The 1965 Morris Mini Cooper Mk1, an iconic compact car, embodies the spirit of the '60s. The Mini Cooper remains a timeless symbol of British automotive innovation and style.
Julien's Perspective
SOME THOUGHTS ON THIS MODEL
Always slightly in awe of these little cars, especially so when the available performance on tap from the cooking 998cc makes it so engaging to drive and cover ground very quickly...not forgetting the cornering !
A well known car to me as I have happily dealt with this family for many years, in fact they are classic Jaguar devotees, with the father apprenticing for John Combes and working his entire life in and around motor cars....evidently in their DNA as the son and owner of this little Mini has followed very much in his father's footsteps!
Their raison d'être for this purchased was to find a suitable Mini Cooper that could be used as a 'daily driver', and so it has been for the last 4 years.
Very much part of the buying profile is to secure only highly original cars, thus this Cooper ticked many boxes, insomuch as it was a 2 owner car which had never been restored. A brief inspection revealed that all was as described and in remarkable untouched condition, that said, it was in need of restoration but the under lying structure was sound.
Pleasingly once stripped apart of a few localised areas all was in good fettle and it was decided to preserve as much of the cars original paint as possible.....hence you will see apart from the fresh exterior paint, the interior, boot and under the bonnet remain in a factory paint finish.
The interior is completely correct and again untouched although not tatty in any way, and much the better for it....so nice that its a not re-upholstered and plastered in new materials, even the roof lining is as it left the factory. If your preference is for the newly restored, then this Mini won't necessarily appeal but to my mind, it makes more appealing.
Mechanically, all was completely disassembled & checked over. Engine-wise, nothing was found wanting, oil pressure plus a compression test reaffirmed all was in good order, similarly the gearbox, although whilst the engine was out, it made sense to change the clutch, though only done as a a precaution. All of this gave further reassurance that the stated mileage of 31, 213 was also most likely correct.
There are photos available with the Mini in a naked state, so nice to be able to confirm that there was little metal work undertaken.
All in all, a little gem and looking rather nice on an set of period style 10' Rose Petal alloys.....just serviced and motd, so nothing to do other than enjoy.
