1988 Mini Mayfair

Highlights

• Completely original Mini Mayfair

• Owned by mother-and-daughter from new

• Always garaged and unrestored

• Genuine sub-28k mileage

• Passed last MOT test with no advisories 

Overview

 Sometimes, a car is more than just a car – and this one ticks that box on two levels. 

 First, it’s a Mini. That, of course, means it’s a piece of automotive folklore. One of the best-loved and most cherished cars ever made, and a slice of British history that runs far deeper than four wheels and an engine, covering more than four decades of British life and beloved of all, from learner drivers to rally drivers. Everyone has a Mini story. 

 Since 1959, it has been part of the fabric of our nation and is rightly celebrated as such today, with a thriving scene and an entire industry built up around its continued enjoyment. This car is your chance to be a very special part of that. 

 Second, the Mini has been very much a member of one family from new. It was bought from Lookers of Bramhall – a leafy suburb of Stockport – by the vendor’s late mum, who used the car sparingly and kept it in her garage at all times. She passed away a couple of years ago and the car was inherited by her daughter, who is sad to sell it, but who wants her mum’s beloved little car to find an owner who will preserve it, do the few little jobs it needs to make it as good as new again, and ensure it lives on to be appreciated by future generations. 

 The car itself is an Austin Mini Mayfair, registered in September 1988 right in the middle of the Austin-Rover rebrand. It’s one of the very last Austin cars sold in the UK, as the company was rebranded as Rover Group earlier that year, and from October 1988 (and the 1989 model year), its cars became badged as Rovers. It comes from an awkward time in the Mini’s life where the company didn’t know what to do with it, as it was expensive to build, but still very much in demand. 

 That question was answered a couple of years later with the rebirth of the Mini Cooper and a resultant resurgence in popularity – and a massive one at that – but it’s these late eighties Minis that laid the foundation for that, thanks to the adoption of larger wheels, a revised interior and the new A-Plus Series engines from the Metro. This one is a genuine timewarp – as standard as it was when it left the showroom 37 years ago, and garaged all its life. 

Being an old and unrestored Mini, it has a couple of minor bits of bodywork that need tidying up, but the MOT history suggests it has never needed welding and it sailed through its last test with no advisory notices.  

History and documentation

• First registered in the UK on 18th September 1988 and supplied by Lookers of Bramhall

• UK V5C in the name of the vendor

• Only two owners from new, mother and daughter

• MOT until 15th December 2025 – No advisories on past five tests

• Two keys

•  Genuine 27,800 miles from new

•  Recent invoice documenting full service and new battery 

Interior 

• Grey velour upholstery (which marked it out as a Mayfair over lesser Minis) in lovely overall condition

• Matching grey velour door cards

• Original Philips radio-cassette player

• Three-dial dash with rev counter

• Rear seat belts

• Carpets in great condition, protected by charming home-made floor mats

• Rear shelf speakers

• Headlining in great condition

• Original spare wheel, jack and tools

• Some very light signs of wear inside, but nothing of note

Exterior

• Original White Diamond paint in good overall order, polishes up well and looks superb overall

• There are some very slight areas of light corrosion in the front body seams, wing flitch panels but these are very slight by Mini standards and all the major areas where Minis corrode appear sound

• Boot floor, inner arches and sills all appear solid

• There is some surface corrosion to the subframes and sill to floorpan joints, but these areas look like they would respond well to cleaning up and rustproofing

• Original Mayfair grey-painted bumpers

• 12-inch wheels with correct plastic wheel covers, which have some minor kerbing marks

• Correct Mayfair decals, all original

• Lookers of Bramhall dealer sticker and branded numberplates

 Mechanical

• 998cc A-Plus engine

• Non-injection

• The vendor reports that the car starts first time with ‘the right amount of choke’ – a forgotten art!

• 53bhp

• 0-60mph in 12.2secs

• 90mph top speed

• Four-speed manual gearbox in sump

• Recently serviced 

• Recent new battery

• Reported by the vendor to still drive as well as it always did, with no known issues

• The car has been serviced annually by Churchgate Autos in Stockport, Cheshire

Summary

If you’re the lucky winning bidder of this one, then you will also become the custodian of a fabulous piece of automotive and social history – after all, there aren’t many cars approaching their 40th birthday whose history is entirely and wholly known, nor that have been in the same family from new.

 Plus, it’s a Mini, and that means it’s huge fun to drive, parts supply is plentiful and inexpensive and it opens the door to a whole social scene built up around the enjoyment of a British legend. 

 To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire.