When it was introduced in 1959, the Morris Mini was a complete game changer. While it wasn’t the first front-wheel-drive car that had hit the market, the combination of that transverse front engine driving the front wheels suddenly made it possible to fit 4 full sized adults and limited luggage into a car that was only just over 10 feet in length. Even the manufacturer of that other great people’s car, Volkswagen, eventually had to concede defeat and ditched their rear-engined Beetle in favor of the Golf. This particular Mini has some significance, so don’t let the fact that it is located in Spjald, Denmark, deter you. If you really want to own it, you will find it listed for sale here on eBay.

While there are many factors that will determine the value of a Mini, many people believe that it is the cars such as the Cooper S that command the highest prices. While this is true to a certain extent, build date can also have a huge impact upon values, and in recent times, the older minis are the ones that have commanded the highest prices. That’s where this particular car comes into the equation. This car rolled off the production line on the 16th July 1959, and it is only the 425th Mini built. That is something that will potentially give this car some value now and could see that value soar in the coming years. When you look at the car though, you can see that for such a small car, there is going to be one big restoration in front of the new owner. There are dents, dings, and marks everywhere. On the positive side, the owner is also including a huge inventory of spare parts, including mechanical components, panels, glass, and sundry other components, and all of these are specific to the 1959 model, so at least you are getting a bit of a head start.

There is no interior fitted to the Mini, but it does appear that amongst that supply of parts, there is a significant quantity of trim items, including seats. As a historical aside with the Mini, its very success was nearly its undoing. When it was introduced, Ford engineers and marketing staff in the UK couldn’t understand how BMC could build and sell the car so cheaply. Ford purchased an early Mini, had their engineers dismantle it, analyze the components, and find the answer. It turned out that BMC couldn’t make the car for the price, and were, in fact, losing £100 on every car that they sold. The outstanding success of the Mini very nearly destroyed the company.

There is some bad news with this car, and that is that while it has an engine and transmission, it is not numbers-matching. This is a real blow, as that will ultimately have some impact on the value of the restored vehicle. There is no indication as to whether the engine and transmission are the correct years, but it looks like there are at least one engine block and transmission in the spares collection, and these should be date-correct given the assurances that we’ve received from the owner.

This is where things start to get interesting. This Mini is apparently documented, which should verify its build date and authenticity. At the time of writing, there has only been one bid on this Mini. This is a bid of $5,500, and the reserve has not been met. Two recent sales give some indication as to the potential value of this car. A late 1959 Mini sold at auction in 2016 for $20,000, while a complete car which was built two weeks after this one sold recently for $65,000. This car isn’t complete, and it isn’t numbers-matching, so that is definitely going to impact its ultimate value. By just how much, I’m really not sure. This is one where if I was the person considering purchasing it, I would be seeking some pretty sound advice from a specialist.