First, let me say that I love my mini. I baby the hell out of it. It has only been above 4,000 RPM on a couple of occasions, and I'm just over 10,000 miles. I love the styling of this car, I love the feel of it, but there are a few areas where the designers screwed up.

My wish list of after-market parts:

1) A chrome roof rack similar to ones I've seen on old (1940's?) split window beetles.

2) Non space aged door panels. The star trek roll cage stuff has got to go. Has anyone come out with a nice dull flat door panel with just a handle and possibly an arm rest yet?

3) Bumpers that look like bumpers. You know, metal shiny and hard?

4) Are hub caps too much to ask for? $16,500 base price and they couldn't thrown in Hub Caps?

5) a combined display which provides a single clean simple cluster with as few gauges as possible. I want a nice empty clean dash. And how bout we get rid of the hump in the middle and make it flat?

6) And by the way, why the hell don't they make AC an option rather than cramming it down our throats? I don't use my AC. I don't want the AC. It's extra weight and extra controls on my dash. The same with the power windows. I hate electric windows. I dream of the day that someone comes out with an after-market window crank upgrade.

7) Higher gear ratios. I know they wanted to make the Mini sporty, but it really needs a more highway friendly 5'th gear. RPM's are way too high at 65 MPH on the expressway.

Extensions for the sun visors so that they actually block sunlight.

Ok.. I'm done ranting now.

Has anyone seen any nice tasteful retro looking after-market mini parts?

 

Hiya Rusty. I'm specifically not blasting you or anything, but my question is that if all the things that make a MINI unique in todays car marketplace are the things you hate, why did you get one?
From the sounds of it, you want a late 60s classic Mini. Great cars and even more fun than the new MINIs, but they are 30-40 years old.
1. Roof racks - haven't heard many ppl say they are putting in the OEM roofrack, since it requires drilling holes in the roof. If you go aftermarket, you can get whatever you want.
2. That's the "character". And people (and reviewers) are calling it "retro", not space-age.
3. No-one makes bumpers like that anymore.
4. "Sporty" = "open wheels". I'm sure you could get a set of stock Civic wheels for what you'd get for selling one of your factory wheels.
5. Speedo in the middle goes back to classic Minis. 2 of the old Minis I had, their speedos were in the mddle of the dash. You are in the minority wanting fewer gauges. Most people seem to want more, not less. but I agree that a way to see my speed directly in front of me would be nice. I rarely need to know the outside temp. Having a speed readout in the tacho would be helpful.
6. Car companies cannot sell a $16,000 car in the US that doesn't have AC as standard. They know it, you know it. Deal with it. I rarely use mine either.
7. Haven't driven the 5-speed on the freeway, so I have no opinion. I personally think that 1st in the MCS should be a little shorter, but what are you gonna do?
8. Sunshades that work? YES PLEASE!!

Again, I'm not attacking you in any way, I just think that your opinions are so far away from the mainstream of the target market for MINIs that there is no way you are going to be satisfied, based on your request list.

 

1) A chrome roof rack similar to ones I've seen on old (1940's?) split window beetles. Chrome rusts and is expensive. I imagine demand isn't that great for roof racks in any form for this car

2) Non space aged door panels. The star trek roll cage stuff has got to go. Has anyone come out with a nice dull flat door panel with just a handle and possibly an arm rest yet? I like the way the present doors are, although I have started looking into trying to make a real armrest to add on. The door pockets are really functional.

3) Bumpers that look like bumpers. You know, metal shiny and hard? And once again expensive to make and even more so if you ever have to replace one. Not only that but I don't think the old style bumper would go very well with the updated styling of the rest of the body.

4) Are hub caps too much to ask for? $16,500 base price and they couldn't thrown in Hub Caps? Another low demand item. It's easier for the companies now to make the fancy rims that a lot of people want, than it is for them to offer steel wheels with hubcaps that only a few people would go for.

