About this 1275 LS

This 1275 LS is an interesting one with a vinyl roof.  I was aware that 998 LS cars often came with factory vinyl roof covering, however, I was not aware this was continued on the 1275 LS. This may be a custom job, however, if anyone is aware whether this was done on the 1275 cars from the factory, that information would be appreciated.

The car appears to be very solid and original ,other than the contessa style minilites. Difficult to pick in the pictures is the type of sunroof that has been installed in this mini.  This may explain the vinyl roof, if an alternative sunroof was installed. It appears to be the full length roll back style, which I have also seen on another LS on this register.

The owner of the car contacted us in June 2015 confirming the car is still around, and for sale again. It is located in South Australia. Here is a link to the advertisement: http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/athelstone/cars-vans-utes/1978-leyland-mini-ls-1275/1078157363

What is the 1978 Leyland Mini 1275 LS

The Leyland Mini Clubman 1275 LS was the last mini version to be introduced and produced in Australia. The model was intended to have a longer production run as a high spec model in the Australian line up. However, with BMC ending manufacturing in Australia, the 1275 LS ended up being a run-out model, with estimates of 800 – 1000 cars produced overall.

The 1275 LS was produced in two colours, Nugget Gold and Hi-Ho Silver, both versions having side stripes with “1275 LS” printed to distinguish them from other models in the Leyland Mini line up. As the top model in the mini range, the 1275 LS was fitted with a 1275cc engine (sourced from and built in Europe), larger 12” wheels to house bigger front disc brakes, a long range fuel tank, and several other more “luxury” features available from the Mini parts bin of that era.

Interior features included a single speaker radio, triple pod instruments, adjustable seats and Formula GT steering wheel. Silver cars were generally fitted with Red corduroy style velour cloth seats, with black vinyl seat backings, door trims and roof lining. Gold cars were fitted with the same style fabric (but chocolate brown in colour), backed by cream vinyl, door trims and roof lining.

Without reference to the features of the car as briefly outlined above, a genuine 1275 LS can only be determined by its engine and chassis number. It is worth noting that the chassis plate of a 1275 LS will not specify “LS” like was done with other pre-1978 mini’s in Australia. The correct chassis first half prefix for a 1275 LS is XNFAD18Y/. The correct engine number can come in two forms. The most common form of the first half of the engine number prefix is 12H902. The other is 12H897.

It is unknown how many 1275 LS’s are still on the road, however, we have managed to collect the details of a decent number of cars on www.classicregister.com. If you have any information about any of the cars we have on this register, or would like to have your 1275 LS put on the register, please get in contact with us.

Here is a vehicle identification guide drawn up for the 1275LS:

http://classicregister.com/content/how-identify-1978-leyland-mini-1275-ls