1995 Rover MINI Sidewalk

This Rover Mini Sidewalk edition was first registered on 31 August 1995 and sold by Kingsbury Rover of Wellingborough through Shefford Cars in Bedfordshire to a Mrs Barker who lived near Flitwick.

The Sidewalk special edition Mini had a 1.3-litre (1275cc) electronic fuel injected BMC A+ engine, which delivered all of 52bhp and 68lb.ft of torque through a 4-speed manual gearbox. Clearly not especially nippy, it would do 60mph in 13.1 seconds and had a claimed top speed of 88 mph. It came in a choice of three colours; White Diamond, Kingfisher Blue Metallic or Charcoal Metallic as you see here.

Mrs Barker drove her new Mini Sidewalk very little but had it regularly serviced at the supplying Rover dealership and two years later, having only covered 4,600 miles, the car was sold to a Mrs White of Sandy, also in Bedfordshire. This second lady owner drove the majority of the remaining miles of the car’s current 66,000 mileage. In October 2004, with the Mini no longer taxed for the road, the car was acquired by a Mr Herd who lived less than half a mile away.

We understand that the car sat unused in storage since that time and was sold into the trade and recommissioned around three months ago.

The Charcoal Metallic paint is good and the bodywork mostly straight, although there are just a few issues around the car. There are small patches of bubbling on the seams at the offside front corner and inboard of the head lamps as well as small dints on the top of the offside front wing, on the roof by the offside A pillar and above the nearside rear wheel arch. There’s also a wider but shallow dent just forward of the nearside rear arch and a light scratch on the driver’s door. None of these detract hugely from the smart appearance of the Mini.

The chrome bumpers, handles and chrome-effect grille and trims all appear in a fairly good condition, as are the additional Ring front spot lamps which add a sportier look.

The Sidewalk decals, coachlines and special bonnet badge are intact, as are the black wheel arch extensions and sill finishers that formed part of the special edition package. Additional Mini-branded rear mudflaps have also been fitted.

The Mini sits on 16-inch steel wheels with plastic trims which show the typical kerb-scuffing, especially on the nearside. The fronts are fitted with Jupiter tyres dated 2004 and the rears with what looks like older Gajah Tunggal branded rubber, which are now showing a little cracking on the sidewalls through lack of use.

The interior upholstery comes in complete contrast to the dark grey exterior, picking up the blue and red coach lines in a predominantly Kingfisher Blue tartan cloth on the seat facings and door cards. All of which present in a very good condition; commensurate with the relatively low mileage of the car and lack of exposure to the weather in recent years.

The red seat belts front and rear complement this look and apparently (useless fact follows) the Sidewalk was the first special edition Mini to be fitted with inertia reel seatbelts in the rear.

The dash looks in good order and seems all original, including the special edition badged steering wheel and the Rover electronic AM/FM radio cassette player with twin rear parcel shelf speakers.

The fitted carpets are clean and intact throughout and have rubber overmats in the front for additional protection. The headlining too appears very tidy and taut.

Under the bonnet, the engine and ancillaries are in what could best be described as an honest condition, with the red-painted 1275cc block carrying the same road grime and dirt that it had accumulated before being put away. The bonnet itself has light rust around the bracing and edges, but nothing worrisome. Likewise, there’s a smattering of inconsequential rust speckles around the engine bay.

When new, the Sidewalk edition Mini came with a factory anti-corrosion treatment, guaranteed for 6 years, which (along with being stored for 16 years) has helped keep the undersides of this car in a generally good condition. Yes there are some areas of surface rust such as on the rear subframe, a small section of underbody and some of the bracketry and fixings, but nothing of great concern and nothing even to draw the eye of the recent MOT inspector.

Inside the boot, the load space is covered by a loose lining and houses the full size spare wheel and jack. There are a few specks of rust here and there around the opening but nothing of great concern.

Having been stored off the road since 2004, there is only one MOT recorded online but it shows a current certificate valid until November 2021, which it passed with no advisories.

The original documents pouch contains the owner’s manual and service booklet which shows the following stamps:

Oct 1995 - 312 miles - Shefford Rover

Feb 1996 - 828 miles - Shefford Rover

Sep 1996 - 2716 miles - Shefford Rover

Jun 1997 - 4649 miles - Shefford Rover

The last of these services is also documented with an invoice and inspection sheet. There is no documentation from the second period of ownership and use, nor from the third period where the car was stored.

The vendor reports that the recent light recommissioning included a very small patch of welding in the boot and a little paintwork on the doors but otherwise it has just been MOT’d and properly cleaned inside and out. The engine bay was left as is, so as to appeal to those who prefer to see what’s gone on there rather than have it sparkling clean.

With only a partial history documented, we can only go on what we have plus anecdotal evidence and the current condition of the car. All combined, we have every reason to believe that the 66,000 mileage is genuine.

Whilst it’s a used-car sales cliché to claim that a car has had “one lady owner”, this Mini has had two, with the third keeper never having driven it. It now runs and drives as well as any late-model Mini.

Classic Minis are always popular, with values rising fast among the earlier cars. The various special editions from the final years of production offer increased reliability over older Minis and something a bit different from the standard spec. We think that this pleasing little car will sell for between £6,000 and £10,000.

There is NO RESERVE set, so whoever has the highest bid come closing time will be its new owner. Although not technically a classic, this car would suit someone who fancies getting into the Mini scene without being under the car every Sunday morning or just someone looking for a first classic.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. 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’.