The Mk7 Mini was collectable from the outset – but these revised classics can still be troublesome. Here’s what to look for....
Twenty years ago, the notion of spending upwards of £10,000 on a 20-year old Mini would have seemed ridiculous. Back then, a Mini of such vintage was still easily attainable for under £1,000.
But how times have changed. With obsolescence comes nostalgia – and in the case of the Rover Mini, that nostalgia has bred some pretty serious collectability. The last-of-the-line cars are among some of the most desirable Minis ever made, yet despite years of practice, the build quality was still reminiscent of the British Leyland’s ‘glory’ days.
It was in 1996 that the Mini Mk7 first appeared and, although it was known that it would be the Mini’s last hurrah, the final revision was actually one of the biggest that the Mini was given in its 41-year life. The move was in recognition of a fundamental shift in Mini owners’ buying habits. No longer was the Mini a small car bought by families or customers seeking a budget city car as a runabout.
At the car’s launch at the 1996 Paris Motor Show, Rover’s press material announced: “Typical Mini buyers are now less likely to be families seeking a second or third car, but increasingly tend to be single, well-educated professional and managerial people desiring a fashion statement.
“The 1997 Mini sees an important step-change in the development and projection of the Mini brand by reverting to a classically simple and straightforward range that emphasises the strength of the brand, taking it firmly upmarket.”
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