Has anyone seen either of these kits in real life?
Opinions too please, doesn't matter which way they lean.






http://www.ibherdesign.com/mini-cooper-body-kits.html

 

Not as ugly as some that I've seen, but still pretty ugly, in my opinion.


The only decent looking body kit for the MINI that I have seen is the aero kit made by MINI...

 

Although I don't really care for either one, I would probably choose the kit in the bottom pics. I agree that the factory aero kit seems to compliment the Mini best.

 

I'm not crazy about either but the top one is my choice between the two. I have seen worse kits.

I like the Aero Kit the best as well. The aftermarket kits just don't seem to fit the lines of the MINI very well.

 

Meh...

 

I like the front bumper of the bottom kit and the rear bumper of the top kit. I think that all kits are all a little odd, but some people like myself like to look a little odd and maybe that is the point. The aero kit does look nice, but to me it doesnt look much different than stock (non-aero), so I would never personally spend the money on it. I figure if I am going to spend the cash I might as well go a little wild with it.

 

"The Aero kit is the best kit for the Mini Cooper", you are going to hear that alot on NAM. It is the best fitting and it has been designed by the BMW deisgn studio but that doesn't necessary mean its the best looking. As far the top two bodykits go they are both nonsense in my opinion. To me the Hamman body kit is the best one in the market (minus the goofy side skirts). However at about $900 for a front bumper its a little out there for most people.

 

I bet those things cost a small fortune. Did anyone notice the flares are molded? That means the kit would have to include a new bonnet and rear quarter panels.

 

OK, I'm back, just had to make a quick trip to the bathroom to throw up. Both are pretty ghastly.

 

That's because they are both really impressive photoshop jobs...the company has said they were in the works for a long time now

 

ah, that makes more sense

 

Wouldnt you just take the pieces and blend them to the other parts of the car, getting rid of the seams of the kit? I know people that just fill the creases with a filler, sand down and paint over. Im actually surprised they didnt mold the rear bumper ont he sides (not to the hatch of course). The only thing I can think of why they didnt is to match the non-molded front bumper as you cant mold it to the front of the bonnet. But ya, the skirts and all are molded on the top one.

BEATNUT

 

That body work alone would be probably around 1000-1500 for just the paint removal andmolding because it needs to be done very carefully with a special combound that can bend and flex a bit without cracking and then its sanded down and redone multiple times to get the lines right. And then think of how much paint would need to be applied....you would need to paint: the front and rear bumpers, the sideskirts, the arches, the front quarter panels, the hood, and the rear quarter panels. Thats basically every panel that is body colored. And that could easily cost another 1000 including labor and paint.

So the kit would look at about 3000+ not to mention up to 4 months in the shop. A lot of VWs get this type of work done on their cars to shave and mold things into the bodystyling and it usually costs a ton (unless you have the right friends) and they usually let their car sit in the shop over an entire winter as the car is worked on.

 

Yeah I was thinking that they were refering to parts alone (and new rear quarters were needed). Yeah blending the kit like that is a lot of time and work I know... Prety much the whole car minus the roof would need to be painted once the kit was on.

BEATNUT

 

It would be a great time to go with a custom color though

 

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