Old Minis handle better than anything else, ever. Not even cars with three times the power will stay with a well driven mini on a bumpy twisty English back road. That was the "dry" ones (very very old). The very very early ones with leading trailing front shoes really did not stop at all. The early fuel tanks were only 4 gallons (UK). Horrid driving position.

Hydrolastic ones less rigid suspension, still handle very very well.

Many coopers and clubmen had disc brakes (mostly the 12" wheel ones) and those brakes were fine but you do need to know how to adjust a handbrake. The drum ones need hard linings, minifins (finned alloy brake drums), and a fair-sized remote servo. Getting the drum ones to stop straight can be hard.

Mingulay is right about the rot. They also tend to leak - it's partly the sill structure. Watch out for the swinging arm bushes too.

The electrics are not a problem if you use a proper rubber cover over the distributor, and use lots of vaseline (or fit an optoelectronic distributor with a remote "brains"). And at least everything can be dismantled so it can be fixed - none of this computerised "fit a new one" rubbish.

Even the 1275S is slow today. The 850 had a top speed of 72 and a 0-60 tme of 22 seconds.   But did 50 to the gallon on unleaded. A supercharger would fix that, and most did not blow up as a result. I had a tuned 850 estate that was slow away from rest but would do a steady 95, if you had earplugs.

Many are going to need modification to run lead-free. Early heaters are crap, later ones not very good, apart from the Clubmen with the cortina-style dashboard vents. Heater hoses can leak on your feet.

It would be possible to modify a 1275GT today with modern turbocharger techology to do about 125, at astronomical revs. It would wreck clutches and gearboxes on a regular basis. It would be uninsurable. But the brakes and handling would not be the problem. Even without a turbo or supercharger it should be possible to get tha engine out to 1440 cc and about 120bhp at 8000 revs - but it will be expensive and very noisy, and a bit sudden to drive(!). It should also be possible to drop a metro turbo engine straight in (pretty much) if you can find one.

Much of the DIY requires a well trained python. I knew one guy who swore the best way to change the bypass hose was to take the head off. Usually engine and gearbox out to change the clutch. Another mate of mine used to undo everything at the front, and then lift the car off the engine and subframe.

But if you can get a standard nice 1275GT, or if you want to carry a fullsize toothbrush, a 998 non-woodie estate, it should be perfectly usable today.

Fit Cibie headlamps if you want to see after dark.

The car magazine you want is "Practical Classics".