Last Classic Mini Tuned by John Cooper on sale

Discussion in 'Classic Mini' started by tomas6791, May 20, 2015.

  1. tomas6791

    tomas6791 New Member

    Mar 1, 2015
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    How can we tell if it is in fact the last car?

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    From the article:
    As it turns out, the last classic Mini he tuned is now up for sale as we speak and it’s a beautiful by any standard. The 1998 Mini Cooper S has a 1.3-liter MPI engine under the hood and was even owned by John Cooper himself.

    4 pictures and full article

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  2. BruceK

    BruceK Active Member

    Feb 24, 2015
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    #2 BruceK, May 22, 2015
    Last edited: May 22, 2015
    When I visited John Cooper Garages in the late 90s, I drove one of his demonstrator cars. (quite a thrill to actually meet the man and drive a well-sorted, brand new classic Mini). I remember seeing that all the John Cooper Works Minis had a special plaque listing the number of the car. These were fixed to the floor, on top of the square crossmember that runs the width of the car under the seats. So, when you opened the driver's door, you'd see the plaque sitting right there between the seat bottom and the door sill.

    See this:

    http://www.driversgeneration.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/John-Cooper-Works-numbered-plaque.jpg

    I would think that there must be some sort of classic Mini JCW registry or tracking list of the numbered cars. Or, failing that, there may even be a log of the number license plates of the cars that John Cooper Garages converted (Hmmm, I wonder why the reg plate is hidden in the photos of the car you posted?). Finallly, would John Cooper's son, Michael, have official records of the cars they converted?

    My 2 cents:

    Like anything in the world of classic Minis, I would be very suspicious of fakes. It's just too easy to make a Mini into something it really isn't. For example, it is said there are more "authentic" Mk. III Cooper S models around today than were produced by they factor in the early 1970s. IIRC, the production run was something relatively small like 1,700, yet since it was used a Mk. III bodyshell, it was very easy over the years to make replicas and try to pass them off as the real thing. I suspect that in the coming years (if not already), there will be regular Minis converted to "authentic" JCW Minis. Who knows, someone may be reproducing the plaques already.

    To me, this advert screams that intense "used car dealer" caution is needed. A claim is made about the car for sale being the last one, yet no proof (or offer to show proof a serious buyer) is made. I suspect they just have a Mini for sale and they came up with a story to market the car. Heck, it many not even be a JCW car at all, let alone the final one.


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