Taking On An OBL
Modern MINI|May - June 2017

The Collins MINI fleet has a new member and Modern MINI has a new project car: an early R50 Cooper. Editor Martyn tells us more about his purchase.

Martyn Collins
Taking On An OBL

This whole thing started with an email that pinged into my inbox on the last day of November 2016. As the Editor of Modern MINI magazine that’s nothing unusual, as I get hundreds of emails every day. It was the title of this email that piqued my interest: ‘Original R50’. I opened the email quickly to discover that reader Andrew Boreham had come across an early ‘OBL’ R50 Cooper and was wondering if I was interested in buying it.

There was no denying that the thought of owning an R50 Cooper hadn’t been far from my mind since featuring (and getting a ride round Plant Oxford in) John Corbett and Tanya Field’s Coopers (Y501OBL and Y304OBL) for the July/August issue last year. Sadly there were no pictures attached to Andrew’s email, so I replied asking him for some then put thoughts of early Coopers to the back of my mind and got on with putting the next issue together.

Tidy and original

Denne historien er fra May - June 2017-utgaven av Modern MINI.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May - June 2017-utgaven av Modern MINI.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MODERN MINISe alt
What Goes Round Comes Round
Performance Mini

What Goes Round Comes Round

Thought lambo doors have had their day? Wrong – vince wong’s highly detailed build is here to show that eyecatching mods are timeless. And this build’s about far more than a set of fancy doors…

time-read
6 mins  |
Nov - Dec 2019
The Full Works
Performance Mini

The Full Works

After cutting his teeth on a Mini Roadster, morgan gray managed to get his dream car – a fully loaded, Jen 3 John Cooper works, and he uses it properly, too…

time-read
5 mins  |
Nov - Dec 2019
Performance Mini

How To…De-Chrome A Mini

De-chroming is a quick, easy, and very effective way to improve a modern mini’s looks and appearance. Here’s what’s involved…

time-read
7 mins  |
Nov - Dec 2019
Purple Haze
Performance Mini

Purple Haze

THE SPIRIT OF THE SIXTIES IS STRONG IN THIS BLACK EYE PURPLE R53 – AND YET AT THE SAME TIME, IT’S A THOROUGHLY MODERN BUILD, HIDING HILARIOUS PERFORMANCE BENEATH ITS SPANGLY DISCO PAINTWORK…

time-read
5 mins  |
Nov - Dec 2019
Driven: Mini Cooper S 60 Years Edition
Performance Mini

Driven: Mini Cooper S 60 Years Edition

MINI HAS A REPUTATION FOR MAKING SPECIAL BIRTHDAY EDITIONS, SO MARTYN HAS BEEN DRIVING THE LATEST TO FIND OUT IF THE COOPER S 60 YEARS EDITION IS A WORTHY CONTENDER…

time-read
4 mins  |
Nov - Dec 2019
Cruel Sport
Performance Mini

Cruel Sport

UNFORTUNATE MISTAKES HAVE SHOWN ALEX JUST HOW FINE THE MARGINS ARE IN THE PRO CLASS, AND JUST HOW CRUEL MOTORSPORT CAN BE AT TIMES…

time-read
4 mins  |
Nov - Dec 2019
Modern MINI

Purple Passion

Steve Davidson dreamed of owning a Cooper S since school and we reckon his BMW-wheeled R53 has been worth the wait.

time-read
9 mins  |
March - April 2017
Modern MINI

Family Business

MINIs have been a part of Antonio Sapata’s whole life, leading him to build this R53 with unique custom touches as a tribute to his uncle.

time-read
5 mins  |
March - April 2017
Mini Variant Buyers Guide
Modern MINI

Mini Variant Buyers Guide

The boom in second generation MINIs gave clues as to how BMW planned to develop the brand; here’s more about these MINI variants and why they’re still worth a look

time-read
4 mins  |
January - February 2017
Mini One D ClubMan
Modern MINI

Mini One D ClubMan

First came the Cooper, Cooper D, Cooper S and Cooper SD and ALL4 Clubmans. But we’ve just spent some time with the one that MINI told us wouldn’t be built – the entry-level One D.

time-read
4 mins  |
January - February 2017