New mk1 cooper s

[1967coopers1972]

Just wondering if anyone knows the price of the new Mike Cooper mk1s that are being built ?

[rolesyboy]

Pretty sure they are c £100k plus VAT for the standard spec.

[Costafortune]

It would be cheaper to buy a whip and a dead horse.

[Peter Laidler]

Agree entirely with you there Costa. Makes me wonder about the financial sanity of these dreamers..........

[111Robin]

There are always plenty Simon Cowells willing to spend "pocket money" on a new toy.

[Pete]

I’ve never quite understood why so many have such strong feelings about how other people want to spend their own money!? If there wasn’t a market for these cars they clearly wouldn’t be selling any, and clearly they are and they’re very clearly hand built quality items. Ok you wouldn’t buy one, but live and let live? £120k is pocket money to some , good for them. Wish I was in their shoes! I’d now be driving that Longman GT! And retired.

[111Robin]

I never said I had an issue I was just expressing my opinion. I could care less what folk do with their money. Clearly these aren't aimed at the average enthusiast, that's all I was saying.

[tintoptom]

Clearly these aren't aimed at the average enthusiast

What quality hand-built cars do you imagine are aimed at the average enthusiast?

I can't understand the strong feelings either tbh. If I had enough cash to splash that kind of money on a toy, I wouldn't think twice

[111Robin]

Clearly these aren't aimed at the average enthusiast

What quality hand-built cars do you imagine are aimed at the average enthusiast?

I can't understand the strong feelings either tbh. If I had enough cash to splash that kind of money on a toy, I wouldn't think twice

For what it's worth, given that an original restored mk1 S is upwards of £50k, IF I had that the kind of money to consider this vs a £100k " hand built" option I would rather have the genuine item. To answer your question, I can't think of any other "hand built" car for the average enthusiast as I don't know of any apart from maybe Morgans. All restored cars are hand built anyway so it makes little difference unless you want to pay for the Mike Cooper title which some probably do, no problem with that.

[Pete]

Totally agree I’d probably buy something else with the money aswell but I think Peter’s “dreamers” comment set me off. It’s something you see all the time, comments about how rich people are somehow mad or idiots for spending huge amounts of cash on Minis, or cars generally really. Plenty of footballers earn more in a week than I will in a decade, like you say there’ll always be a market for new built cars like this, or Madgewicks, or whatever. John Lennon spent the equivalent of about four times the price of a brand new Cooper S on his Radford in 1966 and Radford didn’t even bother to take the rear lights off when they sprayed their cars. . Makes you think how times have changed when it comes to car building but not changed when it comes to how the wealthy spend their money.

[mab01uk]

Hand built quality Mini prices like Mike Cooper's Mk1's are relative to other similar hand built quality classics on sale, like those from the 'Land Rover Reborn' programme which was launched in 2016 by Jaguar Land Rover Classic. As said for many of the typical customers this is just pocket money or for investors willing to wait a few years for a significant increase in value (probably never driving it) and then cashing it in with no 'capital gains tax' payable....unlike on property investments. (Classic cars are classed as "wasting assets" by HMRC).
eg. A JLR 'reborn' 1950 Land Rover Series-1 £129,950
https://www.jaguarlandroverclassic.com/ ... rn-car-25/

Also seems to be no shortage of Classic and Supercar climate controlled secure storage facilities like this on offer until it is time for your 'investment' to go off to auction, to hopefully collect that increase in value....
https://www.windrushcarstorage.co.uk/

[Peter Laidler]

It's just that I cannot see, for the life of me, one of these minis ever appreciating in value. Certainly not if the price is touching £100,000. If, say, in 5 or so years, you have money spend and really want one, then I say, just go and buy one then. Yes, the now new price will have gone up but so - hopefully for the buyer of the original - will the price of his.

And the REAL kicker is that it ain't even remotely original. And they haven't even got a famous name to be associated with them

The same scenario applied to the mighty MGB GT V8. Several outfits started making their own versions after MGB GT V8 production had ceased (after 2600 or so cars) but sales of the wannabe clones, some built on new body shells, were sluggish and many fingers were burned. The original MGB GT V8's command a premium. Much like original Austin and Morris Mini Coopers and S's

Just my take on things

[Polarsilver]

Mab your right on it .. " Classic Cars are classified as Wasting Assets by HMRC ".. so says her indoors as well .. i can agree with the Taxman

[fricsman]

I’ve never quite understood why so many have such strong feelings about how other people want to spend their own money!? If there wasn’t a market for these cars they clearly wouldn’t be selling any, and clearly they are and they’re very clearly hand built quality items. Ok you wouldn’t buy one, but live and let live? £120k is pocket money to some , good for them. Wish I was in their shoes! I’d now be driving that Longman GT! And retired.

If you’ve got a few £million in the bank nice way to spend some of it.

[johnv]

I would think that one of the swiftune ones would be a far better bet, both for driving enjoyment and investment potential

[swifty]

Interesting comment johnv. Is this based on your driving experience on them ? . Did you have a test drive of the brightwells mini . I’ve driven the brightwells mini but not the swiftune one .

[CooperTune]

Not sure this is on topic, but I have been restoring classic minis for years. The last three I have done were for people who really wanted them done to a very high standard. I would not have thought it was possible to find someone with deep enough pockets to spend $40,000 plus per car. An investor, a doctor and a CPA. All well-educated, and very happy with the outcome. If they are happy, I'm fine with it. Steve (CTR)

[Pete]

I would not have thought it was possible to find someone with deep enough pockets to spend $40,000 plus per car. An investor, a doctor and a CPA. All well-educated, and very happy with the outcome. If they are happy, I'm fine with it. Steve (CTR)

‘Investment’ certainly isn’t a word you’d necessarily attach to Minis anymore, not since the interest rates went up and the values of pretty all Minis started to go down. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Unlike the past 40 years or so spending big bucks on Minis is now no different than spending big bucks on any high value car, they’re not necessarily gonna appreciate and possibly the opposite, which is new territory. The after effects of the Covid pandemic, an energy crisis born out of a war in Europe, a ‘war’ on the internal combustion engine globally and what I also see as a generational shift within the classic car world onto 70s and 80s cars has seen to that.

[Peter Laidler]

There's another point too Pete. An auction house auctioneer who lives in my small village tells me that when times and finance is tough, the first thing people sell is their second car.......... followed by their collectable car, otherwise known as their investment or pension

[kit of bits]

I’ve never quite understood why so many have such strong feelings about how other people want to spend their own money!? If there wasn’t a market for these cars they clearly wouldn’t be selling any, and clearly they are and they’re very clearly hand built quality items. Ok you wouldn’t buy one, but live and let live? £120k is pocket money to some , good for them. Wish I was in their shoes! I’d now be driving that Longman GT! And retired.

If you’ve got a few £million in the bank nice way to spend some of it.

I think the Jaguar classic continuation cars are about £1.7m, that makes a mini cheep as chips..
I still can’t believe people buy heritage shells at £14k, then correct them.
As I’ve said before the cooper cars are a really nice build..
D