Mini 1000 Special Limited Edition

The Mini 1000 Special was 'the' original and first Limited Edition Mini sold and marketed in the UK. Described in the Leyland press release as 'the 1976 "limited edition striped seat Mini 1000", the Mini 1000 Special (sometimes also referred to as the Mini 1000 Limited Edition) was launched to an unsuspecting British public in October 1975, for the 1976 model year. Back in the 1970's Limited Edition versions of any car were unheard of (despite BMC Australia pioneering them with the Mini 1100 K six years earlier in 1969) in the UK, so the Mini 1000 Special must have caused something of a stir.

The Mini 1000 Special pioneered a number of features seen for the first time on the classic round-nosed Mini, such as eye-ball air vents, twin chrome door mirrors, Gold waist coachline, reclining front seats and Orange-striped brushed nylon seat trim from the MGB. Finishing the interior in true 1970's style were kitsch (dark orange) 'Safari' carpets.

Unusually, those Mini 1000 Special's painted in the unique exterior colour of Brooklands Green (an MGB colour of the time - and not the same Brooklands Green used on the 1999 John Cooper Limited Edition), although the visible interior metal remained painted in Glacier White (which suggests that the Brooklands Green exterior was painted over a standard Glacier White Mini bodyshell, in the same way that Mini van's/pickup's were initially painted in white if they were going to have their exterior's painted in a customer's Fleet colours).

Unfortunately, no period advertising for the Mini 1000 Special LE is known to exist.

Is this "the rarest Mini in the world"? - Probably. Only one confirmed surviving example of the Mini 1000 Special Limited Edition is known to exist out of the 3,000 cars that were sold in the UK during 1975/76.

The reason why most examples of 'the' original Limited Edition haven't survived is because the features unique to the Mini 1000 Special when it was new were adopted over the next 2 to 3 years as standard features on 'normal' Mini's, so it became hard to tell that a 1976 Mini 1000 Special Limited Edition wasn't just another '70s Mini.

Notes:	1.	No research has yet been carried out into the availability of the Gold waist coachline, so the current availability of these is unknown at present.
	2.	Prices, if quoted, are in UK Pounds Sterling and in the UK are subject to VAT @ 17.5%.
	3.	NLS = No Longer Serviced (i.e. not available from Rover).
	4.	Prices quoted are from the Rover Parts Retail Price List effective from 5th July 1999.

Polly was first registered on 20th February, 1976, and had 2 owners before Alex's two sisters, so Alex is Polly's fifth owner. Polly's interior has the original Orange-striped brushed nylon seats, and as can be seen has only a few modifications - two spotlights, a Mountney steering wheel, radio and grey carpets instead of the original Safari ones. Polly took part in the Mini 30 and 35 celebrations and was on exhibition at Mini 40 as part of 'The Set'.

No die-cast models of the Mini 1000 Special Limited Edition are known to have been produced.

Do you have a site dedicated to the 1976 Mini 1000 Special LE? If you'd like it featured here please e-mail the Register

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