1971 Morris Mini Van (850)

*** Private Sale ***

This Mini Van owned by Gordon is up for sale, read about his restoration over the years below.

Please read the How it Works page for more information and our Terms and Conditions of sale.

Recent Buyer Review – Eamonn McParland on 11th May “From my first general enquiry through to the purchase of my very own MGA, Adam and the team at Trade Classics were quite simply, awesome.  I fully recommend Trade Classics without hesitation nor reservation to everyone who is seeking a classic car.  A brilliant business model, supported by a really neat and usable website though ultimately managed by a great group of professional, sincere and trustworthy people”. Click here to see this and all reviews on Trustpilot.

The Mini Van (also known as the 850) was produced from 1960-1983, this particular year produced by Morris. This variant featured a longer body of 3.4m in length built on the Traveller chassis. The rear of the van featuring two doors that open up to allow ample access to the rear of the vehicle.

Over 500,000 Mini Vans were produced during the years. It was often used as an alternative to a car, with it being cheaper to run through its classification as a “commercial” vehicle meaning no tax to pay.

This Mini Van has been restored with care over a number of years by the current owner, Gordon. You can read a bit more about this below.

Always having a passion and love for Minis, Gordon found himself acquiring the Morris Mini 850 van from a friend in August 2014 and since has been spending his free time restoring it to the lovely condition you see it in today.

Over the years Gordon has done a full restoration. It was previously found in a flooded garage, and required a lot of love and care to bring it back to life. The floor, sills, front end, subframe, doors, fuel tank, shock absorbers, clutch, oil pump and steering rack have all been replaced and the rear arches welded. The brakes have been reconditioned. The upper-half of the car only required a little tlc, light cleaning, keeping the roof, sun visors, and rear view mirror all original along with the exhaust which produced a lovely tune of the 1970’s as we cruised down the country lanes.

The car has lovely gloss blue coat, sprayed twice, as the first job wasn’t quite up to Gordon’s liking. And finished with lovely tan leather upholstery that looks stunning against the blue. Being Gordon’s personal project for the past few years, the attention to detail he’s put in really shows. You can see images of the work in progress in the media section below, and Gordon’s passion is clear when you look at this video he made to document the restoration; https://youtu.be/hO7NbfVDZUM.

Having been fully restored, and barely used by Gordon (and only on dry days), the exterior of the car is stunning. Finished in what we believe to be “Riviera Blue”, the Mini Van looks stunning and almost straight from the factory.

Wheels & Tyres
Steel wheels with chrome hubcaps haven’t suffered any serious corrosion, and look in great condition, as seen on the technical images below.

Bodywork
Fantastic. Where needed, due to water damage and rust, panels have been replaced. The car has undergone professional restoration, and finished to a very high standard.

Paint
The paintwork looks stunning throughout, even colour and finish across all panels. We believe the car is finished in “Riviera Blue”, sadly the chassis plate does not list the paint code. There is some slight cracking of paint on the sills that can be seen in the media.

Glass and Trim
The glass all looks in original condition with the British kite mark, and the seals have been replaced as part of the restoration.

Finished with recently reupholstered tan leather seats with grey carpets, the interior is clean, free from signs of wear and very comfortable.

Seats and Carpets
The seats and carpet have been recently replaced to a high standard lovely tan leather seats with grey carpets. The seats show no sign of wear and the carpet looks unworn.

Dashboard
The cars dashboard just features a simple Smiths odometer and speedo. And four simple switches.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick
These look in original condition, take a look at the media detailing the wear on both the steering wheel and gear stick.

Myself and Gordon took the Mini 850 Van down the country roads to a viewpoint near Goodwood. It started from cold on the first attempt, and was a fun little ride out.

Engine and Gearbox
The engine pulled nicely with no issues, starting from cold and idling while hot without any issues. No smoke seen, and inside the engine bay was cleaned, and restored. The on the road video shows the van going through its gears with no issues.

Suspension and Brakes
The car felt just like a Mini should as a passenger, firm but fair I would say. There were no rattles heard on our trip, and the car stopped like it should do too.

The Drive
The 848cc engine pulled nicely along the country roads, keeping speed going through the gears as seen on the on the road video.

Electrics and Other
The central dials on the dash worked as expected, and Gordon informed us that all the electricals work as they should.

Since purchasing and restoring, Gordon has kept all of the receipts of the work carried out and parts purchased. You can see these in the media section below.

Gordon knew the previous two keepers of the car, and so although there is no history verifying the mileage, he believes it to be accurate.

The car is showing just over 37,647 as of 17.11.2018.

HPi Check Results
– Clear – See results in images below.

Mileage Records
– 10.03.2016 – 34,767 miles – MOT
– 07.06.2017 – 36,503 miles – MOT

The Mini, and all the variants, are British design icons. There is no doubt that they will stand the test of time, and always have a place in peoples’ hearts the world over.

The versatility of this little car was shown in its use as a daily driver for the average man, rally race winner, and like this example, a utility vehicle.

This is a great example for someone to cherish with the recent work that Gordon has completed to fully restore this lovely van to its original condition.