In 1960 I had a shop in Burbank, California with about 5 employees doing custom auto and boat upholstery. No request seemed unusual at the time, from suede leather headlining to diamond tufted rumble seats. One day a group of Lockheed engineers brought me a ragged piece of canvas with sewn-in wooden slats, rubber bands, crude hooks and other miscellaneous innovations. They asked if I would be interested in making about a dozen of these and I remember saying "What the hell is it, a chastity belt for Godzilla ?" They replied that it was a protective cover used by the Porsche factory for road testing new cars and on unofficial loan to them.

I accepted the challenge and completely redesigned the German cover, spending about as much time road testing as sewing. After about six weeks and a small mountain of scrap material we finished 12 covers. Within a week the Lockheed engineers were back asking for 50 more covers. We made a total of about 150 covers at that time, all for Porsche 356 models, until I had to discontinue the project because of an overload of upholstery work.

I relocated to Newport Beach, California10 years later where some enthusiastic Porsche friends asked me if I would make a version of the cover for the 911 series. I designed a 911 version from memory upgrading the older 356 covers. I also placed a small ad in Road & Track using the German description of the covers "Steinschlagshutzshulle". Dissected the word means, stone/strike/shield and for short I tagged it "Bra". "Bra" is the name I adopted from the beginning and Road & Track is where I tested the waters as a mail order business. In view of this I feel justified in making the claim as the originator of the "Bra" since there isn't a trace of similarity to that original pile of canvas to what is now known as a "Bra".

For the first couple of years the only covers I made were for Porsche vehicles. As orders gradually increased I decided to go into other makes. It seemed to me, in view of the enthusiasm for the newly introduced Datsun 240-Z that I couldn't miss with this addition. But I found out differently. Acceptance by Z-owners was not immediate nor were sales for other makes. In 1973 I applied for a $3,000 loan. When I said that I wanted the money for material to make car bras, all I could see were the soles of the banker's shoes as he went over backwards. It was about 5 years, around 1975, that the bra began to show signs of interest for anyone other than Porsche owners. Soon it became obvious that those funny looking things were starting to sell and I was no longer the only one making bras. Now of course anyone with a sewing machine and a pepper tree to set up under is into the act. Today most people know what a bra is but I only wish some of these late-comers could have been there in the early days when only a handful of Porsche enthusiasts knew what a car bra was.

Our cover is still the standard used for reference by all of those who have entered the business in the last few years. To bear out this statement, there isn't a cover on the market that hasn't copied parts or all of the Colgan Custom Bra.

Bill Colgan - 1988

Part No Applications: NMA7020A, NMA7020, NMA7020ACD, NMA7020ACN, NMA7020C, NMA7020CN, NMA7020CND, NMA7020D, NMA7020N, NMA7020ND, NMA7021, NMA7021C, NMA7025, NMA7030, NMA7030D, NMA7030N, NMA7030ND

Bill Colgan - 1988
Article Date: Jan 28, 2006
Car Accociations: NEW_MINI
Hits: 3889

Order and Shipping Information

Worldwide Shipping Charges
Shipping Address Policy
Worldwide General Shipping Information
Shipping Schedule
When Will I Get My Order?
Entering APO/FPO Addresses
Backorders

World-Wide Shipping Charges

How can I get a shipping estimate?

Just click "Buy Now" on the product page to add it to your cart. Continue shopping and when ready for the shipping estimate, begin the checkout process. Shipping charges for most items are calculated and displayed during order checkout. You will NOT need to log in or create an account to use the 'shipping quote' button.  If you're not ready to order, simply use you browser's "back" button to return to previously viewed pages.

Shipping Methods appropriate for your destination are displayed to you during order checkout. Once you've decided on the items you'd like to order, consider how quickly you would like to receive your shipment(s), evaluate the shipping cost displayed, and choose a shipping method.

What if no shipping charges are displayed?

