1983 Mini MAYFAIR

Vendor Nigel has owned this Austin Mini Mayfair since October 2016, having purchased it from Longfield Motor Company of Epping. “I was dipping my toe into the world of classic car ownership and my first ever car when I passed my driving test back in 1987 was a Mini, so it made sense.”

Nice as it is, he’s just upgraded to a Mk3 Mazda MX-5 so that means it’s time for the Austin to find a new home. “It’s been garaged during my ownership, and I know the previous owner also had it garaged for a number of years.”

It was originally supplied new by Goddards of Salisbury, and has had a total of three owners from new. A quick check of its MOT history shows the mileage (just 12,003) to be genuine.

There was a small error made by the tester in 2014 when it suddenly ballooned to 111,380, but this was likely made by an individual not used to a keyboard and correctly rectified the following year.

It has a valid MOT certificate that runs until the 13th of August 2020, and also comes with an indoor cover.

“The body is in very good condition,” says Nigel. “Although there a couple of rust spots. I believe that the car was re-sprayed just prior to me buying it.” That is indeed the case, as the original Longfields Motor Company listing is included (see History Highlights section, below) and confirms it.

The paintwork is still holding up nicely and the car looks sharp at ten paces. Up closer it’s obviously been recently tidied up in the usual Mini places bodywork-wise; if you look very closely you can tell where these have been made (below the headlights, the scuttle panel corners, and the door and A-panel bottoms). The boot lid is very good with no rusty edges, as are the roof rails.

There were advisories on each of the last two MOT certificates that noted “corrosion developing on the o/s sill”, so it’s worth noting that this may need attention at some point in the future. However, the photos do not show anything apparently rampant, and these are relatively inexpensive cars to work on, so any reparative works shouldn’t break the bank.

The “Mayfair” logos and coachlines remain sharp, and the wheel arch trim, sill finishers and locking fuel cap all common to that particular edition remain in good condition.

The 10” wheels remain in good nick and the tyres (replaced just prior to Nigel purchasing the car) certainly haven’t covered a huge mileage since, so have a decent amount of life left in them.

The opening rear side windows, radio (the original Radiomobile unit has been replaced by a newer Pioneer one, but is supplied with the car!), head restraints, tinted glass and tachometer are all Mayfair specific additions.

“I did retro fit a non-original dashboard and centre console, as I wanted a little bit more of a contemporary cabin feel compared to the original open dash’ and binnacle,” explains Nigel. “I just think it looks a bit fresher, but all the original bits are included in the sale if the next owner wants to return it to o/e spec.” These can be collected from Nigel directly.

The headlining is a touch faded with a few marks here and there, and the rear seat covering is a touch saggy, but there’s no doubt it’s a nice little cabin.

The seat fabric is very good with no fraying or marks, door cards are excellent and condition of both carpets and over mats is commensurate with the minimal mileage that the car has covered.

“It’s a nice fun little Mini and drives well,” says Nigel. “Gear selections are nice and solid, brakes are what you’d expect and the speedo is as accurate as you’d expect (i.e. close enough) on a car of that age.”

We’ve had the opportunity to drive it as he’s popped it up to The Market’s Abingdon headquarters, and can therefore confirm that it does drive well and feels tight.

Nigel says he’s not had to do too much to the car while it’s been in his ownership, “The cylinder headgasket was replaced, but other than that it’s just been tiny bits and pieces for MOTs. For example the fuel and temperature gauges stopped working, so were replaced.”

A quick look under the bonnet reveals that it’s not the prettiest engine bay ever; there’s a touch of surface corrosion here and there, and the engine block is a touch two-tone – most likely from when the head gasket went.

However it should relatively easy to tidy up if the next owner is of a mind to do so, and the engine looks like a sound little unit with no obvious signs of any leaks.

The underside is undersealed, and it looks relatively fresh. You can see the o/s sill corrosion starting to poke through it, but that appears to be the only visible issue.

You’ll find both the V5 document and current MOT certificate (as well as a few previous ones) residing in the car’s history file. In addition to these is the receipt for Nigel’s purchase of the Mini in 2016.

There’s an invoice for £101.90 from Custom Consoles dated 4/10/2016 for the purchase of the Centre Console for Classic Mini with power charging point and curved fascia.

Another shows that the battery was replaced in July 2017 at a cost of £83.40, while there’s also one for the replacement of the radio with Nigel’s new supplied unit.

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 good standard.

This is a very low mileage example of Austin’s special edition Mini Mayfair, that’s also passed through very few hands. Visually it remains fairly sharp and it has a pleasant cabin, tweaked with a modern twist (but with all the original bits supplied!).

It drives nicely and with an estimate of between £6000 and £10,000 it’ll provide the next owner with a very decent amount of fun for the amount of £ spent.

A classic Mini of this era (and spec) is one of the cheapest methods of entry into the world of classic car ownership, and nice way of “cutting your teeth” – as Nigel himself did with this very car. They’re also cheap to run and maintain, so this car can be enjoyed and improved as is needed.

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’.