What year was last Mini Auto?

[olosteve]

Can anyone tell me what year the last 1275 mini auto was registered? Also I am looking for the chassis Number, or the last batch numbers?

[Joloke]

I cant help with the batch number unfortunately but the clue to A Series auto production Years is in the Forum Banner

From a UK perspective the last Auto Transmissions were produced for the UK Market around 1995 possibly into 1996 at a push?

In 1996 the last Single point Injections were produced the very last being the Mini Equinox,consensus has it these were a lead out limited edition to basically use up the Single Point Injection units

I am not sure if they ever offered the Equinox with an Auto Trans but that was the end of SPI.

For the UK market the Multi Point Injection was never produced with an Automatic Transmission,infact the MPI block wasn't even the same block,instead of having the usual vertical Spin on oil filter on the Manual Models it had a horizontally mounted oil filter sticking out of the front of the block

I believe the MPI block was a Meastro casting???

For the Japan Market however Auto Models carried thru until the end of production in 2000 but I cant say for certain if these very last Japanese Spec Autos are Single Point or Multi Point Injection as I have never looked at one close up?

I know when production ceased in 2000 Somerford Mini bought virtually every remaining spare part Rover had remaining,but Mini Bristol Minis bought the remaining transmissions

MBM no longer trade but the proprietor kept a couple of the Unused Auto Trans which finally appeared on eBay around 3 years ago

Hope this helps and maybe somebody here with a late Japanese Import Automatic may have the Answer?

[Joloke]

Here is a 1998 Japan Spec Mini for sale showing production carried on after it ceased for the UK

www.alibaba.com/product-detail/1998-Used-Rover-Mini-mayfair-1_109236874.html

If you look at the Picture of the Engine Bay id hazard a guess that they were Multi point Injections



Compare this to a Known MPI Manual Engine and they look similar



Jodie

[tony105]

This is a very interesting question and I would agree with Joloke's response. My understanding is that 1996 was the final year that the automatic Mini was made available in spi form within the UK market. My own Mini is a 1996 Mayfair spi.
The Japanese (and possibly other export market) Minis' from this date continued to be available with automatic transmission. The cars themselves appeared to have many of the mpi features, including airbag, seatbelt pre' tensioners, moulded carpets etc, etc. I have not seen any of these cars close up but have seen loads of them being re' imported to the UK - including some lovely spec'd Rover Mini Coopers with automatic transmission.
It would be interesting to see if the automatics retained the spi system and I have often wondered why the option was delated in the home market. I appreciate that by the late 90's the automatic may not have been a huge seller in overall terms, but to have least kept the option for all markets if it were available to export cars - being built in the same factory appears to make sense?

Do any forum members have an export model or could more light be shed on this subject?

[hennasxi]

bumping an old thread here but I can answer this question !   The Jap spec minis made in the 'MPi' era are indeed SPi's, and the last chassis number made in this format was as late as March 2000 !!

There were just over 10000 made with Auto transmission from late 1996 until March 2000.

[limby2000]

And i bet all that 10000 went to japan, i cant say i,ve seen any auto,s after 1996. Perhaps wood & pickett had some late ones.

[limby2000]

I know minispares still have brand new engine/gearbox units listed in their online catalogue.

[tony105]

I would agree completely with all of the responses to this question. My Mini is a UK spec' 1996 Rover Mini Mayfair spi automatic. Which I have always understood to be the last year of UK production.
In terms of 'final' numbers - it may be that the Heritage Motor Museum (can't remember its new name!) in Gaydon - may have actual records so could be worth contacting them.
It does seem a pity that the automatic option and air con' were not made available to the home market as I'm sure it would have sold - particularly to customers that were repeat buyers of the automatic Mini.

[limby2000]

1996 must have been the last year of uk auto,s deffo. On a change of topic is there any historic information about the Ap factory shown in the pathe' silent video about the austin 1100 auto,s being made. I know its nearly 50 years old now and kost of the workers depicted would now be dead,but would be interesting to find out.

[mra-minis]

Feb 12, 2017 11:22:57 GMT limby2000 said:

.... to,s being made. I know its nearly 50 years old now and most of the workers depicted would now be dead,but would be interesting to find out.

Blimey you are cheerful

[limby2000]

Or hopeful Martin, what happened to all the test machines?.

[mra-minis]

Mar 28, 2017 20:58:14 GMT limby2000 said:

Or hopeful Martin, what happened to all the test machines?.

Most went in the skip, as far as I could find out there was no auction just a weighing in of "scrap" up till a few years ago I had a pretty large lathe from Rover, I bought it for scrap value and then went and "found" all the tooling