24 replies to this topic

[surfblue]

http://www.carandcla....uk/car/C884011

 

1959 for sale, at £15k it seems a bargain, but its not 100% right. The devil is in the detail!

[b_sdaddy]

Don't just leave us hanging......

 

ps. Wheels don't look right.

[miniQ]

Yeah I saw this also. Very good at £15k.

 

A Mk1 Van on ebay right now for £10k also

[Avtovaz]

all i can think is id like to a HB turn in that LOL!

[Cooperman]

That is a very good buy at that price and it will only go up and up.

 

After almost 60 years there will be a few odd bits that are not correct, but so long as they are period it won't matter to much.

 

If I had the space I would buy it tomorrow, but I have a 1964 'S', a 1964 850 and a Ford Escort RS2000 Mk.2 in my workshop at present, so there is nowhere to put it.

 

What a great investment and a piece of Mini history as well.

[Avtovaz]

i cant work out which id  rather have, a mk2 escort, or a mini... mini wins as we dont have space for a escort in the garage..

 

 

 

... But t hen my mate has a super nice imp for sale, 6k, oh... ohh. stop it...

[Cooperman]

I do like Imps. I did a couple of rallies in an ex-works 998 Imp and it was very quick and we got good results against Lotus-Cortinas and Cooper 'S's.

 

My son built a 970 Cooper 'S' for historic rallies and we thought it would be a class winner. It was until it came up against an Imp running an engine with twin twin-choke Webers and all the other nice bits. It was about 2 seconds per mile quicker than the Mini on tarmac.

 

On the subject of 850 Minis, it seems likely that they will see the fastest growth in value. The Coopers have increased massively, as has the 1275GT a d the only affordable Cooper now is the Innocenti 1300 Export, which is still good value (wish I still had mine!). However, the 850 represents the birth of our iconic Mini and they are still undervalued as a true classic, especially in original form. A few years ago I stopped building an 850 which I had started because after doing the bodyshell and painting it in primer I did an estimate of the likely cost and man-hours to finish and it was not an economic proposition, so I sold the shell, parts and V5 for a very good price.

 

However, the one I'm doing now is a 1964 car and it will be very original in Almond Green/White with a fully rebuilt engine and gearbox, all new Newton Commercial interior, new rear sub-frame and just a few period modifications, I might, for example, fit 998 Cooper disc brakes as they are better, don't require a lot of adjustment and the original 3.5" x 10" wheels can be fitted. I did the same thing to an 850 back in 1968 so it is a 'period mod'.

 

Yes, I know they are slow, but they do really represent the Mini as it was designed and intended which makes it more of a classic than the later cars with the huge wheels, arch extensions, etc. In fact the early original cars still, to me, look crisp and functional whereas the later cars look a bit like a 'bitza'. They are the true Mini - or should it be Austin Se7en and Morris MINI-MINOR. But then, as an 18-year-old engineering apprentice at the time I recall so well the day the Mini was announced. I sure wanted one, but little did I imagine that 58 years on I would have two and have owned dozens!

[mab01uk]

I might, for example, fit 998 Cooper disc brakes as they are better, don't require a lot of adjustment and the original 3.5" x 10" wheels can be fitted. I did the same thing to an 850 back in 1968 so it is a 'period mod'.

 

It was reported recently on the Mk1 Forum that some (but not all) 3.5" x 10 unventilated non-S steel wheels do actually fit over 7.5" S discs with no problems. This was news to me and I have not actually tried it but I think it was mentioned it was the later year steel wheels that fitted ok but not sure from what date.

[Cooperman]

I think some do fit, but the offset is wrong.  An 'S' wheel on an 850 or 997/998 Cooper means the tyre hits the damper.

[surfblue]

I do like Imps. I did a couple of rallies in an ex-works 998 Imp and it was very quick and we got good results against Lotus-Cortinas and Cooper 'S's.

 

My son built a 970 Cooper 'S' for historic rallies and we thought it would be a class winner. It was until it came up against an Imp running an engine with twin twin-choke Webers and all the other nice bits. It was about 2 seconds per mile quicker than the Mini on tarmac.

 

On the subject of 850 Minis, it seems likely that they will see the fastest growth in value. The Coopers have increased massively, as has the 1275GT a d the only affordable Cooper now is the Innocenti 1300 Export, which is still good value (wish I still had mine!). However, the 850 represents the birth of our iconic Mini and they are still undervalued as a true classic, especially in original form. A few years ago I stopped building an 850 which I had started because after doing the bodyshell and painting it in primer I did an estimate of the likely cost and man-hours to finish and it was not an economic proposition, so I sold the shell, parts and V5 for a very good price.

 

However, the one I'm doing now is a 1964 car and it will be very original in Almond Green/White with a fully rebuilt engine and gearbox, all new Newton Commercial interior, new rear sub-frame and just a few period modifications, I might, for example, fit 998 Cooper disc brakes as they are better, don't require a lot of adjustment and the original 3.5" x 10" wheels can be fitted. I did the same thing to an 850 back in 1968 so it is a 'period mod'.

