I have a friend who lives over in Italy who has a keen interest in classic cars but not a great deal of knowledge on minis!i on the other hand have a keen interest in minis and have had several but never an original cooper s!hes come across a cooper s which is in immaculate condition I can only presume restored and reads 15,400 miles on the speedo(possibly incorrect I’d say)the main problem is there’s little if any service history at the moment and also the engine number plate is missing,the cars only had 2 previous owners and the chassis number is the one of the actual car,it was brought over to Italy from Ireland where it’s sat in an old couples pristine garage!i have checked the number plate and it comes up with the car details which is a Austin cooper s 1969 but this engine issue worries me,if it’s not the original engine yet the car is immaculate inside and out what do you think it would be worth?is there a way of finding of the engine is the cars original?it just doesn’t seem right that a two owner car wouldn’t still have the original engine?any help or advice would be greatly appreciated
It won’t affect the value if the engine is not the original as long as it is a Cooper S block which is easily identified as it is the only 1275cc engine to have tappet covers on the back of the block instead of the solid cast block of the later non-Cooper S 1275/1300 engines. The engine numberplates were often removed or lost over time during any head or block machining work on the engine. A new plate can be made and stamped up from the details on the log book/V5 by somewhere like Minimail:-
http://www.minimail.co.uk/chassis-vin-plates/
Even if it has a non-Cooper S replacement engine, as a genuine 1969 Mk2 Cooper S it is still a highly desirable and valuable classic car…
That’s good news so what should I ask him to look for at the back of the engine?any pictures would be gratefully received!
And also what rough ball park figure would it be worth in the immaculate condition it’s in?ill post some pics up now
orignal cooper Ss…mk2 is from 1967-69 boot lid would have a solit inner skin, engine all Ss had 11studs(10sutds 1 bolt) to be correct, twin 1.25" SU carbs, an ally plate Rivited to rear of block nr timing cover with 1275 stamped on, 7.5" discs, 4.5"Js vented wheels, interior is black on all mk2..for mpre info get the John Parnel book (the Bible) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1906133190?keywords=john%20parnell&qid=1443640186&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1
That’s good news so what should I ask him to look for at the back of the engine?any pictures would be gratefully received!
It should be 1275cc (see silver plate) and have 2 metal covers bolted on back of block, one is circled and one is removed in photo below…as said a non-S 1275 engine would have a solid block casting face in this area instead.
Rough value of a genuine car these days would be approx £20-30,000 depending…
Looks mint 20-30k doesn’t sound like it’s far off if it’s all legit
Thankyou for your help so far it really is appreciated,so is that visible when the engine is in the car?would they sit below the carbs?
I would have expected that year and reg to be Mk2 but that has all the Mk1 features, could be a very late registered Mk1, such things did happen…although the rear screen maybe looks larger Mk2 size?
This is my issue though if it’s lacking any service history etc does it massively de value the car?
Thankyou for your help so far it really is appreciated,so is that visible when the engine is in the car?would they sit below the carbs?
Yes tappet cover plates are easily visible below carbs and down behind exhaust manifold on rear of engine block.
We have pics of the V5 should it say mk1 or mk2 on there?
This is my issue though if it’s lacking any service history etc does it massively de value the car?
Not massively, all Cooper S especially Mk1 are worth big money but obviously a pristine car with proven history and paperwork to match will fetch nearer the top end money.
We have pics of the V5 should it say mk1 or mk2 on there?
Unfortunately the DVLA V5 and original dealer Logbook descriptions vary in accuracy and rarely mention Mk2 and the Mk1 was never known as a Mk1 until the Mk2 appeared! Chassis numbers are the best guide.
I have the chassis number is there a site where I can put it in to check?
I’m guessing as a mkII its not as valuable?
It does look like a Mk.1, but I take the point about the rear window, although that could be an optical illusion.
The rear lights, interior, front grille, all badges and trim are all Mk.1, so it looks as though it is a Mk.1 first registered in 1968 on a ‘G’ plate, i.e. after 1st August 1968.
You need to get the VIN number and check it out with the Mini Cooper Register Mk.1 Registrar.
It looks to be worth around £28,000+ if it is an original Mk.1.
That is a lovely car, I’m very jealous.
When I saw it, it reminded me of a late mk1 I had. I’m think that was a '68.
I’m sorry but what car are you all looking at? That is all over the place and not what I would be expecting to see if it is a mint 15000 miler.
Just for starters you can see Newton Commercial trim - so badly fitted, and is that an A+ block? I can barely see an S part in the engine shot.
Just because it has an S chassis number, if it does, doesn’t make it an original S.
Caveat emptor Gunmetalmini.
