Hello all, time to say hello after lurking for some weeks…
I acquired my Mini cheaply last year to use as a runabout on sunny days (rare here in the Netherlands 
) and do some meetings. First meeting was a local car show and in May we attended the IMM in Belgium!
About my Mini, it’s a Nov. 1968 built LHD Austin Mini Mark II Saloon, but with some identity issues.
The shell appears to be of a later vintage (internal hinges and wind-up windows), but still has some Mk2 details like ignition barrel on dash and Mk2 style column shroud, overriders on bumpers, roof gutter rail, original vinyl front seats without locking hoops, close spaced windscreen wipers, single line brakes, etc.
The engine is a later 1275 A+ with rod-change gearbox and 3,1 diff with 7,5” brakes. It also has twin petrol tanks and a Britax sunroof, so this one really is a bitsa J.
The one confusing bit is the chassis number (VIN). It’s all correct and corresponding with the plate on the bonnet closing panel, the stamping in the RH floor panel and the (Dutch) V5 document, but there’s an interesting extra letter “B” in the chassis number prefix. It reads like this:
A-A2SBB 1233***-A
Some online research didn’t lead me to an explanation. I first thought it could be “B” for “Base”-model, or was it maybe a “Belgium” built CKD?
I acquired a Heritage Certificate and although I had included this extra letter in my initial request to BMH, it was not listed on the Heritage Certificate. After some emails they explained that they had never come across this before. Their feeling is it was a mistake when the plate was being stamped, but they carried on and used it anyway including in the registration documents.
Further online research got me only one hit of a similar chassis number (incl. the extra “B” in de prefix), but that website was in Finnish language which I didn’t understand and it was just a list of chassis numbers without further details .
So now I’m asking you experts if you’ve ever came across this extra letter “B” in the chassis number prefix and if so, can you please explain?
Thanks in advance!
