Back then Mr Baker said “I’ll be keeping this car a long time” but it was spotted for sale within three months!
What makes a GP?
A question popped in to my head when adding Don from Austria, with GP1463, to the owners list … when is a GP no longer a GP?
Don writes “I own GP 1463, it’s black with green stripes and mirrors now” … So Don’s GP is no longer Thunder Blue – but apart from that, it’s still a GP, with the unique wheels, aero kit and rear wing. And it surely still has the “1463 of 2000” decal on the dash.
I’ve seen other GPs with different wheels – I’ve even seen one with rear seats installed! And of course many GPs have had engine, suspension, stereo or similar modifications. But then, there’s the sad story of GP0448 – salvage titled and apparently no longer with original GP engine (or at least intercooler), with “mimic” GP wheels, and a worrying history. Is that car still a GP?
Adding a trailer hitch
(of course, this MINI Do More modification could be done to any GP, but since Matt added it to GP1543 and took pics, they are here!)
Matt began by removing the rear bumper cover, and taking some close-up pics of the rear crash structure – behind it is a black mounting piece and some rubber padding (both these parts get removed/replaced by the trailer hitch):
Next, the crash structure is removed – in the close-up you can see the black mounting piece and the foam piece:
The black piece and foam are removed and the new MINI Do More black piece with trailer hitch is installed in place, behind the crash structure:
When the rear bumper cover is re-attached, the trailer hitch is aligned to be accessible through the rear fog light position – and the blanking plate can be re-installed to hide the hitch when not in use!
Finally of course, the trailer hitch can be used – Matt shows it here with a bike rack:
Thanks Matt!
GPMINI.net 