Sunday 19th December - Big Snow

Alastair Vines and Peter Moss are entered into the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique (car 282) http://www.acm.mc/ which will start on Wednesday 26th January and finish on the 2nd February 2011 in Monaco. Nigel Chetwynd and Simon Wheatcroft will provide back up to the team tackling running repairs, refuelling and maintenance throughout the event. The team are attempting to raise £10k to support their entry and raise money for the charity Bliss http://www.bliss.org.uk/ which concerns itself with babies born too early, too small or too sick to fend for themselves. They have to date won the backing of sponsorship from Mini Spares http://www.minispares.com/ and Norton Insurance http://www.norton-ib.co.uk/ and continue to seek more help with funding to secure their ambition.

Friday 17th December - CRX waiting in Southam Mini & Metro Centre yard after clutch hydraulics over haul.

The excellent fellows at Norton Insurance http://www.norton-ib.co.uk/ came up with an additional bonus on Friday to help the CRX team by adding to their already substantial contribution through sponsoring our incremental rally insurance. Well done Norton, thank you very much. This will help both the team and add a bit more to the Bliss fund.

I am taking some time off work in order to help support the family preparations for Christmas and get to spend some time on the car myself. In consequence we were hoping to get the car finished at Southam this week in order that I could have it at home, however ..the best laid plans of mice and men.... The Southam boys have done a fine job of sorting out some of the fettling jobs such as the clutch hydraulics, and improving oil pressure pipework. Our service chief Nigel Chetwynd helped me collect CRX and take it off to be weighed in order that I could establish after 25 years in my ownership how obese it had become.

Friday 17th December - Loaded and ready to be weighed.

The homologated weight of a standard mk1 Cooper S in 1966 is 651kg (with normal equipment, water, oil, and spare wheel but without fuel or repair tools). Whilst we were not rigid with the weighing standards criteria, I was somewhat startled to find CRX weighing in at a flabby 740kg - Uurgh! Diet time. We returned to our base in Redditch to draw up urgent plans to turn this fat boy into a lean alpine crag hopping fighting machine.

On Saturday, the busiest shopping day before Christmas, it snowed for about 12 hours non stop. In sunny Redditch we received a dump of not far off a foot, which brought everything to a standstill. No work done today on account of the struggle to get out to the shops and the desire to take the family sledging.

Saturday 18th December - Evening scene from "sunny"  Redditch under nearly a foot of snow.

Sunday was more productive as I was able to complete the assigned task for the weekend of the important grille muff fitment to keep the heat in the engine, stop the carburettors from freezing, and keep the occupants warm. When the weather gets really cold, the engine does not generate enough heat to do all these functions, and so needs a bit of help.

Monday 21st December - The Southam MCR team cars side by side - rather less snow in Southam than in Redditch -  a slush splattered CRX (with grille muff) sits next to Peter Barker's DKG.

With minus 20 degC temperatures seen in Pershore on Sunday night, just a few miles away, and deep snow in abundance, these are ideal alpine conditions in which to test our new snow tyres, and give the car a general shake down. Sadly we will have to wait just a little longer until we get our MOT. If the weather men are to be believed then these conditions will last until at least mid January so our chance to have a play in the snow before the rally will come eventually .

CRX is back at Southam now for some improvements to engine breathing, a final set up on the rolling road and the all important MOT. Should get it back mid week. Next up on the jobs list when it comes home are to sort out navigator comforts for seating, map lights, map stowage and inter-com etc.

If I don't get to update this blog again in the next few days, then have a great Christmas where ever you are, and drive carefully - it's tough out there on the roads just now.