Description
The GB Mini Garage - Traditional Classic Mini Specialists
We’re a traditional classic Mini specialist based in Sheffield who’m restore and offer a small-run of classic Mini’s each-year, check out our website and our instagram @gbminigarage.
We often export our vehicles worldwide and deliver throughout the UK at £1. 85 per mile.
1997 Rover Mini Cooper 1. 3 MPI 63bhp Manual - The Ultimate Specification - Unique Wood & Pickett Recreation
Owned by her previous owner for, if I remember rightly, 15 years, this is one of the most loved examples I have come across, parted with only due to ill health.
She features a unique colour-combination of Metallic Mocha against Rose Gold, emanating sixties Wood & Pickett classical colour-tones, burnished with new chrome-work, those classical tones transcend to a unique interior, creams and burr-wood.
Otherwise, she is the ultimate specification, the most powerful, the most reliable, the safest and the most comfortable of all factory models, designed for daily use on modern roads. Combining the legendary Monte Carlo winning handling and power to weight ratio, providing a terrific and/ or terrifying drive for those who hold their nerve.
Lots of (Expensive) Love
Recent works include a complete Heritage new rear-end (two to three years ago), subframes and rear brakes, at a cost exceeding £2000. The front brakes have recently been upgraded to very special 7. 9 inch, the Mini Sport 4 Pot Callipers with new drilled, grooved and vented discs, costing £600, allowing superior braking performance and the option of fitting 10 inch wheels.
Her interior is unique, re-finished in cream x black at a supreme cost, burnished with new wood-work, finished with Paddy Hopkirk interior door handles that cost over £200 alone. Most of her chrome-work is new, finished with the P700 Halogen headlight upgrade and sixties bumper-overriders (originally a Heritage pack factory additional extra).
Sitting on brand new deep-dish alloy-wheels wrapped in recently new tyres, surrounded by Wood & Pickett arches. We’ve comprehensively serviced her and fitted a new oxygen sensor. She is supplied with 12 months MOT and no advisories and a HPI clear certificate.
The Ultimate Model
More power, more reliability, you could feel safe and use them daily on modern roads.
(i) More Power
Driving 50% more horse-power than the 1000cc, 20% more horsepower than the standard 1275cc, these late Cooper engines with the MPI technology were the most powerful, which, when combined with minimal weight and that iconic, Monte Carlo rally winning classic Mini handling delivers a terrific and/ or terrifying drive.
(ii) More Reliability
The Mini was brought into the modern era, most of the renowned troublesome components were upgraded and made reliable, the carburettor and the coil, the distributor, the power generation system, as was the cooling systems, break-downs became no longer frequent, but rare.
(iii) More Safe
Transcending their sardines in a tin-can reputation, the Mini was claimed to be the safest small car on the road at the time, you now had air-bags, door-crash-beams, modern seatbelts and SRS, you and your family could feel safe.
(iv) More Useable
Things had changed since the original Mini was launched, for a start the M1 was built, and this model aimed to make the Mini not just more reliable, but more useable, a daily driver, a commuter, fourth gear was re-designed for motorways, third gear allowed adequate slip road acceleration, cockpit road-noise was claimed to have been reduced by 50%, Mpg was increased, an relatively bulletproof immobiliser was fitted. Everything became a bit more luxurious, better materials, the seats have bolsters, actual comfort.
To fund all of these improvements the Mini’s purchase price rose by 63% (1995-1996), general prices today have a similar differential.
Comments
Like any Mini at 30 years old, she has some imperfections. She doesn't leak oil currently, but she will undoubtedly spring a minor drip, she's a Mini. Totally solid underneath with the new Heritage subframe, but some previous weld patches too ensure solidity. Shift down to second gear when going too fast and you will hear a small sound implying some wear to the synchro. She wears the gold crests of the Cooper S following her colour scheme, albeit she's a standard Cooper. All in all a beautiful example throughout, but not brand new.
