boot lid question

[Shepster]

Hi all, I know this is an old post but thought I'd add my two peneth. The beige 998 cooper is actually mine. From what I know and what I've been told by previous owners, that is how it left the factory. It was the 7th from last Mk2 made and as was quite common, the new parts bin was raided for the last few off the production line. Hence why it has a Mk3 bootlid and is painted in a Mk3 colour, which is Antelope. It also has a Mk3 scuttle. I'd say the same was true of the other pic - it's probably a very late Mk2 as well.

I've also heard of late Mk1's with some Mk2 bits on and other anomolies that continued throught the years.

[Peter Laidler]

You are dead right Shepster and others. I bought a brand new Glacier monotone Mk2S in December 1969 and it came with a double skinned boot with Mk3 type 'no-lamp-recess' bottom and internal captive nuts for the number plate hinges.

As a little aside, within a couple of weeks I'd already decided to fit the No plate and light directly to the boot lid - only to find that I'd have to go through both skins! Those with a sentimental disposition, look away now.......... So I just marked the holes in the outer skin, drilled right through and where it came through into the inner skin, used that drill hole to mark the centre of a 1" dia hole I then cut with a trepanning saw/cutter. Cleaned off, chamfered all new holes and repainted. and fitted brass nut into the hole. Used the opportunity to spray oil between double skin. Worked a treat and I kept it for 6 years or so and didn't rot away. Mind you, the rest of the body paintwork was a nightmare. It went back to Stewart and Arden/Henleys every month for major paint defects

[360gts]

My Green/white MK 2 S was manufactured in late Nov 69. The car has been in the family since new. It has a MK3 style bootlid and I do know it was never changed.

[JC T ONE]

Two examples from my archives of Mk2 Coopers with Mk3 boot skins. Both are 998 Austins and both are painted in Mk3 colours.

Poul Heickendorff,s MK II S - according to John Parnell is it 3 chassi numbers from the last one made (built in 1970) -

To those with interest in motorsport can I add that he is the one that designed & made the 7 port head which Mini Sport in UK now sell a copy of.

[Old English White]

I also had an "H" reg Mk2 Cooper with one of these bootlids (Mk3 outer skin but with captives for the number plate carrier). I bought the car secondhand in the 1970s so cannot swear it was all original but I DO know that, in the repair trade, these were available and that the Mk1 style was not available quite soon after the end of Mk2 production.

Andrew - I think that the "Donkey Brown" Mk2 is probably "Antelope" which sounded more romantic and appealing in the showroom than "Donkey"

[Old English White]

Sorry Andrew - you probably know that now. I just read page one and hadn't realised that it was (a) an old thread or that (b) there were already 2 more pages! I think I need new glasses.......

[Peter Laidler]

Off at a tangent a bit, but that aqua Cooper NNK 693H has since been restored by its new owner and is without doubt one of the best and original restorations that I've ever seen. Was at Beaulieu in '16 and in the arena for the 50th Mk2 Cooper anniversary this year. He should have got a prize for restoring it in its original colour! BMC sold the remaining difficult/impossible-to-sell 200+ aqua Mk2 and 3 1000cc (and 850's?) cars to the NHS in a one-off discount deal. Hence, thereafter they were always known as district nurses cars!

50th anniversary of the Mk2 Mini and Cooper, 25 cars in the arena as a great mix of colours and cars............... Not even ONE mention by the commentator nor did he even bother to walk round and admire them or the efforts and hard work of the two registrars concerned. That got my back up - and still does. In a bad mood now.............

[timell]

He should have got a prize for restoring it in its original colour! BMC sold the remaining difficult/impossible-to-sell 200+ aqua Mk2 and 3 1000cc (and 850's?) cars to the NHS in a one-off discount deal. Hence, thereafter they were always known as district nurses cars!

Maybe it's just me, but I kinda like aqua, along with surf blue, fiesta yellow and even one or two of the beiges!

[mk1]

Aqua is one of my favourite colours.

[surfblue63]

And here is the Aqua car at Beaulieu last month. It was the only Mk3 colour car in the line up. Eagle eyed will notice that it has a Mk1/2 boot skin.

[surfblue63]

50th anniversary of the Mk2 Mini and Cooper, 25 cars in the arena as a great mix of colours and cars............... Not even ONE mention by the commentator nor did he even bother to walk round and admire them or the efforts and hard work of the two registrars concerned. That got my back up - and still does. In a bad mood now.............

But it has made the cover of the latest issue of the mag

[Peter Laidler]

Nice colour now but in 1970, they just couldn't sell them. Nick Cornish one of the salesmen at CG Browns at Thatcham Broadway had a couple of aqua mini 1000's foisted on them as a bit of a dealer three-way new car trade and had them for nearly a year. One of them eventually went back to Leyland to become part of he NHS batch that they got cheap. Hence my knowledge of the palava

Talking of 60's naff colours.......... When I bought a house here near Abingdon in '79, it was owned by one of the line maintenance engineers at Cowley and he must have got a 100 gallon job lot of bronze yellow and/or autumn leaf paint from the factory which he used to paint the whole downstairs lounge and main bedroom upstairs - over some of that equally naff 60's anaglipta fxxxxxg wallpaper that was impossible to remove due to the thickness of the glue and paint. It's just a shame that they didn't use the same thickness of paint on my other Leyland rust bucket, a bronze yellow MGB GT. The loft was full of Maxi trim so no guesses what car he had before he emigrated- to Leyland Australia...........

[rich@minispares.com]

Talking of 60's naff colours.......... When I bought a house here near Abingdon in '79, it was owned by one of the line maintenance engineers at Cowley and he must have got a 100 gallon job lot of bronze yellow and/or autumn leaf paint from the factory which he used to paint the whole downstairs lounge and main bedroom upstairs - over some of that equally naff 60's anaglipta fxxxxxg wallpaper that was impossible to remove due to the thickness of the glue and paint. ...........

when I was a full plaxton anorak (cured now, just about!) I heard a tale that you could tell how high up in the shop floor you where at plaxtons by how much the inside of your house resembled a plaxton coach, if you where 'just a lad' you might have a set of curtains, or a bit of wood work, if you where a supervisor your entire front room would be fitted out resplendent in moquette and formica...

a while a go on ebay there was a really nice mantelpiece clock that was made from the late 1960's formica with the standard plaxtons clock mounted into it - must have been sneaked out the works in a lunch box!

[Peter Laidler]

Mind you, on the other hand, living in Abingdon, the home of MG's made owning, running and maintaining one a VERY simple operation. As did owning, running and maintaining any of the cars that were the staple diet of the Comps Dept here........! Happy days

[CooperTune]

I had a MK 2 Police Cooper S 1970 with the later boot and plate it also had a late scuttle with the plugs. I wondered about both but figured just another change over. Steve (CTR)

[dodge44]

Nice colour now but in 1970, they just couldn't sell them. Nick Cornish one of the salesmen at CG Browns at Thatcham Broadway had a couple of aqua mini 1000's foisted on them as a bit of a dealer three-way new car trade and had them for nearly a year. One of them eventually went back to Leyland to become part of he NHS batch that they got cheap. Hence my knowledge of the palava

Talking of 60's naff colours.......... When I bought a house here near Abingdon in '79, it was owned by one of the line maintenance engineers at Cowley and he must have got a 100 gallon job lot of bronze yellow and/or autumn leaf paint from the factory which he used to paint the whole downstairs lounge and main bedroom upstairs - over some of that equally naff 60's anaglipta fxxxxxg wallpaper that was impossible to remove due to the thickness of the glue and paint. It's just a shame that they didn't use the same thickness of paint on my other Leyland rust bucket, a bronze yellow MGB GT. The loft was full of Maxi trim so no guesses what car he had before he emigrated- to Leyland Australia...........

Friend who was the sales manager at H.A. Saunders in Worcester recalls the Mini van launch in 1961. Only colours they had were either green or 'marigold' (His description - not sure what the real name is). They could easily shift the green ones but would spend ages ringing around the other showrooms trying to swap the unwanted marigolds for green examples. This always seemed a bit of mystery to them as the lighter colour vehicle was surely easier to sign-write on? Despite the prestigious car showrooms of H.A. Saunders in town, it was always the agricultural division across the road that pulled in the real money, and where the company sales reps wanted to work from for obvious reasons....

[mk1]

Marigold is my favourite van colour. Can anyone guess why?

[mk1]

Incidentally, both Downton & Speedwell had a marigold coloured delivery van. I always thought it was because they both had impeccable taste, probably turns out they got them cheap.

[Simon776]

A lot of the very early Austin Vans were painted Marigold which must have made people notice them as Britain was still living in black and white at the time

[rpb203]

What's the mini on the back of the trailer on the Downton Marigold van?
Looks like it has an Austin Mini badge on the bonnet?
Could that be the same car that was at Beaulieu this year?