Article by “www.minimania.com”
What Year Is My Mini?
That might seem a strange question for anyone to ask. You have purchased a Mini (or are thinking of purchasing a Mini). You have the paperwork from the local registration authorities. It matches the numbers on the car. Doesn’t that tell you all you need to know?
Of course, there is the issue of the year on the paperwork and as represented by the car’s numbers as being correct (and matching!), whether honest errors or intentional misrepresentation. But there is more to it than that. For some purposes, like buying parts, the year may not help. Major changes didn’t happen on the first day of the year, so you can run into cars of the same year with major differences.
Another issue, at least in the U.S., is that of how accurately the year is recorded in each state’s documents versus when the car was built. In Washington State, for instance, the Mk II Minis (sold starting in October 1967) were registered, when new, as 1968 models. This tended to follow the U.S. trend that models for the upcoming year were released before year end. The Mk II was a new model; therefore, regardless of date built, it must be a 1968! So Washington State didn’t show any such thing as a 1967 Mk II. They were all 1968s. California did it the other way. You could have a new 1967 Mk II there.
When it comes right down to it, often the year as stated in documents (in the U.S., at least), may be the least helpful piece of information in identifying your car.
As we’ve seen, the listed year of a Mini has its flaws. The actual build date can be much more helpful whether dealing with importation issues or buying parts. Unfortunately, the build date is not part of the Chassis Number/VIN, nor is it found anyplace else on Minis. Fortunately, for English built cars, at least, there is a way to get the build date accurate to the month and, in most cases, even to the exact day. See “Identifying Minis by Chassis Number/VIN – Standard Cars”By using information in other sections, such as, “Identifying Minis By Mark,”and “Identifying Non Standard Minis,”you can estimate the build date, or at least get close enough for most purposes.
The actual build date for your car should give you everything you need to know, but understanding the Mark system (and its foibles) can be helpful. Major changes define the various Marks, and the Mark system is in common use, so this “language” will put you in tune with others when discussing Minis, whether with your friends at a Mini gathering or with a salesperson when ordering parts. See, “Marque/Mark, Huh?”.
Another piece of the Mini identification puzzle is knowing what engine your Mini has. If the car and engine are in standard, factory form, knowing which engine you have can narrow down the car’s identity.
Even if the car is not in standard factory form, as is often the case, knowing which engine you have may give you a clue to what your Mini is, or was. And it is certainly necessary when buying engine related parts.
Remember, Mini parts are easily interchanged from one car to the next, and engines (and the entire engine/transmission power unit) are no exception.
See “Identifying Minis by Engine/Power Uni
Article by “www.minimania.com”