i don't fully understand the replica cooper s craze. why replicate something when mechanicals have come so far? sure, keep the A series, but if i were going to modify a deluxe or K from what it was originally, i'd go the whole hog and put in as much new stuff as possible. disc brake conversions from modern cars, electric pumps and dizzy, the works.

then you can buy some mags and stick a Type R sticker on it. that's how they do it in rice world, isn't it?

I have a genuine Mini K

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Jet Red Mini K

I have a genuine Cooper S Van. I know it is genuine because it has the stripes

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"Life is not like a box of chocolates... it's more like a jar of jalapenos. Whatever you do today, may burn your arse tomorrow."

Aw bugger - you beat me to it!

2U dude

Unless the registration authorities in each state recorded EXACTLY what each make and MODEL car was in the system, well, that statement is pretty much BS....which you can tell to whoever it was that tried telling you that!

FWIW, my Clubman is listed as a "Morris Sedan" on it's last rego sticker.

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72 Clubman and a 75 Van.

calling a car a cooper s even though it isnt is the stupidest thing i've heard of, that is like calling a clubman and cooper s, it just doesnt work. My car is done up to be a replica of a cooper s (not a good replica) but i would never tell anyone that it is a cooper s.

Don't believe the hype

Australian Mini's are probably rarer than coopers, especially some of the limited eddition Clubby like the SS and the Sunshine

It doesn't matter to the general population because they always think all non bmw minis are coopers. If I had a dollar for everytime I get asked 'is it a cooper?' I always say no it's better!

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No truer words have been said.

I also get asked all the time "is it a Cooper S"?

I just reply NO.

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mutant mini 1380cc '73 UK imp-Chroma Lusion-leather interior-8 x 300W Diamond Audio Dual Voice Coil 8" subs, Phoenix Gold 4 chnl amp, Pioneer 7550 DVD, 2x Phoenix Gold A1.800d MonoBlock Amp, Focal Utopia splits, 14" chrome rims 195/40/14 tyres

Geetings all,

Heh, it seems all the general populace in the US knows of minis if they know about them at all is coopers, I kinda feel my baby is more special then a Cooper. I happen to have a baby with a birthdate that is a bit newer then the changeover date to the 60 model year in 1959 making her a late first year car... I wish I could do her justice though, She will probably always just be Patch-in-primer.

I located a less rusty early shell to reshell her though, unfortunatly someone started twinni-ing it years ago, I did get a donar to replace the seat panels though. I will feel no regret surgically removing the cooper rear seat pan from this rusty original grey rear 's' body clip... after all the early one is more noteworthy in my opinion

Chris

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1960 Morris 850 - 'Patch'

Well...everyone, it seems owned a Cooper S at one time or another....the whole older population of Australia

Whilst the constant reference to...is it a Cooper? can be annoying...

if you think about it...there ain't no such thing as bad advertising ..especially for our beloved icon that commenced life in 1959.

I heart Corner Bars

.....but if I fit them to the 850, I am all prepared for the pompous Wally's who will say...thats not original!! etc

The Cooper and Cooper S are collectables, just like antiques or art, so their bona vides need to be established

....and if people want to make replicas, or tart up cars, or personalise, or customise, IMHO, then thats OK too.....

because people have been doing it to Minis for over forty years
(just so long as they don't try to pass them off as the genuine item)

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"Show me the Mini!"

My wife's got one, it is based on a `66 Mini Deluxe that was stripped by the P/O to bare metal and fully rebuilt, painted 2 pack inside, outside & underneath..
It has all the external S stuff like badges, bumpers, twin tanks etc, even looks like one inside, but there are things that are not S, for various reasons.
Speedo is a 140KMH Moke one (saves doing mental arithmetic), seats are retrimmed early Clubbie with headrests removed (comfort), suspension was converted to dry with Hi-Los (God knows why), motor is a 1293A+ from UK on a Mini-K box with pot joints. It runs S disc brakes now.

Whatever- mightn't be a real one, but it looks like an S, goes like an S, sounds like an S, and she's happy with it. Personally I'd put the Mini Deluxe badges back on and make it a sleeper, like my "MiniMatic" 1360S...

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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.

Well the Coop S had disk brakes (incidently the only disks you can easily use with 10in wheels), had electric fuel pumps and the dizzy......well the dizzy was Lucas.

Today every third mini might give higher hp than the cooper s ever did but in terms of production parts not much has happened in the A series engined mini world since the S (everybody still uses the desirable S parts: rods, cranks, driveshafts, heads, valves, carbs, rally minilight wheels, oil coolers, su pumps, close ratio gear boxes, right hand tanks, disk brakes, spacered drums, brake boosters, clutch plates, etc).

You usually see a lot of cooper s replicas for sale, what are they worth compared to a real thing, if the two were supposedly next o each other in the same condition?
Half, Third?

I'd say 1/2.

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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.

I'm gunna put a GTHO Ford motor, GTS Monaro gearbox R/T Charger fuel tank
with twin fillers in a Mini 850 body & Cooper S badges.
That should stuff'em.
Can I call it real?

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Keep shiny side up