RE: You Know You Want To: 1959 Austin Mini. Unrestored

[GTiFrank]

Can see this going way over estimate

[jagracer]

shovelheadrob said:

I learnt to drive in a mini which was actually registered in 58, it was a pre production car & was great until it went wrong as silly things like the drive shafts were different to the production models, wonder where that one is now. It was back around 1977 that I took my test & even then my mate who owned it knew it was the earliest chassis number known to still exist. Can't remember the reg no unfortunately.

I had a 1959 Mini which was something like No.59 off the line. I learnt to drive in it and I owned it for about another year until it got too much hassle to keep repairing so I sold it for £15 in 1974. It was a complete dog and considering when I had it it was only 12-15 years old it was crap compared with an equivalent aged car now. As a 17 YO the insurance was £11 in my name, which was quite expensive then, I wonder how that compares with today.

[jason61c]

Chicane-UK said:

Am I the only one who has absolutely zero love for the Mini? I just don't get them at all, despite having a general liking for small / fun cars.

In fact I think I'd almost rather burn £12,000 than spend it on that rusting hulk!

I'm with you.

[PumpkinSteve]

Chris Evans. He likes that kind of thing.

[rtz62]

Chicane-UK, you need certifying.
I wish I had the cash; this car deserves to be kept in an unrestored state, anything else fulfils my opinion.."it's only original once..."
Just like that Bugatti that was dragged from the bottom of a lake, that's not been restored has it? And restored it would potentially be worth a lot more!

[billzeebub]

Guy who owns the garage in my village is inviting offers on a totally immaculate original early/mid 60s beige Mini with less than 3000 miles on the clock. It looks and smells lovely and I really enjoyed looking round it.

[GuitarTech]

When I was a nipper in the sixties, we had a green mini as the family car for a while. I used to love sitting in it, playing with the switches, enjoying the smell, and dreaming of the time when I could drive myself. It's the only car of all the cars(a lot of cars, my dad was a petrolhead),that my dad had, that I have remembered the number of all these years:
BCX 121 B, where are you now?

[KM666]

jason61c said:

Chicane-UK said:

Am I the only one who has absolutely zero love for the Mini? I just don't get them at all, despite having a general liking for small / fun cars.

In fact I think I'd almost rather burn £12,000 than spend it on that rusting hulk!

I'm with you.

Yeah, although I understand why they were so game changing and the grassroots appeal I cant understabd what they have come to represent, toys for rich boys and girls, like the Beetle, a game changer, cheap (and fun in the Minis case) motoring for everybody, now just too trendy amongst certain types for their own good. Having said that if I had the wedge I would be very tempted by a costly mk1/mk2 Escort.

Would look great in the Arizona desert amongst old rotting yank tanks.

Looking at that engine shot it seems to have magic spark plugs fitted that require no source of spark.

[SAndals]

£12k...you can get a nearly new MINI Cooper S for that...

[Camlet]

My first car was a black Mini 1000, reg GPK 7N. Loved the thing. Knocked the crap out of it believing it was a cross between 365 GT4 BB and one of the motors out of the Italian Job. More laughs with mates than ever with anything else since. And some!
Not sure I'd buy this to restore as it's just too proper.

[Mr2Mike]

B'stard Child said:

minis are in a whole world of their own and the steel is so thin it's hard work welding them up

Are you sure you don't have some crap pattern panels? I certainly never found the steel to be particularly thin compared to any other cars of the era, and had no problems welding them. Obviously corroded metal can be pretty thin, but that should be chopped out anyway.

[Mr2Mike]

Pr1964 said:

Pickle it in Formaldehyde.

12 to 15,000 quid FFS

There's plenty of idiots out there with more mone than sense .....


GarbMINIage

P.H. O'Meter Looks broken 7.5 that thing can't be trusted .... ?

I completely agree with GarbMINIage, if there was such a word. The mini is an utterly fabulous little car however.

[Justayellowbadge]

You'll never find the like again. I would not be surprised if it beat the upper estimate.

[Camlet]

My first car was a black Mini 1000, reg GPK 7N. Loved the thing. Knocked the crap out of it believing it was a cross between 365 GT4 BB and one of the motors out of the Italian Job. More laughs with mates than ever with anything else since. And some!
Not sure I'd buy this to restore as it's just too proper.

[B'stard Child]

Mr2Mike said:

B'stard Child said:

minis are in a whole world of their own and the steel is so thin it's hard work welding them up

Are you sure you don't have some crap pattern panels? I certainly never found the steel to be particularly thin compared to any other cars of the era, and had no problems welding them. Obviously corroded metal can be pretty thin, but that should be chopped out anyway.

Heritage panels - all of them and all corrosion is being cut out

You are right about pattern panels they are thinner tried a couple but ended up buying heritage and replacing them again

You can't run a line of weld it's all dot pause dot pause dot pause dot etc

And the steel is way thinner than a comparable aged Opel

[bruciebonuz]

My prediction is it will go for over 20k.

[ScoobieWRX]

I love Minis, had two, and a Riley Elf. How can you not love the mini, rust and all.

This one especially!!

[hwajones]

what a bucket!

[Skater12]

I reckon it'll go for over £15k, and i hope the buyer leaves it as is, and puts it in the corner of a garage parked next to a mint polished car of the same era.

[sinbaddio]

That's 13 years older than me, although tbh the mini is probably in better nick!