When it revived the famous Cooper nameplate in 1990, Rover gave the iconic Mini a whole new lease of life.
Now much more of a fashion statement than a shopping car, the new Cooper was especially popular in Japan, where over half of all Minis ended up being shipped in the last few years of the car’s production life.
This is one of them – a 1995 Mini Cooper 1.3i, with the later fuel-injected engine. It was originally sold to Japan but has spent more than half of its life in the UK, having returned here in 2006.
It has covered a genuine 17,000 miles, having had the original odometer converted from km/h to mph in 2011.
There’s barely any room for much to go wrong inside a Mini, but the cabin of this car is a cut above the rest.
Trimmed in black and grey half-leather trim with a walnut dashboard – much loved by Japanese customers – the overall condition is superb with no damage and only the very lightest of wear.
The seat bolsters and headlining are excellent and a modern USB-compatible stereo has been installed, though for many Mini fans this will never be used – the sound of the sports exhaust and characteristic gear whine being far more part of the Mini experience than the radio.jtDxxFhopvGoRnmSEn9YiOUPNPgVCHJd5w0qqJRZ.jpeg1.1 MB
THE EXTERIOR
British Racing Green Metallic
All original paint
Structurally excellent
Never welded nor MOT-advised for corrosion
13-inch Minilite alloys
Stage 1 arches
Japanese cars are often extremely solid as they don’t salt the roads over there, meaning corrosion is less of a problem than it is on UK cars.
That gave the Mini a good start in life, but it has still been here for over 15 years and that means it’s still needed to be protected and looked-after, which this car clearly has.
The underside appears to be in excellent order and the upper body is very good, sitting on 13-ich alloys with ‘Stage 1’ widened arches.
The British Racing Green Metallic paint is all original and still holds a good shine, with no notable deterioration or damage other than a tiny scratch on one door. tlrUDDuMhA4o3xYe4ekpZ0rJWP2CuUOMJXmOrFHk.jpeg1.06 MB
THE MECHANICS
1,275cc MPi engine
Four-speed manual
Recent service
Stainless steel sports exhaust
Drives well and sounds great
The Mini’s A-Series engine is one of the hardy perennials of the car world and it runs really well indeed, starting on the first flick of the key and sounding fantastic thanks to its stainless steel sports exhaust system, fed through a centre-branch manifold.
It has had a recent service and full MOT (in June 2022) and the vendor reports that it drives faultlessly and is a huge amount of fun.
Everyone loves a Mini, and if you want one that’s as much a usable runabout as it is a showpiece, then you’ve found it.
This is a cracking little car that has been owned by an enthusiast, who’s only selling as he has a Mini project car nearing completion and doesn’t have the time nor space for two.
It’s clearly well-loved and in very smart condition throughout, backed up by a mileage that’s almost as small as the car itself.
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