can anyone tell me what year they changed the bonnet scoop from 1st gen to 2nd...was it 06 ?
also I have seen scoops for sale on ebay etc that will fit the S, R56 etc, are all the second gen scoops the same as each other? and also are all the 1st gen scoops the same as each other in the 1st gen series.
I ask as I dont have a mini, I am looking for a scoop for a kit car I am building, but to make sure I get it right, I have to cut a scoop down to do some moulding, so I will need to buy another of the same type at a later date,
thanks for any feed back.
steve.

Check the FAQs for exact dates but IIRC the 2nd gen came out at the end (~oct) 2006, but the converitble R53 continued for longer and that is a 1st gen car with a different scoop.

1st gen = R53
2nd gen = R56.

All 1st gen scoops are the same and all 2nd gen scoops are the same BUT 1st gen and 2nd gen scoops are different.

The answer to your question is 2006, for the incoming 2nd gen (R56) Cooper S, launched in November that year. The scoop on the R56s is for decoration only. On the R53s, the scoop is there for the usual purpose of feeding air directly into a supercharger. There is a size difference between the two, the functioning variety is probably larger, perhaps someone has measured them?

cheers for the quick replies :)
great info...just what I needed.
thanks again :D

On the R53s, the scoop is there for the usual purpose of feeding air directly into a supercharger.

Almost, it feeds air to the intercooler.

Air that is to go through the supercharger needs to be clean, hence why the car has an air intake and filter prior to going into the supercharger.

Intake - supercharger - intercooler - engine. :)