Tuesday, May 1, 2012

First look

I'm the lucky new owner of a Bremen Mark Mini kitcar!  I haven't gotten it over to my house yet, but I did snap a few pics from where it currently sits in my ex-neighbor's back yard.


Underneath all that dirt and crap (literally) is a cute little car.  

There's a lot of leaves and dirt even though it was covered with a tarp (which started falling apart when I pulled it off). 
Its a type 1 engine, with dual carbs.  A bit different looking than the other Mark Mini's I've seen on the internet.  Its a bit rusty in parts but overall it doesnt look that bad.

I forgot to check for the engine model numbers to see what year it actually is.  The pink slip says its registered as a '79 but I'm wondering if this engine is actually older (I hope it is).  Would be nice if I could prove its a '76 or older so I can avoid smog check.

From what I understand, VW's in 79 had fuel injection, which this clearly does not have, and the chassis is not a super beetle (no struts on the front suspension).

7 comments:

  1. Do you know where to buy a convertible top for this? Good luck!

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  2. No clue. Luckily this one has both a removable one piece hardtop as well as a soft top which is two aluminum pipes and canvas, I haven't tried to fit it on to see if its deteriorated. I imagine you could fashion your own soft top by bending metal tubes and sewing up the fabric yourself.

    Finding any information on these cars is scarce. I've seen a handfull of them for sale, but I haven't seen anybody selling any parts (other than generic VW parts).

    Possibly I could create a fabric pattern and pipe dimensions from what I have so that you could fashion your own soft top (or if you are in the california area you would be welcome to stop by and examine it).

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  3. Thanks. I'm thinking of bidding of buying one of these locally. The only info I have found on them is on a blog "I am selling my Bremen Mini Mark Kit Car. The Mini Mark is a very rare concept fiberglass kit car produced by the same people that made the Maxi-Taxi, Bremen Sport Co. in Bremen, Indiana. The "Mark" part of the name came from the grill housing which is a FoMoCo Part from the Lincoln Mark IV. There were approximately less than 100 ever built before the factory burnt down and only about 50 still on the road today. The Mini Mark was a factory built kit car. The body is very thick fiberglass, not like your typical kit car. It is bolted onto a Volkswagen Beetle pan. The engine is a stock VW dual port 1600 that runs strong. Please email or call me for more information.
    The Mini body is a one piece unit built out of a fiber composite material it is quite thick and very sturdy. The only bolt on parts are the doors and hood. The top is a removable hard top. The Mini was a car very ahead of its time, and made too soon for the public to enjoy the look. This car has alot of style and very unique look, from the Rolls-Royce front end, Mercedes emblems and the Ford Rolling fenders, and even a Little Corvette roll around the top of the seats. The dash is really great it is a wood grain finish with gauges from left to right.

    This car is a head turner, and attracts attention where ever you go, a very fun car to drive, and show. Remember This is a Factory built car it is NOT A KIT. If you ever had a kit car and then drove a Bremen Mini you would know the difference just how solid the car is and how it drives. This information was given to me by the owners of the Bremen Sport Factory, as well as a employee that worked on the production line."
    Good luck with your restoration!

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  4. http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fiberfab_CMC/message/1076

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  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. 79 is probably the year it was built at Bremen on a 69/70 chassis. The dual carbon was probably an add on and not factory. Syncing the carve will be a little work when you get there. The convertable top is similar to a boat Bimini top. Marine stores will have the hardware and a good marine canvas shop could fab. I am minus the top as well but have the mounts and pica from another Mark.

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  7. I have a 1982 Mini Mark for sale in the Phoenix AZ area. You can view details at: https://offerupnow.com/item/detail/107649228/roadster-mini-mark-1982-sports-car

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