Will you buy a Austin Mini Se7en De Luxe Saloon and have it preserved until today if you have £497 in 1959? It is 53 years of preservation! 99.9% of people won’t do that but someone actually did that. Mr David Gallimore bought a 1959 Austin Mini Se7en De Luxe Saloon (MK1) in 1986 from a Gladys Hobro of Aldwick, Bognor Regis, West Sussex. Gallimore then kept the car in a Chichester barn until recently he is putting the car up for sales. This rusty Austin Mini is covered in dust and chicken feathers and will be auctioned on 30^th April at The Royal Airforce Museum in London. It is expected to fetch up to £15,000 which is 30 times more than its original price in 1959.

Details about the world’s oldest surviving unrestored Mini

• Car Model: 1959 Austin Mini Se7en De Luxe Saloon
• Chassis Number: AA2S7/108
• Engine: A Series 848cc
• Engine Number: 8AUH-908
• Original registration plate: XLL 27
• Body Color: Farina Grey. In 1959, exterior colors available for the Mini are Farina Grey, Tartan Red, and Speedwell Blue.
• Mileage: 30,041 miles on the doesn’t-actually-work clock meter.
• Features: MK1 grill, Austin badge, opening front door hinged, rear quarter windows, adjustable front passenger seat.
• Interior: Original with a white color center speedometer.
• Little History: The rusty car was the eighth Mini to roll off the production line at Longbridge in Birmingham in May 1959, three months before the car was officially launched on 26^th August 1959. It is believed to be the eighth brother of the first Mini 621 AOK that badged a Morris.

What is not original?

From the pictures everything seems to be original including the glass washer bottle and the dynamo (instead of an alternator) that we seldom see on today’s classic Mini. The only big part that has been replaced is the driver’s door. It is in red color that does not match with the farina grey. Inside, the original carpets is not there. Well, carpet may not be able to survive more than 50 years.

The engine has not been run for many years and it appeared to be original with rust. Sub-frame, steel hydraulic pipes, cable to open the passenger doors, two pieces windows, and many others are still in original condition.

Interior of the fourth oldest unrestored Mini: Note that the driver’s door is in red.

What Else?

There are three Mini were born earlier than the XLL 27 and all of them have been restored over the years. One is 621 AOK that now lives in the British Heritage Motor Centre Meseum in Warwickshire, and the other two are living in private collectors’ house in Japan. In 1999, the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20^th century, behind the Ford Model T.

Images are taken from Car and Classic UK

What MalaysiaMiniLover Says?

It has everything although the mechanism and instruments are simple. The simplest things are often the truest.

You are buying a hero that save the world from Suez Crisis rather than just buying a small classic car.

The condition of the car is not roadworthy, but you don’t find one car like this on the road.

The interior do not carry any modern features such as air conditioning, power windows, or even a car stereo. That’s what we call “Classic”.

With the budget around £15,000, there are many new cars available in the market such as Toyota Yaris Hybrid and Ford Focus, will you go for these cars rather than the one and only XLL 27? As a Mini lover, we will die for this fourth oldest surviving unrestored Mini.

After more than half century, the Mini is still one of the most popular and successful British car ever built.

What will you do if you stand a chance to own this car?

1. Buy it, let it untouched and continue to keep it in garage.
2. Buy it, clean it up, and continue to keep it in a better garage for another 50 years.
3. Buy it and restore it to its former glory.
4. Buy it, spend thousands of pounds to restore it into a new look to drive up its price.

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