Mini Cooper

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By the late ‘80s, nearly 30 years since its debut, the remarkable Mini had gone into something of a sales decline, losing market share to more practical hatch-back alternatives from the likes of Renault, Fiat and VW.

In a bid to bolster sales, Rover Group used its RSP (Rover Special Projects) division to breathe some magic back into the car, launching the Rover RSP in 1990 – the first of the reincarnated Coopers.

This turned out to be a masterstroke which bought about a genuine revival of interest in the Mini, particularly in Japan. The new Cooper had a 63bhp 1,275cc carburettor engine and an even better fuel-injected version was introduced in 1991.

When BMW took control over the Rover Group in 1994, the Cooper stayed in production and build quality went up along with more luxurious interiors trimmed in leather and equipped with a driver airbag. The last Mini Cooper was built in October 2000 and all are increasingly collectable today.

This beautifully presented late-model Cooper has covered just 26,650 miles from new, its original service book showing one stamp from the Mini Man in Knowle at 18,492 miles in November 2006. Further invoices on file and nine old MOTs substantiate the low mileage, as indeed does the overall condition of the vehicle.

It is listed as having six previous owners, although three of these are from the same family, the car having recently been fitted with two new tyres and is MOTd until June 2016.

Sadly not getting the use it deserves, this super Cooper looks excellent value at the suggested guide price and will make the perfect classic runaround, being both fun to drive and cheap to run.