In 1969, under the ownership of British Leyland, the Mini was given a facelift by stylist Roy Haynes, who had previously worked for Ford. The restyled version was called the Mini Clubman, and has a squarer frontal look, using the same indicator/sidelight assembly as the Austin Maxi. Retaining the original Mini cabin and mechanics. 

The Mini Clubman was intended to replace the upmarket Riley and Wolseley versions. A new model, dubbed the 1275GT, was slated as the replacement for the 998 cc Mini Cooper (the 1,275 cc Mini Cooper S continued alongside the 1275GT for two years until 1971). The Clubman Estate replaced the Countryman and Traveller, at first the Estate featured dry suspension while the Saloon featured Hydralastic suspension.

The current owner bought the car in April 2021 from Huddersfield Mini spares, the car belonged to a disabled driver prior to my ownership and had been registered as disabled class on the log book, this has now been changed to historic. Although the car was bought as a runner, it was far from it. 

After replacing all the ignition system the owner then found out the clutch had gone and the brakes needed work so decided to get it recommissioned to the beautiful example you see today.

The car comes with the V5 and an MOT for peace of mind, even though the vehicle is MOT exempt. 

You open the door to find navy blue vinyl seats, leather door cards and a lovely red carpet that matches the outside. This is an original Mini so the dashboard comprises of a couple of switches and knobs, a steering wheel and that’s it. It's fantastically simple and due to being recommissioned its in lovely condition and we are told that everything works as it should. 

The seats are fully functional and comfortable, as are the rear seats, which, because it’s the Clubman, fold flat so that the car can be transformed into a “van”. Access to the boot is via the legendary twin opening doors. Even now, 45 years on, these are still a wonderfully practical car. 

The Boot floor lifts up to reveal a spare wheel which, we are pretty certain has never been used! This is just one of the many lovely little touches of this car. 

Finished in Damask Red the Mini looks truly glorious and is complemented by the small, yet very noticeable wheels. The car, as you would expect is in overall really lovely condition, with just a few little bits to mention. The chrome door handles and wing mirrors are all in nice condition, as is the front grille. 

As you would expect, there are little areas that require some attention. The back door shuts have a bit of surface rust on them, each door sill has a small hole on them. There is a small bit of rust starting to appear at the bottom of one door. The hole on the sill is on the drivers side. But none of this distracts from the fact that this is an absolute peach of a car that still demands attention anywhere and everywhere it goes

Due to the recent, sympathetic recommissioning the engine has taken out and rebuilt. Some of the work which was completed was 7.5 inch discs, Clutch Alternator, Brake lines, Brake cylinder, Clutch cylinder, Front wiring loom, Coil and all new ignition components, condenser, distributor cap, points, leads, plugs, Reconditioned carb, Reconditioned distributor. 

There are no untoward sounds or any visible leaks at the time of photographing, the engine runs and sounds lovely!

Some cars write their appeal themselves. Is there a better car in the world at it than the Mini, probably not. However, if you still feel you need convincing..............carry on reading. This car is lovely, The condition, the classic lines, the size, the sound ..... .everything. Regardless of someone’s interest in cars EVERYONE, absolutely everyone knows what a mini is - and not the new huge ones, ones like this......”a proper” Mini. 

I don’t know anyone who didn’t have a Mini in their childhood in some way, whether it was in the house-hold or whether it was within the extended family, in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s you knew someone who had a Mini. Having the chance to purchase a piece of British History, in this condition is not to be missed. There are few cars in the world that make people smile when they see one and this is one of them. 

Even during the short journey to where the photographs were taken, the amount of looks and smiles were countless. A flashback to the days when everything was much simpler. The only advice I would give, if you are thinking of owning one, is leave plenty of time to get to your destination, because everybody will stop you and talk about it and tell you their memories of the Mini they had in their life!