27 replies to this topic

[Spider]

 

Cheaper in bulk !

https://www.alibaba....d6eeb2d582a4d59

 

I've been seeing a few random photos over the past month of Mini body shells, including the Beach type pop up, clearly an after market venture. Now available through Alibaba !

 

" The body is made of the same galvanized steel plate as Shanghai Volkswagen, which has undergone electroplating processing. There is a special phosphating process, which can meet the salt spray test of 800 hours, ensuring that each body will not rust for 10 years. "

 

 

 

[PoolGuy]

What are the chances of the standard Mini windscreen and windows fitting?

[gaspen]

What are the chances of the standard Mini windscreen and windows fitting?

 

I guess they tested it.

[MikeRotherham]

Click on the link it says can't be shipped to your region.

 

I was going to ask would there be any clash with with the UK sales of Heritage bodies but I guess that answers it.

 

Would be very interesting to compare the quality of both offerings.

 

I've heard a few negative comments about Heritage body shells.

Edited by MikeRotherham, 30 November 2025 - 08:43 AM.

[Shooter63]

 Cheaper in bulk !https://www.alibaba....d6eeb2d582a4d59 I've been seeing a few random photos over the past month of Mini body shells, including the Beach type pop up, clearly an after market venture. Now available through Alibaba ! " The body is made of the same galvanized steel plate as Shanghai Volkswagen, which has undergone electroplating processing. There is a special phosphating process, which can meet the salt spray test of 800 hours, ensuring that each body will not rust for 10 years. "

That's incredible, think of the tooling costs alone, unless they are buying the panels from the UK then assembling them in China, a rot free mini would be very nice.

Shooter

[gaspen]

I think they've made the tooling also. At the beginning of this video you can see a complete body with marks for 3D scanning

 

https://fb.watch/DHXlW1xRlG/

[beardylondon]

Bit of a pain if you buy it, pay for shipping and find it is a pile of cr@p.
Lets be honest I bet their tolerances are terrible.

[Gaz66]

Bit of a pain if you buy it, pay for shipping and find it is a pile of cr@p.
Lets be honest I bet their tolerances are terrible.

Not necessarily but quite probably 😁

[Quinlan minor]

Lets be honest I bet their tolerances are terrible.

Worse than the original manufacturer?

[beardylondon]

Well it not like they are working off drawings and have time to test build vehicles is it!

Lets be honest I bet their tolerances are terrible.

Worse than the original manufacturer?

[absx2]

The last Heritage shell I looked at in detail I wouldn`t buy, I actually asked if it was a reject that was kept for advertising and it was a genuine question on my part.

In hindsight that was rude of me and I`m not a rude person so I put it down to shock.

I know we should all be very pleased that if our pockets are deep enough we could keep our minis alive with a new shell but it looked to have been thrown together without any attention to detail so based on that I would be very interested to see what the competition has come up with as I`m sure one will end up here before too long.

Being galvanized it`s on to a winner.

[Ethel]

It would have to be an SVA & Q plate if you  managed to get one in to the UK. It'd be interesting to see if BMW try to dust off that Rover registered trademark too.

 

There are enough  companies viably making the individual panels, so I guess that'd be viable for them too, with or without knocking them together in to whole body shells. China's a big place, so maybe they have plans to sell then domestically, with their own (EV?) running gear, as funky city cars too? 

 

Wouldn't be the first time

[DeadSquare]

I tried to get a late friend of mine, who had been in middle management at Fisher Ludlow, to see if he could use a bit of "Old boy network" influence to get 50 sets of Stainless Steel panels pressed, to make 50 shells for the half Centenary.

 

 Apart from an enthusiastic pointer from the initial phone call, there was no satisfactory communication, and the year came and went with us concluding that it was just too good an idea to ever get passed to anybody with a modicum of clout.

 

There was a bath at Longbridge for Phosphatising shells, but when ever I went there, it was being bypassed.  Having said that, bodyshells delivered to Agents were Phosphated, and I can vouch than my Elf shell, stored for some 40 years under cover but subject to condensation, was rust free until destroyed in a barn fire.

[DeadSquare]

Click on the link it says can't be shipped to your region.

 

I was going to ask would there be any clash with with the UK sales of Heritage bodies but I guess that answers it.

 

Would be very interesting to compare the quality of both offerings.

 

I've heard a few negative comments about Heritage body shells.

If only Ryan Air flew to China, we could bring one back as hand luggage.

[Shooter63]

Lets be honest I bet their tolerances are terrible.

Worse than the original manufacturer?

Is that even possible

Shooter