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MINI lights, front grid, other fender moldings were removed and aerosol can spray painted Metallic Chrome. Turn signal covers made from orange decal with a hole puncher. Small British Union Jake flag and yellow license plate KZ-89-88 came from 1.35th ITALERI M-109 self-propeller artillery kit. British flag is a subtle inference to a 2006 England-Scotland spring break vacation taken by this model owner.
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BTW, numbers "8" and "9" have auspicious nuance in Chinese and Vietnamese cultures, number "8" (Ba) is phonetically similar to word for "Prosper", while number "9" (Jiu) is approximate to word for "Longevity", hence one sees various repetition of these two numerals in business, marketing, and other cultural events. Note number "4" (Shih) possess very negative connotations since its phonetic is close to word for "Death" (akin to  western cultural abhorrence to numeral 13), hence universally avoided by China - Vietnam - Korea - Taiwan - Vietnam - Singapore audiences, along with their overseas diaspora in Americas - Southeast Asia - Australia - Europe.
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Nevertheless, superstition carried to extremes can also be viewed with skepticism, such as cleaning toilets in Japan to bring good fortune (my guess is that in old days, concept of running water meant good hygiene, hence tradition of cleaning and flushing out in-door toilets with new fresh water). Superstition sparks toilet cleaning craze in Japan - uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKT27109220070301
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FYI, numeral superstition is common among all cultures, for example in Las Vegas-Nevada gambling/hotels, one would neither find a floor "13" on elevator buttons, nor table "13" on gambling circuit for fear such numerals would spoke the clientele thus their refusal to place any bets. This becomes especially interesting in cross-cultural weddings when Asian guests prefer not to sit at table "4" while American guests desire to avoid table "13". These are good indicators of one's past cultural propensity for mystic or esoteric numerology. Numerology - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerology
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Inset 1 : Placement of white and black decal stripes onto MINI body, decals were meticulously measured and angle cut into parallelogram shapes, staggered into 3 rows on passenger side. When all decals were placed, entire vehicle sealed with spray painted layer of Clear Gloss Finish.
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Rollover : ( Rollover JPG link ) MINI rear view showing staggered racing stripes running from front hood to rear hatch.  Wheel rims painted Testors Chrome, rubber wheels spray painted Clear Gloss Finish for that "Neu" look. Between 2001-2007, the Mark I MINI version was rolled out to international markets (note British "Mark" nomenclature is American equivalent of "Version"), with various styling and performance upgrades thus creating sub-variants such as Cooper S with its distinctive front scoop, Cooper with extensive chrome parts, and MINI One with a lesser powerful engine than Cooper and Cooper S (hence only latter two are sold in US markets). MINI (BMW) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_MINI
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Inset 2 : Pimped'out extended cab MINI, which required extensive modification to its drive system. All BMW MINI possess electronic drive-by-wire throttle, brake distribution, cornering brake control, and stability control. MINI Cooper Gallery - www.northamericanmotoring.com/gallery/
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MINI's "Cooper" name derived from John Cooper and his Cooper Car Company, they made options to enhance the classic Mini's performance and other tuning options (ex. special air filters, racing exhaust pipes, 17-inch racing wheels). Mk I Mini, Cooper, Cooper S all powered with Brazilian Tritec engine, but BMW decided in 2006 to preserve the MINI brand authenticity and essence (ostensibly to preserve its high sale value), thus all future MINI will be powered by a British engine, final assembly done in Cowley-Oxford / England. Authenticity in Brand Identity - www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=276
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Inset 3 : So-called Versace MINI with custom golden leaf flair scheme and plush socialite wearing her iconic "George Hamilton" tan. Hollywood actor Hamilton for past 30 years always carried a Daytona-beach type tan, hence this consistent appearance merge into  American vernacular. MINI convertible was introduced in 2004 with a fully automatic convertible roof (unique feature for auto of this size).
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As marketing ploy, MINI owners asked to sign contract to drive the car with roof open 90% of the time. Amusingly, MINI also setup a telephone hotline 1-888-DO NOT CLOSE for anyone to report MINI owners driving with their roof closed. A new MINI Cooper S convertible was introduced April 2007, slated for general sale 2008. MINI USA - www.miniusa.com/
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