[the blue potato]

After the Mitty, I fell in love with a classic that I had lost touch with - and now I am startig to get the bug again. Do I or don't I? I hate when this feeling comes up....but this one is just too nice to turn away:

 

[Phatmiata]

that is classic, but yours in one of a kind here in the US (minus Mr. Woolery) i say keep working on the Roadster, you still need that PCR Rear End, and im sure there is more stuff you wanna do to the Potato? :shock:



PhatMiata

 

[roadsternut]

Someone should tell him he's got the wrong registration tag on; from the colour and badging, I'd guess it was a mid-70s model, but bearing a 67 plate; 67 was the cross-over year from small rear lights/sliding side windows to large rear lights/sliding side windows.

Not the first time I've seen this on ex-UK Minis in the US. I recall at a Missouri autocross (in 97) a Mini bearing an early 70s registration, but a 1985 registration as a security etching on all the glass, plus other signs that the car was a mid-80s spec (as well as a MG Metro interior!). Obviously illegally imported with a scrapped car id.

My first car was a 1981 Mini 850 Van, ex-Gas Board, painted chassis black, with saloon bumpers and a front grill (and sliding side windows). Rotton in all the usual Mini places, and twisted rear subframe, but was still fun to drive.....except when I had a massive brake failure at 80 mph (that was the car flat out). There endeth my relationship with Minis. I stil look at some of the late model classic Minis, but on virtually all of them, spot the usual scuttle corner rot, spelling big trouble.

 

[the blue potato]

No, this is a 72 Mini - I believe a INNOCENTI MINI COOPER 1300. I do not think he is trying to pass this off as a 67...this Mini is in the USA and LHD.

 

[LagunaMiata]

Some fuel for Pete's fire...
http://www.turkys.com/mini.html

 

[Greg G]

Peter:

STAY THE COURSE!!!! I want to see the Potato fully Pit Crew-ized!!! :twisted:

Greg

 

[roadsternut]

No, this is a 72 Mini - I believe a INNOCENTI MINI COOPER 1300. I do not think he is trying to pass this off as a 67...this Mini is in the USA and LHD.

I can see this is an Innocenti from the grill design. They had a few interesting odd differences.

No, I wasn't meaning to imply the owner was out to mislead, but to me, it portrays a lack of understanding of the UK registration system.

The same happened here, with this Roadster owner:

http://www5f.biglobe.ne.jp/~bugeye/my road.htm

Now frankly, thats a bit over the top. The registration, after much hunting, belongs to a 1995 Lotus Elan ; the mind boggles how he got this plate. The car appears to have been scrapped; plates are usually only made on production of owner registration details, so he got ths out of a scrapyard, while on A busman's holiday. Or nicked the plate from the long stay parking at Heathrow.....

Incidently, the records I have indcate that SPP 947E iwas issued to a Mini; identified as a Morris Mini 850, in red, 4 previous owners, with the last change in 2001, and has been unlicenced since then; either exported or scrapped. The car was first registered in February 1967. Although it is possible for registrations to be transferred from older cars to newer cars, this would show up on the database. Also, Innocentis were never officially sold in the UK; a few (all were LHD) came in (strangely mostly 1980 models), and would be issued correct plates for their declared year of manufacture, or more often than not, issued a Q-registration, as their actual age would be unknown.

An appropriate age-related for this Mini, for shows etc, would be a J or K suffix, of the form abc 123K

These records are very much public; you can check the status of any registration at:
http://www.vehiclelicence.gov.uk/EvlPortalApp/

You need to know the make of the car as well for this check. The RAC have a similar database, only requiring the registration number, but its less comprehensive. Its useful if you are thinking of importing a rhd Mini (and the size of the things means it doesn't make a big deal of a difference if the car is rhd or lhd), and need to ceck the rovenance of a car quickly; it will tell you if the car is likely to have been cloned

I wouldn't be surprised in some UK exporters of old Minis to the US will pull a fast one by disguising a newer model (which are generally cheaper than older ones) as an older model; I'm not sure what measures the authorities take to work out the age of a car. To the untrained eye, all Classic Minis look pretty much the same.

And on a Japanese theme; in its last years, the biggest market for the classic Mini was japan; they went nuts for the car, long after people in England moved onto objectively better and safer super-minis.
http://www.turtle-trading.co.jp/ws_list.php?rg_f=1&sel_type=1
http://www.d2.dion.ne.jp/~tani-32/index.html

 

[roadsternut]

Some fuel for Pete's fire...
http://www.turkys.com/mini.html

How do they get away with this? 1977/1999 cars; are they old cars with new shells, or newer cars with old bits? Also $15000 for a car barely worth £5000 in the UK :lol: I should go into business.

A lot of these seem like later model Minis; I can't believe they are old ones updated with new bits.

 

[djsqiigles]

That car mabey over the top but I would kill for a set of 4x100 MKII's.... Those wheels are the bussiness!

 

[LagunaMiata]

Sorry Pete, gotta post these too for ya.... from the Moonshine Rally on 5-6-06 in Elkin / Mt. Airy, NC. 110 cars, our events coordinator finished 3rd!!

More photos here - http://public.fotki.com/relittle/miata/moonshinerally2006/
and here - http://miataclub.fotki.com/carolinas_miata_club/moonshine_rally_2006/

Here's a shot of my Laguna from Saturday...