[Viscount Charles]

I gather that in some areas of the world, fog lamps will be mounted in the front bumper.

This is _extremely_ unlikely to be the case in the UK, due to our vehicle lighting regulations - the indicators are likely to fill these holes as they do on the current cars.

Originally, the plan was to have the DIs mounted in the same headlamp unit as the main beam and sidelights. This worked fine in the early designs, which had the bonnet hinging at the front. However, as that lamp unit is integral to the bonnet, with the bonnet opening with a hinge under the windscreen, the hazard flasher feature of the front DIs would not be properly visible (unless you're a helicopter) - which offends against the appropriate part of the Construction and Use Regs. So the indicators find themselves in the bumper - so no space for the fog lamps.

 

[BruceK]

I gather that in some areas of the world, fog lamps will be mounted in the front bumper.

This is _extremely_ unlikely to be the case in the UK, due to our vehicle lighting regulations - the indicators are likely to fill these holes as they do on the current cars.

.....So the indicators find themselves in the bumper - so no space for the fog lamps.

Huh? What are you talking about?


The foglamps are mounted in the bumper on UK cars. And so are the directional indicators. One does not take the place of the other.

 

[Viscount Charles]

Somehow I'd got it in my mind that there was only 1 hole each side of the bumper! Ignore me, it's been a long weekend.

 

[Viscount Charles]

In my defence, i'd say that the original plan was definately to have the indicators mounted in the headlamp cluster - if you look carefully, there are three "pockets" in the MINI lamp. One is for the main beam, one for the dipped beam, and the third is a blank, with just a flat reflective surface - that was to be the indicator until they discovered they'd fallen foul of the regulations!

The pocket is nothing to do with the optional xenon headlamps - they have a completely different reflector and lense design (although the external appearance will be pretty much the same - apart from giving oncoming drivers a good eyeful, that is!)

 

[BruceK]

In my defence, i'd say that the original plan was definately to have the indicators mounted in the headlamp cluster - if you look carefully, there are three "pockets" in the MINI lamp. One is for the main beam, one for the dipped beam, and the third is a blank, with just a flat reflective surface - that was to be the indicator until they discovered they'd fallen foul of the regulations!

The pocket is nothing to do with the optional xenon headlamps - they have a completely different reflector and lense design (although the external appearance will be pretty much the same - apart from giving oncoming drivers a good eyeful, that is!)

I have read that the hole in the side of the pocket (open to the high beam bulb) is specially designed to allow light to pass through and then be reflected within the pocket and projected forward giving something (if memory serves) like 25% more light.

Of course, this could be the unintended result of having to move the indicators into the bumper early in the design process and then trying to figure out what to do in that part of the headlight.

 

[Viscount Charles]

Helps that I know someone who makes MINI headlamps - my dad.

As I've been a fan of the original Mini for years, he smuggled out and showed me some engineering drawings of the lamp's design about a year before the car was first unveiled, at a time when that clamshell bonnet hinged from the front. The drawings told me very little, but from them and BMWs design specs he'd already deduced the shape of most of the front end.

The blank pocket in the lamp design is an artifact from that era - it was too costly to go back and redesign the whole lamp package (lense and silver reflector) to take it out once they realised the problem. Trust me on this one - anything anyone else tells you is just mitigation!

 

[baldie]

I read the same thing about 25% more light.

Checked the reflection on a dark night - the extra bit was giving out no light I could see. (yes I had the lights on).

All fits into place now with the indicator story from viscount.

Dave