CHASING CARS
ASKING £15,750 PRICE
ENGINE 1275cc/4-cyl/OHV POWER 62bhp@5500rpm TORQUE 70lb ft@3000rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 93mph 0-60MPH 11.8sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 33-42mpg TRANSMISSION FWD, four-speed man MoT 12 months on sale ODOMETER 41,219 miles
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?
The Mini starts on the first turn of the key and the engine settles quickly into a quiet idle. There’s a crisp consistency to its acceleration and all four gears engage cleanly – though the shift action is traditionally long in its throw – and brakes are sharp and powerful. It also corners as it should, clinging on tenaciously in tight bends, the suspension jiggling as expected, but with no creaking, graunching or sagging over to one side.
BODYWORK CHECK
It’s also a fairly fresh restoration. The current owner – the latest of three – bought it in 2019, treated it to a complete suspension overhaul at Fleet Mobile to the tune of £2602 in 2020 and followed this up with extensive £4504 bodywork restoration work at Auto Panel Craft two years later. This flurry of work is reflected in the Mini’s condition. The bodywork is in excellent condition aside from a few tiny scratches in the middle of the bonnet, on the passenger-side headlight housing and next to the driver’s door. The metal is smooth and ripple-free, the paint glossily consistent, decals intact, clean and bright and panel fit as good as you ever got from the factory.
HOW’S THE INTERIOR?
Also telling of a Mini of this era that’s been looked after, the plastic parts inside and out are intact and clean, despite being typically BL-grade brittle and snap-prone. The doorhandles and window-winders operate cleanly and aren’t overly loose or stiff in their fittings – the usual precursor to them getting broken. In fact, only some grubbiness to the tan parts of the leather steering-wheel binding, and fraying stitching on the leather geark nob tr
