timmy201 wrote:
The problem with telling people exactly how to identify a Cooper S is you're also telling the undesirables how to make a very good copy of one too.
That may be the case, but by keeping the knowledge in the heads of a few experts we are playing completely into hands of unscrupulous people who create replicas and then try to pass them off as genuine. If the information is not in the public domain the dodgy seller can make claims about original features that a potential buyer may find hard to refute. Not all buyers have the opportunity or desire to employ a car club expert to examine a car, and car club experts are not equally proficient.
In my view we should have a publication for Australian produced cars along the lines of what John Parnell's
Original Mini Cooper and Cooper S book does for UK made vehicles. It would explain the areas to check to help verify if a car is likely to be what it is claimed to be, whether Cooper, Cooper S, Clubman GT, or whatever. Of course the Cooper S often commands the highest price and I happen to have one so that's the model I would start with. The publication would have detailed photos and explanation of the things to look for. As a simple example, it would show up close the precise location of the tabs in the boot area for the fuel tank breather tubes and their method of attachment, which is spot welded for most cars. Spot welds penetrate to the other side of the panel and are very hard if not impossible to replicate in some areas of the body shell once it's assembled, so that's one thing a buyer would check and tick off. I reckon most replica builders would not know that the aperture for the right hand tank is
not in a mirror image position to the aperture for the left hand tank. The relevant measurements would be detailed. Many of you reading this will have long lists of other items and areas to check, like the check sheet
kiwiinwtgn mentioned above.
The guide would have good quality images of the ID plates, ADR Compliance plates and body shell stampings used throughout production showing the font used, method of stamping (machine or hand, from front or rear) and whether characters are upper or lower case. Making a really good replica of a plate that would pass close scrutiny is not an easy task in my view. According to my research the factory stamps used on the body shell are not easily obtainable. This means a replica builder would have to go to a lot of time, trouble and expense to create a near perfect car that would stand up to close examination by someone with the guide in hand. Hopefully, most would no longer bother as the effort would not be worth it. Replicas built in the past could also be subjected to closer scrutiny, and owners unsure if they have a genuine car or replica would have the information to let them check.
In the same way Mini enthusiasts have collaborated to produce the marque registers now published on Ausmini I believe there could be a community project to generate a detailed guide that would allow novices to check a prospective purchase. In addition, having an expert examine the car would minimise the likelihood of it being non-genuine.
As an aside, when I came back into the Mini community a few years ago I asked several car clubs if they could provide a copy of the document they used when assessing cars entered in concours competitions. I figured that if I was going to enter a Cooper S in such an event I should know what things the judges would be looking for and scoring against. The answer was that the document I was seeking did not exist or was not available to me. In essence it meant I should just trust the judging panel who were the experts. Whilst not a particularly encouraging response it got me thinking that the Mini community needed a publication like I've described. I haven't produced a draft yet, but I do have a lot of material that could be referenced and included. A possible title would be
Anatomy of an Australian Cooper S.
What do others think?
