I learned to drive in my Mum’s red Mini – 1963 vintage – and having stoved in the front end whilst ‘practising’ for my test (sorry Mum) I passed. Just. We all drove Minis in the late 1960s, and those that didn’t had Anglias. Tuning was rife: CCC magazine was our bible. You started out with an old Minivan (was the tax cheaper?) and the first thing to do was to get someone to insert some windows in the side. So then you had a Countryman, sort of.
We learnt about rear subframe rot, lowering the steering wheel and fitting a Motalita. Cool! The exhaust pipe connection to the manifold would come undone under hard acceleration which was fixed with a Speedwell ‘brace’ from the rocker box to the bulkhead. Only trouble then was serious vibration. Never mind.
But the ultimate ‘mod’ involved Mum again. Pinch one of her rubber gloves, snip off the ends of the fingers, and slide it over the distributor. The four plug leads came out of the fingers, and the lead to the coil came out of the thumb. Then you could drive it in the rain, and it would keep going!
I ended up with a 1966 Cooper ‘S’. A proper one with the 12-stud head. We shaved the head, fitted a hot cam, twin 11/2” SUs, a revcounter and wide wheels. Green with a white roof. Marvellous. I wonder what happened to it…