Oldest unrestored Mini to be auctioned

bijapos

From todays Guardian. Interesting history, love the name of the first owner, so so English.

To the untrained eye it looks like the sort of rust bucket not even the most optimistic secondhand car dealer would dare to offer for sale.

But car enthusiasts are expected to bid enthusiastically when this particular Austin Mini Se7en De Luxe comes up for auction later this month.

The vehicle is believed to be the oldest surviving unrestored Mini and will probably be snapped up by a fan of the make wanting to return it to its former glory.

Auctioneers Bonhams say the car was the eighth of its type to roll off the production line at Longbridge in Birmingham in May 1959. It is known to have been owned by one Gladys Hobro of Aldwick, near Bognor Regis, West Sussex, before being bought by David Gallimore in 1986. Gallimore kept it in his garage at Chichester and there are still only 30,041 miles on the clock.

John Polson, of Bonhams, said: "This is a wonderful opportunity to buy the car and restore it. Collectors love the fact it has had very little done to it since it was built.

"The car was made very, very simply without many instruments or equipment.

"It was designed to be an affordable, family car. The Mini is one of the most important cars of the 20th century. They have always been collectable.

"Some collectors would want to return her to new, but others would just like to get her going again and keep her in the original condition."

It is thought that only three Minis earlier than this one exist, but they have been restored. One is owned by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the other two are in private collections in Japan.

The Mini is expected to fetch up to £15,000 when it is auctioned on 30 April in Hendon, north London.

S Line

Roof rack with antique coke-a- cola coolers, lower the suspension, banded and chromed steel wheels, a few pinstripes, sticker bomb the side glass, Mexican blanket interior !!!

Yep that auld yoke got potential !!!

Owen

There's a genuine early 1959 being restored in Cork at the moment that's nearly completed. The very first batch had no recess in the sheet metal for the back window, and later 59's did. This one doesn't, and it's freaking amazing to know it's going to be back on the road.

ahal

I love the early grille. IIRC the mini came out in the 3rd. quarter of 1959, so numbers produced are fairly low.

Edit: According to the article it came off the assembly line in May '59 ... I'm really confused now!

Blue850

ahal wrote: »

I love the early grille. IIRC the mini came out in the 3rd. quarter of 1959, so numbers produced are fairly low.

Edit: According to the article it came off the assembly line in May '59 ... I'm really confused now!

The first 10 production Minis came off the line at the Cowley plant in the week ending May 9th 1959

PanhardPL

HZC 650
HZC 650 Free Service
Here is a fairly early Irish Mini

unkel

XXL would have been a better reg for a mini than XLL

15k sterling is mad though...

kev1.3s

£15000 stg is mad money alright you have to pay a premium to buy the oldest unrestored mini then what are you supposed to do with it? You can't restore it as it will become just a very expensive early mini so you'd have to try and preserve it in it's current condition.

Gmin

Owen wrote: »

There's a genuine early 1959 being restored in Cork at the moment that's nearly completed. The very first batch had no recess in the sheet metal for the back window, and later 59's did. This one doesn't, and it's freaking amazing to know it's going to be back on the road.

Thats actually incorrect about the recess as it was a feature up until mid 1960.I know of a Dublin reg 1960 Austin Seven without the recess and my 1960 Austin Seven which was registered in December has the recess.These early Minis were changed alot in the first year of production as faults arose most famously the way the floor joints were incorrectly lapped at the toe board which allowed water to flood the cabin.Also Irish built Minis would have kept some of the features of 59 Minis longer as the stocks of parts would have taken longer to use up.My 60 has the early hubcaps and door locks and my 61 van has the brass hinges.I think around 63/64 was when the Mini was at its best and purest.The 59 Register is a great source of info about all the early cars and the changes that took place.
http://www.1959miniregister.com/

Here is the only known Irish 59 Mini still on the road,one owner family from new and the present owners father owned the garage that originally sold it.It has never had panels and only light paint work

And here are two more early ones.Red Austin Seven is a 60 without window recess and the grey Austin Seven is 60 build,Jan 61 reg with the recess.Mine is in between these on a WZA plate.

johnayo

S Line wrote: »

Roof rack with antique coke-a- cola coolers, lower the suspension, banded and chromed steel wheels, a few pinstripes, sticker bomb the side glass, Mexican blanket interior !!!

Yep that auld yoke got potential !!!

Put a set of plug leads and a king lead on it and it might even start.

Wheelnut

PanhardPL wrote: »

HZC 650 Free Service
Here is a fairly early Irish Mini

@Panhard: is that your car?

I'm wondering because it looks like one that was owned by a guy in Portlaoise who died a few years ago. (I don't know the reg number)

Gmin

Sold for £40250:eek:

kev1.3s

Some people have more money than sense.

BorneTobyWilde

They are like roller skates,

corktina

great cars. My first driving was an illicit spin in an early van (UK pre 63 suffix type number) with outsude hunges and sliding windows and a string to open the door iirc

Wheelnut

corktina wrote: »

... with outsude hunges and sliding windows and a string to open the door iirc

...and what about the starter button on the floor near the hand-brake and the dip switch beside the clutch pedal? Many times I dimmed the lights while changing gear instead of pressing the clutch pedal (and it worked!).