Shipping charges are calculated at time of shipment based on the actual package weight and dimensions. In some cases, we may not have weights or dimensions in our computer system for one or more of the items you ordered. In this case, shipping is not quoted. The amount you will be billed is the carrier's standard charge. We don not charge any handling fees. The cost of shipping your order will be sent to you in a confirmation email message at the time of shipment. No action is required on your part.

Shipping Address Policy

When you order product using your credit card we initiate a process to check the address information you enter to see if it matches the address that your credit card issuer has on file and matches your billing address. If they do not match then the issuer of the credit card will not approve the transaction 100%. This is because much of credit card fraud occurs by having products shipped to the address of the person who stole the credit card instead of to your address – the billing address. The fraudster steals the credit card, orders products and has those products shipped to the fraudsters’ address and you don't know anything about it until you get your credit card bill.

This works great for those people that have products shipped to their home address and their credit card bill is also mailed to that same address. But some people use a PO Box or their personal credit card to order products for business. In those cases they want the product shipped to their office but the statement (billing address) is still being mailed to their home address or PO Box. This normally would be a rejected transaction because of the two legitimate, but different, addresses.

The way to get around this is with an Alternate Shipping Address. You can add an Alternate Shipping Address to your credit card so that orders will be accepted at both addresses. The alternate shipping address does not have to be your business address but is used here simply as an example.

Simply use the toll-free number on the front or back of your card to contact your credit card company and create an Alternate Shipping Address which is simply a note on your account authorizing purchases that are delivered to a destination other than your billing address. With the Alternate Shipping Address feature in place you can have credit card orders shipped to two different addresses but your credit card bill will continue to be mailed to the original billing address.

Add the Alternate Shipping Address to your credit card account before placing your order. After your credit card company has updated your credit card account you can then order products with your credit card and have them shipped to the alternate shipping address you have on file with the credit card issuer.

* Please note that on your initial order items must be sent to the billing Or ‘Alternate’ address as registered with your credit card company. See this Policy for more details or contact our sales staff at 800-946-2642.

Mini Mania, Inc. primarily uses FedEx, UPS and the US Postal Service to ship orders world-wide, each of which may be available only in certain areas. Truck freight items may be shipped using our choice of a variety of motor freight carriers. The customer pays shipping costs unless stated otherwise.

When choosing a shipping method, remember that carriers charge considerably more for expedited delivery. Expedited delivery also generally requires the package be signed for at the time of delivery. Check with your selected carrier locally if you or your authorized representative may not be available to sign for the package at the time of delivery.

For some destinations, we offer the choice of Mail (USPS). While often less expensive, remember that items shipped via Priority Mail, while insured, are not always reliably delivered and cannot be tracked. By choosing Priority Mail, you accept responsibility for your order once it leaves our facility.

Customers outside the domestic United States should exercise particular care when selecting a carrier or expedited shipping methods. If in doubt, consult with your potential carrier for information about shipments to your country. Import duties, local taxes, customs charges, etc. are the responsibility of the customer. If Mini Mania is invoiced by any carrier for import duties, local taxes, customs charges, or similar fees, the customer's credit card on file will be charged immediately for these fees, and an invoice explaining the charges will be sent to the customer.

Shipping Schedule

Most orders phoned in to Mini Mania before 12 noon Pacific Time are shipped the same day; orders received later usually ship the next day. If you must receive your order by a specific date, please make this clear when placing your order.

Most Internet orders are processed the next business day and are shipped within 1-2 days.

If there is more than one item in your order, we will ship your items as they become available.

Depending on availability, your order may be sent in more than one shipment. You will be charged shipping for each shipment.

You may choose to contact us by phone or e-mail before placing your order in order to ascertain availability.

When Will I Get My Order?

For Ground shipments, see the maps below for approximate delivery times. For expedited shipping choices, please see your chosen carrier’s web site for details, terms and conditions. Note that in all cases, shipping times do not include the day the order ships, weekends or holidays.

