In 1974 with the introduction of the bigger disc brakes on the 1275 GT, the Mini began to move away from it’s cute little 10in rims, and fitted 145/70 boots, onto 12in wheels, instead.

For some considerable time now, a proper tyre has not been available to compliment the handling of these sporty and fun little cars that are such an endearing part of the British driving culture, not to mention the thousands that have been used as kitcar donors.

The good news is that Michelin has stepped up to the mark and filled the gap with the reintroduction of the perfect More >

Invented by a United States Air Force aircraft mechanic Grypmat could just be a very special product that will greatly help you in the garage and/or workshop.

Fed up with not being able to reach tools and nuts and bolts to hand while working on jet aircraft, he decided to create his own tool-tray, which has ended-up winning crowd-funding and entering production as Grypmat.

It’s a funky, orange-coloured non-slip, non-magnetic and chemical resistant anti-static rubber tool-tray that keeps your tools and fasteners in place. It’s really advanced stuff and it can be placed at any angle, with not so much as a More >

FF Buggy re-launched

If you’ve been following the kitcar scene for a few years the name FF Kit Cars & Conversions was a popular manufacturer producing a nice range of beach buggies, from 1983.

Founded by a nice chap called Tim Cooksey the company sold a good number of their Beetle-based kits especially in long wheelbase format. In 1986, the kit moved to Country Volks.

TV presenter, Anneka Rice used a pair of FFs in her ‘Challenge Anneka’ TV show (built by Stevespeed) before she moved on to a beefier Dakar, but the FF kit was a pretty looking buggy, although clearly inspired More >

I hate old and discoloured-looking tyres and they can really ruin the appearance of an otherwise clean car that you have spent a few hours washing and polishing.

However, Infinity Rubber Wax should help you achieve and maintain a better look, as the maker’s claim that it returns faded sidewalls to showroom-like condition leaving them with a subtle sheen rather than false over-glossy look.

Also, via the soft applicator included in the pack the product is solvent-free so won’t perish the tyres while water will bead-up on the sidewall, too. It impressed me.

Infinity Rubber Wax costs £14.99 inc VAT and is available More >

Fitting new wheels and then making them fill the arches of your kitcar is a practice about as old as automotive modification itself, one that’s traditionally been typified by inelegant, oversized wheels with bolt-holes drilled at approximate locations.

Regular wheel spacers simply haven’t evolved in-line with car tuning as a whole, and when you consider just how significant wheels and their fixing systems are from a safety point of view, that’s simply unacceptable (I had a spacer let go at 120mph+ at Bruntingthorpe once. It ain’t clever…).

Fortunately, there’s now a far more sophisticated way of going about widening your car’s track, More >