The driver who never grew out of his Mini... and still has it 43 years later!
WHEN 17-year- old Simon Crowfoot glanced across the showroom at the alluring model, it was love at first sight.
And 43 years later, that dark-red Mini 1000 is still the love of his life.
Mr Crowfoot, now 61, had visited the Austin showroom on April Fools’ Day in 1974, after becoming fed up with his unreliable Ford Anglia. Spotting the brand new Mini 1000, he begged his father Horace for a loan of the £1,050 asking price, and drove it away there and then.
It has been his pride and joy ever since, although in recent years it has been stored in a garage and taken out only in sunny weather or for special occasions.
Mr Crowfoot, a computer technician from Poole, Dorset, said: ‘When I was 17 I had an old Ford Anglia but was fed up with it continually breaking down, so I headed to an Austin garage where my older brother worked. There was this brand new red Mini in the showroom and it was love at first sight.
‘Even though it was one of the cheapest cars around I couldn’t afford it so I had to plead with my dad. I spent a few years paying every penny back. I’ve always loved the car, and it wasn’t worth very much money for a long time so I’ve never been tempted to sell it.
‘When I get back inside it I feel like I’m a teenager again – it’s incredible.’
Mr Crowfoot’s Mini still has many original components, including its engine, transmission, bodywork, seats and even the Motorola cassette player.
The carpets have been replaced, although in their original colour, and there are new Dunlop Aquajet tyres, the same type as it left the factory with. It has 82,000 miles on the clock.