1963 Morris Mini Mk1

Designed as project ADO15 (Austin Drawing Office project number 15), the Mini came about as a result because of the fuel shortage caused by the 1956 Suez Crisis. Petrol was once again rationed in the UK, sales of large cars slumped but the market for German 'bubble' cars boomed. Leonard Lord, the somewhat autocratic head of BMC, reportedly detested these cars so much that he vowed to rid the streets of them and design a 'proper miniature car'. Alec Issigonis had been working for Alvis, but had now been recruited back to BMC in 1955 and, with his skills in designing small cars, he was a natural for the task. The team that designed the Mini was remarkably small: along with Alec Issigonis, there was Jack Daniels (who had worked with him on the Morris Minor), Chris Kingham (who had been with him at Alvis), two engineering students and four draughtsmen. Together, by October 1957, they had designed and built the original prototype, which was affectionately named 'The Orange Box' because of its colour.

The Mk1 Mini (only known as the Mk1 after the arrival of its successor) was the first version of BMC's Mini model and is characterised by its sliding windows, external door hinges and 'moustache' grille. In the UK, the Mk1 was produced between 1959 and 1967 at the Longbridge Plant near BMC's headquarters and was sold under both Austin and Morris marque names. The proposed engine size was originally 948cc, as used in the Morris Minor and Austin A35, however Leonard Lord thought that the 90mph top speed was excessive and thus reduced the engine size to 848cc, resulting in a more manageable speed (for the time) of 72mph!

The car presented here is a 1963 Morris Mini Mk1 (848cc), chassis #MA2S4218353, first registered in September 1963. Being an early car, endearing features like the floor-starter and the 'magic wand' gear lever are all present and correct. With only three previous keepers, our vendor bought the car in 2012 from the widow of the preceding owner with an indicated mileage of 57,746, believed to be genuine - which seems wholly commensurate with its overall condition. We understand it to have been restored by the previous owner in the late 1990s, completed in time to enjoy the Mini’s 40th Anniversary in 1999. It's accompanied by a history file, is running and driving and still starts 'on the button', but it did fail an MOT in 2017 and has been in storage ever since.

Obviously in need of some work, this charming British classic would make a very worthwhile project.