10 replies to this topic

[Pitcrew6464]

mini and dunlop together developed the 1st run flat tyre!!

[Midas Mk1]

The denovo.

[Nick04]

yep, fitted to 1275gt as an extra from 1976!!

[govig]

Fitted to mine as standard in 1979 unfortunately. As I drove the brand new car away from Mann Egerton in Nottingham, I had a flat tyre! 2 miles late it broke down (wire fell off the coil but luckily the rev counter suddenly dropping to zero gave it away). PDI performance from this huge BL dealer - nil and they wonder why people bought something else next time.

Those Denovos lasted about 5000 miles of spirited driving.

Edited by govig, 20 October 2011 - 12:37 PM.

[ibrooks]

I've got a set of Denovo rims and tyres buried in the back garden.

Iain

[Nick04]

I've got a set of rim, been looking for new/ old stock tyres for my gt!!

[Ivor Badger]

I've got a set of Denovo rims and tyres buried in the back garden.

Iain

Seems about the best place to fit them. Around 1990 you went to the tyre dealer with your Denouse fitted mini and for £100, the dealer supplied you with a set of new 12" wheels and tyres as Dunlop had thankfully decided to stop making them.

Best summed up by Brian Culceth who was to use Denouses on his works Marina on the RAC. In testing the car was 1 second/mile faster with the tyres inflated over totally flat.

[Cooperman]

I've got a set of Denovo rims and tyres buried in the back garden.

Iain

Seems about the best place to fit them. Around 1990 you went to the tyre dealer with your Denouse fitted mini and for £100, the dealer supplied you with a set of new 12" wheels and tyres as Dunlop had thankfully decided to stop making them.

Best summed up by Brian Culceth who was to use Denouses on his works Marina on the RAC. In testing the car was 1 second/mile faster with the tyres inflated over totally flat.

Brian Culcheth was a very quick driver in Minis too. He's an old buddy of mine and a really great bloke. He had some great results driving Cooper 'S's. However, that Marina was a real heap of junk - almost as bad as the Allegro. How could the company which designed the Mini produce such awful cars?

[maggies_minder]

i thought the proper name for the Allegro was the Allaggro??

[mab01uk]

However, that Marina was a real heap of junk - almost as bad as the Allegro. How could the company which designed the Mini produce such awful cars?

The BL takeover plan for BMC was to make all the Austin range front wheel drive and all Morris range rear wheel drive cars. The Marina was supposed to be BL's answer to the top selling Ford Cortina for the big company car/sales rep market dominated by very conventional rear wheel drive Ford and Vauxhalls.........as always BL had to do it on the cheap and to save money used the ancient Morris Minor suspension, so the handling was scary, especially on the MGB engined Marina 1800TC versions! The Allegro looked good in the original designer concept sketches but BL later added the very tall 1500/1750 E series engine/gearbox to the design spec which required a much higher side profile /bonnet line and so ruined the designers shape and gave it that 'dumpy' look........not to mention the square 'Quartic' steering wheel!

Dunlop Denovo:
http://www.aronline.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=15834&start=0

Edited by mab01uk, 20 October 2011 - 10:58 PM.

[Cooperman]

However, that Marina was a real heap of junk - almost as bad as the Allegro. How could the company which designed the Mini produce such awful cars?

The BL takeover plan for BMC was to make all the Austin range front wheel drive and all Morris range rear wheel drive cars. The Marina was supposed to be BL's answer to the top selling Ford Cortina for the big company car/sales rep market dominated by very conventional rear wheel drive Ford and Vauxhalls.........as always BL had to do it on the cheap and to save money used the ancient Morris Minor suspension, so the handling was scary, especially on the MGB engined Marina 1800TC versions! The Allegro looked good in the original designer concept sketches but BL later added the very tall 1500/1750 E series engine/gearbox to the design spec which required a much higher side profile /bonnet line and so ruined the designers shape and gave it that 'dumpy' look........not to mention the square 'Quartic' steering wheel!

Dunlop Denovo:
http://www.aronline....t=15834&start=0

And you might remember that if you jacked an 'All-agro' with a jack under the sub-frame and up with the doors open the screen would either break or fall out!
They actually built a 1300 cc 'All-agro' works rally car with a Cooper 'S'-spec engine. Several top-line drivers had a go including Russell Brookes and Pat Ryan, but I don't think it ever finished an event.
I was invited to drive a Marina at its initial launch. My road car then was a 1-year old Cortina 1600E. I drove the 1800 Marina and it was really dreadful. I invited the salesman to drive my 1600E and asked him what he though. He said it was obvious I was not going to want a Marina any time soon.
Actually I did a couple of Motoring News Championship rallies in a Marina 1800TC as navigator to the very quick Cec Offley. We actually got into the top ten on one event. I don't know how, just Cec's fantastic driving ability I guess.
Cec was driving my Cooper 'S' on the Pirelli Classic marathon in 1989 when we hit a truck head on. It was a pity as our Mini team of 3 Cooper 'S's was leading team, the other two Minis being Paddy Hopkirk and Alistair Vines.