Last week I received the first carpet set from All Car Carpets for a MK II Cooper S based on the original BMC Australia engineering drawings as provided to them.
The aim was to produce carpet that matched as closely as possible what was fitted in the car when new.
Apart from the shape of the component pieces and the final stitched assembly they attempted to match the material for the carpet and the edge binding, as well as the fitted elements such as the plastic protector strips and rivets on the rear section, the press stud female clips to suit the male stud screwed to the Cooper S floor, the heel mat on the front section and the toe pad on the wheel well piece.
In my view this is the closest to original that I have seen from a commercial auto carpet supplier.
I need to state that I have no financial or any other interest in ACC. All I did was provide them with the BMC drawings, my set of old original carpets and a request to manufacture a carpet that would not look out of place in my 1970 Cooper S. ACC was chosen because it is a family run business with a long history of involvement in the BMC vehicle community and the factory is located not too far from me in suburban Melbourne. The owner David Clark was extremely enthusiastic about being involved in this project and took personal pride in producing a quality result.
Here are some comparative images of my original carpet pieces next to the new equivalent. Note that apparent size differences are just because of the angle I took the photo. They are the same size in real life.
Attachment:
Carpet MK II S Firewall.jpg
Attachment:
Carpet MK II S Front.jpg
Attachment:
Carpet MK II S Rear.jpg
Attachment:
Carpet MK II S Sills and Crosspiece.jpg
Attachment:
Carpet MK II S Wheel Well.jpg
The only noticeable area of difference is the material used for the toe pad. It's very similar but not exactly the same grain pattern. ACC are trying to source something closer to the original.
On this prototype a few areas have been marked on the rear but not cut out. This is to allow me to fit it to my car and ensure they are in exactly the right spot. Additionally there were some changes made during the MK II S production period that a customer will need to confirm if they don't want missing holes or unused holes. For example the floor dipper switch in my car apparently was deleted late in production. Also, from 1971 a rail was fitted to the rear floor as part of the seat anti-tilt mechanism requirement for ADR.
I'm hoping this exercise has been worthwhile for the wider Mini community striving for originality in their cars. I'm extremely happy with the outcome for my own needs.
I see ACC now sell replacement protector strips and rivets for those who have good carpet but broken or missing strips.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mini-Rover- ... 0012.m1985Here are their contact details:
All Car Carpets
1A / 61-63 Canterbury Road
Montrose, VIC, 3765
Tel: 1800 227 628
sales@all-car-carpets.com.aueBay:
https://www.ebay.com.au/str/All-Car-Car ... 7675.l2563