Mini Clubman

Ten years after the launch of its Mini, the management at BLMC decided it was time to freshen the design with a new look.

They decided to consolidate the line up by using a new single upmarket replacement to fill a gap in the market left by the demise of the Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf. The new ‘Clubman’ range was styled by Roy Haynes, an ex-Ford employee who raided the parts bin and squared off the front of the car.

It wasn’t until early in 1970 that deliveries got underway, the first cars still using cross-ply tyres. As late as 1973 you could still have cross-plies to special order saving £8 – why on earth would you do that? The Clubman was also offered in estate form, complete with fake wood trim, the newly styled models ceasing production in 1980, outlived by the original design which carried on for a further 20 years.

This local car was purchased new by a lady in 1979 from Henlys in Leominster. She kept it until 2005, by which time it had only covered 37,900 miles. Records show that it was well looked after, having had no fewer than 24 services stamped up in the book, its current owner intending to restore it to its former glory but just not having found the time. At some point it appears that a new rear subframe was fitted. Now, fresh from dry storage, the car requires some TLC to bring it back to the condition that it deserves.