1999 Rover Mini 40th Anniversary - 8,000 Miles

By 1986, Austin Rover was reformed as the slimmer, more premium-orientated Rover Group and it was odds-on that the Mini would be dropped from the line-up thanks to healthy sales of the Metro. However it wasn’t and the Mini was marketed as a stand-alone brand, being kept alive with several special editions and clever advertising slogans, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 1989.

The Mini was lightly revised in 1992 so that the 1,275cc engine could be fitted on the production line, creating the Mk 6 – generally regarded as the first of the ‘Rover Minis’, with the Cooper becoming a regular production model. It was well-received and gave the Mini a stay of execution, with the 998cc A-Series engine being gradually phased out in favour of the Cooper’s 1,275cc fuel-injected unit throughout the range.

When the final Mk 7 version of the classic Mini appeared in 1996, total production had declined to a low of 16,000 units a year. The Mini, built by BMW-controlled Rover, was a very different car under the skin to its predecessor and now came with a long list of optional extras; by now, all Minis were fitted with a 63bhp, twin-point, fuel-injected, 1,275cc A-Series engine.

The end for the classic Mini finally came on 4th October 2000, when the last car rolled of the production line at Longbridge to the soundtrack of the film The Italian Job and thunderous applause from the gathered crowd of workers, management and journalists and now, 25 years on, a 1990s Mini makes a tempting classic proposition.

'Marking four decades as the world's favourite small car, the distinctive new Mini 40 Limited Edition combines elements from the 1960s with the very latest in style. This highly desirable limited edition celebrates Mini's long-standing position as a design icon. It is safe to say that no other car packs so much style into such a small space.' – so said Rover Cars in March 1999.

One of a host of Mini special editions which commenced with the 'Limited Edition 1000' of 1976, the '40' marked the 40th anniversary of the Mini's introduction and was the penultimate Mini LE model produced. The luxuriously appointed '40' boasted a full leather interior with piping complemented by a brushed alloy dash incorporating additional instruments and a radio/CD player. The dashboard top was leather as were the gear-knob grip and door pockets.

The driver's airbag and front seatbelt tensioners were other features unheard of when the original had been launched 40 years before, while externally, a large bore exhaust finisher, twin driving lamps, body-colour wheel arch extensions and 13" Minilite-style alloy wheels shod with low profile tyres enhanced the look, as did spotlights and a gold-plated bonnet badge. The engine was the standard Rover Mini Cooper unit equipped with electronic fuel-injection and three-way catalyst producing 63bhp.

Just 250 cars were manufactured for the UK-market, the colour scheme split being 150 in Mulberry Red, 50 each in Old English White and 50 Island Blue cars.

The car presented here is a 1999 Mini 40th Anniversary in Island Blue. Remarkably, this car has had just the single registered lady owner and has covered a mere 8,000 miles from new. Due to its astonishing condition, it is multi-show winning car, with numerous photos and magazine articles documenting its exploits in the accompanying history file. This Mini has never been restored and is completely original – including paint – and still on its original tyres and exhaust.

It's further enhanced by a large history file with the original Bill of Sale, every MOT certificate from new and full servicing history – all supporting its low mileage. It has just been serviced and MOT’d prior to sale and is supplied with all the original manuals, both keys and fobs, the original presentation case and its stamped service book.

Representing the pinnacle of the late Rover Mini incarnations, a firm must-have for any classic Mini fan or collector, this must be one of the best available today. With just 8,000 miles covered and in a rarely seen state of preservation, this single owner from new example is of collector quality and needs to be seen to be fully appreciated.