MINI (19601969) COUNTRYMAN AND TRAVELLER
Looking for maximum space in a Mini? Sounds like you’ll be smitten with these wonderfully characterful baby estates
We love classic estates because they’re so usable and unusual. Back in the Sixties, the estate wasn’t as mainstream as it is today, so they sold in much smaller numbers. Throw in the fact that most were treated as workhorses, so the survival rate is low, and you’ve got a recipe for an entire genre that’s almost disappeared – which only adds to the appeal of owning one today.
Of all the classic estate cars out there, the Mini is one of the greatest thanks to its cute looks, brilliant usability, excellent club and specialist support, plus lots of them were made. But the Mini’s high profile means prices are also relatively high for anything really nice and surprisingly few have survived, which is why very few come up for sale.
When BMC was developing the Mini saloon it engineered an estate edition alongside. This was made easier with the decision having been made at the outset that there would also be van and pick-up variants. These would feature a wheelbase stretched by four inches, along with six inches of extra overhang, to create a Mini that was 10 inches longer than the saloon.
Production of the Austin Se7en Countryman and Morris Mini- Traveller began in March 1960, with the official launch taking place six months later. Identical bodily and mechanically, the only differences between Austin and Morris editions were cosmetic; the grilles, badges and interior trim were different. A ribbed roof was fitted from December 1965 to strengthen the bodyshell, then in October 1967 the MkII Countryman and Traveller were introduced with a bigger engine and new grilles. Capable of carrying 524 litres with the rear seat up and 1000 litres with it down, the Mini estate was (and still is) brilliantly practical, with the car proving a big success for BMC. By the time the final Mini Travellers and Countrymans were made in 1969 the production tally ran to about 85,500 for the Austin and 75,500 or so for the Morris in MkI form, while there were 22,500 Austin and 23,500 Morris MkII variants produced. Combined, production ran to more than 200,000, but just a few hundred remain. No wonder prices have risen sharply in recent years.