Mintex Classic in Market to Brake Historics Better

New brake linings from specialists Mintex, one of the pioneers of braking technology and in that market place for over 100-years, have seen a 1950s Aston Martin with drum-brakes reduce its lap times and take a podium finish at Goodwood.

The 1955 Aston Martin DB3S (chassis number 104, one of the well-known ‘Kangaroo Stable’ Astons) is owned by Steve Boultbee Brooks and was one of the first cars to experience Mintex Classic’s bespoke service. The manufacturer’s team of experts worked closely with Steve and Blakeney Motorsport to develop the perfect friction material for the DB3S. In recent times finding a replacement shoe lining has been a struggle and the car had been using an extruded roll ‘industrial material’ which has a relatively high rubber content to make it flexible. This, with the addition of shoe platforms that were too twisted and bent, had seriously impacted on the car’s braking performance, particularly during races where the car reaches up to 140mph and brake temperatures are 400 celsius plus.

Mintex replaced the shoes and then completely relined the brakes using an advanced friction material. This not only more than doubled the car’s overall braking performance, but has also had a significant impact on Steve’s racing times, including a podium finish at the 73rd Goodwood Members’ Meeting at the beginning of this year.

Mintex has launched ‘Mintex Classic’ to service the classic car market, both racing and road use, for pads and shoes. It has extended its racing range to ensure parts are readily available on a wide range of classic cars including Ford, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Rover and Triumph as well as an exclusive bespoke service for more specialised cars.

Lawrence Bleasdale, Strategic Sales Director of Mintex, said: “Mintex Classic race material has been specially designed for the classic rally and circuit racing industry as the pads/linings reach a higher temperature than standard cars. The exceptional results that Steve’s Aston Martin DB3S has achieved are testament to the quality of the new Mintex Classic brakes and the unique knowledge from our team of expert technicians. We have also specifically produced a classic road material for the non-racing classic owner, to provide a consistent and quiet road performance.”

The brakes will use modern materials on historic back plates and platforms to refashion pads from the late 1950s and shoes from earlier, with Mintex aiming to recreate a period of racing dominance.

“As someone who is passionate about cars and racing, I have been absolutely delighted with the performance and results achieved by the new Mintex Classic brakes,” said Boultbee Brooks. “While the car still runs perfectly, it was near impossible to find a friction material that performed well under such strenuous operating conditions. Mintex’s expert team has been fantastic from start to finish, advising on the best solution for my car. I can’t recommend them enough – the results we have achieved so far certainly speak for themselves!”

Mintex launched its Classic range and Classic racing range at this month’s Goodwood Revival. The range will be sold online and distributed by Questmead, expert manufacturer and distributor of specialist racing products for the classic market.