Mini Cooper Sport vs. Mini Cooper Sportspack

What’s the difference between a Mini Cooper Sport and a Mini Cooper Sportspack?

In short, the Sports Pack was an optional extra available for Mk7 Minis, whereas the Mini Cooper Sport was a standalone model. Released in 2000, the Cooper Sport was the final edition of the classic Mini, and it included the Sports Pack as standard.

What was included in the Sports Pack?

The Sports Pack was first offered with the launch of the Mk7 Mini (MPi) in 1996. Costing roughly £800, it was one of Rover’s many accessory upgrades available for both standard Minis and Mini Coopers. The pack included:

• 13” × 6” sports-style Minilite alloy wheels
• Body-coloured extended wheel arches
• Chrome tailpipe finisher
• Koni shock absorbers
• Reinforced rear subframe
• Spot lamps with an additional switch on the lower dash rail panel
• Subsidiary oil temperature and battery (voltage) gauges

Did the Sports Pack include leather seats?

A common misconception is that leather seats were part of the Sports Pack - but they weren’t.

• Standard Mk7 Minis came with stone beige Balmoral trim.
• Mini Coopers featured a contrasting beige and black Monaco trim.

Leather seats were a separate factory option costing around £500, although many buyers paired it with the Sports Pack.

It’s also worth noting that many Minis are often misdescribed as having the "Sports Pack" when they’ve actually had the 13” wheels and wider arches retrofitted.

• Mk6 Minis (and earlier) never had the Sports Pack option available.
• For Mk7 Minis, check for the spot lamps, the five-switch panel and the extra gauges to confirm genuine factory specification.

How do you tell a Mini Cooper with the Sports Pack from a Mini Cooper Sport?

Visually, both look very similar thanks to their wide arches, 13” wheels and bank of four fog/spot lamps. The key differences are the silver details unique to the 2000 Mini Cooper Sport:

• Platinum Silver roof, bonnet stripes, decals and mirrors
• Nickel Silver (and black) leather interior
• Engine-turned dashboard finish
• Alloy interior door furniture (standard on the Cooper Sport, though optional on other Mk7 Minis)

Mini Cooper Sport vs. Mini Cooper Sport 500

In 2000, Rover launched the Classic Mini range for the UK market, comprising 3,493 cars across four models:

• Mini Cooper Classic
• Mini Seven
• Mini Knightsbridge
• Mini Cooper Sport

According to MG Rover data, 2,091 of these cars were Mini Cooper Sports. As the final edition of the "classic" Mini, the Cooper Sport came only in four colours - British Racing Green, Tahiti Blue, Solar Red and Anthracite - each paired with a Platinum Silver roof and bonnet stripes.

The last 500 produced were designated Mini Cooper Sport 500. Each one rolled off the Longbridge production line accompanied by a “Last 500” certificate signed by John Cooper and a plaque within the glove box stating “This Mini is one of the last 500 built to the original Sir Alec Issigonis design”. Learn more about the Mini Cooper Sport 500 model.