on.  More Motels and fast-food joints and an odd occasional visit to a super-store (ridiculously cheap everthing!) to purchase clothing incidentals – and we were back at Keith and Deb’s on Wednesday in time to eat out before going to the Mainly Minis Club meeting that evening
It was all over so quickly.  These people are enthusiasts beyond belief; their Minis are second to nothing in their lives. Fanatical even.  It’s strange to be in a place where Minis are cherished so highly after being in England where they are a dime to a dozen.

My thanks to Keith and Deb for their hospitality, and to Denis, his sister Lyn, Yve, his girlfriend Venise, Brian, Murray , Sean, Kevin and Terri (especially for the pain killers) for a good time!

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