Description
For sale the ex Christine Keeler 1961 Mk1 Austin Seven (Mini) deluxe 72 PKR. This is the car that features in the iconic photograph of Christine Keeler getting into the car on Devonshire Street in London (with a vicar in the background) at the time of the Profumo scandal in 1963 (available on gettyimages. co. uk. The car’s identity long remained a mystery as its number plate is not shown in this photo. It was also widely believed to have been white (the photo being black and white) but is in fact pale Farina Grey. The car also features in a series of photographs (available from the Getty archive) taken by the press photographer Jean Tesseyre for the Paris Match at the time of Dr Stephen Ward’s trial. Here the registration can be seen as can Christine Keeler at the wheel and Mandy Rice Davies in the passenger seat. This is also the car Keeler is driving in a Pathe news clip of her being booed as she leaves her flat (youtube. com - "Christine Keeler booed"). The car was off the road for many years having been bought for spares in the late 1980s (without any knowledge of its history) and stored. It was the subject of a recent sympathetic restoration (inner and outer sills, driver’s floor pan, passenger door skin, front wings, A panels, boot lid and full skirt front panel, front suspension rebuild, full brake rebuild, new wiring loom and a full repaint in its original Farina Grey) retaining as much original
patina and as many original components as possible. It featured in the September Goodwood Revival 60th Anniversary of the Mini display and took part in the daily track parades.
The car drives, handles and stops well and is not over restored still having its original Spanish red and fleck interior and much of its original bright work. It comes with two keys, a current V5C, original handbook, heritage certificate, photographs of the restoration work along with bills and receipts. Also included are a copy of the Denning Report into the Profumo Scandal and period newspaper front pages relating to Christine Keeler.
The car is scheduled to be featured in Classic and Sportscar magazine in the spring.
