Proving that what might be one person’s trash is another one’s treasure, a basket-case 1965 Mini Cooper S has sold for £20,000 including fees (£18,000 hammer price) at Mathewsons’ classic car auction in North Yorkshire on October 27 Requiring more than just a little TLC, the Mini came from a deceased estate, meaning the winning bid was provisional before later being accepted by the family involved. Wearing the registration number DPY 160C, the 1965 car came with a bill of sale dated 1966, four service/ repair invoices, two insurances certificates, the original driver’s handbook and a 1978 tax disc, which is assumed to be the most recent.
Basket-case Cooper S sells for £20k
The Mini is not recognised on the DVLA register and no doubt missed the 1982 deadline, but Mathewsons did have the original chassis plate, which checked out to be that of a genuine Mini Cooper S. The engine number revealed the original engine had been changed, but with a proper factory-replacement 1275cc unit. Pre-sale predictions reckoned on figures around £4000 and above for the car, but there was a lot of interest in the car and the bids soared to a final hammer price of £18,000. There was even a round of applause after the hammer fell and something of an exodus from the auction room!
The car clearly needs a very extensive restoration and is clearly not for the faint-hearted, but we shouldn’t ignore the romance behind bringing a car in this kind of condition back to life. And with good restored 1275 Ss selling for up to £50,000 and beyond, perhaps the figure commanded by this example with a traceable history and in desirable Surf Blue makes more sense than many first believed. It’s certainly one to stir up some healthy debate…
