Incredibly original 1970 Mini 1275 GT sets new model benchmark at £39,100 during the Classic Car Auctions sale at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show
A remarkably untouched ‘garage find’ Mini 1275 GT has smashed through its £10,000–12,000 estimate to sell for a remarkable £39,100 during the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show held at Birmingham’s NEC – setting what we believe to be a record new figure for the model.
The car was put under the hammer as part of a two-day sale by Classic Car Auctions (CCA), and attracted huge levels of interest. As an early 1970 Mini 1275 GT it was already special enough, with features like Hydrolastic suspension (discontinued from 1971) and the bonnet stay on the left-hand side – a feature of very early Clubman-fronted Minis only. However, the Bronze Yellow example was even more notable, having covered just 11,936 miles in the hands of one owner.
The car was thought to have been in storage in a Buckinghamshire garage for the past 33 years, with its last tax disc having expired in 1990. CCA reported that the car’s bodywork and interior remained in remarkable condition, and it certainly looked as if a good wash would’ve worked wonders. The engine bay, however, was not so good and the Mini will undoubtedly need a full mechanical recommission after three decades off the road.
The 1275 GT was famously derided as a poor Mini Cooper replacement, lacking the original’s performance and sporting the Clubman front-end treatment. Attitudes have changed over the years and now the model’s fortunes have changed for the better – and early cars especially are now highly prized. Indeed, we expected this example’s estimate to be beaten, but perhaps not quite so comprehensively.
