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NEWS
Subterranean Mini surfaces for auction
Saved from fossilisation 'the last Mini to leave Longbridge' is up for saleIt's not in the same league as 'The Lady Be Good', but a sense of mystery surrounds an original British Leyland Mini that has earned the title of 'the last Mini to leave Longbridge'.
Now up for sale, the car has just 11 miles on the odometer, but is not in what you would call mint condition. According to Silverstone Auctions, on behalf of the vendor, the car had been built during the 1970s but remained on site at Longbridge in the UK to ferry workers around the plant where it was built.
The car, a Mini Clubman 1275 GT, was severely damaged – reportedly after a shipping container fell on it. Workers at the plant 'secretly' dumped the wrecked Mini in a tunnel underneath the plant. Does anyone smell some factory hijinks going on back in the 1970s?
Once word got out that the factory's new owners planned to fill in the tunnels underneath the site, a former worker requested permission to remove the wreck before work commenced. That makes the car the last of its type to leave the plant, having remained in the tunnel for around 30 years.
The Mini will go to auction, without reserve, on July 27 at the Silverstone racing circuit. Managing Director for Silverstone Auctions, Nick Whale has a vested interest in talking up the car's legacy, but there's no doubt its recovery from the Longbridge tunnel confers upon the Mini some curiosity value.
"Without doubt, this has got to be one of the most fascinating cars we’ve ever secured for auction," the auction house MD was quoted saying in a press release. "It made international headlines when it was rescued from underneath the factory and has caused a fair amount of controversy in the Mini community, as some people would have preferred it was left in the tunnels as a hidden memorial.
"However, now that it’s been recovered we’re absolutely thrilled to offer it for auction at the Silverstone Classic Sale and it goes without saying that we expect it will attract a lot of attention."
Perhaps an Aussie visitor to the UK during the last week of July might pick up the car for a song. It would just about fit in the carry-on baggage for the journey home...
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Written byCarsales Staff
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