HomePick of the DayUnusual classic Mini convertible

Unusual classic Mini convertible

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Editor’s note: November is Import Month on the ClassicCars.com Journal. Get all the news you could ever need about Italian, German, English, French, Japanese and lots of other cars at our dedicated page.

The 1960s automotive icon of Great Britain is undoubtedly the Mini, brilliantly designed by Sir Alec Issigonis with a revolutionary transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive layout that endures in automobiles and SUVs today.

Rolled out in 1959, the sturdy little box of a car not only became the leading compact of the U.K. populace but was the basis for an array of race cars and sporty customs that took advantage of the Mini’s light weight and agile handling.

Mini
The folding fabric roof looks well-integrated

The Pick of the Day is a 1982 Austin Mini with a convertible-top conversion done in the U.K., fender flares and an upsized 1,380 cc engine with performance tweaks. Imported from England as a more-than 25-year-old classic, the car still wears its original British license plate up front.

For U.S. driving, the Mini has been converted to left-hand drive with a custom interior that includes a walnut dash and Smith gauges.

“It’s been constantly improved each year since 2010,” says the Fayetteville, North Carolina, private owner advertising the car on ClassicCars.com. “Reluctant sale. Only selling as I have too many cars which don’t get driven enough.”

Mini
The revised interior includes a walnut dash, leather seats and a custom steering wheel

The seller includes an extensive list of improvements and mechanical enhancements, such as new brakes and suspension components, a new top and renewed body trim, aluminum radiator with high-capacity water pump, four-speaker audio system, Magniflow exhaust system and a recent four-wheel alignment.

The convertible looks sharp in its bronze paint with classic-style spoke alloy wheels, and it should be quick with the upgraded engine.  The car drives well and is all ready to go, the seller notes.

A modified trailer for hauling the Mini to shows and such is included in the sale.  The combined weight of the car and trailer is just about 3,000 pounds, the seller says, which makes towing easy.

The asking price for this unusual Mini convertible and trailer is $15,900, which seems fair.  And as they say, just try to find another one.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.

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