Mini Magazine October 2020

welcome

Time flies. I find it really hard to believe that it's now three decades since Rover finally got wise to the fact that the world once more needed a Mini to reflect the car's sporting pedigree, and released the RSP, quickly followed by the 'mainstream' Mini Cooper. I'm old enough to remember the excitement about launch of these cars, the return of the Cooper name and the fact that here, at last, was a Mini that wasn't just a cheap runabout but had enough power to be fun and long enough legs to take on proper runs - home and abroad. True, there was nothing new about 1275cc Minis. When the factory had stopped, we enthusiasts had carried on building on our own. And thanks to the Metro, there was never a…

return of the cooper

When it was announced in July 1990, it would have been hard to predict the enormous impact the RSP Cooper would have, not only on the course the Mini would take but also on how both enthusiast and the general public viewed the car. Announced as a very limited edition, it later became clear that the new ‘mainstream’ Cooper was ready and waiting in the wings. The sporting Mini was back with a bang. The Cooper name had disappeared from the UK Mini range in 1971 with the demise of MkIII Cooper S. And by 1990, the last Mini to leave the factory fitted with a 1275cc engine was almost ten years old – the 1275GT had finally gone out of production in 1980 as the Metro hit the showrooms. Special editions…

buying an rsp cooper

The most difficult part of buying an RSP is most likely tracking down an example that’s for sale. The RSP Cooper Register’s Roger Hunt believes that there are around 350-400 survivors, and around 25 Japanese-spec export cars have returned to the UK. These figures are estimates based on RSPs on the register with known owners, but there may be more tucked away in storage. These Minis were identified as a future classic from day one, so some were squirelled away as an investment. These type of cars do occasionally find their way onto the market but expect to pay a sizable premium. The flipside of this was that even though they were rare and collectable, they were also eminently usable. Higher levels of comfort and more power meant that some owners couldn’t…

how to earn your stripes

The impact of the RSP Cooper (and to an extent, the mainstream model that followed it), can’t be underestimated. The buzz of the initial advertising campaign on the general motoring public was electrifying and brought the Mini back to the notice of many people who only a couple of years before would have written it off as a relic from the 60s, with its best days far behind it. Sales had dwindled and with the launch of the Metro, many thought the Mini’s days were numbered. Although it soldiered on through the 80s, it had clearly lost ground to the new breed of city cars. With the RSP’s higher level of trim and usable power, the play on the car’s sporting heritage and the undeniable kudos of the Cooper name, here…

unique to the rsp cooper

• Paintwork in Flame Red, British Racing Green or Black with white roof and coachline • Cooper laurel wreath badge on rear quarters and boot, Mini Cooper winged badge on bonnet • 4.5x12 Minilite style alloy wheels with wheel studs placed in-line with the spokes • Body colour wheelarches, sill finishers, door mirrors and number plate light • John Cooper signature bonnet stripes • Tinted glass • Glass Tudor Webasto sunroof • Front panel mounted driving lamps • Red carpets • Lighting fabric/leather seat trim with red piping and laurel wreath front seat back tags • Triple instrument pod with green faced dials, 110 mph speedo • No Cooper motif on air intake…

tech spec

MINI COOPER RSP (S IN BRACKETS) BODY 1990 Mini saloon. Colour coded wheelarches and door mirrors. Chrome grille and bumpers. Opening rear quarter windows. Glass sunroof. John Cooper signature bonnet stripes and decal set. Paint: Flame Red, British Racing Green metallic or Black. (S-spec – unique S decal set, numbered plaque on floor crossmember adjacent to driver’s seat). ENGINE 1275cc A-plus. Single HIF44 SU carburettor. Catalytic converter. Oil cooler. Power: 61 bhp. Torque: 61 lbf.ft. (S spec – twin 1.25 inch HS2 SU carburettors and manifolds, modified cylinder head, LCB manifold and Janspeed exhaust system. Power: 78 bhp. Torque: 78 lbf.ft.) SUSPENSION Standard rubber cone. (S spec – optional Koni adjustable shock absorbers). TRANSMISSION Manual four-speed. Diff ratio 3.44:1. BRAKES 8.4 inch discs front, 7 inch drums rear. WHEELS AND TYRES Minilite style 4.5x12 alloy wheels…