Only the original basic Mini was around 600kgs; that Rover Mini is nearer 700kgs.

I've owned Minis and I own a '69 Alfa. The fastest long-distance journeys I've ever made were by Mini.

Loved to drive my Alfa Giulia Super ... It was really the nicest car to be in. The only problems I had with it, were due to rust, when it got older. Pleasant memories ...

The 2000 gt veloce does not really need to be pushed. The smaller engines maybe.

Dude, your should seriously try writing a book. This brief description made me feel like I was actually driving!!

Totally agree, a stunning looking car, it has flair.

took the words out my mouth

Nope, it actually looks like a turtle....fugly thing😳😳

@@mixerD1- you nailed it!! Rubbish video, with a patriotic tendency. Alfa is waaaaayyy better than the Mini, and yes, it is gorgeous.

@@anonimalombardafabbricaaut7824 Perhaps you should have gone to speck savers ! 😂😂

That is a beautiful Giulia! Very tastefully done mods always enhance the original, only wish more owners took that kind of care in making changes. Well done!

I love the look of your Giulia. Beautiful colour and tastefully done modifications. I instantly thought from looking at the alloy wheels that the car may have been fettled by Alfaholics. Really lovely looking example.

What a BEAUTY 😍🏁

I bought my Olive Green Giulia 1600 with my first real pay check. After driving it for a mile, I thought "this is it, I will never need another car". Almost 40 years later I still own it, and may one day give it the Alfaholics treatment it deserves.

that car is beautiful mate!

Agree and very well analysed! thanks for watching

True - until you drive a decent new car.

Old school cars were drivers cars , modern cars you just steer them

Old school is best school 🚸

@@ianmangham4570 that's what my Grandpa used to tell my Dad , then my Dad used to tell me n now I keep telling my son 🤣

Wow, what great memories!! Thanks Paul!!

my sentiment exactly

Interesting......

But it may go round corners better, 'cos the Mini is very nose heavy.

For balance - there was a 15 minute section of the film explaining this... the Minis were fettled 'Cooper' style and these cars consistently won motorsport events in the 60's, so context. Anyone who has been in Police Traffic (yes) knows that the patrol cars are poor, particularly beat cars, run 24/7 into the ground, sloppy gear boxes, out of tune in 3 weeks due to urban stop / start use. And they are bog standard cars due to the cost of running / replacing them (wear and accidents). We once killed an MG Maestro in 3 weeks - it fell apart. My domestic car (Cavalier SRi 130) at the time was better than the work beat cars, by a country mile. Italian cars in the 60s through 80s were not renowned for their reliability either. If you owned an Alpha, Lancia or Fiat at the time you would understand this. All of them rotted from the inside out, all had electrical problems and regular failures due to cheap build and parts. The Fiat Supermiafiori was great... whilst it was running and not at the dealers, again. The only decent cars in the British cops back in the day were the Police 'Specials' like the Rover 3500 V8 Vitesse models we had fitted with fuel injection, touring car suspension and an air kit (Tom Walkinshaw consulting). These were typically 100 BHP above stock Rover V8s and used for special duties such as armed response and diplomat protection. I once did Leeds ring road to Sheffield centre (Yorkshire, England) in 12 minutes on a shout for an armed robbery. They were our secret weapon, typically un-marked and with Heckler & Koch MP5s in the boot. Two running per shift, day and night. So to go back to the point, a Cooper mini, even with gold in the rear, would wipe the floor with a tired, clapped out Italian beat car.

It they put the actual weight thats quoted in the film the car would of bottomed out and the tyres would burst

Another big difference is who's driving those Mini's. No shade at all on number27, but there are very few drivers who have ever possessed the pure driving talent of Rémy Julienne. He could perform miracles in even the lowest powered cars (like the Citroen 2CV in For Your Eyes Only)

These memories will last thoughout our long years of dementia and confinement. I once drove from Plymouth to Glencoe in a Rover 3500S. In some ways, it was a heavy car, but nobody ever beat me away from the traffic lights, and though I was a gentleman in those days, and never abused the engine, keeping it below 4000 rpm, I would race anybody when not on a motorway. After Glasgow, I was caught up by 2 Renault 5s, early edition, standard cars, not the hot hatches that came later. Lightweight, front wheel drive. I held them off for mile after mile along a classic road, narrow, and even narrower when crossing culverts across Rannoch Moor. Eventually, they got the better of me, they were just easier to drive fast in twisty narrow roads, and first one and then the other overtook me. I felt that I had defended well, and perhaps a better driver, with a younger car, could have beaten them, but I arrived in Glencoe with a smile on my face.

