Hello,

Before flaming, please know where I'm coming from. Where I live, I have one of the very few minis, even rarer since it's a black convertible, and possibly the only one in the entire midwest (or US in total?) that is that combination. (Mini, Cooper S, Black, Convertible).

I love it. But there is no "heritage pride" in the Mini here. I still run into people who have never seen one. It's a foreign car, so I would not feel like I was being unpatriotic by changing the emblem.

I understand British people not wanting to mar the "Britishness" of a Mini with a BMW logo. But I sometimes on a daily basis have to explain what the car is, who makes it, etc. They are always complimentary, but it would be so much easier to have the roundel.

(BTW, I live in an area that when I had a Union Jack,people confused it with a racist confederate southern flag...)

All that was to explain why this is meant as no disrespect. Oh, and also my county charges property taxes on it as a "Make:BMW, Model:Mini". So I pay $400 because the state considers is a BMW, no matter what the title (or badges say). Also, when I've been pulled over, I've had to explain to surly, armed cops that the insurance card that says "BMW" IS in fact for my car, yes, even though it says "Mini". Not comfortable on the side of a desolate highway, being accused of trying to commit insurance fraud.

I hope this would forgive a yank for wanting to find the right BMW roundel to replace the round "mini" badge on the front and back. Surely through all these years, SOME model of bmw had a badge that should fit. And I'm sure I'm not the first one to think of doing this. (I did search the archive, but could only find a thread from 10 years ago.) Since it's officially a BMW MINI Cooper, I'd like to badge it as such.

So, can you help a fellow owner out? It will still be a Cooper S, with all those badges, it just will now be "properly" badged in accordance with my state.

Thanks so much!
-Dale Stafford

No, just no.

Hi. I lived in the south for a few years back in the 90,s. BMWs were starting to get popular because (a) they built a huge factory in the South (I think) Carolina and (b) the name is easy to spell.
Regarding the Police and State Troopers the Owners Manual that came with your MINI should help. Somewhere it should state that MINI is a part of the BMW Group. Failing that, go to a BMW parts dealer and buy a badge to put on the back, maybe the opposite side to the Cooper badge? They are self adhesive.
Also, the Union Jack Flag makes up the major portion of the State Flag of Hawaii (the most southern state of the USA).
Enjoy your MINI:cool:

It is made in England after all, so you could even use a St George flag! That would confuse them. The country it comes from is England, the Union Flag represents four countries, not one, although it is made up of the flags of three of those countries, only two being current.

Very confusing. I once got told by a US official when entering the US to change my "Country Of Origin" to "Britain" from the "England" I had written on the landing card, because my nationality is British.

Britain is not a country!

Ah well. confused now?

you can get little BMW stickers that fit over the MINI circle in between the wings, I don't think you should though...

Just be proud to be a 'pioneer' of the MINI brand in your part of the US. :D If you really have to prove it to anyone, I think if you open the bonnet (hood) there is usually a chassis label with BMW and the date of manufacture on it!

If nobody knew what my car was I would love it rather than try to put a sticker on it to try to make people understand...

And just for the record, having a black cooper S convertible is about as common as finding a silver volkswagen jetta here on the east coast, just sayin'

I think you probably are the only person in the world ever to want to do this:D

It's soooooooooo wrong!!!! I love my mini wings:biggrin:

If nobody knew what my car was I would love it rather than try to put a sticker on it to try to make people understand...

And just for the record, having a black cooper S convertible is about as common as finding a silver volkswagen jetta here on the east coast, just sayin'


I've seen others, but I ordered mine "clean", no decals, stickers, stripes, etc. And black makes all those black plastic pieces like over the wheel wells "blend in". Just a bit more classy in my opinion. To give scope, my dealer (45 miles away), services Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, and I think some other huge states. That's why it's so rare here. Big cars and trucks are the norm; gas is cheap. People have thought it was a Porsche (despite the chrome grill), a "mini" Bentley, etc. They aren't dumb, they just aren't exposed to a lot of low volume foreign cars.

I did drive down the east coast last summer, all the way to florida and only saw 4 MINIs TOTAL! I thought I was going to say that I didn't see ONE other MINI convertible, but when I got within a few hours of home, I did see one (not a black one though!)

you can get little BMW stickers that fit over the MINI circle in between the wings, I don't think you should though...


Where do you get those? The ones I see on Ebay are to change the colour of the roundel on a BMW...I'd want the blue and white roundel. Thanks for the suggestion!

