Incredibly rare original 1950s Mini is up for sale – and slice of British history is yours for just £22,000
The iconic Mini has been on sale for over 50 years - and one of the first ever models is up for sale. The classic motor is in original condition and you can pick up the legend for just £22,000
YOU can roll back the years and transport yourself to the late 1950s with this iconic Mini.
Left in the same condition that you'd have found it more than half a century ago, this classic Mini is up for auction.
It's an Austin 850 - also know as the Seven - one of the first models ever made in 1959 with the original Sir Alec Issigonis design.
Despite its dinky dimensions of 3m x 1.2m x 1.2m it had room for four people and luggage.
Just 10,000 of the original 1959 model were made and not many have survived in condition like this.
It's finished in "tartan red" and has the original engine and gearbox.
There are spots of rust and wear and tear as no restoration work has been carried out on this Mini time capsule.
It still runs and was used daily until 2009 in Portugal.
It was one of just a dozen imported to the Iberian country back in 1959.
The model is now on sale on online auction site until October 15 and is expected to fetch £22,000.
Francisco Carrion, classic car expert, said: "The shortage of oil caused by the Suez crisis in 1956 led the UK to oil rationing, causing a sharp drop in the sale of large cars, which meant manufacturers faced the need to make cheaper and compact cars like the Mini.
"The one that we are auctioning is one of the conserved ones in a more original state, and undoubtedly it is one of the oldest Minis that exists in the whole of the Iberian peninsula.
"Although many years have passed, the Minis of today have a modernised and avant-garde design, but the model still holds many similarities to the first ones manufactured, capturing the most nostalgic car enthusiasts.
"Perhaps that is why today it is among one of the world’s favourite and most iconic cars."
