459 replies to this topic

[mab01uk]

In an earlier post somebody mentioned how the owner of the last Mini which left Longbridge is going to be pissed...yes, yes they are. Rover should have had a quick look around before announcing it

However nothing really wrong with the last Rover Mini in 2000 still being known as the last Mini 'manufactured' at Longbridge while the 1275GT becomes the last to leave the Longbridge factory site.

[CobraV8]

What a cool story. My opinion is to get the car back to a standard car for the year and model. When it is all done it would always be welcome at any mini showing.

[petehuws]

Video of the Longbridge tunnels:



Rover MG, Longbridge:
http://www.28dayslat...ight=longbridge

Looks like the trailer for the next Resident Evil / Alien movie.

Edited by petehuws, 14 December 2012 - 12:08 PM.

[IainNeon91]

Very well done for getting it out i say! It had the intentions in being finished, so why not try to restore it? It will always be known as 'the last mini to leave Longbridge' that's it's history right there. (As long as you keep good proof/evidence e.g. Pictures, articles and other text's about the find.)

I send you luck with the restoration and i hope you can bring this beauty back to it's former glory!

(Plenty of updates with pictures please )

Edited by IainNeon91, 20 December 2012 - 11:42 AM.

[Vulcan]

I've just caught up with this thread and I've got to say I hope this little beast hits the road in style!

Hmmm..... With a whole bundle of NOS parts, theoretically it really would be the last Mini to be built and registered.

Edited by Vulcan, 20 December 2012 - 09:41 PM.

[aspicer0]

I think you should do what you want with the clubman as long as you keep updating the Pics
as that austin mini christmas advert on tv MINIs have feelings to.all the best in the restoration make the dream come true.

[aspicer0]

Opps wrong add that was for the new mini which I did not know they made this is the correct one.

[ibrooks]

Like others have said some of the attitudes expressed here just baffle me - especially given "where" we are. If it had been left there then it would be gone (if not by now then sooner rather than later) so that would just have been pointless. I too had entertained thoughts of rescuing it when I saw the pics on 28 days later but not being local or having any sort of connection with the site owners the logistics were just against it ever becoming a reality for me.

Registering it...... the big question is does it have a VIN? If it has then it should be easy. If not then there are still methods (proper legal ones) but it can be difficult as you need to prove things like it's age and origins to bureaucrats - get the right one and it's plain sailing, get the wrong one and it's a nightmare. I really hope it can be registered.

What you do with it now - well it's legally yours so you do whatever the hell you want to do with it. My opinion..... I would try to restore it to "as new" condition. I get what some people are saying about leaving the dents in place but I don't see that a dent adds anything to a car and lets face it - it's a car. If they could be pinned down as to who what where and why then I MIGHT think about leaving them but random dents picked up in unknown incidents at unknown times..... I'd say get rid. Given what we do know about it's history I don't think there will ever be a way to pin down for certain what really happened to it - even the stories aired here are subject to doubt as, whilst they may well have happened, there's unlikely ever to be any way to say that they relate to THIS car. Sat on a plinth in "as found" condition..... well it's a lump of metal with a bit of a story that ended the day it was mounted. I'd document carefully all work that was done to it and as much as possible try to repair original panels without replacing them but it would be dent free and shiny. I'd keep any restoration "sympathetic" so far as anything that went on would be as near as possible to an original part and any modifications would be minimal and what might have been available as a factory/dealer option. Above all it would be a living and breathing car adding to it's story every time you drive it or take it somewhere.

I wouldn't even be precious about the miles I put on it - that way leads to it sitting in a garage under a cover for the rest of time. I would keep a log of miles done and doing what (driving around, going to the MOT station, going to xxx-show etc.) but it wouldn't prevent me from driving it and adding miles.

So long as you can keep as much as possible of the car that was sat in the tunnel (and prove it) in the finished article then it will always be that car and I think it will have far more appeal if it's out and about under it's own power than any stuffed and mounted display item.

But then that's all just my opinion.

Iain

[MrElliott]

just spent 3hrs reaading all of this Love it!

and i think you are doing the right thing by restoring it to do what it should have been in the first place... a mini

my only qustions are why is there only 11 miles on the clock?

And why were you so secretive with it when you removed it?

it looks like its taken alot of abuse from vandals and it deseves to be on the road not buried....

would love to see the restoration and find out some more information about its story

Elliott

[stevem4323]

hi elliot ...there is 11 miles on the clock as at some stage it was a complete car ..there is no secrecy with the removal just we never had any cameras as it was down a dark tunnel and it was a spur of the moment thing ...and also had i done the right thing as i knew i would come up against some haters i have a facebook group called the longbridge tunnel mini please feel free to join it will be one of the places i will document the restoration
https://www.facebook...79852662155025/

[Sleeping Park Lane]

I've just sat here and read the whole thread through (yeah, my Friday nights rock! )

All I can say is all power to you Steve; leaving it down there to get crushed and rot would have been a sad finale for this famous Mini.

Best of luck with the restoration - you can tell there's loads of us looking forward to following it.

Cheers,
Steve

[stevem4323]

yes my friday nights rock too ....thanks for the good comments from all of you

[Orange-Phantom]

What a brilliant story!

You definitely did the right thing in rescuing the shell, kudos for you for turning down £20,000 as well, I've got to totally respect you for that and at the end of the day money isn't everything..... happiness is!

For me personally I would try to restore it back to how it would have come from the factory, that just my piece of advise. Just remember that the worse vice is advise!!

To me it's a piece of metal at the mo, it's only until it becomes a true complete mini that you can drive and have fun with it and then it becomes alive!!

I'm very lucky to own the Miniworld Project 45 car. She gets driven and I bloody well enjoy it! Very soon when we get some decent weather and I've put a few more miles on the Engine I'm going to open her up properly over mountain. I fully intend on getting the speedo well into the 3 figure territory! That doesn't mean that I'm not going to look after her properly but it's what she was built for! I've already modded her by making up some stub stacks (try buying one for a DCOE 38) and adding an air filter instead of having the tea strainer filters. Next I'm going to change the dash (it will look very cool but also retro and classy), and then I'm happy!

What I'm getting at is remember that this is now your car and ultimately you can do whatever you want to it. I think so far you are doing the right thing, just follow your gut and do what you want to. Oh and enjoy it!!!

[stealth05]

Just read the whole thread and i agree this deserves to be restored ,as for a reshell how do you reshell a car that has never had any ID ? this needs to be done with original shell and repaired original panels and use every bit that is still attached to the shell ,also anyone who has illegally or legally been down the tunnel and removed parts from this shell should pass the parts onto Steve for use on the restoration (i am sure there will be someone on here that has)


looking forward to watching the resto come the new year .

Good luck Steve and all the best with the build my friend .

[joakwin]

i would love to see this car re-done, dont bin a mini- save a mini

steve, your doing the right thing by saving this car

ps, if you replace any panels on this car, i would love to get a small bit of cut off panel metal from this old shell,
so i can frame the metal with a pic of the car
and then i'll be able to say i have a small bit of the last mini to leave the factory grounds

thats how much i love mini's and how much they mean to me