• Very low mileage example

• Only 2 owners from new

• No signs of major rust

• Rare limited edition

Originally launched in 1959 as the Austin Seven and the Morris Mini-Minor, the Mini is without doubt a true British icon. Born out of the response to the oil crisis, the British Motor Corporation’s small, front-engined, front wheel drive car was an instant hit and production continued until 2000 by which time over 5 million had been built.

The brainchild of Alec Issigonis, the Mini utilised BMC’s conventional four-cylinder water-cooled engine mounted transversely with the transmission placed in the sump. This offered unrivalled interior space for such a tiny car. 

The Mini was developed into a wide range of versions including estate, pick up and van options, and of course the Mini Cooper is the most notable and was successfully campaigned as a rally car in the 1960’s by, among others, Paddy Hopkirk - famously winning the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally in his (no. 37) Mini Cooper S.  

Following the Mk1, few changes were made until the Mk 3 when, for example, the doors were 

enlarged and the hinges were concealed. The later original mini’s, such as the one we have here, still retain that classic shape we all know and love.

When the Rover group continued building the Mini during the latter part of it’s life span, a resurgence in popularity presented them with new marketing opportunities, and thus, the ‘Limited edition’ was born.

This little gem, The Rover Mini Mayfair, is of course, one of those fashionable Icon’s. It was first registered on the 24th June 1993 and purchased from Westover Motors in Bournemouth. 

The lady owner subsequently drove it very sparingly. A local garage owned by the current owners father cared for it from 1998 and indeed the current owner usually serviced it and regularly topped it up at the petrol station for the lady!

In 2011, when the lady owner could no longer drive she kindly ‘gifted’ her Mini to her mechanic - the current owner. Since then it has only travelled approximately 4,000 miles, principally to the local golf club and only in dry weather.    

The V5 document is present and there are a number of old MOT certificates which indicate the car’s steady use, along with the current MOT which expires on the 22nd May 2022. There were a couple of advisories - the nearside front lower ball joint has slight play and the engine has a slight oil leak, but not excessively.

This Mini is currently on Sorn and comes with it’s original service book, manual and two sets of keys.

Being honest, the original specification interior would benefit from a jolly good vacuum and clean. Also, most noticeably, there is some sagging to the driver's seat material and some wear to the drivers footwell carpet. Having said that, the grey/blue velour upholstery, trim, carpets and roof lining appear to be generally in good condition.

The drivers door window winder is inoperative and thankfully the window is stuck in the up position, also the plastic trim around the drivers door lock is loose. Otherwise the current owner assures us that all the other basic switches and electrical equipment is functioning. 

The original Rover cassette radio and speakers (on the rear parcel shelf) are still in place.

The boot is tidy with some surface rust, but nothing serious, and contains the battery and spare wheel with an older tyre. The boot lid has some scratches to the inside.  

The dark blue paintwork, with white pin stripes, retains a deep shine and is very presentable. The usual notorious rust spots seem to be very good. The front wing/front panel seam, the roof gutters, the bottoms of the doors, sills and subframe attachment points all look good upon first inspection. 

This Mini has always been garaged - and it shows!. There are some minor scratches particularly on the boot lid (see photos) and some stone chips, but no obvious dings or dents down the sides.

The front grille and chrome trim looks very shiny and relatively blemish-free but the front and rear bumpers have suffered some dents (see photos), but will be an easy fix if you wish. 

The plastic wheel arch extensions have a few scuffs and the nearside rear has a small cut in it (see photo). The glass, lights and mirrors are fine, although the nearside mirror has a scuff (see photo). 

Lastly, the original 10” steel wheels and plastic trims have a few marks but are presentable and the mix of tyres have a decent amount of tread.      

The current owner and long-term mechanic of this Mini can confirm that this original 1275cc A-plus series pocket rocket of an engine has been treated to regular oil and filter changes (crucial with an automatic), and being a later specification, this single point injection, OHV engine should be very reliable for years to come. 

We can confirm that during the photo-session It certainly fired up easily and ticked over quietly. As mentioned, there is some oil leaking from the engine and the owner reckons this is probably via the rocker cover gasket. He also states that the automatic box operates smoothly and the car generally drives as it should. 

Obviously the current MOT confirms there should be no nasties happening underneath this Mini other than the aforementioned play in the nearside front lower ball joint. The rubber cone suspension, tie-rods, bushes and CV joints appear to be sound along with the servo-assisted brakes. 

According to our research this original Rover Mini Mayfair Auto is currently only one of 160 left.

Being a low mileage, unmodified, unrestored example makes it very appealing. It would make a fantastic first car and, with a little improvement and attention to detail, this classic Mini should continue to deliver stylish zippy performance for many more years to come.