22 replies to this topic

[mk3 Cooper S]

So do you reckon that vehicle not requiring a VIN plate for an MOT (PRE 72) should be allowed to legitimatly be reshelled with a secondhand shell?

[matt615]

Many older Mini enthusiasts have been re-shelling Mini's for years for many reasons

What are these reasons exactly?

I don't see the logic in the argument that it keeps Minis on the road, if anything it does the opposite. Your start with two Minis, one near roadworthy (otherwise why use the shell) and one requiring restoration. You then put the id of the worst shell onto the better shell, and create one Mini out of the two. So rather than having two Minis that could be returned to the road, you now only have one.

To me the law makes sense, the id of the car belongs to the main component, i.e the shell. You can only keep the id if you use the original shell, otherwise it ends up like Triggers broom (17 new heads and 14 new handles but still the same broom)

[Bungle]

people are always going on about minis being stolen but are quite happy buying a good second hand shell with no ID

[Cooperman]

Maybe because I was into Minis way back in the '60's, re-shelling is completely acceptable. Ity's what we did when we destroyed a(nother) rally Mini (or Cortina, Escort, Porsche, etc). The 'works', i.e. BMC Competitions did is as muchg as anyone and these £100k ex-works cars were all re-shelled both during their time as works-entered cars and afterwards when they passed into private hands.
Back then the shell was regarded as just another part number from the parts list and one was as likely to fit a 2nd hand shell as to fit a second-hand engine. I had a good friend who had a BMC dealership. He rolled his Cooper 'S' on the RAC Rally and he re-shelled it with a 2nd hand shell from a re-possessed vandalised 850. No one thought anything of it.
I do know that if I crashed my rally 'S' badly I would re-shell it into another Mk.1 shell as I can't afford to scrap a £25000+ car. I would be acting in the spirit of competition Mini history going right back to 1960.
The sooner the law is changed back to enable preservation of these classic cars the better it will be.

[bini_2_mini__2012]

in a way i agree with changing the law back but it was put in place for a reason although it doesnt make no difference because it is so easly done reshelling a classic car people dont listen to the law because of how hard it is to tell its been done. We had a 67 cooper in at work and it had the wrong shell and front ind basically it was a mk3 mini with a different id cars like that shouldnt be aloud if it is been done it should be done with the same year shell that is how the law should change

[mk3 Cooper S]

Maybe because I was into Minis way back in the '60's, re-shelling is completely acceptable. Ity's what we did when we destroyed a(nother) rally Mini (or Cortina, Escort, Porsche, etc). The 'works', i.e. BMC Competitions did is as muchg as anyone and these £100k ex-works cars were all re-shelled both during their time as works-entered cars and afterwards when they passed into private hands.
Back then the shell was regarded as just another part number from the parts list and one was as likely to fit a 2nd hand shell as to fit a second-hand engine. I had a good friend who had a BMC dealership. He rolled his Cooper 'S' on the RAC Rally and he re-shelled it with a 2nd hand shell from a re-possessed vandalised 850. No one thought anything of it.
I do know that if I crashed my rally 'S' badly I would re-shell it into another Mk.1 shell as I can't afford to scrap a £25000+ car. I would be acting in the spirit of competition Mini history going right back to 1960.
The sooner the law is changed back to enable preservation of these classic cars the better it will be.

I agree with you completely but I think to get the law changed is unlikely since the abolition of the Q plate

[songshan]

mab01uk - just signed the petition.

[Cooperman]

Maybe because I was into Minis way back in the '60's, re-shelling is completely acceptable. Ity's what we did when we destroyed a(nother) rally Mini (or Cortina, Escort, Porsche, etc). The 'works', i.e. BMC Competitions did is as muchg as anyone and these £100k ex-works cars were all re-shelled both during their time as works-entered cars and afterwards when they passed into private hands.
Back then the shell was regarded as just another part number from the parts list and one was as likely to fit a 2nd hand shell as to fit a second-hand engine. I had a good friend who had a BMC dealership. He rolled his Cooper 'S' on the RAC Rally and he re-shelled it with a 2nd hand shell from a re-possessed vandalised 850. No one thought anything of it.
I do know that if I crashed my rally 'S' badly I would re-shell it into another Mk.1 shell as I can't afford to scrap a £25000+ car. I would be acting in the spirit of competition Mini history going right back to 1960.
The sooner the law is changed back to enable preservation of these classic cars the better it will be.

I agree with you completely but I think to get the law changed is unlikely since the abolition of the Q plate

You might well be right there, so when we do have to re-shell we'll need to be careful about it and not publicise what we are doing. After all, if you have a really rusty Mini which is badly damaged and it is, in particular, an early car like a Cooper 'S', you are never going to scrap it. No, you'll re-shell it with an appropriate shell and make it exactly as it was.