Hi. I lived in the south for a few years back in the 90,s. BMWs were starting to get popular because (a) they built a huge factory in the South (I think) Carolina and (b) the name is easy to spell.
Regarding the Police and State Troopers the Owners Manual that came with your MINI should help. Somewhere it should state that MINI is a part of the BMW Group. Failing that, go to a BMW parts dealer and buy a badge to put on the back, maybe the opposite side to the Cooper badge? They are self adhesive.
Also, the Union Jack Flag makes up the major portion of the State Flag of Hawaii (the most southern state of the USA).
Enjoy your MINI:cool:

I'm a flag "fan", so I'm aware of Hawaii's flag. But many Americans don't even realise that Hawaii IS a state. Also, most (many?) of the southern states incorporate the confederate flag. But I live in the midwest where most people are very tolerant and all, we just don't get a lot of "unique" cars here. BMWs and Mercedes are common, of course.

Anway, I didn't want to be told IF I should do it, but HOW to do it. I understand most devoted MINI owners think I shouldn't. I'm asking how I can do it anyway...

The additional badge off to the side might work, but with so many badges already crowding for space on the tailgate....I'll have to consider it!

(Really can't believe that someone hasn't invented a whole line of "inserts" for the MINI badge...the wings are cool but merely the word "MINI" isn't very artful. There are so many other options for mirror covers, door handles, et al, that this seems like an obvious thing.) Now is someone wanted to put a MERCEDES emblem, I'd understand. But in this case, all i want to do it put a BMW emblem on a BMW product, as it says on the title, insurance, engine block, etc.

I'm a flag "fan", so I'm aware of Hawaii's flag. But many Americans don't even realise that Hawaii IS a state. Also, most (many?) of the southern states incorporate the confederate flag. But I live in the midwest where most people are very tolerant and all, we just don't get a lot of "unique" cars here. BMWs and Mercedes are common, of course.

Anway, I didn't want to be told IF I should do it, but HOW to do it. I understand most devoted MINI owners think I shouldn't. I'm asking how I can do it anyway...

The additional badge off to the side might work, but with so many badges already crowding for space on the tailgate....I'll have to consider it!

(Really can't believe that someone hasn't invented a whole line of "inserts" for the MINI badge...the wings are cool but merely the word "MINI" isn't very artful. There are so many other options for mirror covers, door handles, et al, that this seems like an obvious thing.) Now is someone wanted to put a MERCEDES emblem, I'd understand. But in this case, all i want to do it put a BMW emblem on a BMW product, as it says on the title, insurance, engine block, etc.

Check out Minimania.com They have interchangeable badge holders - magnetic I think. They have a mail order business in California.:)

Ban this thread!

Where I live, I have one of the very few minis, even rarer since it's a black convertible, and possibly the only one in the entire midwest (or US in total?) that is that combination. (Mini, Cooper S, Black, Convertible).

(BTW, I live in an area that when I had a Union Jack,people confused it with a racist confederate southern flag...)

Where exactly do you live :confused:

Wonder if anyones ever done the opposite put a MINI badge on a BMW?......no I didnt think so.

It is made in England after all, so you could even use a St George flag! That would confuse them. The country it comes from is England, the Union Flag represents four countries, not one, although it is made up of the flags of three of those countries, only two being current.

Very confusing. I once got told by a US official when entering the US to change my "Country Of Origin" to "Britain" from the "England" I had written on the landing card, because my nationality is British.

Britain is not a country!

Ah well. confused now?

Technically the proper answer to that question is United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I usually go with UK.

As for rebadging the MINI, leaving aside the whole "wrongness" of doing so, wouldn't it involve just as many complicated conversations trying to explain to all these people who question you what sort of BMW it was?

IAlso, most (many?) of the southern states incorporate the confederate flag.

Where in the world did you get this?

I know of *no* states that incorporate the Confederate Flag. Perhaps the Confederate *Battle* Flag, but not the Stainless, Stars and Bars *or* the Blood Stained Banner.

The Mississippi state flag is the *only* state that utilizes the battle flag, and *none* utilize the actual national flags of the Confederacy.

What the heck do they teach you in the midwest? Contrary to popular belief, we're not all mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging, hillbilly, racist rednecks here in the South.

Can't be bothered to explain your pride and joy? FFS.

Go buy a beemer. Simple.

MikeE

Be proud of your Wings Mini Forever!!!!!

I think you probably are the only person in the world ever to want to do this ....

Don't think so :aargh: .... Saw this in New Orleans (Sep 2010) :confused:

Don't think so :aargh: .... Saw this in New Orleans (Sep 2010) :confused:

Ouch, that hurts my eyes!

Don't think so :aargh: .... Saw this in New Orleans (Sep 2010) :confused:

Whatever I have said before I take back. That is a really sad picture.:(

Don't think so :aargh: .... Saw this in New Orleans (Sep 2010) :confused:

The sad thing is that it's not even *centered.* :hmph:

That doesn't even look right.... :(

Once i had a -63 Imperial and everybody called it a Chrysler. It was as much Chrysler as MINI is BMW.
If you would buy a Maybach, would you put Mercedes badges on it?
Would it be skitso to re-badge Audi to Volkswagen or Skoda to Audi?
Lexus-Toyota? Also in Bentley you can find parts stamped wit Audi-logo.
On my R56 there is one Bayerische Moteren Werke-badge. That's on door pillar. Inside. Let's keep it there.
btw - do you folks remember what car had similar roundel as BMW but sectors were red and white? And why?

