There are an amazing number of minor changes to the 1997MY Mini and after driving mine for 18 months I thought I'd do a page highlighting them.  The difference between a 1996 and 1997 Mini is quite amazing.  See the bottom of this page for the comprehensive list of detail changes and why they were made!

My friend Arno pointed out to me at the time that all these changes make it not really a Mini - I see his point but if you want a Mini for everyday use as your only car, these are the ones to go for! 

Engine Bay Modifications

• Programmed multi-point fuel injection
   
• Wiring & Fuses sorted out "like a proper car" - no daft in-line fuses to fall apart.
   
• Oil Filter moved up and to the front of the engine eliminating oil pipes and reducing leaks!
   
• Distributor deleted in favour of the modern distributor less electronic management.
   
• Front mounted radiator with electric fan only - no wing mounted fan, quieter, more efficient.
   
• 65 amp alternator so your lights don't dim when you stop at traffic lights!
   
• Coolant bottle inside the engine bay as opposed to wing mounted or non-existent.

Modifications to the front.

• Electrically height adjustable headlights - this is an EC legislation and in the Mini the whole headlamp unit is motorised using what sounds like an electric mirror motor!
   

• Wipac Quadoptic halogen headlights as standard fitment - superb lights. 
   

• Clear front indicators.
   

• Standard Towing Eyes under the front bumper.

Interior Modifications

• Finally!  At last!  You can actually get into the back seat!  For some reason in my 1998 model the seat backs do not fold any further forward than in this picture due to a latch...
   
• Rather smart in its black/beige trim don't you think?

• The rear pockets have been given plastic liners which make them look smarter but which seem to squeak and rattle.  Think I preferred them without - they were bigger without too.
   
• New front seatbelts including pre-tensioners actually mounted in the rear pocket.
   
• Door mounted side impact beams in the front doors (not shown in this picture).
   
• The rear floor ashtray has gone too.

• Electric headlamp levelling switch (previously the fan switch in the Rover 100!)
   
• New fusebox removing the guddle of fuses under the bonnet/dashboard.
   
• New column stalks including intermittent wipers, programmed wash-wipe and the light switch!!
   
• Alloy throttle pedal - well it looks good!
   
• Fully moulded carpet with tons of soundproofing under it - it fits with no gaps anywhere!
   
• Remote control alarm & immobiliser with passive arming.

• Lovely leather steering wheel lifted straight from the MGF
   
• Airbag
   
• 2 speed fan (slow or frantic)

• Headlining trimmed in soft cloth instead of "elastoplast!"
   
• Wee warning icons on the top of the windscreen - I think they're really cool!
   
• Proper dipping rear-view mirror which is actually bonded to the windscreen like in a real car.

List of all Changes.

Interior

• Airbag Leather steering wheel & column from MGF
• New column stalks with programmed wash-wipe & intermittent wipe
• Side-impact beams
• Pre-tensioned front seatbelts
• New rear pockets with neat plastic liners.
• Fitted, moulded carpet with soundproofing
• Deleted rear floor ashtray
• Remote control alarm & immobiliser with passive arming
• The rear seat bulkhead is now solid, without the former blanked-off central aperture.
• Interior sound deadening measures include damping pads in the roof, plus the extra absorption effect of the new foam-backed fabric headlining which help to tune out the 'boom' effect at higher engine speeds. Extra sound-path sealing around the top of the bulkhead and the A-post areas keeps engine noise out and there is new sound insulation around the fuel tank and boot area to eliminate any possibility of whine from the high pressure fuel pump

Exterior

• Mini badges front & rear
• Roof-mounted aerial
• Front towing-eyes
• Clear front indicators
• body-coloured rear light bar
• Plastic fillers between rear bumper and wheelarch
• Rubber strips between wheel spats and body.

Engine & Mechanics

• Multi-point fuel injection, using two injectors carefully tuned to the A-series siamesed inlet port design, are controlled by the sophisticated MEMS 2J electronic engine management system used on Rover's 800 KV6 and MGF 1.8i VVC. Power output remains unchanged but a much improved torque curve has enabled the introduction of a higher final-drive ratio for more relaxed cruising at motorway speeds.
• a direct (distributorless) electronic ignition system. This uses quad dry-coil twin-spark technology, triggering each spark twice - once on the compression stroke and once on the exhaust stroke - so that the high tension voltage does not have to be switched between cylinders.
• The cylinder block has been modified to delete the distributor housing, redesign the oil galleries and also to re-locate the oil filter (deleting the external pipework). This has allowed the radiator to be moved from its traditional side mounting to a more conventional position in front of the engine as part of the pass-by noise reduction programme
• Replacement of the former 45 amp alternator with a 65 amp unit and the use of a modern poly-vee belt alternator/water pump drive for greater durability and reliability.
• For lower internal noise levels, a 2.76:1 final drive ratio raises the overall gearing by 16% compared to the previous Mini Cooper.  With fourth gear now equivalent to fifth gear on many other cars and a third gear high enough to virtually achieve the 90mph maximum speed, the driving characteristics are very different. The 'overdrive' fourth gear cuts engine speed at 70mph from 3,888 rpm to 3,333 rpm for more comfortable cruising, while third gear now provides the upper range acceleration and overtaking capability.
• Rear exhaust silencer box which together with the other modifications to the engine make it TWICE as quiet at 70mph!

Some of these changes were forced on Rover by the EC and market pressure - airbag, side-impact beams, pre-tensioned seatbelts, height-adjustable headlamps, quieter engine (front rad, no manual fan, high 4th gear).

Some of them were just done to smarten the car up a bit, without getting carried away! - new electrics including proper fusebox, 2 speed fan, nice new seats with proper "break-back" mechanism etc.