Mini 1000 City Automatic

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Launched to a dumb-founded motoring press in 1959, the Alec Issigonis-designed Mini introduced a whole new concept in car design.

Its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout and ingenious transverse engine allowed 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage and influenced a generation of car makers. Throw in a cute little monocoque body and go-kart like handling that made 30mph feel like 60mph and Issigonis was on to a winner.

Perfectly timed to capture the revolutionary feel of the time, the Mini instantly epitomised the mood of the Swinging Sixties. Crashing through the traditional class barriers that had surrounded British cars up to that point, everybody wanted to be seen in a Mini. No wonder the fundamental shape remained unaltered for an incredible 40 years.

The packaging of the transverse engine and integral gearbox had been its masterstroke, BMC’s engineers even managing to cram a nifty four-speed automatic into the space normally taken up by the manual gear set. This made the little Mini even easier to drive, with new drivers in particular flocking to buy the cute little two-pedal baby.

This four owner 1992 City automatic was driven by its first owner for 18 months before they sold it to its second keeper who drove the car for nearly 20 years. There is sadly little in the way of documented history, although it is thought by the vendor that the mileage, which reads just 16,620 miles, could well be correct, a theory certainly supported by the condition of the car.

It is MOTd until March 2017 and when driven around Brightwells’ extensive car park for the photographs, changed gear smoothly and quickly and performed with typical Mini verve and gusto.

An easy car to insure for a young driver, it would make an ideal first car with a classic twist or a very useful addition to the fleet for quick and easy shopping trips to town.