"Laurence" (mrlaurence)
08/11/2016 at 18:15 • Filed to: Mini, limited edition
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"Laurence" (mrlaurence)
08/11/2016 at 18:15 • Filed to: Mini, limited edition | 4
| 4 |
Note: I found this article in my drafts. It’s only half done, and I’d forgotten I’d written it completely, but with rumours that oppo might be nuked soon, I wanted it to at least be seen. If you’re as wierd and nerdy about minis as me, it might still be interesting. Otherwise, you’ve been warned...
It’s no secret that the classic Mini has hundreds of special ‘limited’ editions, used by British Leyland, then later Rover as a way to prop up the fast falling sales; there are so many different ones, each with their own unique twist that keeping track is impossible, especially since some are now impossibly rare, and any easy to find databases are incomplete, complicated and lack photos ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! do a good job, but their lists aren’t perfect) but since so many surviving Minis are some kind of special edition and because I’ve never written a full article before, it seems worth doing. Prepare yourself for a long, nerdy look at the slightest variation of cars. For the sake of not making this too long, only cars sold in the UK are included; there are plenty more export-only cars, which may form a follow up article.
1976
Mini 1000 LE (often referred to as ‘Stripey’)
This is the very first, and based off of how hard it was to find a good photo possibly the rarest of the limited run Minis. these were based on either the mk3 or mk4 Mini (I couldn’t find any sources which indicated either way, since both were made in 1976, though given the nature of these special editions, it was likely a way to unload extra stock of older parts, so I’m assuming it’s a mk3). 3000 Stripeys were made in either green or white, with orange striped interiors, though they were largely the same as a normal Mini 1000, so very, very few remain.
1979
Mini 1100 Special
Launched as a 20th anniversary special for the Mini, the special was ‘Special’ in that it was one of very few to offer a performance advantage, seeing as it used the 1098cc engine, producing a whopping 45hp. This was originally only available in the heavier Clubman (unless you lived in mainland Europe, apparently). As a result of this, it proved to be pretty popular; 5100 were made rather than the planned 2500. The special came in either silver or pink (BL called it ‘Metallic Rose’) and had a tartan interior, along with several other features which didn’t come on the relatively spartan Minis of the time.
1983
Mini Sprite
My personal favourite of the special editions, the Sprite was marketed as the sporty, middle range model. Some people say it only came either red or yellow, but I’ve also seen press photos and diecast models in silver, so who knows. Despite the wheelarch extensions, Clubman 1275GT parts and marketing, the Sprite was no faster than a regular Mini. Overall, 2500 were made, and based on the values of early 80's minis and how many I’ve seen, there probably aren’t many of those left.
1984
Mini 25
The 25th anniversary edition of the Mini. 5000 were made in total, and they were pretty much identical to a regular model, only with more red pinstripes and a few extra features which hardly count as luxuries, even by 1984 small car standards. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
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1985
Mini Ritz
The first of many London editions of the Mini - These came with alloys and a velour interior, but otherwise, it was pretty much the same as a normal Mini, bar a few tiny insignificant details; you’ll start to notice this is a pattern with a lot of these cars, so there isn’t much to say about them, other than that they helped to sell a few more cars here and there. 2000 of these were made for the UK, with another 1725 going to Italy.
1986
Mini The Chelsea
Another London edition, with the word ‘The’ inexplicably thrown in. Red with silver stripe and an interior that looks like the one in the 25. 1500 were made for the UK, with more sent elsewhere, so good news if you had an Austin dealer and needed to sell some Minis, but nothing to write home about otherwise.
Mini Piccadilly
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just call this ‘A Re-Run of the Ritz with different colours’, so again, very boring. Though there aren’t many gold minis at all, so I’ll hand them that. otherwise, just more of the same. No alloy wheels this time round though.
1987
Mini Park Lane
Another of the not very interesting London editions, this time black with gold stripes. The same 998cc engine and slightly nicer trim as all the rest of these. 4000 of this version made in total.
Mini Advantage
A tennis themed car, originally going to be called the Wimbledon. The Advantage was painted all white, with a big net graphic along the side and a similar pattern on the interior. In Germany these were called the ‘Mini Masters’
1988
Mini Red Hot/Jet Black
I’m Grouping these two together because of how similar they are. 3000 of each were made and they shared a black velour interior with red piping. The Red Hot was red with a black stripe, and the Jet black was the inverse (Black with a Red stripe)
S65
> Laurence
08/11/2016 at 18:16 |
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If nothing happens to Oppo will you finish it
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Laurence
> S65
08/11/2016 at 18:19 |
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Possibly... Things start getting very confusing and pretty boring (lots of very similar cars) once you get into the 1990's. There's definitely a chance though if people want to see it
pjhusa
> Laurence
08/11/2016 at 18:35 |
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I want to see!
xyzabc
> Laurence
08/11/2016 at 18:40 |
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Mini - The Bar
For when you need to relax at the Dressage...have a couple “clear ones” and get wide.
