Wheeler Dealers: Mini Mark 1 850

SYNOPSIS

Bought from a private seller in Chepstow, whose family had owned the car since new. The car had not been driven on the road since 2006, so Mike began with a primer on how to safely start the engine. Mike mentioned there were only 81 Mini 850 MK1s registered in the UK. The car achieved an indicated 90 mph after the engine improvements. Sold at asking price.

Work Completed: Fitted new spark plugs as part of the process to start the engine after having sat idle for over a decade, replaced the missing primary and secondary clutch cylinders with period correct metal units, refurbished the external chrome brightwork using a spray chrome process, replaced the front drum brakes with disc brake units including new CV joints, skimmed the cylinder head for higher compression, added lead free valve seats for unleaded fuel, ported the head, added a new carburettor, camshaft, exhaust manifold and oil temperature gauge and repainted the engine bay and wheels.