1970 Austin Mini Cooper

Welcome to our latest auction, a 1970 Austin Mini Cooper 998cc. Perfect for the enthusiast who enjoys doing as well as driving, it is in need of some gentle refurbishment so would make a great rolling restoration for the Cooper enthusiast on a budget.

Only in the care of the vendor for the past year or so, he’s come to the reluctant conclusion that he needs to thin his collection after losing some of his storage space.

Honest and utterly charming, the little Mini Cooper wears its faults openly and honestly and now needs someone with the motivation and time to give it the love it deserves.

Being offered with no reserve, it will sell from the very first bid, so what have you got to lose? After all, the way things are going, you might even have enough lockdown time on your hands to get it up and refurbished before they unleash us all…

Finished in white with a black roof, the Mini Cooper looks great having good shutlines, decent panel alignment, a nice stance, and an even shine to the paint. Critical areas like the sills have been left painted, so there’s no need to scrape off an inch of underseal before you can establish that they are as solid as they look, and there are no ripples along the flanks or big dents to sort out either.

The chromework is pretty good too, and what pitting there is could be minimized with a hefty dose of Autosol and then chalked up to the Mini’s developing patina.

The steel wheels, with their tiny little chrome hubcaps, are good but not perfect but then do you care given how easily and cheaply four 10-inch steel wheels can be resprayed? Even better, they’re fitted with matching Falken Sincera tyres, all of which have good tread.

As we will never tyre of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Of course, there is work to be done. There is the some bubbles of rust in many of the usual places, and undoubtedly some filler lurking here and there, too. Some of the screws holding the trim on are rusty, and have bled across the paintwork and there are a few cracks to the paintwork.

But, all of its faults are readily apparent and it would make a fine project for someone new to the classic car scene and itching to get some real-world practice.

And, because white is an easy colour to match, you could respray the entire car panel by panel as you work your way around it. Besides; wouldn’t you rather buy an unmolested car whose faults are easy to spot than an over-priced dog that’s had a quick blowover from an under-the-arches garage that’s done more moonlight flits than Lord Lucan?

NB: Someone has fitted ‘1275’ and ‘Cooper S’ badges at some point. Just a reminder that it is actually a 998cc Copper, and it does come with the badges with which to rectify an earlier owner’s overexuberance ...

If the exterior is the worst aspect of the Cooper, then the interior comes as a very pleasant surprise. Only gently patinated, it could easily be used as it is for many years with a gentle refurbishment taking place as and when time and money allow.

The black vinyl seats, for example, are still nicely sprung and looking good. They’re comfortable too, and will need only minor refurbishment to bring them back up to scratch as the only damage we can see is a tear along one seam of the passenger’s seat.

The new carpets are excellent, and lifting them shows a largely solid floor. The headlining is good too, even if the trim on the C-pillars is past its best. And the dashboard, simple though it is, is in rude good health and in need of only minor titivating at some point in the distant future.

The steering wheel and gearknob are good too, and while you may eventually need to fit a new door card to the driver’s side it, like so much of what you’ll need, is cheap and readily available, both new and secondhand.

Amazingly, the boot floor looks solid too. Home to what looks like a new battery, it also houses the car’s (very rusty) spare wheel.

As you can see from the video, the Mini starts promptly and settles quickly into an even tickover when warm. It fluffs a bit when cold, so the twin SU carburettors may need tweaking. It revs nicely, and shows good oil pressure. It also has an attractive burble from the exhaust and a nice rasp from the carbs, all of which is all part ‘n’ parcel of the Mini experience.

It drives well, but the clutch does drag a little when engaging first and reverse, so will need attention. Otherwise the driving experience is as you would expect, and all faculties appear to be present and correct.

The engine bay is pretty good too. It’s clean, and the engine itself presents well and looks to have been recently painted. In fact, like the rest of the Mini, it rewards closer inspection – and when you look past the slight grubbiness and the odd spot of rust you soon discover that it’s all there and in surprisingly good nick.

It’s the same underneath the car; there is some surface rust, which should wire brush off easily enough, and maybe the odd spot that might need a small patch.

The Mini doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

One for the Mini enthusiast on a budget or simply a classic car enthusiast who derives as much pleasure from fettling their cars as they do driving them, this lovely, honest Mini Cooper is being offered with No Reserve, so it’ll sell from the very first bid.

With a guide price of only £9,000 to £14,000, this Mini Cooper also opens the doors to the sort of iconic car that many of us had long moved beyond our means – and it is a car that is guaranteed to deliver more smiles-per-mile than almost anything else you can buy for the money.

Finally, remember that cars like this are in constant demand; when the market falters, it reverts to safe cars, cars it knows and trusts – and no car is more trusted or loved than the Mini Cooper. Or more fun.

Viewing is always encouraged, 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.