17 replies to this topic

[Thedear]

Hi there..

Iv have and opportunity to purchase 1990 Mini Cooper S, driven by Micheal Cooper him self with “HI5 FUN” number plates and 001 chassis number. For sale in South Africa.. could anyone advise me on how to authenticate this info before I make the purchase… thanks 🙏

[bpirie1000]

Very good mini to buy.

I would maybe contact the garage make sure your looking at the right car but also I would expect the seller to have at least sufficient documentation to prove the history of the car. Never mind a car with such a special history.

End of the day a car is a car if it is in good condition then it is only worth what you are willing to/ can afford to pay for it.

https://www.coopercarcompany.com/ may be of assistance.

Found this on Facebook.

May be good for reference https://www.facebook...0409/?ref=share

Edited by bpirie1000, 26 March 2024 - 06:51 AM.

[beardylondon]

Post a link?

[Spider]

Sorry and I hope I'm off track, I just find it rather weird that such a car would be in South Africa. It may well be the real deal, but it doesn't smell right.

[Itsaminithing]

Wow, so very confusing!!

According to which source you look at....

John Cooper transferred the registration plate to a BMW Mini.

The number plate HI5 FUN appears on a Green Mini currently residing in Johannesburg -https://www.kampforum.co.za/node/5329

The original Blue HI5 FUN was sold on after being re-registered as HI5 FUM.

A real can of worms.

Edited by Itsaminithing, 26 March 2024 - 11:17 AM.

[Homersimpson]

I would be very careful of anything proporting to be the first of anything without sufficent documentary proof. 

 

Its very easy to make a fake of something, I doubt there is anything stopping someone with enough time and knowledge of their local registration system registering a car with the same chassis number as one that already exists in another country.

[beardylondon]

I thought Mike Cooper kept the reg number H15 FUN and put it on a BMW Mini, and from a DVLA check it currently appears on a 2022 BMW Cooper registered in the UK.

 

Whatever that plate that is in South Africa is either a local plate (in UK font) or a cover / show plate.

 

Also I thought the original H15 FUN was blue?

 

And a quick google and I found this. I don't have face ache, so 2 screen shots, as it wouldnt expand to show full image, hence the two.

 

Obviously this is just the reg number, which according to another Facebook post I found, when JCG sold H15 FUN, chassis 001, the new owner bought the plate H15 FUM to go with it, which Itsaminithing pointed out above.

 

 

Wow, so very confusing!!

According to which source you look at....

John Cooper transferred the registration plate to a BMW Mini.

The number plate HI5 FUN appears on a Green Mini currently residing in Johannesburg -https://www.kampforum.co.za/node/5329

The original Blue HI5 FUN was sold on after being re-registered as HI5 FUM.

A real can of worms.

Edited by beardylondon, 26 March 2024 - 02:26 PM.

[Thedear]

Hi thank you for your responses…, below is a link of the mini for sale , it is 001 prototype that was made for John cooper garages in 1990 , and it has some paper work for it , like a letter from Mike cooper and a magazine article with Mike cooper standing next to it . But I’m not able to find any information on the web to support what these documents say and show. Is this normal?

https://sportsandgtc...ooper-s-classic

[beardylondon]

 

I thought Mike Cooper kept the reg number H15 FUN and put it on a BMW Mini, and from a DVLA check it currently appears on a 2022 BMW Cooper registered in the UK.

 

Whatever that plate that is in South Africa is either a local plate (in UK font) or a cover / show plate.

 

Also I thought the original H15 FUN was blue? Plate could have been on different cars?

 

And a quick google and I found this. I don't have face ache, so 2 screen shots, as it wouldnt expand to show full image, hence the two.

 

Obviously this is just the reg number, which according to another Facebook post I found, when JCG sold H15 FUN, chassis 001, the new owner bought the plate H15 FUM to go with it, which Itsaminithing pointed out above.

 

 

Wow, so very confusing!!

According to which source you look at....

John Cooper transferred the registration plate to a BMW Mini.

The number plate HI5 FUN appears on a Green Mini currently residing in Johannesburg -https://www.kampforum.co.za/node/5329

The original Blue HI5 FUN was sold on after being re-registered as HI5 FUM.

A real can of worms.

 

[beardylondon]

ask them if they have the UK V5C document, looks like this:

 

https://motorway.co....guide-to-the-v5

 

As Mike retained H15 FUN registration, that means that vehicle did not leave the UK on that registration number. So there must be a V5C document, with a different registration number, but which shows the correct VIN, 0001 etc. If they don't have that its perhaps a fake.

 

Just to be clear, as unlike some countries, it is very easy to make up UK registration plate with whatever registration number you like.

 

Hi thank you for your responses…, below is a link of the mini for sale , it is 001 prototype that was made for John cooper garages in 1990 , and it has some paper work for it , like a letter from Mike cooper and a magazine article with Mike cooper standing next to it . But I’m not able to find any information on the web to support what these documents say and show. Is this normal?

https://sportsandgtc...ooper-s-classic

Edited by beardylondon, 26 March 2024 - 04:17 PM.

