This guide has been written to assist people who are looking to purchase an original Mini 1275GT, or are restoring an original 1275GT, and wish to know the original factory specifications of the car. The 1275GT represented a sports offering of the clubman square front Mini, and was sold alongside the higher performing cooper S of of the time. The car is believed to be essentially a replacement of the Mini Cooper. A large number of 1275GT's were built, however, very few survived due to rust issues, and they are considered a very rare car today. The 1275GT was sold in the UK, Europe and New Zealand. Today, cars can be found in most markets due to aftermarket imports.
Of course, the information in this guide can always be added to, and we would sincerely appreciate it if any enthusiasts had further information on these cars, and encourage you to contact us with that information. We hope this guide is helpful to people looking to purchase or restore the cars. If you have found this useful, please show your support by liking our Facebook page (see the button at the top of the website!).
Production Numbers: 110,673 (worldwide)
Period of manufacture: October 1969 – August 1980
This page is only intended to be a guide, and you should always seek advice from professionals when purchasing vehicles which are represented as original or genuine models.
Various differences and unique features are outlined below, which make a good starting point for the identification of a genuine / original car.
The following interior features are standard on an original Austin Mini 1275GT. The paint code and interior code section below gives further details on the available interior trim colours and fabrics, however, the images provide a small sample of the most common interior trim.
The Austin Mini 1275GT was available in a very large number of colour combinations in terms of both paint colours and interior trim types. The attached colour charts and tables show the colours available forom the factory.
The table provides a full list of all available colours, including the interior trim provided / matched with that particular colour. A small sample of cars showing original colours have also been included in the images.
The large majority of later built GT's appear to be fitted with the "deckchair" style cloth seat fabric, as shown in the images, formally known as "Beige Stripe".
The correct chassis number for a 1275GT will depend on the year of the car. The chassis number prefixes are divided into two year ranges, as outlined below. The correct associated "Commission Number" is also provided.
The chassis number on a 1275GT will appear in two locations. Firstly, it is printed on the aluminium ID tag, and secondly, it is stamped into a rectangular piece of sheet metal, welded to the front bonnet slam/crossmember panel. Images of both locations have been provided.
1. 1969 - 1974 1275GT Chassis Number = X-AD2-XXX-A
1969 - 1974 1275GT Commission Number = S20D XXX.
Note, "XXX" is the commission number position which will be different on each car. This is a Sequential number starting at 101 for each car type.
2. 1974 – 1981 1275GT Chassis Number = X-E2D2-XXXXXX-A
Commission Number for a 1974 – 1981 1275GT = S20D 19416A
Note, 19416A represents the starting number for the GT. This is a Sequential number starting at 19416A for the GT, and will be different on each car.
The 1275GT came with a variety of engine prefixes, listed below:
The engine number is located at the front top of the engine block, just above the alternator, or just below the number 1 spark plug. The number is stamped onto a small rivited aluminium ID tag. See images for further clarification.
If you have one of these numbers as the prefix, then its likely correct. The only way you would know for sure that it is the original engine number is by the log books. Note, a 1979 - 1981 1275GT may in fact have the later model A+ engine block which they started using in the Metro in 1982. Austin started producing the A+ block in 1979 so it managed to slip into a few GT’s according to our research.
The following items are mechanical characteristics of the 1275GT, with several differences explained for the earlier and later models where relevant:
Comments
but100k_8127
Hi all I’m looking at a 1275gt it’s a bit of a banger but when I do checks on it the model comes up blank so is there anyway of telling if it’s a genuine 1275gt via vin number the vin on car starts with XE2D2 Thanks Justin