The spec when they were new

The Mini Cooper Sports Le was launched to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1968 wins

They were priced at £10,525stg (on the road price)

They were available in either Brooklands Green HFB (BLVC1265) or Black PMF (BLVC644) with a white roof.

Only 100 were produced for the Uk market, I can find no specific details of the exact numbers built in each colour but the most plausable seems to be 70 green and 30 black were built.

They came from the factory with standard Cooper twin coachlines and laurels on the rear quarter panels, the no-cost option when purchasing from the dealer was the optional LE decal kit.
This decal kit relected the Cooper Car Company racing logos with added British Vita racing "V" on the front wing.

The interior was dominated by the green leather seats, airbag steering wheel, handbrake grip and gear knob.
The carpets and door panels were also green to continue the theme, while the dash was walnut with cream faced dials.

Standard fit were the 13" Sportspack Alloys and wheel arches, though where a Sportspack Mini had four auxilary lamps fitted in front of the grille the Sports Le only had two.

The engine was the standard 1275 mpi Mini & Cooper engine with a four speed gearbox.








The Rover Group Press Release for the Cooper Sports Le is dated 21st April 1998 and is as follows:


"Rover has announced that a new Mini Cooper Limited Edition will be on sale from late May.

From its introduction in the 1960s, the Mini Cooper immediately changed the face of saloon car racing bringing closely fought competitions to the circuits. Drivers such as John Rhodes, in a car similar to the vehicle pictured with the current Limited Edition Cooper, entertained the crowds with outrageous tyre smoking antics.

In 1968, the Mini won no fewer than four Saloon Car Championship races. To commemorate this historic year, a limited edition Mini Cooper Sports is being launched with an impressive specification including a dark green leather interior and two paint choices for the exterior, Brooklands Green and black.

Additionally, the Cooper LE comes equipped with a sports suspension package, 13" x 6" sports alloy wheels, large wheel arch body colour spats, two auxiliary lamps and a sporty rear tail pipe.

Only 100 Cooper Sports will be bult for the UK and will be available on a first come, first served basis.

The Mini Cooper Sports LE reflecting the racing heritage or racing Coopers from the past will be available with an on the road price of £10,525."


No brochure was ever produced for the UK market, just a postcard, however this brochure was produced for the Japanese market.