Check out what the Canadians did to the mini back in the 70's!

Gotta say, it ain't pretty...



America and Canada Seemed to ruin the aesthetics of a lot of imported cars back then, MG's in particular.

I can still see the raised area where the indicators were ment to be, I wonder if they're solid steel blanked off or some sort of grommet/cap?

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Respect mine and I'll respect yours.

It could be like our adr rules over there

Just blanked off with a flat disk. Its weird, they had to modify the subframe bolts holes for the bumper supports but they don't seem to have used a new pressing to do it.

Tim

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1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian

Mmmmm, nice, and the Moke side lights just blend in perfectly.

Spot on, they had to move the bumpers up to comply with the road rules over there. You would think they could have made it a bit more of a design exercise and made them look good though!

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Current 1970 Mini K - full resto happening - finished and on the road since 10/2020
2001 Falcon AUII XL 1 Tonne styleside ute

Mini History
1963 - 850 - wish I still had it
1965 - 850 - was an unfinished project, gone
1972 - Clubbie

It looks like a nerdy teenager with braces!

Theres an article on aronline

http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/cars/mi ... ian-minis/

Very funky...

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Most likely some Bureaucrat trying to protect the US car market! What difference would raising the bumper make? Other than making the car less appealing! I'd still buy one

I gotta admit, that green one is actually pretty funky... i like it!

Does that green car represent the full accessories catalog at the time?

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

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

I am pretty sure watto did a story on those Canadian ones a while back and fully explained why the design laws of the time required it.
I believe it was to do with all cars having the bumper bars at the same height.

We had 2 Canadian Mini 1000s with what have been called the "fugly" bumpers...the early one had the front running/signal lights on a bracket on the bumper beam. The later ones had the same lights installed in thoroughly buggered grill slats.

When we rebuilt/modified my younger son's '76 1000, we got rid of the bumpers, retroed to chrome bumpers, put front indicators in the apron and added smallish driving lights. When I rebuilt what had been my older son's '80 1000, I did the same and added the later rear assemblies with the built in reversing light.

AFTER - What became of my 1980 sedan known as POOH after restore/modifications:



BEFORE - POOH close to original except for front indicators on the bumper beam, 5" 100+ wheels/Yokies and City Flairs:



AFTER - My younger son's 1976 sedan after restore/rebuild:

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Select a gear, bring up the revs and release the clutch...off you go!

http://bmcexperience.com.au/issue-22/canadian-minis.html

Full explanation on the why - but yes, to get the bumper height uniform (until the suspension sags, anyway)

There is a close-up photo of the blanking plate for the indicator.

A shame I didn't know about that photo at the start of this thread - it is a beauty.



A bit the other way around, actually. The Special Export Moke (aka Californian) had the sidelights from these Minis (and MG), rather than the other way around.

Cheers,
Watto.

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Watto .
Photojournalist
Mini historian and enthusiast
http://www.theminiexperience.com.au

It wasn't just the Mini that had problems meeting the Canadian and US bumper height laws. Have you ever seen the US spec Lamborghini Countach?



Thats its front 'bumper'.

Tim

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1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian