Italian Job Mini Cooper's

General Chat with an emphasis on BMC Minis & Other iconic cars of the 1960's.
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UHR850
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Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by UHR850 »

DOWNTON Mini is what I like a lot.
Collecting 60th wooden steeringwheels.
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Andrew1967
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by Andrew1967 »

I thought the registration numbers were recently bought at a DVLA auction by someone intending to create the three replicas ?

Maybe I'm wrong ?!
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by JC T ONE »

Ahh "restored" the same way as most "works" Mini,s :roll:

" They used 16 cars in the film but they were all scraped and left in Italy.
‘Only these three boxes came back to England.
There wasn't much in them except for the lamp bars, bonnet straps and lots of small bits.

But most importantly the original number plates and log books were there :roll:

Nice cars, but only copies/recreations, or what description you choose.
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by JC T ONE »

Andrew1967 wrote:I thought the registration numbers were recently bought at a DVLA auction by someone intending to create the three replicas ?

Maybe I'm wrong ?!

The "story" sounds better :mrgreen: ha ha

Maybe somewhere in Italy, one of the real IJ Mini,s is hiding ?
its seen before with "works" Mini,s :lol:
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by Giff »

The cars featured in the newspaper:

http://www.theitalianjobminicoopers.co.uk

And the cars built in 1989:

http://www.theitalianjobminis.com

Both available for wedding hire which I think is actually pretty cool.
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by mab01uk »

Andrew1967 wrote:I thought the registration numbers were recently bought at a DVLA auction by someone intending to create the three replicas ?

Maybe I'm wrong ?!
You are correct.....
The three Italian Job number plates where never officially issued in 1969 and where only sold by the DVLA at a cherished registrations auction about five years ago when they realised what they were worth as a set, the buyer who bid for them wanted to re-create the cars as accurately as possible (featured in Mini magazine a while back in 2009).......and well done to him for achieving that I say. 8-)
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by JC T ONE »

mab01uk wrote:
Andrew1967 wrote:I thought the registration numbers were recently bought at a DVLA auction by someone intending to create the three replicas ?

Maybe I'm wrong ?!
You are correct.....
The three Italian Job number plates where never officially issued in 1969 and where only sold by the DVLA at a cherished registrations auction about five years ago when they realised what they were worth as a set, the buyer who bid for them wanted to re-create the cars as accurately as possible (featured in Mini magazine a while back in 2009).......and well done to him for achieving that I say. 8-)

Respect for the decision, to built these 3 nice Iconic Mini,s 8-)
Last edited by JC T ONE on Tue Sep 06, 2011 6:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by JC T ONE »

JC T ONE wrote:
Maybe somewhere in Italy, one of the real IJ Mini,s is hiding ?

Just had a search on the web, check this -

" Ken Morris, one of the last of the production crew members to leave after filming in Turin stated that there were six surviving Mini's and 30 sets of mag wheels in the lock up garage that they were using. He said that he locked up and headed for the UK, and as far as he was aware neither Paramount or production company Oakhurst returned to collect them! "

So who wants to form an expedition to Turin ;)

here is the link http://www.theitalianjob.com/cars_coopers.htm

Bet some one, will turn up with one of the real cars, one day 8-)
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by Pete »

I think David's done a great job even to the point of going by the book and using three Mk2 Minis to recreate the cars, (the red one was a Mk2 Cooper 998) ie he didn't use Mk1 cars with G plates which would have been illegal (or would it ??)(I know what I'd have done :lol: ).
I doubt he would have told the journo that they were three of THE cars used in the film but the papers always wants a story and overnight they become the actual cars. Same thing's happened with DJB 93B currently being described as THE car that won the RAC rally in Bonham's forthcoming auction at Goodwood which it obviously isn't, often it's the scribe's fault not the owner's !
At the end of the day he's put a mountain of work and money into those, they're a great talking point and I'm sure he'll get some great publicity from them and some very interesting requests to use them !
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by JC T ONE »

brook shaw wrote:there are no real cars to turn up...
Interesting, how much & what do you know ?
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by JC T ONE »

Surf 1275 wrote:I think David's done a great job even to the point of going by the book and using three Mk2 Minis to recreate the cars.

I doubt he would have told the journo that they were three of THE cars used in the film but the papers always wants a story and overnight they become the actual cars.
Agree, just found his own words here http://www.italianjobminis.com/index-main.html

and no pretending to be the real thing either 8-)

so again its jounalists, that just write what they want, to make a good story :roll: but hey whats new :mrgreen:
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by JC T ONE »

brook shaw wrote:
i know nothing..always the safe option :P

Ahh, and I fell right in :oops: he he - good one :mrgreen:

But then I will stick, with the original info, and say that if the movie production company left 6 cars in Italy, atleast one should/would survive :?:
especially as the cars that was pushed out of the bus, were 850,s made up, to look like the actual Cooper S,s .
This means that some of the 6 cars were Cooper S,s if not 3 :?:
and since Italy is known for its car friendly climate, the chance of these cars being rusted away, is very limited ;)

The last barnfind is yet to be discovered :ugeek:
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Re: Italian Job Mini Cooper's

Post by olddad »

I worked with Rémy Julienne on a Citroen television commercial back in the '80s on the railroad I worked for in Northern California. I even got a small speaking/acting roll which I doubt they ever used. The film for this debut of a little hatchback econocar was also shot on the Great Wall of China and at the Pyramids.

Lots of break times and socializing with Reme and his sons. After I showed them my '66 S racecar they were happy to talk about all their experiences on the Italian Job. I forget how many Minis they said they wrecked in testing for and shooting the film, but it was a lot more the 16...seventy or eighty as I remember. Reme said he thought they were just a day or two from making a complete upsidedown loop inside the pipe when the idea was scrapped.

Cast and crew were very critical of the California wines they were draining by the bucket. Just not up to their French product. At the end of shooting the 5 little hatches were packed to the gills with cases of California wine on their way back to France, however, so they must have liked it afterall.
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