Hi guys,
I've owned a 1965 mini since December 2013 over in New Zealand, but it now just sits in dry storage at my parents place and I've since moved back to England where I now live permanently.
As such I'm seriously considering shipping the mini over from Auckland to Southampton (conveniently enough close to where I'm now living in Fareham), and selling it on to pay off my current car and then maybe put the remainder towards another later classic mini in the future. In an ideal world I'd be bringing it over here to keep for myself, but sadly this isn't financially or practically viable and it's also just a waste to sit around at my parents' place not getting used.
So firstly I was wondering if anybody has had experience with bringing a 40+ year old car (particularly a slightly modified mini) into the UK and what the process entails in terms of registering it with the DVLA, clearing customs etc?
For some reason I'm not allowed to make a new post in the Valuations section otherwise I would probably post this here as well, as one of my other questions to the community is to get opinions on its value to sell in the UK. I've taken lots of photos in this Imgur album which can be viewed here: https://imgur.com/a/B5uyTkI
I've tried to show as many close ups as possible of the small problem areas on the body but apart from these it's very solid throughout, having had a relatively easy life in New Zealand with no salt on the roads.
It's been built to the following spec:
- Originally a Morris 850cc mini, but has been done up as a Cooper S recreation/tribute as faithfully as I've been able. Previous owner fitted Morris S badging, grille etc and did all the paint, and since I bought it I've added parts to bring it closer to S spec
- Almond green with old english white roof
- Custom made old english white roof rack with suction cup and gutter bracket mounting system
- Boot board with Cooper style brackets welded in place to retain it properly
- Single 5.5gallon fuel tank
- Early 12G 1275cc engine with close-ratio 4 synchro remote gearbox, 11 stud 12G940 head which has had some port work done. Not sure on exact cam spec but appears to be a fairly mild road cam profile. Engine was freshly rebuilt when I purchased it and has seen very little driving since. Apparently this engine also has a toughened crank similar to S spec although I don't have any paperwork to confirm this.
- Genuine original LP883 Cooper S 4.5x10" steel wheels - not reproductions
- Cooper S 7.5" disk brake conversion from MiniSport with spaced drums on the rear brakes
- Single silencer RC40 1.75" exhaust system with free flow manifold
- Early 3-clock binnacle with early Cooper/Deluxe style temperature and pressure gauges. Standard 140kph speedometer put in by previous owner to convert for modern NZ roads so sadly the original Mk1 speedo is no longer present
- Re-upholstered Australian GT spec high-back seats in cream leather and black piping
- Modern bluetooth head unit discreetly fitted under the front shelf, with an amplifier under the passenger seat and two 6x9" speakers mounted in a custom MDF panel under the rear seats. All very easily removable to bring the car back to a more original state
- Wiper motor has been upgraded to a later two speed type for reliability using a bolt-on bracket conversion, so it is easily reversible to a period correct single speed motor setup
As is visible in the pictures there are some imperfections where the paint could do with some re-doing and attention, particularly on the upper door frames where some Cooper chrome trims were previously "bodged" and glued on. I've taken them off but unfortunately the glue has left lots of residue and taken some of the paint off, although I'll be trying to clean this up anyway.
I'd really love to hear any feedback on potential value and also the import process, as I'm trying to work out whether it's worthwhile to import the car into the UK for sale, otherwise I will either just sell it in New Zealand or consider keeping it at my parents' for years to come while I save up to bring it over to the UK to keep for myself. :)