One you can buy
Year 1953 Recorded mileage 7215
Asking price £5990 Vendor Private sale, near Heathrow; tel: 07958 431991; email: alkhaja11@ googlemail.com For Priced right, original and no rot Against Speedometer and some lights don’t work
Delightful and highly usable, this very late MM – though the Heritage Certificate says it’s a Series II – appears rot-free. The sills are probably replacements, but the floors are excellent and there’s no sign of rust in the usual places. It’s been painted, but there are few bills except for recent expenses including new brake backplates and cylinders.
Some of the chrome is a little pickled and the front bumper is flaking, plus there are flashing indicators hung below the rear bumper; the semaphores no longer work. The right rear wheel is slightly dinged, and the tyres are 2016 Waymasters. The exhaust doesn’t look very old.
Inside, the leather has a nice character, the replacement carpets are decent and the headlining is fair; some of the trim around the rear window is receding slightly. The steering-wheel rim is hardly cracked and the door cards are good except for a few holes on the driver’s side.
The motor is a little oily, but there’s plenty of coolant and the dark oil is to ‘max’. It soon settles to a quiet idle, showing 60psi oil pressure, and drives nicely, with a quiet ride, no play in the steering and decent synchros, though it can be a little crunchy into top. The brakes are pretty good for a Minor, and pull up straight.