@@helloxyz yes, sorry i'm so behind here. I have driven the 3500S, not my own though. So much better, I thought, with the manual g/box and a fine car too. Happy memories for sure. Best etc.,

Black fiat dino coupes, have got to be the best baddie cars in any film.

@@danielnightingale8085 those black Dinos are gorgeous!

@@simonhodgetts6530 whats funny is if you watch the bluray they are all different colours when the doors open. Also Mr beckerman doesnt make it all the way to the river with the miura, he falls out half way down 😂

@@danielnightingale8085 What's even more impressive is how Beckerman got to the tunnel in the first place. You can quite clearly see that when it's pushed over the edge there is no engine or gearbox in it :) Apparently it was just a bodyshell

@@jonathanwells10 magic miura😂

Plus, a fwd car vs a rear wheel drive ?? Obviously, apples vs oranges ! The Mini is a closed go kart, the Alfa, a talented but traditionnal car. No contest.

Well that Alfa had an "Alfaholics-package", look at the wheels and the ride height it is not exactly standard. IMO the older Minis (with the 10 inch wheels) ride better and also have even better road holding. They are lower than the 12- and 13 inch cars. Would have had 75HP at 640Kg. The Alfa would have 98HP and 1040KG. No doubt which one would be quicker.

@@mariopizzamanmario8563 The Mk1 used in the film had 55bhp. By the time you throw two people into each car, the power-to-weight is, as near as dammit, the same. The Alfa, with more power and that slippery shape, will have a higher top speed but the Mini is lighter overall and will be more nimble. I’ve raced a lot of Minis in my 1969 Alfa Giulia coupe - none of us are standard but we’re front runners under our particular regs. They are incredibly nimble (almost too nimble for a race circuit, bizarrely, as it’s almost wasted) and, in the wet, very little can touch them. On an open circuit (Thruxton, Silverstone, etc), I’m quicker. On more twisty, smaller circuits (Knockhill, Anglesey, etc) it’s very close. Through the streets of Turin, I have no doubt the Mini would triumph - on the open road, I think it’s a wash.

@@meanredspider Yes I have raced vs Alfas too... the thing is though, in the Italian Job it is 1 person in the Mini and two policemen in the Alfa. :-)

@@mariopizzamanmario8563 Plus all the gold in the boot...

........now, BL on the other hand did make some terrible cars, terribly.

@@marksbikeexports5123 If they got made at all. ;)

Well said sir, from a true Alfaholic.

....try to drive a simple Vintage"Giulia-1,6-S"-sedan, and you'll feel again the lost -"pure-pleasure" of "driving"!!!

Early Alfas...Rust. Rust. Rust.

OK, so what's the third one? 😁

Give me a Hillman Imp over a Mini for your country road!

@@saxon-mt5by Oh no, not for me. Mini every time. Sorry.

Except a Lotus 7 and a and an updated GT Junior? And a few others

@@nigelfisher3756 Still the Mini, especially when you take cost into account.

My dad bought an early Mini - after the Morris Traveller (early one with 948cc engine) was retired. Before that it had been a Jowett Bradford - the only cars he had any affection for. After that it was into the colourless world of Cortinas and such.

The Cooper S is by far the best option for appreciation. Wee worth spending some more money and buying the Cooper S in the first instance.

and the steering, in the alfa is sloppy in the middle, because it has a steering box,..not a rack, just needs adjusting

@@ukmusichero True, had a few American cars (here in Scotland) and the box always seems to wear in the straight ahead position.

@@Markycarandbikestuff that's is because the steering wheell spends most of it lime in the straight ahead position,...or there abouts

Agreed. Driving my Mini at speed in driving rain did many bad things.

@@raypurchase801 I had a mini 50yrs odd years ago we used fit a little piece of metal on the grill in front of the distributor no trouble in the rain PROBABLY buy Alfa today if i can find one that had not rusted away

@@robertsmith9810 All true.

@@robertsmith9810 there's is a few for sale in Cyprus that are mint check the greek sites out, like the greek auto trader.

