1969 Morris Minor

We are pleased to be offering for sale a beautifully restored Minor, manufactured in 1969. Production was to cease a year later so this is a very late example. It is the more practical four-door model and comes with the most powerful engine.

From the extensive paperwork which accompanies the car, we can see it was subject to a restoration in the late ‘90s. At that time, it was still in the ownership we believe of its first owner, a nurse by profession. She owned the car until early 2011 when it passed into the hands of another long-term owner.

Under his careful stewardship, the Minor was restored once again, to what looks like a high standard. Since the work was completed, just a handful of miles have been added.

Our sellers purchased the car at auction, and it was intended to export the car to Florida, but plans have now changed and so an opportunity now presents itself to own this small slice of English motoring history.

We can see that some new body panels were purchased during the Minor’s last restoration. There is no trace of an invoice for the respray, but whoever carried out the work clearly knew what they were doing. The finish is really very good, and the car has clearly been correctly stored and protected since the work was completed.

Green is the car’s original colour and suits the it rather well.

The chromework appears to be in tiptop order too and there’s plenty of it. We suspect most of it is either new or has been splendidly refurbished.

New wheels have been fitted and tyres are a mixed bag, though all have plenty of tread.

We do note that the Minor appears to be sitting lower than standard, no doubt some adjustments to the suspension set up have been made. There is an invoice for new five-leaf springs and polybushes.

Minors were never overly luxurious places to be, but the interiors do possess a delightfully utilitarian charm. Instrumentation is taken care of by the large central dial and the odometer is reading 59,674.

The dash looks as though it was repainted when the exterior was redone, along with the other areas of exposed metal.

The door cards and seats we suspect are the original items and they show very minimal traces of wear. The seats are a little grubby, but we think some gentle cleaning may well yield good results. Carpets from what we can see look fine and have been replaced. The grey headlining was renewed.

The boot is a reasonable size and a full-size spare is easily accessible under the boot floor.

The one slightly incongruous item that the observant may have spotted is the gear lever, which comes from a Ford. A replacement five-speed gearbox has been fitted by the previous owner. It should make for more relaxed high-speed cruising.

We always include plenty of photographs of a car’s underside and this we have done here. There are many new parts clearly visible and from the condition we can see that the car has hardly been driven since the last restoration was completed.

There are just one or two places where a little surface corrosion is visible, which should be dealt with sooner rather than later. Add some underseal for added protection from the elements – prevention is far better than cure!

The diminutive A-Series engine looks a tad lost in what is quite a generous sized engine bay. We are told it runs well too by our seller, though it should be borne in mind that it has barely been driven these last few years. A little tune-up/fettling would not be unexpected, but all work is easily tackled by the competent home mechanic – nothing complicated here!

According to the invoice from Recon Transmissions, dated February 2012, a Ford Type 9 gearbox was supplied. We believe it will have originated from a Sierra.

This lovely Minor was first supplied by dealer Harry James and Son in Liverpool to Mrs L Heach, who we believe was the nurse who then kept the car for some 42 years. It then passed into the hands of the only its second owner who owned it until fairly recently.

The original service book still accompanies the car and is a delight to see. A first service was carried out after just 783 miles, back in the days of course where careful running in was required. An early oil change was essential. There is also the driver’s handbook, slightly grubby but a source of useful information.

Some old MoT certificates are available, but some online research tells us that the Minor was last tested in February 2018. No advisories were recorded, and the mileage recorded was 59,660. Just 14 miles have since been added. In 2011 the odometer read 59,643.

In our photo gallery there is an extensive array of paperwork, which shows work done to the car in the ‘80s and ‘90s. A handwritten note would suggest some £13,910.80 was spent in total!

Of more interest perhaps is the extensive array of parts purchased by the last owner for the more recent restoration. He spent plenty with the Morris Minor Centre in Birmingham.

Most of the last decade of this Minor’s life was clearly spent undergoing a slow, but meticulous restoration. They were clearly years well spent and the car has been returned to its former glory and looks rather splendid.

Since the work was completed, the car has remained undriven which is such a shame. We do hope the lucky new owner will put some proper miles under those shiny new wheels. A world of car shows and other adventures awaits.

Expect a few minor issues when back on the road perhaps, but the hard work has undoubtedly been done and driving and ownership delights await. An ideal starter classic perhaps?

We expect a sale price of between £4,000 and £6,000 will be achieved.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.