I've never been too sure what the point of the Mini Clubman was. The square fronted brother to the original Mini was didn't have the charm of the original design and even with the updated interior it was still a pretty basic affair. I believe it was intended as a more upmarket replacement for the deleted Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf versions of the Mini - but it lacked both those models style and panache.Nevertheless, the estate version of the Clubman holds some great memories for me. Somehow, myself and three mates managed to cram ourselves and all our gear into the little car for a weeks camping in Cornwall towards the end of the 1970's. The intention was to tour the county for the week, but as it turned out we spent one night in Bude then made our way down to Newquay where we bumped into some very nice young ladies and spent the rest of the week.
It was a great holiday and the Clubman didn't miss a beat - even managing to transport nine of us back from the pub one evening. Of course, this was in the days before compulsory seat belts and where cramming as many people as you could into a car, if not necessarily legal, wasn't a particularly high priority for the police.
Even though I hadn't actually passed my test at this time, I took my share of shifts at the wheel. The truth is that the Mini wasn't the most comfortable long distance tourer even for the driver - but even so it coped with all we threw at it during that week.
I don't know if young lads do that sort of thing now. I suppose it's more likely that they'll go backpacking in Thailand than camping in Newquay, but if they do then I doubt they'll have more fun than we did in Cornwall with that little Mini. It may not have been pretty - but it was pretty good fun.
5 comments:
Fine choice, Mr Stan.
Surely the Clubman Estate was years ahead of its time, the precursor to the hugely successful little hatchbacks of the last 25 or so years.
It's so easy to forget (not that I suggest you do forget) how much successful modern designs owe to pretty basic and experimental models of yesteryear.
The Clubman estate had conventional side hinged doors rather than a tailgate, FB - I think the honour of being the first proper hatchback probably would go to the Austin A40 Farina Countryman which came out some years before the Mini Clubman Estate - late fifties I think.
Although only the top half of the rear door was hinged at the top - the bottom part flopped down to provide a sort of loading ramp - it was definitely a hatchback.
To be honest, even though I've featured the Clubman, I've always been a bit "sniffy" about it. The original Mini was one of the first - if not the only - truly classless car. It was popular with the working class and wealthy alike. Sure, you always had the Wolseley and Riley versions for the more aspirational, but because they bore different badges and different names that wasn't a big deal. With the introduction of the Austin Mini Clubman you suddenly had a Mini that gave a distinction of class.
Young lads do still do that sort of thing.
My eldest and four of his friends toured England in a Clio last year (tents and all), and this year they're driving round the Baltic in a Series I Land Rover.
I'm glad to hear that, Anon. I toured Europe by motorcycle, myself - but had many wonderful experiences driving all over the UK with my mates in various different vehicles. Some good, some not so good - but all memorable.
'It was a great holiday and the Clubman didn't miss a beat - even managing to transport nine of us back from the pub one evening. Of course, this was in the days before compulsory seat belts and where cramming as many people as you could into a car, if not necessarily legal, wasn't a particularly high priority for the police.'
Your nine beats the seven a friend of mine crammed into his Mini Countryman (I was a passenger in a vehicle following behind, driven by a young woman who I briefly thought was interested in me) but your reference to police priorities reminded me that one of the PCs who stopped and breathylised him explained to me that they were letting him go, even though he was 'over the top', as they were about to go off duty and couldn't be bothered to fill in the forms. Oh happy days.
The young lady, though devastatingly attractive, failed to keep a luncheon appointment two days later.
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