5) a combined display which provides a single clean simple cluster with as few gauges as possible. I want a nice empty clean dash. Fewer gauges? This is probably your worst idea of all here. There's a reason they call the trouble indicators "idiot lights". A gauge will let you know when trouble is brewing and you have a chance to check it out before damage is done. A light will let you know something's wrong only after the fact. The car really needs an oil pressure gauge added to it's dash. And how bout we get rid of the hump in the middle and make it flat? No can do. While the MINI doesn't have a driveshaft going back it does use that space for the exhaust system. If you flatten the floor you're exhaust is going to be dragging the ground, unless you raise the car.

6) And by the way, why the hell don't they make AC an option rather than cramming it down our throats? I don't use my AC. I don't want the AC. It's extra weight and extra controls on my dash. The same with the power windows. I hate electric windows.Once again,like the rims, these are probably two of the most popular options that MINI just added as standard. I dream of the day that someone comes out with an after-market window crank upgrade. This probably won't happen since it would require the total replacement of the door panels to make room for the regulators....and I don't think 1 person in a thousand would consider it an upgrade.

7) Higher gear ratios. I know they wanted to make the Mini sporty, but it really needs a more highway friendly 5'th gear. RPM's are way too high at 65 MPH on the expressway.As I own an S, I can't comment on this one. I have no idea what kind of revs you're pulling at 65.

Extensions for the sun visors so that they actually block sunlight.This needs to be done, for sure!

Actually, after reading your post here, have you considered selling your MINI and buying either an original Mini or an older Volkswagon. Both of them offer all the "upgrades" you've proposed!

 

So basically you want everything that makes the MINI unique and cool, out of the car.

 

Go get a classic mini

 

Hubcaps?????

 

yeah anyway...an upgrade to hubcaps?...lol

 

all the things that make a MINI unique in todays car marketplace are the things you hate, why did you get one?

No, I love all that makes the mini unique. What I don't like is all the crap that makes it less unique.

>>2. That's the "character". And people (and reviewers) are calling it "retro", not space-age.

reviewers also call rap music retro.

The original Mini door panels consisted of perfectly flat panels with a strap for a pull handle. In today's market, that is unique. Molded plastic is not unique and does not have character because every single car rolling out of every assembly line in the world has molded plastic door panels with cargo pockets.

>>7. Haven't driven the 5-speed on the freeway, so I have no opinion. I personally think that 1st in the MCS should be a little shorter, but what are you gonna do?

3,000 Rpm is 60 Mph. Way to high.

 

] And how bout we get rid of the hump in the middle and make it flat? No can do. While the MINI doesn't have a driveshaft going back it does use that space for the exhaust system. If you flatten the floor you're exhaust is going to be dragging the ground, unless you raise the car.

I was referring to the dashboard. It used to be that the dashboard was a simple flat deck between you and the windshield. Now it is a silly curved thing with a hump in the middle. I realize that EVERY car is like this now, but that makes it no less obnoxious.

As for the floor hump, I'm used to real wheel drive and therefore consider it perfectly normal and necessary.

 

>>Go get a classic mini

But that would defeat the whole purpose of interior and exterior mods (the topic of this forum).

Besides, I bought the Mini after many years of driving 60's (or earlier)vehicles. I had no problems keeping these older machines operating and reliable. However, I finally decided that I want a car that I can own and care for from day one and never have to put up with fixing damage done by previous owners. I intend to own the Mini for at least the next 30 years or so.

 

>>yeah anyway...an upgrade to hubcaps?...lol

Before auto manufacturers started making "sporty" looking rims in the last 10 years or so, a lack of hubcaps meant one of two things: 1) it fell off or was stolen, or 2) the car is being driven by a teenager who put obnoxious chrome rims on it and probably an equaly obnoxious stereo to subject everyone to their choice of "music".

Now auto manufacturers have split the difference, they have rims that are only slightly less obnoxous than the custom rims put on by teenagers. The problem comes when a car such as the Mini (or even the new T-Bird) comes along which is meant to pay homage to the original but gets stuck looking like it has had custom rims thrown on it.

 

I'm with you on the door panels! They are by far my least favorite design aspect of this car. I think they just look dumb. Not to mention that the crossbar is too close to the pocket, making storage of items over a certain size impossible. And my passenger side one is already scuffed up, from someone's BACKPACK brushing against it. Ridiculous.

