Life Of Spice £25 + p&p
Author: Gordon Spice
Hardback, 256 pages, 32 colour & 100 b&w illustrations

Minifilms has met Gordon Spice and will hopefully have some exciting news to bring you in the next few weeks. He's the real deal and his autobiography has lots to interest the Mini enthusiast. Gordon Spice's life and his 23-year professional driving career includes politically incorrect, wickedly witty recollections of the racing scene in Europe, Australia, USA and the Caribbean, from the sixties to the eighties. An amusing raconteur, Spice recalls the ups and downs of his dual careers in business and racing. These include creating his own car accessory empire, floating his company on the UK stock exchange, and becoming a successful race car constructor. At the same time Gordon won many national and international championships, participating in 27 24-hour races which included 14 Le Mans and winning the Spa 24 hours in Belgium. A fascinating and humorous read, with the emphasis on entertainment. 

Author: Graham Robson
Softback, 128 pages, 100+mainly b/w pages
Price: £15.99 + postage

This book describes the birth, development, and rallying career of the BMC Mini-Cooper/Mini-Cooper in the 1960s, providing a compact and authoritative history of where, when and how it became so important to the sport. Includes... Full detailed history of the Mini’s rally career; complete story of concept, design and development; unrivalled coverage of people and influences behind the cars; step-by-step account of technical evolution; description of cars: why, how and when evolved; details of principal people involved; comparison with rivals; complete listing of important successes and works Minis

Mini: haynes Great Cars Series / Author: Graham Robson / Hardback 160 pages, 250+ photos / 250x250mm / £19.99

A worthy addition to the Haynes Great Cars Series, this book chronicles the history of the legendary Mini, from humble beginnings as the brainchild of Alec Issigonis, through 41 years of production, to its rightful status as a British motoring icon. The author also devotes space to the Mini's success in motor sport, where it proved to be a formidable performer. Detailed, authoritative and highly illustrated throughout, this is the essential guide to the Mini's evolution from ubiquitous saloon, through practical, utility and upmarket variants, to the feisty Coopers.

Last Works Minis / Author: Bryan Purvis and Tim Brenchley 192 pages, 400+ photos 170x238mm / Price: 29.99

The Mini, the car of the 20th Century and still in motorsport in 1997, 35 years after its 1st event. This book sets out to complete the untold recent history of the mighty "works Mini" in international motorsport. How the Mini came to be in Monte Carlo and at the famous Nurburgring battling with the giant teams such as Fiat and Citroen. Of how different manufacturers where building "works" cars on either side of Birmingham but not knowing the other existed. It tells the story of cars developed from 1994 up to the last group A cars of 1997, with fuel injection and six speed sequential gearboxes. The book also covers Rover's plan to go around the world competing in various rounds of the world rally championship. It's all here, copies of Rover internal documents plus many unseen photos that Rover would not want you to see, if they were still around. With many unseen photos of the car's development, copies of Rover's internal documents, copy pages from the road books of top rallies, all of this in color this book truly brings this previously untold story to life.

Anatomy of the Works Minis, Rally, Racing & Rallycross Cars / Author: Brian Moylan / 96 pages, softback, 60+ photos / 250x207mm Price: 16.99. Particularly famous for their great adventures in the Monte Carlo Rally, works Minis humbled many bigger and more powerful cars in international motorsport during the 1960s and 1970s. Mechanic Brian Moylan spent 22 years in the workshops of the BMC Competitions Department where the works cars were built. Here, all the secrets of how ordinary production line Mini-Coopers were converted into the mighty giant-killing Minis of motorsport are revealed in great detail. Minis are still hugely popular in club motorsport and Mini racing series today. The book includes contributions on the racing Mini from Ginger Devlin and the rallycross Mini from 'Jumping Jeff' Williamson.

Paddy Hopkirk / Author: Bill Price with Paddy Hopkirk / 176 pages, Hardback, 250 illustrations / 270x210mm / Price: 18.99 Paddy Hopkirk, winner of the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally, is one of Britain's best-known rally drivers and made the motorsport big time in Mini Coopers. A disarmingly modest man, Paddy originally approached BMC with the plea, 'I do want to drive cars which are capable of winning rallies outright, even if I'm not'. From winning at a 1955 St Patrick's Day Trial in a VW Beetle to the 1990 Pirelli Classic Marathon, won in a Mini Cooper S, his glittering career is described in all its glory, with lots of tales of amusing escapades along the way.

Author: Jon Pressnell
Hardback, 288 pages, 350 colour and b/w pictures
Price: £30 + postage

The fruit of 20 years of research, this is the book on the Mini, produced to celebrate 50 years of the innovative small car and true British motoring icon. Acknowledged Mini expert Jon Pressnell has produced an authoritative, comprehensive and lavishly illustrated history, full of never-before-seen testimony from those involved with the car throughout its 41 years in production. A large format and lively design complete the package, making this the definitive history of the definitive small car.