A rare Minor miracle

Lambo rarity, Morris project money. A winner? Oh yes…

Being offered early on helped...

SWVA always gets its sales underway with a few no-reserve offerings. It’s a good move, geeing up the punters and giving those who don’t have much to spend a chance to get in on the action. This Carina was the second lot of the sale, sandwiched between a non-running Triumph GT6 and a 1994 Mercedes-Benz C180, and easily the rarest of the three. It was a warm-up act rather than the headline act, and that helped to keep the price realistic.

...as did the fact that it was a more modern offering.

A lot of the old guard really don’t like modern classics, and so classics like this one-owner Carina, which had spent 20 years sat in an underground car park, are ignored all too often. But that’s not such a bad thing for anyone with a limited budget or who wants to own something that’s just a little bit different. Anyone open to what’s on offer always has the chance of netting a good-value buy – no bad thing.

The background was spot-on.

The new owner of this 94,000-mile (warranted) is now probably enjoying trouble-free motoring. The bodywork appeared very straight and tidy with typically Toyota tight shutlines and equally impressive panel fit. The paint had plenty of life in it, too, and while the bumper corners were scuffed a smart repairer would easily be able to put those right at comparatively little cost. The blue/grey cloth interior was very good, with little wear to the seat facings; the door cards and dashboard were in as good a condition, too.

It was a trouble-free purchase.

With 18 stamps in the service book and the last service (six months ago) including a new timing belt, battery and fresh tyres, this was a first-rate buy for its luck new owner. Noreserve cars often represent some of the best deals, and this was ideal either for someone seeking out their first classic, or for someone more experienced but wanting something different. The buyer went away with smart, rare, reliable classic for the price of a shabby Morris Minor project. We know which we’d prefer…