I was having a think the other day (a shock, i know, but it happens).

Should the GT be revered like the Cooper S's's's..

Or was it just a last ditch effort by Leyland, already stung by the lack of popularity of the new "Ford Clubman", to reclaim the swinging 60's popularity of the S.

I was reading that the UK 1275GT (as opposed to the Aussie Clubman GT) had inferior performance to the 1275 Cooper S.

So is the Aussie GT just a common clubby with the heart of a Cooper S (a swap i'm sure every man and his dog would've made themselves) or is it's own entity with it's own heart?

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I voted for it being a classic. In the same way that a nice looking Datsun 120Y will be a classic, one day.

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.

must be the grille

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Classic cynical marketing parts-bin special.

Like a Lada Samara Brock.

Definately a classic with a lot less around than any other mini models ( except sunshine) and lets not forget in the end of its days they were lapping around Bathurst quicker than the Cooper S ever did!

I'd say both , it was the next evolution of the cooper s in Australia (rest of the world got the cooper s mk 3 , plus the UK clubbie GT, we didn't have roundie bodies still in production so it became the clubman gt) but it is also a seperate entitiy and a classic in it's own right .

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GTs are over 25 years old, therefore they are classic.

Two factors make the Aussie GT a great collectable car:
1. Its limited production numbers.
2. Being based on Cooper S mechanicals.

It’s certainly the most collectable of the Clubman models, but lacks the Cooper S’ originality, popularity, and motor sport achievements.

So in my option it isn’t a classic but it is a very collectable car that any Mini enthusiast would love to have in his or her garage.

so i guess i qualify then

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I actually think that all Aussie made minis are a classic.

Just look at the number of posts we have on this forum for a car that ceased production back in 1978. Not many other cars that old in Australia still have this popularity and are still on the road!

Cheers,
Birty.

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Cheers,
Rob.

Its great to read peoples idea of why a car is a classic it took from 1964-71 to sell the 7500 odd Cooper Ss and only 18 months to sell the 1000 GTs when th cars performance had been exceeded by 3 local manufactures with Torana's and Falcon Gts and valiants that only cost a few 100 more.

Me thinks this is just another try by the Cush to try and start another roundie V Square battle

Jon

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Roundies and Clubbies(except vans) are both ugly that is why I have Midas and a van
1293 Mini Midas Bronze,1275 Clubman van

So it is a classic cynical marketing parts-bin special that sold well.

I reckon a classic deffinately.

Rarity is an important factor here as it was so rare precisely because of the parts bin attitude - BLMC were getting rid of the last of the Cooper S gear they had left (and so the Clubby GT was born almoust by mistake) and essentialy killing off an era of performance minis.

Plus its uniqueness as its a true Aussie performance mini (the UK 1275GT with the stock BMC 1275 unit, single carb etc was far more common and ordinary - many more were made than of all the Cooper S models).

They say the GT had many advantages (supposedly a queter cabin, obviously a better but in retospect uglier interior and more space in the engine bay), but it was also a dissapointment as the mini needed a substantial upgrade by then and the clubby GT fell far short of that. Plus its a dubious deffinition of "inovation" to deliver a new model of a car (especialy a performance vehicle like the GT) with a cosmetic reshape that made it even less aerodynamic and the added lenght being used for more space not in the passenger cabin where it was needed but in the engine compartment where it was not needed (or atleast was not used).

But I guess any mini is as attractive because of its faults as for its qualities so yea deffinately a classic.

that's a good point.. does rarity contribute to a cars "classicity"?

that would strike the Fiat Bambino and Volkswagen Beetles from classic list..



different average financial circumstances would've played a larger part..

but it's not about how fast things sold... but whether it's a classic or not..

it may very well have sol quickly because it was cooper S motor in a handy carry case...

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Cush

nice cut and paste but don't leave off the bit of what the clubman had to sell against and lets just get a few things right from others

!. the clubman body is more aerodynamic than the round nose as proved by the higher top speeds attained down conrod and on race tracks all over the country

2 It was not wel marketed as Leyland was spending most of its marketing budget on the hew P76 and the Marina range which it saw as a better prospect in sales go figure


Jon

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Roundies and Clubbies(except vans) are both ugly that is why I have Midas and a van
1293 Mini Midas Bronze,1275 Clubman van