"Bert" - 1998 Paul Smith LE

[Step_7]

And not to be left out this is "Bert" a 1998 Rover Paul Smith LE - nothings been done to him as I want to keep him as standard as possible - well apart from a new Radio so I can listen to my iPod.









Met a few friends:

[Starrywalsh]

Lovely car,

[busterswrfc]

real nice 3some ol: ol:

[jimskater]

Gorgeous. Keep this up guys, and I'll end up buying a classic for myself. Getting it to the shop for service will be a right biatch--there's the little matter of getting the car to Cork from San Diego. :P

[irlmin]

I will visit Jim , I would propose an annual visit to sort Your Classic , € 100 per hour + parts , 12 hours flying each way + 2 hours driving time + 4 hours work time + 2 hours testing time on Mt Palomar , + new tyres after that , total € 3200 + + . so no excuse now when will We deliver the Classic
G

[irlmin]

We had a few Paul Smiths through down through the years and I should have kept one of them , really like the whole 'package ' .
G

[Step_7]

Yeah, its the interior that really sold it to me - must add some pictures of that really!









And the threesome picture was really supposed to be a Foursome but the other one vanished somewhere round Portrush! ol:

[jimskater]

I will visit Jim , I would propose an annual visit to sort Your Classic , € 100 per hour + parts , 12 hours flying each way + 2 hours driving time + 4 hours work time + 2 hours testing time on Mt Palomar , + new tyres after that , total € 3200 + + . so no excuse now when will We deliver the Classic
G

Yeah, well, you'll be in the passenger seat on Palomar. The heart surgeon visit will be roughly €3100, new civvies& pants € 50 & seat cleaning another €50. At best it will be a break even proposition.

Can you get it here by the end of the month?

:P :P

[irlmin]

DHL !!!!!

[jimskater]

What, and end up with a stripper pole for a gear shift?

I'm not lettin' Alvin anywhere near it. Find a better way

:P ol:

[jimskater]

Question: What was different about the Paul Smith models?

[Step_7]

Ok, where to begin.....

(We need an "Anorak" smilie really....)

Made in 1998 Based on a Standard MPi Cooper. 300 were produced for the UK market in "Paul Smith Blue" like mine and a further 1500 were scheduled for the Japanese market in Paul Smith Blue, Old English White and Black. There is speculation that they never actually made all the Japanese ones due to poor sales.

Anyhow - the unusual things are:

• One off Paul Smith Blue paint (The legend goes that Rover were in a meeting with Paul Smith and asked what colour he wanted the car to be, he ripped a piece out of the shirt he was wearing and told them "That colour!" - No idea if its true but a good story nonetheless!)

• Charcoal Mini light 12” alloy wheels (previously used on the Cooper 35 and Cooper Monte Carlo, and were also available as an option extra across the mini range)

• Front fog lamps

• Body coloured wheel arches

• Citrus green hidden parts (Glovebox, Rocker cover, plug leads, petrol tank and boot board)

• 24 Carat gold plated Paul Smith bonnet badge

• Green Britain Grille badge

• Body coloured dash board (only ever reappeared for the Classic Cooper ‘end of the line’ limited edition)

• Magnolia dash clocks with special style numbers on the gauges, and the Paul Smith signature on the centre clock

• Paul Smith mini plaque inside the glove box lid

• Black leather seats with matching door pockets, in a style only available on the Paul Smith Mini

• Paul Smith Mini rear window sticker

• Boot board (which had only ever appeared on the 60’s coopers and the 90’s cabriolet)

• Special ‘MINI’ badge above the registration plate light on the boot lid

• GB badge on the boot lid (This was the first time that the Rover Group had put GB’s on minis, and was used on the 40th anniversary model and the Cooper models from there on)

• Blue Denim jack bag with orange edging and orange ‘mini’ stencilled on it

[Step_7]

Some more pictures:



These are VERY expensive to replace, if you can find them, and mine has a slight chip in it as you can see.



These are not expensive to replace - I have a box full of them!!!

[jimskater]

Thanks @ you.


Anorak smiley? :oops: remember, I'm an American. We never saw the PS model.

[Step_7]

No, you misunderstand - I'm the one needing the Anorak as I know far too much about Paul Smith Minis!