2000 Mini Cooper with only 3754 miles

The Mini is considered an icon of the 1960s and has become one of the most famous classic cars of all time. In 1959 The British Motor Corporation launched the Mini to compete with the bubble cars of the day. These were a consequence of the Suez crisis in 1956 that resulted in petrol rationing. Alec Issigonis, who designed the Morris Minor, was asked by BMC boss Leonard Lord to design a car that would drive the bubble cars off the road. He was instructed to design a car that would seat four, be the smallest car that the Corporation currently made and to use an existing engine. So the Mini was given the A series engine that had already been used in the Morris Minor and Austin A35 thereby making economical use of existing parts. The only difference was that it was mounted sideways in a very clever arrangement with the gearbox in the sump driving the front wheels. This design has been taken up by pretty much every car manufacturer worldwide to this day.

Over 41 years of production, from 1959 to 2000, the Mini can be divided up into 3 basic major design changes: The Mini Mk1 from 1959 to 1967, the Mini Mk2 from 1967 to 1970, the Mini Mk3 from 1970 to 1976 and finally the Mini Mk4 from 1976.

The phrase 'time warp condition' is often over used in the classic car market, but if ever it was conceived for a car then this little Mini is it, with just 3754 dry miles on the speedometer, this Mini has lived a cosseted existence. Indeed so original is it, when its - only - owner decided to sell he was unsure as to whether it should go to a museum or be passed onto a new owner and as such we anticipate enormous interest in this iconic little car.

Purchased new on the 11/10/2000 it has been in the possession of a retired motor engineer who originally served his apprenticeship with the Austin Motor Company, he then went on to work on the development of the Mini itself. Amazingly the vendor still gives talks on the development of the Mini to this day. The red paintwork has a deep lustre shine throughout, rubber never lies, a quick analysis of this cars exterior reveals window seals so fresh they look like they have just been extracted fresh from the factory. The black and grey interior fabric is completely unblemished and provides a perfect contrast to the equally impressive factory fit red dashboard.

The 1275 A series engine fires instantly and propels this little Mini Cooper around in a manner that the later BMW derived Mini can only dream of. This is a perfect reference point for anybody contemplating the restoration of one of these cars, every nut, bolt, clip and fastening is factory fresh and untouched. Sold with a fresh MOT and original dealer hand pack and books this is an incredible opportunity to purchase a time warp piece of motoring history.