My 1st car was a mini and I've owned a few Alfas over the last 50 years. I never had a problem with rain in England with a mini and correctly adjusted the gear shift was fine. I loved my Alfas but they were not perfect.

a 1275 cooper s of the day would manage 100mph, so more than the 90mph you state, which would be for a lesser cooper, say a 998 or 970s. On a good B road, the Alfa would be dropped fairly easily. On motorway, sure, the alfa would be gone as top speed in a mini was never a strong point, but that's not what they are about.

@@markburton8303 well I agree. The mini concept was, as far as I know, a solution to a problem, i.e. being able to drive around in a car so compact it made e.g. London city driving a breeze, park anywhere get through where larger cars couldn't etc. and be fuel efficient.

@@cosmicdebris2223 exactly. It was a car for the people in line with the ethos of the beetle and designed to combat the fuel crisis of the time, while being more practical than the bubble car, which Alec Issigonis hated!

It's context. How fast is a chicken? Not very... now go try to catch one... The Mini is a chicken....

The Alfa's may have given BMW a run for their money.

Thank you very much, really glad you enjoyed it!!

Indeed, though mini added transverse engine, gearbox in sump etc and showed it could make small cars work

In part, the Citroen was the first, mass market popular front-wheel drive, but the Mini was the one that brought together the key packaging features noted by Peter Hurst. It was definitely 20 years more advanced over the Traction Avanf in construction and other areas too. Driven both many times, and the Mini feels much more modern.

There were the fwd Cord models in the USA in the 1930s as well, but were upmarket cars unlike the Mini and Traction Avant.

Same for the Alfa: their prices will go skyrocket

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Someone lent me this race with the Giulia Ti, lotus Cortina and the mini , is it available on dvd 📀 please?

@@johnchurch4705 not sure if you can get the whole race on DVD but there is a great program from the time about the race on you tube.

@@johnphaceas7434 would you know what it’s called please so I could find it on here to watch?

@@johnchurch4705 easy - just search for Sandown Six Hour Race 1965. Its only 22 minutes long.

@@johnphaceas7434 thank you 😊.

Thank you Andrew!!

Sounds awesome!!

Mr Danforth - as a matter of fact, the first Mini prototypes used the 948cc version of the A-series, and it was capable of > 90mph. But it had the carbs at the back and the exhaust at the front, plus they thought that was a bit much. So they turned the motor around and dropped the capacity to the 848 we know and love - the combination of smaller capacity and the additional idler and whatnot to get the gearbox to rotate the right way led to a 10-15mph drop in top speed.

Really interesting, thanks for pointing that out Alec!!

Aesthetics. The use of the Sportpack wide arches and alloys had nothing to do with rallying. 12 inch 'narrow' wheels were standard on the 1275GT from 1974 and were put onto all the mainstream Mini's in 1984 when they gained the 1275GT's bigger 8.4 inch disc brakes in place of their all round drums. At this point the narrow plastic flared arches were introduced as a mainstream item too. Previously they had been available on the 1979 Mini 1100 Special to cover the wider alloy wheels that model came with. The brakes then remained unaltered all the way through to end of production in 2000. The Cooper reboot came along in 1990 and bodily was a standard Mini (with narrow black arches) fitted with a single carb'd 1275cc engined essentially taken from the MG Metro. That engine then gained single point injection in 1992. When the BMW owned Rover Group facelifted the Mini in 1996 (multipoint injection, front mounted radiator and an airbag were the highlights) that was when the Sportpack wide arches and [very heavy] attractive alloy wheels were made available. No motorsport homologation reasoning was behind this, it was simply an option pack. They'll grip for days on those wheels but the handling is quite leaden compared to a standard "narrow" car. Personally I like the look but it's a very Marmite choice. As for values, I am very very sceptical of the £15-£20k possible value for a 1996-2000 Mk6 MPi, unless its a low miles car with a genuine Cooper aftermarket kit (because bear in mind there was no factory S car, only a standard Cooper - which by '96 was relegated to being a trim level and had the exact same engine as the standard Mini). I suppose an ultra low mile last of the line Cooper Sport 500 could be around that money. And the reason a taller person finds the late cars rather cramped is that from late 1992 (if memory serves), Rover fitted much chunkier seats based on those from the Metro, which are far comfier if your under 6 foot tall, but severely compromise the driving position compared to the older much thinner pews.

