The 8th oldest Mini is up for auction unrestored. What would you do? Would you leave as is never to be driven again or would you restore it?

http://jalopnik.com/5904073/the-olde...tion/gallery/1

 

thats a tough call.

i'd restore it to proper mechanical order, then DD it.

 

I'd restore it to factory spec. and nothing more.

-Chase

 

No matter the car or the value, I'd always lean towards originality. But then again, I buy (or try to) cars in a condition I can live with. This is a tough call, but I'd try to keep the cosmetics original, and restore all the mechanicals. They are only original once, and restored cars don't interest me nearly as much. But I wouldn't fault anyone for doing a quality original spec restoration on any car in this condition.

 

I wouldn't restore it, but I would get it running & driving. I would not restore / rebuild the drive line / suspension, just get it running well and safe to drive using NOS OEM parts, ie. required maintenance that you would typically do if you were using it as an occasional driver, nothing more. This way it is maintained drive-able car but still unrestored.

 

I know it is a classic Brit car but it is a shame it got to this condition.

 

Sad, sad, sad......

 

I'd lower it and plastidip the heck out of it.

I agree with you Porthos and drsimmons - it's really sad to see the condition it's in. I guess on the bright side at least the owner didn't junk it, but I'm not sure they deserve to keep the $28K.

 

It's right hand drive! I've driven left hand drive cars in the UK and it's not that much fun especially when passing on a 2 lane road, You have to expose a lot of your car to oncoming traffic before you can see if it's clear to proceed. Nicely restored US spec early 60s Minis are available for half the price of this rust bucket.

 

I would restore it but it is something that definitely needs to be in a museum but occasionally driven to proper antique car shows like Concours D'Elegance. This is a car that is more on the historical value, not just being a classic Mini.

If you want to do a resto-mod of some sort, there are plenty of other classic Minis that aren't holding the same historical importance.

 

I'd lower it and plastidip the heck out of it.


I laughed for 5 minutes!!! now that was funny.

 

Hell-MF-No!!! waste of time and money. Mostley money!!!

 

That is not the point. It is the 8th oldest Mini in existence.

 

Then buy it and restore it. Left as is it will eventually rust completely away and collapse from its own weight.

 

If I could afford to purchase it for what they are predicting it will go for then I probably have alternate means of transportation and possibly another early Mini. If that were the case then I couldn't restore that Mini. I'd do my best to preserve it. It is a piece of history.

 

No way that car should be allowed to deteriorate any more than it already has. Restore it for sure. Then drive it. Maybe not DD but drive it. Cars are built to be experienced and driven, not sit in hermetically sealed garages or museums.

 

I'd restore it, then VTEC swap it

 

So you would restore it. That is what I was asking basically because that is what the article is asking. $24k is a lot of money for a non restored car but this one has some significance.

 

The only logical reason to buy it is if you intend to restore it. That poor little car has been horribly neglected for many yrs. It will not survive without some restoration. If it were just a matter of faded paint and shabby upholstery you could leave it as is but the rust appears too far advanced to keep it alive without some serious sheet metal restoration.

 

Give a restoration!

 

I always thought that authenticity increases market value with antique cars.

 

The structural solidity of this car is probably already in question - so at minimum it requires a lot of body work, and a lot of sheet metal replaced. Now does that count as a restoration?? I think yes. Left to its own devices its just going to rot away to nothing. As it is, its unusable. I'd restore it to original factory spec, which, unfortunately, is going to require a lot of new body panels and a lot of work to the bare shell.

 

But if you replace everything is it really the 8th oldest Mini. Ship of Thesus stuff with this one.

 

I agree with others that this one would require lots of "help" to get running and safe to operate. Although it may be of historic importance I think it's too far gone to simply be rehabilitated. It's an intersting paperweight unless you have very deep pockets.