1982 Austin Mini

This 1982 Austin Mini is remarkable on a number of fronts.

Let’s start with the headline fact – the car’s mileage - or perhaps lack of it...

The first service indicated just 1,183 miles, when MoT's were first recorded online in 2006 the mileage had jumped to a whopping 1,490 miles.

So to be clear, in 24 years the car appears to have covered just 307 miles.

Since 2006, the cars MoT records show just 2,579 miles have been added.

We believe the car may have had its odometer changed when the car had approximately 9,000 miles on the clock, and adding the current indicated 4,069 miles brings us to a number that tallies with the car’s HPI report and MoT trail of approximately 13,000 miles.

Secondly, this car has had just 3 owners from new, having been supplied to its first owner by Eveleighs Garage in Exeter. Charmingly, it returned to Eveleighs in December 1982 for its first service.

The cost of the service, including an oil change, was £6.67 – including VAT.

Happy days.

Then there’s its originality. Aside from a very light restoration in 2019, which included replacing the seat foam and any mechanical or electrical parts that were worn out or broken, the car is very original – with its authenticity extending, we understand, to its original Nautilus Blue paintwork.

The car starts without reluctance, presses on with all the agility and pep that made the Mini such an iconic drivers’ car, stops in a timely and reassuring manner, and generally feels solid, sound and well screwed together.
 

Compared with the Mini’s bloated, tech-filled modern iterations, this classic Austin Mini 1000 City E has a pared-back scale and purity of design that seem entirely appropriate to the visceral, analogue, unfiltered driving experience it offers.

If you saw one today, perhaps sandwiched between a contemporary Mini Clubman and Mini Countryman, you’d be forgiven for thinking that a small child had lost a Dinky toy.

The bodywork is devoid of any dinks, dents or creases of consequence that we can see anywhere.

The car’s chrome-work is equally impressive and has mostly resisted any temptation to succumb to foxing, pitting or tarnishing.

We spotted a tiny dink to the bodywork just below the passenger door handle and a few scuffs and paint chips on the edge of the same door.

Some light swirly scratches can be found on the bonnet and roof, with a couple of minor scuffs also evident on the latter.

A patch of paint atop the o/s/f wing feels rather rough to the touch; there’s a tiny dink beneath the rear number plate; and there are some scratches on the boot lid.

The black plastic wing mirror housings have faded to grey and the driver’s side mirror is a little wobbly.

The panel gaps and shut-lines are what you would expect to find on a Mini of this vintage.

The wheels, which were refurbished in 2020, seem perfectly decent to us and are shod in matching Falken Sincera SN-807 rubber.

The interior is, if anything, even more impressive than its exterior counterpart.

We particularly like the black vinyl and houndstooth check fabric upholstery, which is comfortable, supportive and a joy to behold, both front and rear.

The seats are showing no signs of wear that we can detect and appear to be entirely beyond criticism or reproach.

The door cards are fine, as are the carpets and mats.

The headlining is free of any nicks, tears or holes that we can see, but it is a trifle baggy in a few places.

Some of the trim beneath the speedometer is lifting up and needs re-affixing to the shelf beneath it.

As far as we and the vendor are aware, the car’s tiny handful of buttons, knobs, dials, gauges and switches all do what they’re supposed to do, as do the period Pioneer stereo and speakers.

The boot is as good as the rest of it and contains a jack, some tools, a car cover and a full-sized spare wheel.

As elsewhere on this car, lifting up the carpets in the boot reveals the original blue paint and nothing whatsoever to worry about.

The engine and engine bay look as if they’ve seen about 13,000 miles come and go.

We’ve got pairs of flip-flops that have covered more ground.

Unsurprisingly then, everything is clean, dry, orderly and in its right and proper place.

The good news extends to the undersides of the car, which look to have oodles of structural integrity.

The car comes with plenty of bills, invoices and receipts attesting to work done during its light restoration in 2019 and at other times throughout its long and undoubtedly rather pampered life.

The car has evidently been laid up somewhere warm and dry for at least two lengthy periods over the years.

The MoT trail indicates that it covered just 26 miles between 2006 and 2011, and then added another 3 miles in the years up to and including 2018.  

So, it’s safe to say that it has been leading a stress-free life in what must have been very favourable, warm, dry environments for at least the last two decades.

It also comes with full sets of keys, a few old MoT certificates, a new V5C with plate ADV 232Y back on, a recent HPI report, and some model literature.
 

They don’t make them like this anymore.

They make them bigger, fatter, heavier and more complicated.

This very fine example captures all of the sprightly nimbleness and perfect proportions of the classic original Mini and comes with the huge added bonuses of very low miles, just three owners, and a history that reveals it to be highly original, authentic and unmolested.

That ticks all the right boxes for us.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £7,000 - £11,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.