worked at a rover dealer when this model came out, if you went for the wide wheel package - you lost 6mph off the top speed, due to greater air resistance, and rolling resistance. bmw wanted the mini to make a profit for the first time in its entire life, so it went up £5k for this model, as they were expensive to build [labour intensive]. people moaned, but still bought them all up. the noise [drive by] regulations were really hard to meet, so they moved the radiator to the front to absorb noise, and massively dropped the diff ratio to slow the engine down to pass the test. the car was also raised up to get a catalyst underneath the floor without it scraping the ground. brake pads previously only lasted 6000 miles on minis, so harder pads were fitted, which needed a servo fitting - not easy under a mini bonnet, the brackets are a work of art. fuel injection + airbag were to pass regs, along with headrests + locking seat runners [ fastened at back to floor] it was almost impossible to get into the back seats on this model, as the headrests hit the roof when tilting the seat. the wide wheel/tyre package made it totally undriveable in snow, it could not turn a corner when pulling out of a junction, and special "split tread" tyres were made specifically for this car. basically those wheels were for asthetics only, nowt to do with rallying or brake discs, they looked good + hid the gap under the wheelarches off the reqd jack-up for the cat. standard wheeled cars drove much better , and were faster.

@@smithp573 if you read the book Last of the works mini’s it clearly states the reason they developed the sports pack arches. It was so they could use wider rubber. They were creating a group A spec car that was going to tackle the world rally championship which was cancelled by Rover after they entered the 1996 Monte Carlo rally. To homologate the cars they had to sell the kit on the road cars

@@alecbayford7881 I'm no expert when it comes to Minis, so either story could be true; all I will say is don't believe everything you read in books - even the experts can get things wrong!

Hey thanks Super Seven 7!!

Just re-watched that Iain Tyrell re-inactment today!!

That’s awesome, thanks Lazarus!!

@@Number27 Don't, his singing is cringeworthy.

St Bernard Pass not Stelvio.

@@geoffsaunders4960 Ah ... thanks. I stand corrected. www.theitalianjob.com/the_film_locations_italy.htm

Thanks Henry, I’d love one too!!

but the minis in the movie would've been heavier by all the gold they stuffed into the boot, and the roll cages

Isso-Gonis.. got it now! 😄

@@Number27 Ha!.....top work

Well Said

I'm from the UK, I've owned various Alfa's 146,155,164 and now a GQV, I've never owned a mini but driven quite a few, I'd rather push my Alfa than own a Mini! fortunately I've never needed to, unlike a few of the Mini's. LOL 😆

@@551moley owned proudly both 155 and 146: they were such undeservingly underrated...

@@MOSSFEEN Apologize for my statement but i'm very biased, having the 11th commandment: thou hath no other car than Alfa Romeo. Or "Thou shall not..."? However...

@@Matteo-ks6fn I've loved all the Alfa's, my misses had the 146Ti, I had the 155V6 2.5, I bought it with 80k miles, then converted it to LPG and did 100k miles at close to the economy of a Diesel, roughly equivalent to 45mpg cost wise, The 146Ti felt the most lively, she then had a 164Ts, that felt a bit weak by comparison, She's had a Golf GTD for over 10 years and always said it lacked that "va va voom" hence the GQV now, sadly I've been in various Van's since parting with the 155.

Thanks Patrick, I definitely need to try a Bx!!

Very true. The 10 inch wheels of the originals give the car a noticeably different look. The stripes and interior tweaks just seem unnecessary and make it a bit twee.

Cheers Carl!

Very interesting! Thanks for clarification.

However your videos are very good so you may have the facts but I have never seen a figure that high for them

@@shanedusautoy3661 Thank you for your appreciation. My source is an interview of a former Alfa Romeo engineer, Domenico Chirico. Here's the quote, translated from the Italian original using Google: "the Cx was 0.43, today it's funny but at the time it was awesome. Only the Citroen DS and a Porsche were better."

Thanks Ryan, that Mini Mayfair sounds awesome!

I was just thinking the 1.4 l from the modern 500 Abarth would probably work really well in a classic Mini.

@@Surestick88 That would be good, I think some people have put Honda Civic 2.0 type R engines in them also…….. bet that would wake you up on a morning 😂

Love a Fulvia!!

There’s not much between the Giulia and the Fulvia - both fabulous cars with masses of history. I’d take the Alfa for what it gives - which is more than just the drive. As an appreciating classic the Fulvia is well worth a place on any petrolhead’s drive.

Wow, enjoy your Giulia!! Hoping to get one sometime!!