 

>>3,000 Rpm is 60 Mph. Way to high.<<

That's about 67 in my MCS in 6th....not that great of difference, but it is right at the beginning of the torque curve for an unmodified S.

>>I was referring to the dashboard. It used to be that the dashboard was a simple flat deck between you and the windshield. Now it is a silly curved thing with a hump in the middle. I realize that EVERY car is like this now, but that makes it no less obnoxious.<<

It used to be cars were more angular, too. The curve of the dash fits more with the general roundness of the rest of the car. I don't know if a flat dash would lend itself to the rest of the interior styling. The hump also accents the speedometer cluster. At least the hump in the MINI is centered for a more symetrical look.

 

I dont know about hubcaps, but if you were looking for a more retro wheel package, consider panasports. they're a little bigger than teh originals on the rover mini, but they look OK.

 

>>>>Go get a classic mini
>>
>>But that would defeat the whole purpose of interior and exterior mods (the topic of this forum).
>>
>>Besides, I bought the Mini after many years of driving 60's (or earlier)vehicles. I had no problems keeping these older machines operating and reliable. However, I finally decided that I want a car that I can own and care for from day one and never have to put up with fixing damage done by previous owners. I intend to own the Mini for at least the next 30 years or so.

Of course that's not to say that I wouldn't trade in a hearbeat if I could get a 2000 Mini with very low mileage over here. But alas they are not avaiable in the U.S., and I don't know if they would pass emissions/safety anyway.

 

Well your basically asking for the impossible...I dont think there will be much aftermarket parts like the ones your asking for. And hubcaps? come on this is the 21st century! Cars that come with hubcaps now a days are the cheap base model cars like the civics and such. If it makes you feel better you can order mini hubcaps in the mini mototring accessories catalog.

And whats with the attitude? Why so much teenager and their choice of music bashing? Just becuase some kid puts rims on his car and doesnt listen to music you like why do you gotta put them down? I suggest you go to off topic and start some kind of contoversial thread. I have a '67 mustang that had the hubcap wheels and I later put some torque thrust D wheels on them. I didnt change them just because it looked better but it was safer too. Those little 14x4 wheels with the hubcaps aren't that safest things to be driving on.

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<IMG SRC= https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...pg>/<IMG SRC=http://www.jedimaster.net/starwarskid.gif>
Aug 10th, be there or be square!

 

>>3,000 Rpm is 60 Mph. Way to high.

I don't think that's high at all after having driven my Cooper for the last three months. At first, I was just like you, babying it to the extreme. However, I've found that the car travels comfortably at 3000 RPM and seems to come back to the magic 3000 number at each gear change.

Maybe I'm wrong, and if so someone please clue me in, but I have no problem nor do I feel like the engine is complaining and I regularly travel the highway at 70 mph, which is right around 3500 RPM, and I usually don't shift until 4000 RPM.

Vicki B.
'02 Blk Cpr w/Wht Roof

 

Before auto manufacturers started making "sporty" looking rims in the last 10 years or so, a lack of hubcaps meant one of two things: 1) it fell off or was stolen, or 2) the car is being driven by a teenager who put obnoxious chrome rims on it and probably an equaly obnoxious stereo to subject everyone to their choice of "music".
What about the old cooper lite rims? no hub caps there?

>>3,000 Rpm is 60 Mph. Way to high.
Way to High? I find myself grabbing for 4th because I lose the powerband below 55. And besides, it's only a 1.6! You ever hear a mid 90's Mazda at 60? It's reaching for 4k rpm and screaming too. I consider 3k a nice cruising good powerband rpm.

I suppose on your list of nasty unretro things are also:
Cruise Control
Power Locks w/ remote
speed sensitive volume
Power sunroof.
Tire Low Pressure light
Radio auto-tune (They should offer an HU with the old pushbutton style!)


