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1997 Rover Mini Balmoral

£££ SOLD £££

 

Well, where do I start? This lovely little 1997 Mini ‘Balmoral’ has an MOT until July 2015. This particular example has clearly been very well cared for throughout its life, and it really does show. Subject to a bare-metal restoration a few years ago, it has been cared for with no expenses spared since. It’s ready to go into daily use now, or just to keep as a fun weekend car!

I have history with the car which includes a fully-stamped Rover Service book, along with a great deal of old MOTs, and some recent bills for work. Recent works includes:

 

  • ·         New head gasket

  • ·         Re-skimmed cylinder head

  • ·         New Water pump and thermostat

  • ·         New exhaust downpipe and lambda sensor

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These late non-Sportspack cars actually handle better than the Sportspack ones, as there is much less unsprung weight with these narrower wheels and tyres – and they ride much more nicely too! They are much more of a ‘genuine’ Mini, in my eyes!

Bodily, the car is very, very tidy for an example of this age. Yes, there are a few areas of VERY minior bubbling and blistering but as you can see from the pics, this really isn’t an issue at all. The wings are all solid behind the arches, and the roof gutters are all in great shape too. Structurally the car is great, having had new sills fitted at some point. Floors are all solid, as are the subframes and boot floor.

Tyres are good, and the original alloys are in good shape. The car stops in a straight line, and pulls well. The engine sounds very sweet indeed, and the gearbox selects all gears nicely, without any crunches, and doesn’t jump out of gear either, like most Minis seem to! The interior is very clean indeed – the seats are in super condition, as are the carpets and dashboard. Again, this is all original ‘Balmoral’ spec, bar the CD player (with aux input).

Balmoral Minis are much more desirable than the majority of other special editions – so grab an absolute bargain here!

This is a bargain price for a fantastic car which attracts a great deal of attention wherever it goes. Obviously it’s not a concourse show car but it’s very good indeed, and is ready to use and enjoy. You must remember that running a Mini isn’t like a modern Japanese Honda or equivalent – there will be bits and bobs to do from time to time, but generally you’ll be able to fix it yourself, because they’re so simple!

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