once a seamless part of  kiwi roads, this '81 Mini stands out as a unique blend of road, race and heritage.

Our work was cut out for us when this 1981 Mini City rolled into the Motive workshop. We're no stranger to Mini's, having completed a number of modifications, repairs and restoration work to these small cars over the years. Something we've learned is that despite their size, there's always more than meets the eye, and this Mini "City" was no exception!

 

The weathered white paint was largely original in this Mini's case, but there was (as there always is) a few hidden dramas, uncovered during our bare metal strip down. With a wide variety of aftermarket parts availabe for these cars, obtaining new repair panels was a breeze, giving us the ability to whip this Mini back into shape and eliminate warped, twisted and rust damaged panels entirely, in favour of quality aftermarket pieces. 

 

For this particular car, we replaced the entire boot floor, which stretches right underneath the back seat. We also took care of the right rear quarter panel, replacing it, along with both door skins. By replacing the door skins, we had a fantastic oppurtunity to epoxy the door frames inside and out, adding an extra layer of corrosion resistance even where it'll never be seen again. Once we rebuilt the bottoms of the door frames, the skins went on, and we could close the book on panel replacement for the Mini.

 

To match the road & track aesthetic, our client opted to have us install "sports pack" wheel arch flares, as well as the front wheel arch "lift radius" panels for extra wheel clerance. Once we butt-welded these panels in, the flares (after careful alignment) went on and we begun the refinishing stages of the build.

 

Working atop epoxy primer, we ironed out any remaining dents and defects on the Mini's 45-year old shell before it was coated in an ivory-inspired white, matched almost exactly to the original colour. Finishing this off, we organised reproduction "City" stripes and decals to be made and adhered in their correct locations. After installing two replacement bumpers and all other parts that our client requested to have reinstalled, the finish product speaks for itself.

 

We thouroughly enjoyed revamping this road legal go-kart, and combined with it's 1380cc A series engine, straight cut gearbox, full adjustable suspension, disc brakes and "wider than usual" minilite mag wheels, heads won't just be turning at the sound of it coming down the road - it's got the look to bring it all together.