My ninth car – Mini Clubman GT
The year was 1995, I was off work on sick leave, I was off work for a long time, used all my sick leave, holiday leave and then on leave without pay, some sort of middle ear problem. I was feeling sorry for myself and needed some retail therapy. I saw an add in the Trading Post and I ended up buying a red Mini Clubman GT, something I always wanted, but if I hadn’t been unwell I doubt I would of bought it. It was a nice car, inside and out and it drove well. I drove it to work for a while, but it did not take long before I started playing with it, first I put on the GT Clubman strips, no surprise there, I had done that to all my other Mini’s, then some driving lights and I fitted a Halda.
The following year (when I was feeling better) I decided to enter the NSW motorkhana championship, hoping for a good class result. I think the first round was at Awabawac Park, on dirt, then I think the second round was at Richmond Air Base and the third round was in the parking area off a road house/truck stop near Nowra, both on concrete. I think I won my class in the first round, second in the second round (to someone that was not doing the Championship) and then in the third round the gear box broke. I did each test but very slowly and finished third in class. Drove it back to Sydney with the gear box making lots of noise. I fixed the gear box, but I missed the next two rounds so I didn’t continue.
One day on the way home from work, only about a kilometer from work, I stopped in traffic, I had been stopped for a few moments before, bang, bang, bang, from behind me and then bang as I was fit from behind, pushing me into the car in front of me. The car in front had no damage, but the Mini had a good size dint in the rear and the front had some damage as well as the driving lights being smashed. A van about three cars back had not stopped and the car it hit, hit the car in front of it and so on. The Mini was drivable but it would not start, I had to get a tow truck and get it towed back to work. It turned out to be a broken rotor button, easy fix, but not such a easy fix for the panel damage. The other guys insurance company, (NRMA) were very difficult, didn’t want to pay to have it fixed properly. I gave up and took their money, sold the damaged Mini at the same time as I sold the British racing green Cooper S.
I enjoyed owning the Clubman GT and it was sad to part with the Mini’s but it had to be done. Tune in same duck time, same duck channel, for more adventures with cars.