Sun., May 22, 2007 – Sometimes great deals on classic Minis just fall in our lap. One day, a visitor to our old showroom in Ventura mentioned that he had a Mk1 Mini Cooper S that he hadn’t driven in 10 years. He’d owned the car since the early ’70s, when he drove it daily to his job at movie studios in Universal City/Hollywood. He mentioned that he had pulled off the twin SU carbs to replace them with a new Weber (that was still in the box), but hadn’t finished the job and the Mini just sits in his garage. Inspired by the 15-20 classic Minis we typically had in our showroom, he vowed to put his back together and enjoy it again.

We didn’t hear from him again for about a year, when he stopped by to say he realized he’d never get around to fixing it and would we be interested in it.

When we went to see it, we found it in surprisingly good condition, as shown in the pic. As it turned out, it hadn’t been in the garage for just 10 years, it was more like 23, as it had last been registered in 1983. Also, it wasn’t a true “S” but had a Cooper S engine, Cooper S (7.5″ diameter) brakes and, on the rear, a slapped-on Austin script “S” above a “Morris Cooper” badge.

And off it headed to its new home with the MiniGuy…

NOTE: While many are seeking the hidden Minis, please keep in mind that the cars have typically been sitting for some time and – like this one – will usually need substantial work to get them back on the road, particularly in a safe condition.

However, it’s always nice to dream of that elusive deal…