That doesn't even look right.... :(

You have the same birth date as me !! :biggrin:

Check out Minimania.com They have interchangeable badge holders - magnetic I think. They have a mail order business in California.:)


Thank you very much! I will certainly be checking that out. Next project is converting all the exterior bulbs to LED...
:)

I imagine the hardest part will be getting to the socket to replace the old ones with the new ones. That's part of the fun of customisation I suppose!

Where in the world did you get this?

I know of *no* states that incorporate the Confederate Flag. Perhaps the Confederate *Battle* Flag, but not the Stainless, Stars and Bars *or* the Blood Stained Banner.

The Mississippi state flag is the *only* state that utilizes the battle flag, and *none* utilize the actual national flags of the Confederacy.

What the heck do they teach you in the midwest? Contrary to popular belief, we're not all mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging, hillbilly, racist rednecks here in the South.


Um, I got it by using my EYES.


Ah yes, the confederate apologists emerge. The "confederate flag" is the COMMONLY ACCEPTED TERM for what is technically the "confederate BATTLE flag". Just as many people call the Union jack "the flag of England", etc. Type in "confederate flag" in wiki and see what pops up. As a matter of fact that entry does a good job of showing how many southern states made their flags to resemble either the official flag or the battle flag.

But it honestly doesn't take anyone with any imagination to see the number of southern states that use ELEMENTS or stylized parts of the confederate BATTLE flag. This is such a "USA" centric argument, and totally irrelevant to this convo, and I made no negative comments about people in the south and actually agree that they have the right of secession (just as we did from the British, and any Canadian Province can vote to leave their Confederation at any time, no civil war and hundreds of thousands dead required.) But to prove my point to your reactionary statement concerning a very obscure flag recognised very rarely compared to the BATTLE flag which for many people (not saying for ME) is a sign of bigotry and rebellion.
Actually, on my drive down the east coast I ran across ENORMOUS confederate, ahem, BATTLE flags, at least 50 feet across flying a hundred feet abovet the interstates two separate times. Wonder why they didn't use the "proper" flag of the CSA? Hmm.

States the obviously incorporated parts of the BATTLE flag in their state flag:

Mississippi has the EXACT flag in its proper "square" proportions
Georgia had an even LARGER square as part of its flag until 2003
Alabama uses a simplified version (even admitted by the state govt to evoke the battle flag)
Arkansas creatively changed the "X" into a diamond! Sneaky!
Florida also has a simplified version with a crest in the middle


In addition, in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, vehicle owners can request a state-issued license plate featuring the Sons of Confederate Veterans logo, which incorporates the square Confederate BATTLE flag.

So, let's not pretend that it isn't as pervasive as the Maple Leaf is in Canada.
It's EVERYWHERE. Which is fine. Just don't innocently act like the obvious variants and different versions "aren't confederate flags". They are, just not the official one used by the govt, but the one MOST ASSOCIATED with it.

Take care now, hear?
;)

Don't think so :aargh: .... Saw this in New Orleans (Sep 2010) :confused:


Now THAT'S hot. They obviously are proud it's a MINI because they have their vanity plate that says so. I miss the wings though.

To me it's the same when GM started putting a GM badge on both sides of ALL their products, from the most expensive Caddy to the most lowly Chevy, and EVEN SAABS! It is a recognition of the parent comopany, and this is the same thing.

Geez, this isn't my family crest I'm talking about. It's a BADGE on a CAR. People have altered them since customising began. Just asked for HOW to do it, not WHETHER to do it.

If you don't think it's a good idea, don't do it to yours.

Personally, I think it adds colour to the middle of a nice winged chrome badge the currently is occupied by a boring black disk. I honestly had an old man leaning over so far to read it that he almost fell on my hood!

Anyway, thanks for all the productive suggestions, and sorry for all you people who are really into the english/british heritage, despite the german involvement.

Anyway, thanks for all the productive suggestions, and sorry for all you people who are really into the english/british heritage, despite the german involvement.

What BMW did to the mini brand is remarkable in my opinion so I have no problem with their association, I really think they did a good job of bringing it back, even though they are beginning to milk the brand by releasing so many variants.

Im just against the whole BMW logo in the wings idea because its a mini logo. Although it has changed its style over all these years, the wings have heritage. BMW were clever enough not to Germanise the car too much and mess with it by sticking their badge on it and I think that should remain as it is.