1988 Austin Mini Mayfair Auto

The vendor of this car recently purchased it from sons of the original owner. “He had sadly just passed on, but originally bought it new in 1988 as a surprise for his wife,” he explains. “She’d had a Mini previously, but didn’t like the fact that this one didn’t have a wooden steering wheel.”

A minor marital disagreement followed and resulted in the Mini being put securely away, and remaining virtually unused ever since. “It’s like a new car. It was put into dry storage with blankets over it, and only brought out for the odd MOT here and there. The mileage is genuine and you can still see the original applied Waxoyl on the underside.”

Far from requiring detailed re-commissioning it’s clear that, while it has been stored, it’s been regularly looked after throughout each passing year. “We took it into the workshop, fettled the carburettor and popped some fresh oil in it. It fired up straight away and drives perfectly; the brakes are fine, nothing’s binding, nothing’s sticking.”

As such it’s a bit of a unique car: a brand new Sixties car from the Eighties – try finding another one! The V5 logbook remains in the one and only owner’s name and I’ll state it again, the odometer reads just 808 miles.

Okay, put on Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood’s finest antipodean accent and repeat after me, “i-mmac-u-late”. You can throw in a “darling” too, if you so wish.

Take a look at our comprehensive photographic gallery below and you’ll see that the Mayfair is absolutely panel perfect, paint is as new, there’s absolutely no fading of plastics, chromework is without blemish and all rubber seals remain remarkably supple.

I could go on… okay, I will; wheel trims are similarly unmarked (although if the car’s going to be used in anger, we’d be inclined to change the 32 year-old rubber), all glass is without a scratch, as are the sills, door shuts… even the original Mann Egerton dealer sticker is still in place, and looks as if it was applied yesterday.

It’s replete with “Mayfair” logos and coachlines, as well as the wheel arch extensions, sill finishers and locking fuel cap common to that particular special edition.

Time to turn to C.R.H. again, “Mag-ni-fi-cent”.

Stepping into this cabin is like going through the looking glass and arriving firmly back in the Eighties. The Grey chalkstripe velour interior and soft rubberised steering wheel are the keys to this transformative effect.

There’s absolutely no wear and tear. The seats, headlining, door cards and carpets are all in absolutely beautiful nick. Lifting the last of these reveals pure unmarked white metal.

The opening rear side windows, radio, head restraints, tinted glass and tachometer are all Mayfair specific additions. That automatic gearbox lever is discretion itself and its cutesy sizing perfectly fitting for this car.

If you view our video below you’ll see just how good the cabin is, and not only that, you can also observe the rest of the car and watch as we fire it up.

“It’s a fantastic car to drive,” says the vendor. We wholeheartedly agree with that opinion, as we’ve had the pristine little tyke at our Abingdon premises for a while now.

We took it out for the briefest of brief spins – after eventually managing to stop gawping and marvelling at its condition. It really is a cheeky throwback and drives just as a perfect little Mini should. It’s tight and spot on, and the front disc brakes and brake servo that were also part of the Mayfair package offer quite modern feeling stopping power.

In these days of monstrously powered hatchbacks this car reminds you what fun can be had with as little as 34bhp, and nothing more than an agile chassis. The automatic ‘box further enhances its inner city slicker appeal, and shifts cogs nicely.

A look underneath shows the extent of the factory Waxoyl application, which would have been reassuring back in 1988 and still is. There’s a tiny touch of surface corrosion on the rear subframe crossmember, but that’ll simply take five minutes to rub down and a bit of chassis black will have it back to the same beautiful condition as the rest of the car.

Pop the bonnet, and you could happily gaze at its condition it for hours.

As you’d expect, there isn’t a great deal within the history file. All the original handbooks are present including the Service Record, which the vendor says shows that at least a couple were carried out before it was parked up.

There are a number of previous MOT certificates that show the car was sporadically run, and indeed that much of its mileage was completed to keep the car ticking over. As such some mileage indicators are 307 miles in 1989, 633 miles in 1999, and 804 miles in 2001, up to its present 808 miles.

As well as the V5 document, the car also comes with both original sets of keys.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very highest of standards.

Cars like this do exist, but they’re mightily rare and come up for sale only once in the bluest of blue moons. With just a single owner from new and with fewer miles on the clock than it has engine cubic capacity, it’s a truly astonishing time warp of a classic car.

As a pretty much unrepeatable proposition, we think this immaculate little scamp will sell for between £8,500 and £12,000. And to think we have a married couple’s heated little tête-à-tête to thank for it surviving in such a glorious manner.

It’d be a perfect commuter transport for a big city like London, Manchester or B’ham. Or even a lovely purchase for a son or daughter whose about to start their university studies.

However, given its mileage and condition it would naturally also make the perfect addition to any discerning collector’s car collection.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located at The Market’s Abingdon headquarters; 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.