[mab01uk]

Wow, so very confusing!!

According to which source you look at....

John Cooper transferred the registration plate to a BMW Mini.

The number plate HI5 FUN appears on a Green Mini currently residing in Johannesburg -https://www.kampforum.co.za/node/5329

The original Blue HI5 FUN was sold on after being re-registered as HI5 FUM.

A real can of worms.

 

From Gov/DVLA tax check website:

H15 FUM

✓ SORN Vehicle H15FUM has a valid SORN

✗ MOT Vehicle H15FUM does not have a valid MOT certificate  Expired: 24 July 2012

Vehicle Details

Vehicle make ROVER

Date of first registration August 1998

Year of manufacture 1998

Cylinder capacity 1275 cc

Export marker No

Vehicle status SORN

Vehicle colour MULTI-COLOUR

Date of last V5C (logbook) issued 9 August 2012

Edited by mab01uk, 27 March 2024 - 07:41 PM.

[Itsaminithing]

I hope i've got this information correct -if not you'll have to excuse my mistakes. I know a bit about Mk3s ....but these aren't Mk3s.

 

It looks likely that the green 1400 Cooper S currently for sale in Joburg was MIKE Coopers personal car (a mainstream car converted for him by JCG) & considered by some as the first 'proper' S since 1971 (the S type plate affixed to the crossmember by the drivers door should be #0001-S).

After it was built Mike reputedly drove it with the personal plate H15 FUN (this plate has been transferred & used on various Minis owned by the family & is still retained by Mike Cooper).

The first 'production' Cooper S built since 1971 is usually considered to be John Coopers own car G808 KJW, a red RSP (the S type plate affixed to the crossmember by the drivers door should be #0001-P).

 

Later on for those dissatisfied with the 78bhp 'S' format a 115bhp 1400cc kit (as used on Mikes Green Mini) was later sold by JCG as MCC1400BC.

 

I think the 1998 blue Mini H15 FUM was the first MPI converted to 'S' Spec (& probably wore the H15 FUN number plate when the Coopers owned it).

 

Any car that's not on the highway (or is in a museum) can use a 'show plate' be it H15 FUN or anything else you fancy, it's the history of the vehicle that's important & not whichever number plate it's now wearing, but i certainly wouldn't pay £56.5K for a Mini even an 'S' with a 1400 5 speed.

Edited by Itsaminithing, 28 March 2024 - 11:57 AM.

[and90cooper]

I hope i've got this information correct -if not you'll have to excuse my mistakes. I know a bit about Mk3s ....but these aren't Mk3s.

It looks likely that the green 1400 Cooper S currently for sale in Joburg was MIKE Coopers personal car (a mainstream car converted for him by JCG) & considered by some as the first 'proper' S since 1971 (the S type plate affixed to the crossmember by the drivers door should be #0001-S).
After it was built Mike reputedly drove it with the personal plate H15 FUN (this plate has been transferred & used on various Minis owned by the family & is still retained by Mike Cooper).
The first 'production' Cooper S built since 1971 is usually considered to be John Coopers own car G808 KJW, a red RSP (the S type plate affixed to the crossmember by the drivers door should be #0001-P).

Later on for those dissatisfied with the 78bhp 'S' format a 115bhp 1400cc kit (as used on Mikes Green Mini) was later sold by JCG as MCC1400BC.

I think the 1998 blue Mini H15 FUM was the first MPI converted to 'S' Spec (& probably wore the H15 FUN number plate when the Coopers owned it).

Any car that's not on the highway (or is in a museum) can use a 'show plate' be it H15 FUN or anything else you fancy, it's the history of the vehicle that's important & not whichever number plate it's now wearing, but i certainly wouldn't pay £56.5K for a Mini even an 'S' with a 1400 5 speed.

Any idea what they did to get 115bhp from a 1400?

[Itsaminithing]

MCC1400BC came with flame stickers for to the wings & a pair of furry dice 

As I previously said i'm not knowledgeable about any Cooper S let alone the JCG 1400 conversion, you will have to do any indepth research yourself.

Here's a starter http://www.rsp-regis.../The_S_Pack.htm

 

[Thedear]

Iv attached some documents that are available with the purchase , no V5C is available , but by looking at the attached documents, could this be enough to legitimise the history of this vehicle?

Attached Files

•  Rover Mini Cooper S #001 - Liberty (HIS FUN).pdf   991.15K   9 downloads
•  0bc5aef7-25f7-4db1-9d4c-b426868f2722.jpeg   50.45K   0 downloads
•  f06d3863-f901-4af9-9e60-6bc4473eed0b.jpeg   108.59K   0 downloads
•  Rover Mini Cooper S #001 - Liberty (HIS FUN).pdf   991.15K   5 downloads
•  9853508a-ac25-4aec-a223-c411c770fc71.jpeg   110.02K   0 downloads