This car is on Weber 40s. Glad you like my car 👍

@@christophergavin9188 You have a stunning car! Those wheels and Alfaholics suspension package are very tasteful upgrades. Lovely steering wheel as well.

@@christophergavin9188 Swapped my 69 Mini Cooper for a 72 giulia with 2.0 nord engine (I still have the 1.3 engine) both cars are brilliant, back roads for minis autostradas for Alfa, love them both, I think I’m going to get a mini as well though at some because I miss it. P.S my Alfa has trick bits from Alfaholics like yours (kinda)

That would have been preferable but this isn’t supposed to be a forensic comparison, rather a bit of fun. I’m not in a position to be able to pick exactly the.cars I want for videos.. have to make do with what I can get hold of! Thanks for watching!

@@Number27 dont get me wrong, it was still a top comparison so keep up the good work Jack,

Loved the video but a Mini with hydrolastic suspension would handle much better and less 'bumpy'

A 1990 RSP Cooper that came on 12 inch wheels with a 3.44 diff as standard is the most fun you can have on four wheels! Exhilarating even at low speeds!

My reading suggested it was mk1 Coopers in the film - not that we should be pedantic because it’s all a bit of fun.

Thanks buddy.. interesting to know about the SA version!!

@@Number27 it would be so cool if, one day, you can do a video on classics, like the Mini GTS, unique to South Africa - the Ford-approved Basil Green Capri Perana, BMW 745i (with the M1 engine), Alfa GTV 3.0, Ford Sierra XR8, BMW 333i and 325iS, Kadett GSi 16V SuperBoss, to name a few - at times we had to make do, and most times, did better! Hey, make a holiday out of it!

No way.no supercharged were ever used in Giulia Super 1600.they were mildly tuned and,later on,Police used the larger 1750 engine

@@claudioperotti9439 giulia super ti

No, my uncle drove Carabinieri's Giulias in 60s and 70s and They werent supercharged. Ti stands for Turismo Internazionale.

@@francis8062 in which country?not in Italy for sure.the only supercharged Giulia were the prototype Giulia GTA SA which was a mess of unreliability.so it's impossible that an engine like that were used for an hard every day use

@@francis8062 I know they weren't all supercharged but I read that some special pursuit cars were.

It is nice to be able to drive and then give back the keys!!

Definitely, thanks Malcolm!!

Yes, quite different. Ideally I would have used an original but the price is 3 times that of a Giulia now.. plus I didn’t have access to one!

@@Number27 wow, that's a lot! Three Giulias for one Mini, if you would've told people that back in the day they would've thought you're mad.

Still had rubber suspension. One airbag, and side impact beams only 1997 on. Don't think they ever had power steering.

Thank you for watching Mahmoud!

This is the problem I have with this vid. There's no like-for-like comparison. I own newer Alfas and love'em. I've also owned a 1275 GT 1977 Mini - both give smiles per mile.

that´s my point

@Uncle Gilbert lets talk about the new Rover instead ,what?what about triumph? what ?did germans bought and destroyd such good english brands? jaguar to. oh, theres nothig to say

I miss my sports pack..😢

Then put your brakes on or we'll be in the cab

Put yer foot daan, you’ll lose ‘em easy!!!

I could eat a horse, hahaha

Had something similar happen to me but with a Sunbeam Lotus on a V plate. It was a company car , the guy who drove it had been drinking so a mate of his drove it home and lost it in rain on a double bend when he discovered that flooring the 2.2 twin cam the way he’d floor his 998cc fiesta wasn’t a great idea, he froze and the spinning lotus undressed herself of front panels along with caved in sides . I actually had tears in my eyes when I went to see the wreck. I’ll never own one now 😭

Giulia has dual Webers

Interesting to hear that,, Thanks for watching Will!

Focus ST? My Alfa 147 1.6 out turns those, well it out turns everything that runs up at me in the bends, most underrated car going the 147, I call it the MX-5 slayer.

There aren't too many genuine Cooper S Minis knocking about anymore, and even less who are actually driven. They're all mostly rich boy toys that never get used now. Not sure how you expect Jack to just manifest someone with a Cooper S to just give him the keys to one.

@@MrManBuzz plenty of people have built replicas, just like myself

I'm an alfa fan like yourself but the old giulia does not have a rear mounted gearbox with inboard disks or de dion rear axle, that only came out with the alfetta series. I won't be parting with my alfa 90, I have never driven a car with more character.