This is one of those things always catches my attention whenever I encounter it: the phenomenon of aftermarket add-on trunk extenders to cars with trunks, but not big enough trunks. I’ve written about these before, specifically ones for the Citroën 2CV and the Willys Jeep, where they’re referred to as “boot extenders” or, in the case of the Willys, “extension bodies.” All of these are basically some manner of bolt-on boxes or larger trunk lids that allow more stuff to be carried in a car’s trunk.
I think I like them because they’re precisely the sort of thing that your mind will conjure up as you’re trying to cram in something just a bit too large for the trunk and you’re desperately trying to close the lid. As you struggle, trying to squeeze something unsqueezable into too small a volume of space, I suspect your brain will bubble and percolate and come up with a vision.
A vision that may look something like this, if you’re trying to cram stuff into a Mini. Thanks to Lord Haydock for posting this gem:
Your friends will never notice ???? pic.twitter.com/E82Bau5GIi
— Lord Haydock (@MarkHaydock5) January 26, 2025
Now the interesting thing about Mini trunk extenders is that the Mini sort of had more trunk-related options than most cars in this very specific group. For example, here’s a 2CV boot extender:
You can see how the original trunk lid is incorporated into the design. The 2CV didn’t have an “official” way to cram more in the trunk by leaving the trunk lid open, but the Mini did:
If you look carefully there, you can see that the license plate is hinged so you can see it even when the lid is open, which is a nice touch. Of course, if you wanted your stuff protected from the weather, this won’t work. Hence the add-on trunk lids!
Now, this one advertised here, which seems to be known simply as The Boot, is interesting because it looks so much like at least two Mini variants one could have just bought new, the Reily Elf or the Wolseley Hornet.
Here’s the Hornet:
…and here’s the Elf:
If you compare these to The Boot add-on there, the look is pretty close:
That tacked-on boot looks a little bigger, even! I’ve hardly ever seen a picture of a Mini wearing one of these butt-extenders, which leads me to believe they weren’t terribly popular, but I’m just not sure. Cameras certainly weren’t as ubiquitous back in the day.
I think these are pretty fascinating, and there still seems to be some demand for this kind of thing among classic Mini owners to this day, or at least for one, since this classic Mini owner made their own boot-extender out of fiberglass:
Sure, it’s a bit less integrated and elegant than the vintage one there, but it’s not bad! The re-use of the existing bootlid is especially nice I think, as are the taillight repeaters in that little spoiler. The guy did a good job! And can now fully shove that rucksack in there!
Slightly OT, I’ve wanted to make a Riley Elf shooting brake for years by grafting the Riley front clip onto a Mini Countryman woodie with an upgraded interior and a 1275cc engine.
The Mini add on is noteworthy because it closely matches a factory option unlike the 2CV
I never knew the Riley Elf existed but boy do I want one now! Spectacular little thing. Failing that, I’ll have on of those boot-extended Minis, please.
The Nissan Pulsar has entered the chat.
Enter the Renault 7… Bang !!!
Oh hey I forgot about that one! It’s to the R5 what the Orion was to the escort, and just as questionable.
https://ford.drive.place/images/ford/ford_orion_ii_sedan_1.jpg
That side profile makes it look like a 4/5th sized first GEN Volkswagen Jetta coupe
Need to make “wagonizing” easier imo.
Where else should one place their junk? Especially when there is too much junk?
Booty Boot; so you can avoid the bad ass mono Flutter, and being called Trailer Swift.
I’d like a couple options for a Jag XKE just so I could say that I had a Puss ‘n Boots.
Jason loves big booty and he cannot lie.
I like cars that are well proportioned. Ford had some great designs in the Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks, but the sedan versions just looked terrible.
Insert witty comment about having junk in the trunk.
The official way to cram more into the 2CV was to remove the fabric roof and trunk lid entirely. You’ve even shown that on this site.
So fellas (Yeah) fellas (Yeah)
Has your Mini got the boot? (Hell yeah!)
So shake it (Yeah) shake it (Yeah)
Shake that roomy boot
Mini got back
The fiberglass 1940 Ford nose is this for Volkswagens
My Favorite Butt-Extentions:
1st and 2nd Gen VW Jetta
Ford Orion Mark 1 and 2
Off to do some squats at the gym now….
“I’ve hardly ever seen a picture of a Mini wearing one of these butt-extenders, which leads me to believe they weren’t terribly popular, but I’m just not sure. Cameras certainly weren’t as ubiquitous back in the day.”
Yeah, it’s annoying when people complain about how many restored VW Beetles they see at car shows with roof racks (you know, the cool ones with the wood slats) when they claim to not have seen many if any Beetles in period photographs with such roof racks; what they don’t realize is that people didn’t necessarily keep the roof racks on all the time, especially since it actually makes for a massive hit on fuel efficiency (which was one of the reasons people bought Beetles in the first place, the relative fuel economy.) People typically used these roof racks mainly for road trips and moving and not for day-to-day driving. And people just didn’t take *that* many pictures of cars, period, back in the day, hence the paucity of roof-rack-bearing Beetles and betrunked Minis in old pictures.
I still take my racks off of my Golf when I’m not using them. I’ve never done a fuel economy analysis, but it cuts down on the wind noise and makes it much easier to clear show off in the winter. If I recall, Subaru had a cool idea with swing out cross bars. Anybody still doing that?
As em youngin kids would say, “skibidi gyatt.”
Classic Mini, Kardashian Edition.
If ya gotta scoot with your booty loot, get yourself a booty boot.
Yes, put more weight behind the rear axle. No harm could come from this ever. I mean, probably not in this case as these are tiny little boxes that can’t hold much, but I’ve seen some bonkers stuff on modern hitch carriers.
I think Nash may have had a similar set-up for once of their cars in the early ’50s.
Is that supposed to be a thermos in the door pocket of the Wolseley Hornet ad? Ahead of its time if it could actually fit one.
Ha, yeah, Alec Issigonis reportedly actually specified that the door pockets on the original Mini be able to accommodate a bottle of Gordon’s gin and a bottle of vermouth. In fact this was mentioned in an old Autopian post: https://www.theautopian.com/cold-start-dad-will-never-notice/
That’s wonderful.
Alcoholics don’t run in the Issigonis family. They drive.
History repeats itself with the current batch of “car backpacks” that hang from the tailgate seam — or from the roof rack. I’ve only seen them on the road a handful of times, and they’ve been largely displaced by hitch carriers. But if you don’t have a hitch and don’t want to mess with a roof box or bag (and the resultant hassles and mpg hit), they’re a great idea.
The most responsible owner I ever saw actually had a color photocopy of their license plate attached to it, since it covers the plate on most cars.
I’d be wary of those scuffing the paint. At least most crossovers come with roof racks. I’d rather use a hitch mounted carrier, but old school decklid luggage racks would be cool.
The future first plastic surgeon, down on his luck and aimless, when he sees a Mini with an artificial ass on it: what if…
Please. On a Mini that would be an artificial arse.
So… does that make it the automotive equivalent of a Brazilian
buttarse lift?The Brazilian Fiat Oggi would like a word.