Mini History - Pt. 2

Before buying this car, I didn't realize there was such a thing as a Canadian Mini. Outside of the UK, Minis were produced in several countries (Spain, Australia, South Africa, Belgium, Portugal and New Zealand) but none in North America.

Minis were exported for sale in the US until 1967, when the safety regulations changed (thanks Ralph Nader) and there weren't enough US sales to justify the modifications necessary to comply with the new standards. However, the Canadian regulations were less strict which allowed British Leyland to continue exporting Minis, with minor alterations, to Canada until 1980.

There are several cosmetic differences in the Canadian Mini:

reflective side markers at the front and the back,

rubber bumpers mounted higher than the traditional chrome bumpers
(must withstand an 8km/hr hit with no damage to body),

and larger front indicator lights in the grille (instead of under it) to accomodate the higher bumper,
.
Apparently the Canadian Mini is considered pretty ugly (I disagree, personally I think the Clubman Minis are the ugliest) and most have been converted to more standard specs by replacing the rubber bumpers with chrome or stainless steel ones.

This makes my awesome Canadian Mini a bit of a rarity - which pleases me.