ERA help needed for a newbie

[MARK26]

Hi all . Ive been looking at this site every day for the last couple of months on the look out for an ERA , im now registered and need your help if possible . At the moment there is an ERA in blue on ebay and id like as much info as possible on this car before trying to buy it . Would Era of painted it blue for the Japanese market or do you believe it was done by a previous owner , also is there anything you guys can see from the pictures that i should be aware of. Thanks Mark

[millermilla]

Im sure Paul will be along soon who can probably tell you alot more about the car as he specialises in importing rare mini's including ERA's from Japan but for the time being I will try and help.

The car has been resprayed as no ERA's were ever made in Taihiti blue. From the pictures I notice, the original ERA steering wheel is missing, wing mirrors are incorrect, It looks like it once had air conditioning that has been removed due to the position of the alternator, spot lamps are not original, glove box lid looks either broken or missing, bonnet badge is not an ERA type, it looks like a proper jap spec ERA hence the extra wide bodykit, front number plate plinth etc.

I seem to remember seeing a Taihit blue ERA a while ago that was missing the turbo and had been fitted with a webber carb. I may be wrong but this is probably the same car and someone has refitted a turbo.

Being a Japaneese ERA it is likely to be in quite good condition as far as rust goes depending on how long it's been back in the UK. The biggest thing that would put me off is the colour as no matter how original the bit's are on the car any enthusiast would spot the colour straight away. Also I doubt there will be any way of proving the mileage as it's unlikely to have any history before it was imported back to the UK and the owner states the speedo is not working.

[MARK26]

Thanks for the reply . So the car sounds a bit iffy . I dont mind doing some bodywork ie changing the colour back to green but if bits are missing then unless its cheap (which it dont look like its going to be) i might let this one go .

[dj clubby]

There are a few ERA's forsale


Paul at newacrecars had a green one nut it needed a bit of work

His website is www.newacrecars.com

[millermilla]

To be honest all the missing bits are reasonably easy to get hold of. The main bits like the seats, grille, dash, bodykit etc are there. It might be worth a punt if it's cheap but the bidding already looks strong.

[G96LUE]

Hi All and happy new year.

i've been very busy of late and have not had much chance to check out the site.
i am really please that there is some activity again.

With regard to this car, i have seen it at a couple of shows and it is pretty solid.
The paint is a little flakey, and would benefit from respray.
it is mostly complete.
I believe the wheels are the same as mine (Late Rover ones but with genuine centers)
as mentioned above, the steering wheel is wrong but a standard grey mayfair/city wheel would not look too much out of place.

The worst part is the dash.
it originally had factory aircon, with a glove box under the dash.
The hole in the dash is for the airvents for the aircon.
these may be like hens teeth to find.
i would suggest making a door for a glove box as per the uk ones, and covering it in vinyl or leather to tidy it up.
the hole is a little larger than the uk ones, so you would have to make one fom scratch.

anyway, i hope this was helpful to any one interested in it.

Regards

Darren

[MARK26]

Firstly thanks for all the help . Im going to have a go at buying the car unless the price goes really silly im just hoping that it stays in my price range , i know what the reserve is so ill be watching it for the next 9 days I have asked him if he will sell early but he wants to let the auction run .

[G96LUE]

i will keep my fingers crossed for you.

Regards

Darren

[paul]

Hi

I will try to be as objective as I can as I don't want to get into a slagging match about aspects of other peoples cars for sale when I sell cars as well.

This car I saw come up for sale in Japan and I chose not to buy it due to the number of mods and missing bits and the colour change it had done on it.

The green one that DJ Clubby mentioned, I sold to Keith (MillerMilla) I also have 1097 which requires extensive work and is not for sale. And the black one J666ERA.

The blue car has been clearly colour changed as others mention it had 12" revolutions on it from Japan and the AC had been removed and a CD changer put in the dash to hide the hole to some extent.

I would be careful to check what brakes are on the front of it as it maybe the correct ones have been removed.

I have not saw the car close up so can't really comment on if further but like everything its down to what you value it at, can you deal with the non originality and missing bits in lieu of it being potentially a cheaper car?? and try and source the missing bits and or have them refurbed or made in the future.

There are likley to be very few ERA's appear from Japan in the near future however as thier price is holding there if not climbing and the sterling/yen exchange rate is the worst for about 20 years.

There could be a few turn up in Ireland though as Euro is strong still..

If you but it and want to see and or know what a Jap one should be like feel free to contact me.

Regards

Paul