1976 Leyland Mini

Now then.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Good.

Pour yourself a drink and consider the following.

This 1976 Mini 1000 was first used as a demonstrator and then sold to its first private owner in 1977.

That lady drove the car until 1984, when it had covered a paltry 15,327 miles.

At that point, the car had the bare-faced cheek to fail an MoT.

At that point, presumably to teach it a lesson, she drove it into a shed and there it sat, gathering dust, until it was put onto the market and bought by the vendor’s late father in May 2018.

Yes, what we have here is an entirely original, authentic, unmolested 1976 Mini 1000 that, today, has just 17,189 miles on the clock.

The vendor’s father got the car back up and running and it made a few appearances at various Mini rallies.

He found that the car needed remarkably little doing to it in terms of remedial work, and although he overhauled the brakes and checked and cleaned the cylinder head, no major work was required other than to fit a replacement fuel tank and invest in some new tyres.

The car has been idle for a couple of years now, and it has currently decided that it doesn’t want to start – despite having been more than willing to do so just a few days ago.

It has been looked at by a mechanic who says that it needs no more than a new set of points, plugs and a condenser to prepare it for a return to the open road.

Once it has been treated to this recommended light recommissioning, it will no doubt have all the mechanical and dynamic enthusiasm of a car that has yet to put 20,000 miles under its various belts.

It appears to us to be as structurally solid and sound as it is mechanically youthful, but there are a few spots of rust on the bodywork that will need attention sooner rather than later.
 

This car may have just 17,000 miles on the clock but it is very nearly 50 years and has a few entirely reasonable flaws and blemishes to attest to the passage of time.

The bodywork is straight and true, with only a dink to the rear bumper and a couple of small, shallow indentations on the roof standing as deviations from the norm.

The shut-lines and panel gaps look about as tight and consistent as you’re likely to find on a 1976 British Leyland product.

The ‘Limeflower Green’ paint looks its age because it is the paint with which it left the factory.

There are a few relatively minor outbreaks of rust here and there, but there’s no galloping rot to contend with.

There is some rust at the bottom of the passenger door; on the bodywork above the boot lid on the offside; in various places around the roof gutter; in and around the seam between the n/s/r wing and the petrol filler cap; here and there in the seams on the ‘A’ and ‘B’ pillars; in one or two places behind the front bumper; and on the wheels.

Some surface rust is evident in a couple of scuffs on the roof and around the o/s/r light cluster, and a little foxing and pitting can be found on the chrome-work.

If you’re looking for originality and authenticity, look no further than the ‘Lex Dartford’ dealer sticker on the rear window.

It looks like one of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Marvellous.
 

The interior of any Mini of this vintage is a spartan, uncluttered, wholly analogue affair, and this one in no exception.

The brown vinyl upholstery and trim, which to our mind is the perfect chromatic complement to the Limeflower exterior, gives the interior space an appealing warm and inviting ambience.

Front and back, the upholstery is in unimpeachable condition and looks pretty much showroom-fresh.

The same can be said of the brown vinyl trim on the door cards, which remains taut and free of any nicks, scuffs or tears.

The brown carpets are in fine fettle.

The white headlining is broadly OK but there are sections at the top of the ‘A’ and ‘B’ pillars where the fabric is pulling away from the underlying bodywork and exposing a residue of glue. It has a few stains elsewhere.

The simple array of instruments and switches (we’ve seen more dials and knobs on a cheap wristwatch) is beyond reproach.

The boot is sound and solid, bar some surface rust here and there, but it appears to have lost any lining it may once have had and the battery box has been disassembled, but is present.

The boot contains a car cover.

Lifting up the bonnet gives you a vista of an engine that’s barely done more than warm up and clear its throat.

We haven’t started or driven the car but we know the engine turns over (it was running last week) and we also know that everything we can see appears to be present, correct, orderly, clean and dry.

The undersides of the car really do look very clean indeed, and we’ve seen absolutely nothing to make us pause, frown, tut or otherwise question the car’s structural integrity, character or honesty. 
 

Unsuprisingly, this car is pretty low on history.

It comes with some old MoT certificates, a 1979 bill for repairing the windscreen washers and steering column (total cost - £15.65), a manual/handbook and wiring diagram, a recent HPI report and a V5C.

Does it matter that it has less history than Clint Eastwood in any of the countless films where he turns up, wearing a poncho and chewing a cheroot, at some desperate, fly-blown town inhabited by terrified Mexican peasants?

No.

Not even slightly.

This car is original, authentic and the real deal.

We know who’s owned it, where it’s been and what’s it’s been up to.

That’s the best sort of history.
 

Proper, honest, barn-find-esque Minis like this rarely break cover any more.

And the incidence of them showing up will only diminish with time.

Most of the likely barns, sheds and lock-ups have been long been explored and their contents disgorged.

This, then, is a proper rarity.

Some basic recommissioning and a few spots of rust aside, this ultra-low mileage example deserves to attract some strong bidding.

We hope it goes to a really good home. 

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £3,000 - £6,000.

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’.