1962 Morris MINI Pickup

Our latest auction listing, a matching numbers 850cc Morris Mini Minor Pickup, makes an interesting alternative to the more usual saloon. First registered on the 22nd of October 1962, it is fitted with the optional heater, bumper overriders and windscreen washers.

Bought new by a Mr. and Mrs. Munford it was road-registered for only four years before being taken off the road and used on their cherry farm. Little is known of it from that point until it resurfaced approximately eight years ago when its restoration started.

The work took seven years to complete and while there are no receipts to support the work that was carried out, the quality and care with which it was done is evident in every little detail.

Now running beautifully and looking even better, it is being sold with a sensible guide price and an even more reasonable reserve.

If the restored blue coachwork isn’t perfect then it’s only a hair’s-breadth away from being so. With stunning paintwork, mm-perfect panel shutlines and ripple-free panels, it looks utterly wonderful and is almost certainly better than it ever was in-period.

The chromework is as stunning as the rest of the exterior, as are the light lenses, glass, and badges. It really is a charming little thing and presents beautifully. A period-style RAC badge, which sits on the front grille, is a lovely touch.

The tiny ten-inch steel wheels are painted cream and fitted with even smaller chrome hubcaps. They’re shod with period-appropriate 145R10 Camac BN313 tyres too, all of which look to be new and so still have masses of tread.

As we will never tire 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 it does perhaps give you an insight into their attitude towards maintenance.

The load bed is - and I’m sure you’re ahead of me here - just as well finished and presented as the rest of the vehicle. There are press-studs fitted to allow a cover to be fitted to keep the contents dry and while we can’t see many people throwing half-a-tonne of firewood in there, you could if you needed to, which might help you get it past mission control. (And how cool would a period Stihl chainsaw look lying in there as a static display?)

From where we're standing, the bodywork needs nothing.

The brown seats, which have been rebuilt with new foam and webbing in addition to the leatherette covers, look sensational and must make drivers of modern pickups weep in frustration at the sort of finishes they have to tolerate.

And they are in a perfect condition with nary a mark on them. Wonderfully, the door limiters are fashioned from the same material, giving a discreet flash of glamour to what could have been a vital but dull fixing.

The door pulls look just as wonderful, as do the brown door cards that lie behind them. The same material is used across the dashboard and, despite the car’s commercial roots, there are more nice touches including the optional heater, a manual washer switch/pump, floor-mounted starter and headlamp dip switches, a chromed ashtray, and a natty little cranked gear-lever.

The spare wheel lives under the passenger seat, while a new battery sits under the driver’s seat.

Lifting the simple rubber mats shows freshly painted metalwork that is utterly solid and completely free of rust and corrosion. In fact, the whole interior is an absolute delight; freshly refurbished and installed with an uncommonly high degree of care and skill, it wants for nothing.

The engine bay is simply splendid. In need of nothing either, everything gleams to a show-winning standard and even the smallest jobs would be an absolute delight to carry out under there.

If we’re being picky (and we do try to be…) then the linkage for the SU carburettor is a little rusty and the heater hoses could do with cleaning. Both rather let the side down but that this is the extent of the jobs that need doing says everything you need to know about how good everything else is.

Oh, and the rusty, heavily patinated chassis plate is the original and we love the fact that it’s been retained rather than replaced.

The underside, which is painted rather than undersealed, is as good as the rest of the vehicle. Wonderfully clean and solid, the only shame is that so few people will get to see it…

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it drives as you’d expect, which is like a new example. Still tight and taut, it simply gets on with the job of being one of the most charming vehicles we’ve driven this year.

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…

It still has its original owner’s handbook, the buff logbook, a letter of authenticity from the British Mini Club, and the original sales invoice from Ashford Motors showing its purchase price of £396.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork.

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.

Vehicles like this have a wide appeal and one that extends far beyond their original demographic. A very early example, it is charmingly retro, beautifully restored and presented, and would make an ideal show car, the centerpiece of a classic car collection, or a mobile advertisement for your company.

In fact, the only blot on the landscape is the price because vehicles of this quality aren’t cheap. That said, the true value of a car only becomes apparent when it’s sold and cars of this quality and rarity will always maintain their value better than lesser examples.

Which is a long-winded way of saying that the £21,000 to £30,000 we think this one will fetch might not be bargain-basement but it will offer outstanding value in the long-term – and even this represents only a fraction of the sum it would cost you to buy and restore one to the same condition…

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’.