 

Yes, I know they are slow, but they do really represent the Mini as it was designed and intended which makes it more of a classic than the later cars with the huge wheels, arch extensions, etc. In fact the early original cars still, to me, look crisp and functional whereas the later cars look a bit like a 'bitza'. They are the true Mini - or should it be Austin Se7en and Morris MINI-MINOR. But then, as an 18-year-old engineering apprentice at the time I recall so well the day the Mini was announced. I sure wanted one, but little did I imagine that 58 years on I would have two and have owned dozens!

Well put Cooperman,

I have come to realize that a standard unmodified Mini (or any classic) is the one to go for, the one that gets the most attention at shows.

I get frustrated at times at the lack of power when driving mine and always think of bigger engine / brake conversion but I wont do it when I have something that is  special and original.. I had a lovely drive last Saturday heading to a show, turned off the main dual carriageway to take in some back roads and came up behind a Singer Gazelle also heading for the show. Both of us driving at a reasonable speed it was obvious that the more powerful Singer was pulling away from me on longer straights but on the corners he was braking and slowing in places that the Mini just darted through with no need to slow down, the result, I was catching and keeping up with him easily bringing to mind the battles of the rally minis and how they were able to beat much bigger and more powerful cars.

The purity of the Mk1 (and to an extent the Mk2 ) with all its quirky little features, small rear lights, full valence front panel, sliding windows, external hinges, floor mounted start button and dip switch, magic wand gear lever, illuminated indicator switch etc etc really is, to me anyway what a Mini is all about. I cant say I dont like the later models but an early car is what does it for me.  Im not interested in the value of my own car, I dont intend selling it but I do keep an eye on the market just out of interest.

[tiger99]

I tend to agree. Surely, most of the fun of driving a Mini has to be from getting from A to B as quickly as possible despite the lack of power. Who needs a highly tuned, fragile and unreliable 1380, or a bike engine in the wrong place? The 848 was basically a reliable and trouble free engine, once a few basic things had been understood. But in my opinion the ultimate was the 998 "E" variant which would cruise all day at the legal limit but still develop your driving skill. (Rubber mounted subframes excepted, of course).

 

Actually a Fiat 500 (the original one) and several other small cars of that era are equally fun to drive, although they handle very differently. I got to thrash one around the Adelaide Hills a long time ago. Fun to maintain too. You can lift the engine out of the 500 with one hand! Didn't one F1 racing driver, maybe James Hunt, keep an A35 van as his personal transport? (You could argue that it is only a re-bodied Spridget!) Moggys were great too, and the likes of the 100E Anglia, also lacking in power but capable of good things. It saddens me that nowadays, instead of efficient little cars with excellent handling, which progress should have brought, we have ugly monstrosities which often weigh more than a white van, and in some cases are unreliable but expensive, with a heavy and expensive piece of umpteem cylinder brute force and ignorance under the bonnet. And, of course, the Hyundai Getz, with no commendable features at all. Boot smaller than a Mini, gutless but thirsty engine, rubbery feel to the steering, about as much cornering capability as a shopping trolley in reverse. And the Smart car, which excels at nothing, except losing its parent company lots of money.

 

Everyone should have a session on twisty roads in a Mk 1 850, preferably just after trying some hideous SUV or wallowing Yank Tank

 

I am glad that I have owned a MK 1. I shall probably not have another, as they are too valuable now. I do wish that they could be hired for a day or even a half day. I would have one out every few months if I could.

 

But I am somewhat encouraged by the trend to lightweight 3 cylinder engines in the smaller modern cars.

[mab01uk]

Didn't one F1 racing driver, maybe James Hunt, keep an A35 van as his personal transport? (You could argue that it is only a re-bodied Spridget!)

 

Yes James Hunt had an A35 van and said he could have great fun driving it using his driving skills to maintain control whilst still keeping within the London speed limits, unlike most modern cars and supercars which he said required illegal high speeds to get any sense of the same levels of driver skill and enjoyment, he also said he loved to overtake Ferraris through the Wandsworth roundabout at night, in the wet!

 

Driving my 850cc Minis years ago also required skills that few of todays car drivers would understand like anticipation and reading the road ahead in advance.......due to lack of standing start acceleration and hill climbing power you would always look to maintain momentum by slowing early for red traffic lights so you hopefully did not come to a complete stop and increasing downhill speed if possible before a steep incline to get as far up the other side as possible. Long slight inclines on motorways that modern drivers are not even aware of are enough to kill the speed of an 850 Mini without a run up and being in the correct gear at the right time and minimal use of brakes was also essential to good journey times! However it could be very satisfying when you achieved 'man and machine' in perfect harmony.

Edited by mab01uk, 25 June 2017 - 06:51 PM.

[mk1leg]

bargain at that price for a full restoration

[mk1coopers]

It says in the advert text that the car was re-shelled into a 1960 shell, if I was in the market for a 1959 Mini I would want it in a 1959 shell with all the little early features in place, perhaps that's why it's a little cheaper than the average 59' Mini

Edited by mk1coopers, 26 June 2017 - 03:31 PM.

[Cooperman]

I didn't see the mention of a 1960 shell, but the price being asked is still very fair. It has 1959 history and looks a real gem.