Interesting shots of Mini production at Longbridge, from the film "A Portrait of a People" released in 1970, which appears to show a mixture of Mk2 Mini saloons (with exposed door hinges/sliding windows) and Mk3 (without) on the production line in 1969. Also Mk2's in the later Mk3 colours as sometimes turn up to this day to confuse enthusiasts. The changeover point..or the Mk3 could also be an early Pre-production press car?
(I witnessed a similar event happening on a visit to the Oxford Cowley MINI Plant a few years ago while on a factory tour.....the tour guide tried but failed to distract our party of MINI enthusiasts from suddenly noticing that a pre-production (not yet officially announced to the press) Mk3 BMW MINI was coming down the line amongst the existing soon to be replaced Mk2 MINI's !) 
Production of all model variants is mixed on the modern MINI production line in Oxford but that is achieved using modern computer control systems and robots, which I presume would be much more difficult in the 1960's production, especially with an ADO16 seen on the line. This could be the rectification line but photo still shows Mk3 and Mk2 saloons were passing through the factory at the same time and it appears some of the Mk2's are in later Mk3 colours which ties up with some of the oddball 'changeover' Mk2 Minis in Mk3 colours and factory fitted Mk3 bootlids, etc, seen since.
Also the internal hinges and wind up windows were nothing new in 1969 as they'd been building Mark III Elf/Hornets for three years already.
Minivan/Pickup production continued until 1984 with Mk1/2 external hinge doors, during Mk3 onwards years, so if they came down the same lines it must have been possible to build both types alongside fairly easily.....it would be interesting to hear what was done from ex-workers at the time. I witnessed the tail end of Minivan production on a Longbridge factory tour in the 1980's but although I saw lots of brand new Minivans parked up in the factory area I don't remember seeing them on the production line mixed with the Mk4 saloons so maybe came down in batches.
Edited by mab01uk, 08 January 2021 - 08:11 PM.
