1978 Austin Mini Clubman Estate

First sold on 1 August 1978 by Spikins of Twickenham, this charming Clubman Estate was fastidiously looked after by its first three owners who had the car regularly serviced and collectively accumulated a spectacular history file for the car.

The third owner, a lady from Ashtead, bought the Mini when it was four years old but she kept it for an amazing 27 years, averaging 1200 miles annually for the first few years and thereafter barely a hundred miles a year.

The fourth owner in Tunbridge Wells acquired the car from renowned Mini specialists Wood & Pickett in 2009 and later in his ownership went on to spend thousands in restoration, repairs and upgrades to create what has to be one of the best Clubman Estates around.

The full specification of his upgrades can be seen in the History Highlights section but it includes a 1380cc custom engine and gearbox by A-series specialist Bill Richards Racing who are the UKs leading tuning specialist for building BMC/Rover 'A' series engines for all forms of motorsport and road use. 

The current (fifth) owner and vendor has a small collection of classic cars and always has a keen eye for an interesting vehicle, especially British classics. Already owning a Cooper, this Clubman caught his eye (well it would in that colour), looking almost stock from the outside but having a seriously performant engine under the bonnet. An Oxfordshire local, his grandfather had worked at Cowley for Morris Motors - and all its successors - since the ‘40s so buying the Mini Clubman was a further nod to his memory.

As with many collectors, he’s not driven the car a great deal although it has been out for a few local runs; most notably last summer parking up on the downs with a hamper in the back and having a family picnic.

He’s kept the car professionally stored over the last year and now that he’s trimming his collection, this fantastic Mini is looking to catch someone else’s eye.

The Snapdragon Yellow paintwork on this Clubman is superb. It was subject to a complete body restoration in 2017 and also had some remedial bodywork in mid-2020. There are a few minor blemishes, as you might expect - no car is ever perfect - but it really is very smart.

The bodywork itself looks in a good, straight condition and the chrome trims around the car are also in good order - the door handles and mirrors being less than a year old. A nice touch to break up the expanse of yellow across the Mini’s flanks are the gold coachline decals, which are repeated across the back doors.

The Mini sits on genuine 10-inch Minilite alloy wheels which are fitted with matching Yokohama Advan tyres dating from 2011 (although supplied with the wheels in March 2013).

We’re looking after this Mini during the sale so if you’d like a personal inspection, please use the ‘Contact Seller’ option and we can arrange either a visit - subject to Government guidelines - or a one-to-one video call to go over the car in detail.

The interior of the car is in great condition, the seats have come from a later Rover Mini Cooper and were retrimmed in full black leather, with the front seats now being heated and also able to recline. All four main seats have been fitted with modern inertia-reel safety belts, with the reels for the front seats neatly mounted inside the rear companion boxes.

The dash and instrument panel are mostly original and in good condition, but an aftermarket Sony CD stereo with aux input has been mounted under the upper dash and a rev-counter has been boldly and prominently attached below it. Clearly with such a sporting engine, you need a tachometer to bring a bit more animation into the cockpit!

So far as we have been able to test, all the electrics and interior equipment is working as expected.

The carpets and mats were replaced in May 2020 and the Cooper-style leather gear shift gaiter added, along with a Speedwell knob. The headlining is well fitted but there is some light staining above the front of the cabin.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay is clean and tidy, with the upgraded A-series engine accompanied by extra ancillaries such as the twin SU carburettors and the brake servo. Other components have also been renewed, such as the HT leads which were replaced last year. Aside from a little rust on some of the fixings, the engine compartment and bonnet appear free of corrosion.

Underneath the car, all appears clean and undamaged, with the major structures and surfaces carrying a good coat of Waxoyl. The Maniflow exhaust system looks to be in good order. There are no obvious signs of corrosion or even surface rust on the car’s undersides.

Opening the remarkably rust-free rear doors, the boot space carpet and linings appear clean and intact. Underneath, the metal floor-well is sound and contains a full size (10-inch) steel spare wheel fitted with a Camac tyre. The rear seat base tips and the seat back folds forward to increase the load carrying capacity.

The build specification on the engine in this classic Clubman estate is a fast road spec and about as powerful as you can get whilst still keeping on the road drivability with 100 BHP. This engine build alone would probably set you back over £7k. Bill Richards Racing are the UKs leading tuning specialist for building BMC/Rover 'A' series engines for all forms of motorsport and road use.

The build specification on the engine in this classic clubman is a fast road spec. and about as powerful as you can get whilst still keeping on the road drivability with 100 BHP.

The mini clubman estate is now a rare commodity in its own right with the number believed to be left on the road in the region of a few hundred.

The car’s older history folder contains all of its previous MOT certificates right back to 1981 when it first became due for annual testing, along with 17 service stamps from 1978 to 1996 in its original Passport to Service.

It also contains various maintenance and parts invoices from 1982 onwards including those for the more recent restoration work and upgrades. These include:-

● Genuine Minilite alloy wheels

● Bodywork restoration in 2017

● Custom built Bill Richards Racing 1380cc engine estimated at 100bhp

● Twin SU Carburetor conversion

● Bill Richards Gearbox

● Rebuilt front suspension

● Upgraded servo-assisted brakes

● Stainless exhaust system

● Full interior retrim with leather seats

● Front and rear seat-belts

● Sony Radio / CD

● New door furniture

● New sun visors and gearstick gaiter

● New carpets and mats

● Repair and repaint to rear quarter panels and front valance

● Professionally waxoyled

● Rear door seal

The car does not have all the invoices itemised, but we would not be surprised if the total breached £25,000.

The car also comes with two sets of keys, its original handbooks and service passport, a booklet all about the Bill Richards custom engine and a valuation certificate of £16,500 from the British Mini Club.

The Mini has just passed a full MOT and had the following works completed prior: new suspension arm ball joint, new windscreen washer pump, brake discs inspected and checked, steering rack checked and also a new heater valve as the old one had a very small leak.

Cracking.

Mechanically and cosmetically this Mini is in excellent order and has been driven fewer than 1000 miles since having the custom built engine installed. It’s a real hoot to drive too, pulling sweetly through all the gears and capable of showing a real turn of speed. However, this “wolf in sheep’s clothing” can happily act like a sheep if you’d rather drive it more sedately.

This Mini Clubman is a genuinely superb, sweet little thing and its upgrades have been really well done. With regular Mini Clubman Estates surprisingly rarer than Coopers and asking prices for them starting to rise, there’s every reason to suggest that this souped-up yellow peril will fetch between £14,500 and £20,000. The Mini Clubman estate is now a rare commodity in its own right with the number believed to be left on the road in the region of a few hundred.

It has a validated 45k mileage, is in great order and includes one of the best history files we’ve seen, so you’ll have to look hard to find one better.

Inspection is always encouraged (within government guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.