By now, everyone is familiar with BMW’s revival of the Mini marque a little more than a decade ago. While they retained the bulldog stance of the traditional Mini, the new MINI was clearly a more grownup version of the car. It had gotten a bit bigger, put on a little weight, and added some strength (more power). But even in its larger form, the car has remained an absolute hoot to drive. Its short wheelbase allows it to transition easily through switchbacks and the steering has a nice weight to it that is uncommon in many FWD cars. It was that short wheelbase that made the original Mini a surprisingly successful rally car in the ’60s, winning the Monte Carlo rally three times from 1964-1967 (in 1966 the Mini won, but was disqualified). To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its original win, BMW produced the MC40, a limited production Cooper S that featured a variety of cosmetic additions in celebration of Mini’s racing history. The car we have here, located in Houston, is #336/1000 and has retained all of the various MC40 additions.
Year: 2004
Model: Cooper S MC40
Engine: 1.6 liter supercharged inline-4
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 85,403 mi
Price: Reserve auction (Buy It Now $9,900)
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2004 Mini Cooper S MC40 on EBay
Totally unmolested MC40. #336 of 1000 produced to commemorate the 40th anniversary of MINI’s historic win at Monte Carlo. The MC40 package was a $7000 option that included….
Carbon Dash
Special 2 piece BBS alloys
Headlight washers
Driving Lights
Xenon Head lights
Special alloy shift knob
Commenorative badging including the licence plate 33 EJB
Plaque indicating number of car of the 1000 produced
One off red and black leather interior
Stability and traction controlMost of these cars have been chopped up, commemorative badging removed, etc as many do not realise the significance of the ocassion. This car was manufactured for North America only. This is an honest unmolested original with a few imperfections that I have not touched so the car can speak for itself. Very reluctant sale due to job change.
This isn’t a low mileage car, but at 85,000 miles it isn’t terribly high mileage either. MINIs have retained their value pretty well and an original version of a limited production car should do even better. For a driver who simply would like a fun car to drive, the MC40 additions shouldn’t be of much significance as they are principally cosmetic. With that said, presuming the car comes through with a good PPI, the Buy It Now of $9,900 is in the ballpark for MINI prices even for a buyer who cares little about the limited nature of this edition.
-Rob
I used to own an ’04 MCS. Mine had to be at the dealer several days for a leak (oil pan I think) and they gave me one of these MC40s as a loaner car. When I asked the service advisor why they had a special edition car in the loaner fleet, he replied: “We have three of them in the loaner fleet. Nobody is buying these things…”
This model is purely a cosmetic option package, and a bit of a strange one at that. It was an MCS in Chili Red/White with chrome package and sport package plus some options/equipment available only on the MC40. You could not get the Premium package (sunroof, auto climate control, multi-function steering wheel, cruise control) or the Cold Weather package (heated seats, windshield washer and side mirrors) or the Harman-Kardon stereo.
Unique to the MC40 were the red leather interior, the shift knob, the floor mats, the numbered badging, the decals and (at the time) the anthracite alloy wheels. The Carbon Fiber JCW dash, center console gauges, “GB” badge and driving lights were available to anyone over the parts counter.
I believe the lack of options, especially the sunroof and heated seats, is why dealers had such a hard time selling them. However after living with an MCS for 3 years, I can tell you the sunroof is not as great an option as you might think, especially if you live in a hot climate and have to leave the car outside during the day.
None of that matters now. This car is pretty rare in the fact that it seems to have survived without being changed/modified by the owner. Assuming everything checks out in the PPI and Carfax/Autocheck, the price seems to be right in line with most other MINI Cooper S cars on the market.