Hi Guys,

Firstly, I've been a member of the forum for a while, and a 'stalker' of it for much longer, but here goes my first 'real' post......

Initially my foray into Mini ownership was going to be a concern when I get home from a 6 month trip OS - firstly through a std car I could 'play' with before saving the pennys to get hold of a Mk1 or 2 Cooper S down the line. That being said, I'm still OS (doing as they do in Rome currently!) and have the possibility of getting my hands on a Mk1 Cooper S from a friend back home that I've been keeping an eye on for a few months from over here!

As i know very little about the little details of what makes a Cooper S a 'real' Cooper S, I was hoping you guys could help me out.

I believe the car is a 64 Mk 1 (?) and has been off the road for a few years whilst the owner did some resto work on it.

To my knowledge, the car was never raced, nor crashed etc.

Anyhow - what should I look out for on the initial inspection to ensure it is in fact a Mk1 Cooper S and not a non-S version that has been 'spec'd up'.

Any help, tips, info, books to buy/steal/read - ANYTHING would be appreciated!
Cheers
Nathan.

Hi NT & welcome to Ausmini.

I would suggest you go and purchase the book "Original Mini Cooper and Cooper S" by John Parnell. It is a good start to show you the differences between the Std cars and the Coopers, It has a small section on Aussie built cars too. Its just a start tho, theres a number of good books on the subject & theres plenty of people on here that will be able to answer your questions.

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Have a Nice Day.
If already having a nice day please disregard.

What he said...^^^
If it is in fact a `64 Cooper S, it is not an Oz built one. These didn't come out until late 1965.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Hello and welcome Nathan.

The Parnell book is great if you are interested in purchasing a UK built Cooper/Coper S. It will get very confusing though if you are a beginner referencing Parnells book against the Aussie Cooper S. It leads to a plethora of misconceptions.

I recommend buying issues 1 and 14 of The Mini Experience Magazine http://miniexperience.com.au. Issue 1 compares an Aussie MK1 S to a UK MK1 S. All be it, the Aussie MK1 S featured in the magazine is an early production example so it has differences compared to the majority of MK1's built. Issue 14 features the 1969 Aussie MK2 S, again a production period that can vary in its specification. It also has general info on both the Aussie MK1 S and Aussie MK2 S regarding ID info.

If you are seriously considering purchasing a particular car, I would also recommend taking along with you someone experienced in identifying these cars. There are many on this forum that would be willing to help you out.

PS: Your friends car would need to be a UK production if its a true Cooper S as Aussie production only started in 1965.

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In the garage:
1970 Morris Cooper S MK2 | 2010 MINI Cooper JCW Challenge Edition

Now with new owners:
1964 Morris 850 Van | 1965 Morris Cooper S MK1 | 1976 Leyland Mini | 1999 Rover Mini Cooper Classic | 2006 MINI Cooper JCW

Great book parnell, really inspiring stuff when you're putting a car together..

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Thanks guys for the tips.....i've been cramming as much info from the web as I can - so we're getting there.

The Parnell book on amazon is £219......wow.....that might need to wait in line i think.

Thanks for the tips on the Ed of TME - i have the last 6 or so editions, so i'll have to jump on and grab the back orders too.

Like i said, any info or assistance would be, and is, greatly appreciated!

my advice would be to ask someone on here to go with you to check the car out.

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the mokeman cometh...........

Here is a better price on the Parnell book https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/ShopBa ... 4494656842

Cheers
Steve

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1964 998cc Cooper
1971 Mini K x 2
1972 Clubman GT