_________________
BRG MC w/ White Bonnet Stripes, Driving Lights w/ Red Covers, shorty antenna, chrome lock pulls, BRG dountubes and doortubes, clear 3rd brake light, and a sunroof

 

For a car that does 6000 rpm well, driving at 3000 rpm is not a problem at any speed. If you don't like 3000 rpm and want something closer to 2200 rpm stick to slower highways. In Hawaii we have some that are 45 mph!

Hubcaps- These are "cheap" dressups for cars of old that had steel wheelrims. The hubcap was common to cover the 4 or 5 nuts that held the wheel on the axle. Also hubcaps are not cheap. My 1991 Dodge caravan had hubcaps that retail from the dealer for a cool $110 each. I bought some from a hubcap specialist for a cheap $65 each after I lost two in an accident running over road debris and blowing out a tire.

Even the cheapest option of MINIs gets a steel rim that doesn't require a hubcap. It's dressy enough and the wheel trim rings and hubcaps just tend to fall off anyway.

 

>>Cruise Control

I have no need for cruise control, but since it was optional I didn't get stuck with it either. I don't have cruise control.

>>Power Locks w/ remote

I wouldn't have power locks or a remote if they had been options. Extra parts and extra complexity means more work down the road to keep everything operational.

>>speed sensitive volume

If they could come up with idiot and the next car sensitive volume, I would love it. I have never had road noise overpower my stereo... they guy in the next car over that is vibrating my skull with what sounds like a recording of tennis shoes in a clothes dryer on the other hand does usually force me to turn the volume up.

>>Power sunroof.

Don't have a sunroof. Don't like them. No matter how well designed, they always seem to be a source of problems 15, 20, or 30 years down the road. I have no intention of replacing the Mini for a very long time, hince no sunroof. for the same reason I would have preferred not to have power locks (which will eventually wear out) or power windows (which will eventually wear out) or any other extras.

>>Tire Low Pressure light

This I like, though mine seems to get confused.. I have only had it come on twice and both times have been false warnings. But overall, I like the feature and I'm sure that if I ever do actually have a leak that it will alert me.

>>Radio auto-tune (They should offer an HU with the old pushbutton style!)[/b]
>>

Auto tune? That's easy. I start to lose the station, I hit down or up tell I find another station to listen to.
But Yes, my last car was a 1966 Valient with the original AM and yes, push button programming. Since this was in Hawaii where they had (until shortly before I left) an AM rebroadcast of the local NPR station, I was perfectly happy with my single dash speaker and AM radio.

Overall, I think that the Mini is a wonderful machine. I like the overall body styling and think that they did a fairly good job of staying true to the original. Mechanically it seems very well designed. The handling is great. I love the vinyl seats which can actually be cleaned, unlike cloth and leather that everything else on the road seems to have now. The mileage is terrific. By drafting off of trucks, accelerating gently, coasting when possible, and never going above 60 Mph, I have been able to average as much as 42 Mpg on a tank which isn't bad at all. Not as good as the Mini One, but that wasn't available in the states.


There are some areas that I think they screwed up, however. The fake roll cage on the door panels for instance. Or the mirrors. One reason that I bought the Mini was that it is something that a one eyed man can easily park without the benefit of depth of field vision. The mirrors, however, are horrible. I had no problem finding a convex stick-on which covers most of the driver's side and a second mirror which mounts below the windshield rearview, so that was no problem to work around.

Now if someone would just come out with aftermarket door panels, I'd be in heaven. Oh, and headlight hoods. Gotta have nice chrome headlight hoods....

 

Rust,
Sounds like what you really want, admit it now, is a nice, low milage original Beetle. Am I right? You could put that gawd awful chrome roof rack on, and the headlight hoods (gak!), and motor around at about 45 with no air, flat door panels and a charming little chugga, chugga sound to the engine.

The good ole days are over Rust... this is a brand new world. New economys of scale, enviromental concerns and the global market have put to rest the automotive industry as we once knew it.

Stop looking for your long lost automotive love in your MINI and enjoy it for what it is, not what it isn't! Then go buy yourself that old Beetle for when you want to return to those simple days.

That's what I did! Except, erase Beetle and substitute "1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT Veloce."

Cheers,
Eric