1978 Leyland Mini 1275 LS

About this LS:

This is a very rare 1275LS mini - unfortunately reduced to just the shell. Many LS cars were parted out in the 90s for their desirable parts, such as 8.4" disc brakes and 1275cc motor. This shell was advertised online in early 2015, and has a fair amount of rust, but would make a great project. Unfortunately, LS engines are very hard to come accross, but it would be great to see the car returned to its original state.

This one seems to have its front flares grinded off for some reason (See image with uneven cuts on front guard).. Correct numbers and all - would be great to see someone bring it back to original state..

If anyone knows more about this car, the information would be appreciated, so we can update the register.

What is the 1978 Leyland Mini 1275 LS:

The Leyland Mini Clubman 1275 LS was the last mini version to be introduced and produced in Australia. The model was intended to have a longer production run as a high spec model in the Australian line up. However, with BMC ending manufacturing in Australia, the 1275 LS ended up being a run-out model, with estimates of 800 – 1000 cars produced overall.

The 1275 LS was produced in two colours, Nugget Gold and Hi-Ho Silver, both versions having side stripes with “1275 LS” printed to distinguish them from other models in the Leyland Mini line up. As the top model in the mini range, the 1275 LS was fitted with a 1275cc engine (sourced from and built in Europe), larger 12” wheels to house bigger front disc brakes, a long range fuel tank, and several other more “luxury” features available from the Mini parts bin of that era.

Interior features included a single speaker radio, triple pod instruments, adjustable seats and Formula GT steering wheel. Silver cars were generally fitted with Red corduroy style velour cloth seats, with black vinyl seat backings, door trims and roof lining. Gold cars were fitted with the same style fabric (but chocolate brown in colour), backed by cream vinyl, door trims and roof lining.

Without reference to the features of the car as briefly outlined above, a genuine 1275 LS can only be determined by its engine and chassis number. It is worth noting that the chassis plate of a 1275 LS will not specify “LS” like was done with other pre-1978 mini’s in Australia. The correct chassis first half prefix for a 1275 LS is XNFAD18Y/. The correct engine number can come in two forms. The most common form of the first half of the engine number prefix is 12H902. The other is 12H897.

It is unknown how many 1275 LS’s are still on the road, however, we have managed to collect the details of a decent number of cars on www.classicregister.com. If you have any information about any of the cars we have on this register, or would like to have your 1275 LS put on the register, please get in contact with us.

Here is our Vehicle ID page guide for the 1275LS. If anyone needs to known how to identify a genuine car, this could be helpful:

http://classicregister.com/content/how-identify-1978-leyland-mini-1275-ls