﹒Comprehensive restoration ﹒Engine rebuild ﹒Matching numbers car
The Background
The Mini is a small car designed by the legendary Sir Alec Issigonis and produced initially by the English-based British Motor Corporation (BMC) and then several successors from 1959 all the way up until 2000.
The original Mini is universally considered as a British Pop Culture icon and it’s design was ground breaking when it hit the show rooms in 1959. A traverse mounted engine coupled with front wheel drive meant that the inside of the car was like a tardis, even 4 adults could travel comfortably.
Due to it’s unique shell design and each of the four wheels being as close to the corner of the vehicle as possible it also corners like a house fly and the performance versions, the Mini Cooper and Cooper "S", were successful as both race and rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965, and 1967.
This particular example left the factory 6 July 1961 in old English white, as it is now. The first registration was 6621 RO according to the heritage certificate and a new V5 was issued in 1986 with the current reg number, but the reasons for this are unknown.
The current owner bought it in 2015 from a chap who had stored it in his garage since the 1980s. He was a handy man and he was given the car by a lady who was the original owner from new. He did work for her and in settlement of his bill she gave him the car as she could not drive anymore. It had been in her garage for some time. Apparently she bought it from new and only drove to the shop and back each day. This certainly tallies with the mileage currently recorded of 6,827.
Unfortunately, owner number two had planned to restore the car but suffered ill health and wasn’t able to, he eventually decided to sell it in September 2015 when the current owner bought it from him.
The V5 is present and a number of documents and paperwork/invoices to support the comprehensive restoration less than 2 years ago at a cost of circa 34K! The heritage certificate and certified copy of the factory record is also present. This is a matching numbers car as the heritage certificate chassis and engine numbers match with the V5, so original body and engine, restored of course.
The original seats have been retained and resprung and the owner has been careful not to over do the restoration inside by keeping everything as original as possible. Old English white over red interior is a lovely combination.
The car was stripped and blasted to remove any corrosion and then repainted in 2018 so the body work is still very clean. The bright work is in good condition and the original Mini design looks great in the Off English White colour scheme.
According to the paperwork the entire car was rebuilt using either new parts of refurbished parts and everything was painted including the subframes. Any rot was cut out and replaced with new during this process.
In 2019 the car had the engine removed, acid stripped and rebuilt with receipts present for almost every internal item and ancillary. The gearbox was also stripped and rebuilt.
The undercarriage has also been stripped painted and perishables renewed where needed.
The original Mini was ground breaking in its day and is considered a very small car with oodles of character. Many celebrities and pop stars lusted after the ultimate 1960s fashion accessory and the Mini’s fanbase to this day is vast. If you go to a Mini only event you will see the thousands of cars that have been restored or modified each wearing their individual personalities with pride.
Early restored examples with low mileage like this one are becoming harder to find and from the history it seems to have sat on the side lines for most of its 60 years. The current owner has spared no expense in the restoration as the paperwork and restoration photos validate so if your going to buy one of the classic minis, this one should definitely be up there in your considerations. What a lovely car.
** The photos in this listing have been provided to us by the seller **
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the sellers discretion.
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More about buying with us
1961 Morris Mini Minor
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