Rare 1965 Mini Cooper S that's been in a SHED for 34 years could fetch £32k at auction

When you find a car you fall in love with, it can be very difficult to part ways with it. And that appears to be the case with this ultra-rare Mini unearthed from a 30-year slumber before it heads to auction in September.

The timewarp 1965 Mk1 Mini Cooper S ‘1071’, finished in Almond Green paint, has been recovered from spending over three decades in a shed.

The vendor, now in his eighties, has owned the Mini since before England lifted the World Cup – and the fact it has not moved in over 30 years explains why it has fewer than 40,000 miles on the clock from new.

In the year it was produced, the Mini would have set owners back £778. When the hammer drops in a couple of months, experts believe it will go for 41 times as much.

Classic Car Auctions, which will offer the dinky sixties icon to the highest bidder on 24 September at its sale at Warwickshire Event Centre, describes it as a ‘sleeping beauty’ after it was located in its 30-year hiding place recently.

It now expects a winning bid in the region of £28,000 to £32,000 when it goes to the block. 

The 1071cc MK1 Morris Cooper S was the performance version of the Mini produced by BMC (British Motor Corporation), and the first to succeed at the Monte Carlo Rally back in 1964. 

Only around 4,000 examples were produced with this engine between 1963 and the rally-winning year, with this example being one of the last models built. 

Like all versions of the original Mini Cooper S, the 1071cc is a highly desirable car. 

This one’s rare green paint job – contrasted with a white roof – as well as the low mileage and fact it is a UK-supplied, right-hand drive car means it should sell for relatively big money later in the summer.

Richard Greenhalgh who consigned the car for Classic Car Auctions, said the now-senior owner had chosen the compact British legend over a Jaguar sports car back in the sixties because he wanted to transport more passengers on trips. 

‘The vendor from near Kidderminster is in his 80s now,’ Richard explains.

‘Of course, when he bought the Mini Cooper it was quite a car in its day. 

‘He told me he could have had an E-Type Jaguar at the time but decided on the Cooper S ‘1071’ as he wanted to go on a trips with the car, with possibly two or three passengers and back then he felt the Cooper S was more practical than the E-Type.’

The car remains entirely original and retains the factory Dove Grey and Porcelain Green vinyl interior, which is complemented with Cumulous Grey carpets.

Originally purchased by a BMC employee on a company discount scheme and not kept for long and then passed to its current owner since 1965, some 56 years current ownership and indicating a believed genuine 39,144 miles from new.

The latest MoT certificate accompanying the car was issued in October 1986 at 39,031 miles, which means it has travelled just 113 miles in the last 36 years.

It also comes with its original British Motor Corporation ‘Passport to Service’ book and a tax disc with an expiry date of 31 March 1988.

The Mini hasn’t been used on the road since, meaning it has been in storage for a whopping 34 years.

All identification numbers are genuine, correct and original. The ‘DON 55C’ registration number is original too, Classic Car Auction confirms – and is likely worth a few thousand pounds on its own.

Given that it has been kept in a wooden shed for over three decades, the auction house says there has been no attempt made to start it – though it does roll freely when pushed.

In the condition report for the car, it scores a relatively poor 61 out of 135, with clear signs that it needs some TLC.

Apart from the interior, which appears in relatively good condition, the Mini’s exterior, engine and other mechanical components have been issued a two-out-of-five star rating.

Even the original Cooper S 4.5J wheels will need some attention. 

While it might require some attention – and funds – if restored to like-new condition, the Mini could be worth up to £50,000, according to a valuation by classic car experts, Hagerty UK.

An example in good to excellent condition is worth between £24,000 and £37,000, but few still on the road today will have mileage as low as this one – and just two owners from new. 

A 1963 example, also finished in Almond Green with an Old English White roof, with just 33,000 miles on the clock – and in far better condition – was sold by Silverstone auctions in July 2020. It changed hands for £39,150. 

Classic Car Auctions recommends that interested collectors attend the September auction to view the car before registering a bid on the day of the sale.