Type of body: Hatchback (2 drs)
Number of cylinders: 4
Upholstery: Alcantara
Service history: Present
Number of owners: 3
Registration number: JB-PN-58

Rover Mini British Open 1.3i, 1994. Three owners, 59,224 km, service books from new.

There are cars you always assumed you would buy one day. Someday. When you were grown up. When you had the money. When you finally had a driveway of your own. The original Mini was one of those cars. Not because it was fast, not because it was luxurious, and certainly not because it was practical. But because it was simply irresistible. A sort of dachshund on wheels: too small, too low, too stubborn, and precisely for that reason impossible not to love.

My stepmother used to have one, almost exactly like the one standing here now. A green Kensington version, also with an open roof and those wonderful Minilite sausage wheels. Whenever we went somewhere, I always wanted to take the Mini, and my father would groan because at 1.95m and 130kg he really had to squeeze himself in. And if a shoehorn is needed to get him out again, those are still the loveliest memories. And memories of a classic Mini are something nearly everyone has.

The Mini is, of course, a British icon. Alec Issigonis designed it in the late 1950s as an answer to the Suez Crisis and the petrol shortage that came with it. The result was a masterpiece of packaging: a transversely mounted engine, front-wheel drive, wheels pushed into the corners, and an interior that could hold four adults while the car itself was shorter than most sofas. The Queen drove one. Mr. Bean drove one. Michael Caine chased through the sewers of Turin in one in The Italian Job. And my father just about fitted in one.

The story continues on our website, where the full file is kept as well. 68 photographs. The service history, scanned in full. The Carfax report. Paint thickness measured panel by panel.

Every car here follows the same route: first pre-market, then the showroom, and finally the live auction on our own site. What changes is the way you buy, not the location — once a car has arrived, it stays with us in Katwijk. This one is in the showroom and you are welcome to come and see it, no appointment needed. You buy it here at a fixed price: no bidding, no waiting. Our showroom in Katwijk, 30 km from Amsterdam Schiphol, is open Mon–Fri 9–18 and Sat 10–17. Call ahead and it will be standing ready, with someone free for you.

Within the EU no customs duty arises on this purchase. Registration tax and registration costs in your own country are not included. We supply the export documents and assist with the registration. The price shown is the full price for collection in Katwijk. We arrange insured door-to-door transport worldwide, cost quoted per destination beforehand.

Prefer a different colour or specification than this example? Tell us what you are looking for — another Rover we can often find through our network of marque specialists and collectors, outside the listings. Have one of your own: we buy exceptional cars outright, classic or modern.

Our showroom measures 6,000 m², with over 150 cars under one roof. You are just as welcome if you are not buying — walk around, take your time and enjoy the cars; sharing the enthusiasm is half of it.