UPS Ground Delivery Transit time Map for Domestic Customers

FedEx Ground Service Delivery Map

Entering APO & FPO Addresses Correctly

Having trouble entering an APO or FPO address on our order form? Following these steps should help:

• Enter the recipient's full name and address in the relevant fields.
• Enter "APO" or "FPO" in the City field.
• Enter "AE" in the State/Province/Region field if the recipient is stationed in Europe, Canada, Africa, or the Middle East. Enter "AA" if the recipient is stationed in the Americas. Enter "AP" if the recipient is stationed in Asia or the Pacific.
• Regardless of where the recipient is stationed, select "United States" from the Country drop-down menu.

  Following these steps will ensure that you're charged the correct shipping amount and that your order will be delivered in a timely fashion. All shipments to APO/FPO addresses are sent via U.S. Priority or First Class Mail. We estimate 5 to 7 business days for delivery once the order has been shipped; however, some destinations may take up to 21 days.

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Backorders

  We endeavor to stock most of the items we sell. The automatic shipment notification email you receive will identify backordered items and indicate the approximate date we expect to receive the item at our warehouse. Be sure to contact us if you wish to cancel your backorder to avoid unnecessary shipping and restocking charges once your backordered items are shipped.

  
  
  

We will match the published price of any US supplier* -- even their current sales prices! If you find an item advertised at a lower price, make a notation in your online order, call or email us your price match request (see terms and details below). We'll sell you the SAME item at the SAME price! If you've already purchased the item from us, we'll even price match (for store credit only) as long as you contact us with your request within 10 days of placing your order.

This offer is restricted to identical items offered for sale in writing or on the web. When making your price match request, you must provide us with a link to the competitor's Internet URL for the item, a copy of the written ad or written quotation, which must include suppliers part number, description and price.

Price Match Terms and Fine Print

We may choose not to price match in some cases; here are some reasons why:

• The competitor's product is not an exact match (identical manufacturer & model) with ours.
• The competitor with the lower price does not have the item in stock at their warehouse.
• The competitor's total price (including shipping, handling, rebates, taxes, etc.) is higher.
• The competitor's product is used, refurbished, reconditioned, or a display model.
• The competitor is not selling in US dollars.
• The product is a clearance or closeout item.
• The item is not found within the first 10 items listed on major search engine results.
• The competitor is not manufacturer authorized or has advertised below the manufacturers minimum allowed price for the item.

* Qualified U.S. Suppliers are established businesses that routinely and regularly sell the item to be matched from an established physical storefront or warehouse.

While we endeavor to maintain the accuracy of item availability, descriptions and availability, we reserve the right to correct errors. We reserve the right to choose not to honor this offer.

How to Request a Price Match

Place an order on-line and leave a comment at checkout. Provide the competitor's name, part number, item description, URL link to the exact item and the competitor's price anlong with your request to price match. If we agree to match the price, your order will be processed at that adjusted price. In the event we cannot match the price, we will notify you by email. We will hold you order for 3 business days.

Alternately, you may call us with your request. We'd love to talk with you. We will generally respond to price match requests within one business day.

SHIPMENT PROBLEMS?

Claims for missing items or error in shipment must be reported within 5 days of order receipt .

BACKORDERS

We endeavor to stock most of the items we sell. For Classic Minis, parts are frequently in limited supply and are difficult to keep on hand. the automatic shipment notification email you receive will identify backordered items and indicate the approximate date we expect to receive the item at our warehouse.

Be sure to contact us if you wish to cancel your backorder to avoid unnecessary shipping and restocking charges once the item(s) you’ve ordered is shipped.

Some items are made available on a Special Order basis. These are typically items with very low demand that we choose not to keep in inventory, or items that are custom built or built to order. These items are ordered from their suppliers solely to fulfill your order. As such, these items require a 100% non-refundable deposit at the time the order is placed (power-unit orders require a $1,000 deposit before work begins). Because of the nature of Special Order items, your order cannot be cancelled once your order is accepted and deposit taken, nor can returns be accepted once the item has shipped.