1970 Mk3 Innocenti mini-minor

[innocenti-si]

Question :

Would it be blasphemous to put a carbon roof on this and build around the bodywork as it is, kind of cafe racer but renewing suspension components with dry, camber, cooper brakes etc and convert it to rhd or is it too rare to mess with , good weather coming and some more money from work, I’ve bought a lot of components including a front subframe and waiting for someone to come back to me about a rear

Opinions please

[Nathan1293]

As in another thread about an early Mk1 mini, it's your car. If that's what you want to do then you should.

I don't have a carbon roof, but most people that do this mod always put a roll-cage in it. The roof of a mini is an important structural element, carbon roofs are normally bonded in so are "structural" but it the event of an accident I'm not sure how it would all behave.

Also depending on where you are, it may or may not be a problem come road worthy testing you need to do. MOT ... no changes to chassis is in principle being more strongly enforced.

[java gt]

The thing that sets this apart for 1000's of other Minis is that it is an Innocenti Mini and while it might not be one of the more desirable and expensive Export Coopers it is still a rare car outside of Italy and very charming in all the ways an Innocenti Mini is.Take all these away from it,convert it to RHD and all you have left is a Mini that used to be an Innocenti.I know it's your Mini and you can do with it as you please but sometimes somethings are better left as they are in my opinion.

[mk1]

If you chop the roof out & replace it with a carbon panel, there is a possibility that your MOT tester will take a disliking to it & if your car gets a marker saying it has had the monocoque chopped about you will have serious problems!

Structural modifications to a shell can be very problematical nowadays.

[timmy201]

I've never seen an Innocenti in the flesh, but I've always loved the different look they have to our local minis and the UK made cars. If it was mine, I'd have to keep all the parts that make it special as an Innocenti - the external brightwork and badging, the special interior etc. I think I would convert to RHD as LHD out here can be a bit impractical, and if I was keeping the standard 850 I'd also keep the drum brakes. They can work really well if they are in good working condition.

Of course, it's your car so you can do whatever you want