1961 Austin Seven

• 849 XVM is a May 1961 Austin Seven despatched new to Swain and Jones in Surrey
• It was originally Speedwell Blue with a Blue/Grey interior and appears to have been changed to a bright red with a white roof in the seventies
• Part of regular Brighton Run entrant, Phil Reed's collection in California
• By pure coincidence, Mike Brewer was viewing the collection after Phil Reed passed away and purchased both this Mini and John Cooper's 1275S
• Now UK registered and refreshed ready for the sale

On its introduction in August 1959, the Mini was marketed under both Austin and Morris names as the Austin Se7en and Morris Mini-Minor, such was the brand-loyalty to the formerly divided companies, still displayed by customers. The Austin Se7en was renamed the Mini in 1962.

849 XVM is a May 1961 Austin Seven despatched new to dealers Swain and Jones in Farnham. From the records it appears it was originally finished in Speedwell Blue with a Blue/Grey interior but is now resplendent in bright red with a white roof and red cloth upholstery. The time scale is not clear but it seems the car was fully restored in the UK in the late 70s.

Phil Reed was a Californian motor enthusiast and enjoyed a small private collection at home. He was also a Brighton Run entrant and competed regularly despite the fact that he lived 5,000 miles from Brighton. On one of his visits, we assume that he discovered this early Mini at a dealers in Brighton, purchased it and shipped it back to California in the early 80s. When Phil sadly passed away recently, his collection was left to his two sons who didn't share their dad's passion and invited interested parties to have a look. Coincidentally, Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer was filming in the area and went along. There he discovered a 1275S Mini Cooper that had been used by John Cooper himself which he subsequently bought and is on offer in today's sale but, additionally, was rather taken with EVM which he simply couldn't leave behind, so that was also purchased and shipped back to the UK.

It's now UK registered and has been refreshed for the sale. It's featured in Mini Magazine (February 2021) and a copy of that is with the car. There is little history with the car, save for import documents and the fact that its Mikes, but what a super little '61 'Min'.