20 replies to this topic

[thehelstonian]

1980 Austin (I thought was an old Austin 1000)

Ive recently changed some stuff on my car and have informed my insurers, they told me upon renewal my car is actually an innocenti S? I didnt think it was, then she went on to say it must be and reeled off all the other makes made in 1980 and the only other was a mini special...im confused, can anyone help me? Reg for mine is PNK 16W if I search it comes up as Austin 1000 but i cant seem to get the insurers to come to my way of thinking, when i bought it it already had a 1380 in it so im unsure now....they had it down as a clubby!!!!

[MRA]

1980.... could mean that it was a 1275 GT.

[thehelstonian]

but was that not a clubby model? or am i being daft?

[RossKnight]

The details on the MID are:

Vehicle Make/Model: AUSTIN MINI INNOCENTI S

[thehelstonian]

are these rare? ive never heard of them!!

[Spitz]

Show us a picture of the car, badges, dash, under hood.

If it's a clssic MINI body, then I think Inno only made them till 76

Edited by Spitz, 19 January 2011 - 08:28 PM.

[thehelstonian]

its my profile pic!! ill need to get some other pics

[Dan]

Your car is not an Austin. Minis stopped being Austin or Morris in 1969, after that date UK and most other territory models were all branded simply Mini. It's VIN plate might say Austin Rover, but I'd think it's a bit too old for that and it's only a brand name for Leyland in any case. Your car has probably been incorrectly registered, as many are due to the confusion over all the different names that have been used over the years.

Also, since by 1980 all Innocenti Minis looked like this:



it probably isn't one!

[Dan]

Not really rare, not in Italy at least. Made in the tens of thousands. Due to import rules, the Mini was sold in Italy under the name of an Italian manufacturer who were to all intents and purposes, BMC in Italy. Innocenti made almost all of the car locally and initially they were essentially the same car as the UK version but Innocenti made a lot more developments and refinements to the model range over the years than BMC / Leyland / Austin Rover / Rover ever did. A similar situation existed in Spain where the Mini was built by Authi, and in various other territories.

[thehelstonian]

ok thanks dan, i didnt think it could be right thanks for your input

plus everyone else!!!

[Dan]

How much of your car is original? If you tell us what sort of spec it has we can tell you what model it was originally. What sort of interior and instruments does it have? Was it always a 1000?

[thehelstonian]

How much of your car is original? If you tell us what sort of spec it has we can tell you what model it was originally. What sort of interior and instruments does it have? Was it always a 1000?

I dont think a lot is original to be honest all i know is the year, was originally red, i have a load of paperwork which may shed some light but unfortunately i havent really got a clue

[Dan]

Well if it is a 1980 model and not a late registered car, it should have a VIN number which can be decoded to tell you the make and model.

[thehelstonian]

Well if it is a 1980 model and not a late registered car, it should have a VIN number which can be decoded to tell you the make and model.

ok where would i get this number? on the car itself?? just like the new cars?

[MRA]

Not as rare as an ~AUTHI but still a good find