A collection of Morris 1959 Minis which are on the register.
Owned since 2007.
Words by current owner Richard Farrell August 2016. 14 Photos José Carlos Afonso Rodríguez de Vera has taken over 2 years to acquire the only 1959 Mini we currently know of in the Canaries.
Jose’s Morris is infact the only 59 known of anywhere in Spain. 7 Photos David Jones - Clipper Blue (Originally Cherry Red) Morris
Jan 2013 At present 15th oldest surviving Morris Mini.
Jan 2015 Restoration work is moving at a pace now on 620 GFC, the floors fully restored and painted (see latest photographs).
Extract from Bonhams auction of this car.
See Bonhams auction details here. 24 Photos Nick Belton - Clipper Blue 8th September built Morris,
A video of 360 XMU can be seen here in 1984 on British morning television.
7 Photos Jeremy Pennell - Clipper Blue Morris. 9 Photos Nicky Cobb - Cherry Red December built Morris. 7 Photos Clipper Blue August built Morris. Now resides in Japan (2012). 10 Photos Colin Harrison - Cherry Red Morris. 5 Photos Ian Sims - Clipper Blue 9th July built Morris. Believed to be the first Morris Mini on the Isle of Wight. 8 Photos Now owned by Peter Hodgson (June 2017). Cherry Red Morris mini built 16th - 18th September, dispatched 24th September. 4 Photos Oliver Bos - Clipper Blue 18th September built Morris. 7 Photos John - Old English White Morris. As found and never restored. 31 Photos Turtle Trading in Japan - Clipper Blue October built Morris. 2 Photos Stefan Sellin - Morris in Germany 19 Photos Rob Linnard - Cherry Red Morris 8 Photos Barrie Davies - Cherry Red Morris 5 Photos Indian 1959 Mini
A few months ago I was talking to Dave Gate, a car restoration specialist in Nantwich, who told me he was going on holiday to Goa. I told him I knew of someone with what was probably the only surviving Mini in the country. I gave him the contact details and a few weeks later Dave is there looking at the Mini.
Dave and his wife have become good friends with Milind and his family and are going back to see them in Goa next year. Maybe he will take a few spare parts for him.
Trevor Ripley.
25 Photos Tim Smith's late August Morris
It was the September launch car for the main Morris dealers of Graham & Roberts, Carlisle, it was then bought by a Morris dealer in Workington for his wife. I purchased the car back in 1980 for £100 from the house/garage clearance sale and restored her over a number of years. We finally got her back on the road in 1982, she still has most of her original parts including the original steel rear radius arms, floor, sills etc.
It is very much a local car having moved from Carlisle to Workington and now back to Cockermouth. 3 Photos Rajeewa Adikaram owns what might be the only 1959 Mini in Sri Lanka, It was imported to Sri Lanka in 1960 to Matara Tea Estate. 4 Photos Willie van Gemert - Morris Mini
Willie van Gemert in the Netherlands has owned his pre-launch Basic Morris for a number of years competing on the Le Jog the Winter Challenge and the Mini Europe rally in it over the years.
Willie is starting a restoration back to original specification. 1 Photos
Had a service body between Oct 59 and April 60 before it was registered.
Reason unknown...may have been a guinea pig for water leak mastic or the later footwells smashed up maybe??..who knows??
Service body tag still fitted.
Oddball as was supposed to be CKD NZ but never got dispatched.
Presume a faulty/damaged shell and held back and shoved down line later on?
The late 59 service engine tag is another pointer to this.
Sold to an employee of Wadhams Motor Group at a special discount price with limited warranty.
I have the sales invoice.
Original unwelded underbody.
Optional dealer applied underseal left intact to keep cars patina.
Restored by myself in 2015/ 2016
Over-bored original 850cc engine with subtle period mods but looks externally standard.
Baulk ring synchro and dry crank conversion.
Original front seats repaired/restitched.
Rear seat base has no beading on bolster.
Newton bespoke to pattern/texture carpet set.
The December built Morris resides in Tenerife and is undergoing restoration. Jose is looking for many missing period parts so will be on the lookout for them over the next few years.
"Manufactured in 1959, this very early Morris Mini Minor is the 529th example produced. Refinished in blue but originally cherry red, '620 GFC' enjoyed one owner for approximately 50 years and has been in barn storage for the last 35-40, possibly placed there following damage to the off-side front wing. It is believed that the engine was reconditioned at some time."
In need of total restoration and a further project for the new owner.
Thought to be the second Mini to take up residence on the Isle of Wight.
We have over 150 cars recorded on the 1959 Mini Register from all around the world. A few of these surviving early Minis do turn up in unusual locations.
In the first 2 years of Mini production a very small number of cars were exported to Goa to the one and only dealership there. One of these Minis was bought by the garage manager for his wife. It eventually was passed on to her son, Milind Angle who still owns and uses the car. It is most likely it is unique now on the roads of India. Because of the lack of spare parts for the Mini, Milind has to improvise a little to keep the car running. The 10’’ wheels have long gone as that tyre size is not available. The brake and clutch master cylinders are gone too to be replaced by ones off some sort of minibus. The floors have been fabricated and the drive shafts modified. It all works though enabling Milind to keep the Mini on the road. The car has clocked over 100000km. The car was originally Old English White when it left Cowley in 1959 but has been painted yellow since and is now Red & White.
The car stopped in the same family run garage until it closed in the late 1970's.
It had been off the road for many years and had sat at the back of the workshop, the original owners would not sell her.
It needed very little body work we only had to replace the door skins, and the only bit of rust was when the garage drilled the gutter drainage holes, as you may know the early car did not have them and for some reason they drilled a hole into the "A" panel which got rid of the water.
However it did cause some rust problems inside one of the pillars.
We have won a few show and received the trophy for oldest Mini in Cumbria and class winner on its 50th birthday.
Obviously modified through it’s life it is none the less a remarkable survivor.
Willie says and has been garaged now since competing on the SLS rally (Scheveningen Luxemburg Scheveningen).
