Austin Classic Mini 1275cc Supercharged 1989

- 12 months MOT
- Perfect mechanical condition, runs and drives excellently
- Ready to enjoy this summer
- Garaged since new
- Sympathetically modified
- Just serviced
- Rebuilt 1275cc + Vmaxscart Eaton M45 Supercharger + Weber 40DOCE + Fast Road Head + SW5 cam
- Bespoke uprated straight cut gearbox built by Guessworks
- Excellent bodywork
- Completely structurally solid, sills, floors, subframes all in great condition
- Uprated poly bushed suspension components and EBC brakes fitted 2k miles ago
- 3 owners from new with incredible history file, every receipt retained, featured in magazine

Welcome to the listing for The Supercharged Austin Mini.

I purchased Lucia, who was named as such before my ownership, in 2015 from her second owner who had owned her since 2005. The original owner from 1989 to 2005 was an elderly lady who covered just 30,000 miles and kept her covered with a blanket in a warm garage! Lucia is a very late Austin Mini model, manufactured just weeks prior to the cars being rebranded as Rover Mini. The quasi-John Player Special look was created in 2006 by the previous owner who covered 50,000 miles over his 10 years of ownership. Shortly after purchasing in 2015, I set about rebuilding the mechanical components.

I fully rebuilt the engine in 2016, just 3k miles ago. Machine work was completed by Knight Engine Services, Northants. She is running uprated AE pistons, Swiftune SW5 camshaft, 12G940 ported fast road head with double valve springs, Swiftune 1.5 ratio roller rockers, tri-cut valve seats and enlarged combustion chambers for boost-friendly compression. She runs 8.5:1 compression with 10psi of boost. The transmission was rebuilt by Guessworks (well regarded as the world’s best builder of Mini transmissions) to have straight cut gears, straight cut drop gears, 3.1:1 final drive (cruises at 3500rpm at 70mph), new uprated x-pin differential and much more. The flywheel is a CNC turned EN8 steel billet MED Stage 2 Ultra Light flywheel with AP Racing heavy duty cover plate. The revs pick up like a motorcycle and there is no clutch slipping, even with the vastly increased torque. A new Maniflow big bore exhaust with fast road 3-into-1 manifold was fitted 3,000 miles ago. The Weber 40DCOE has been tuned using a wideband lambda. She has electronic ignition and standard Lucas vacuum advance curve with ignition retard on boost. She runs approximately 130bhp and 135 lb.ft. of torque.

The front suspension was rebuilt in 2018 with poly bushings in the appropriate places, GAZ adjustable shock absorbers, all new uprated anodised tie rods, ball joints and much more. The front brakes are uprated cross drilled ventilated discs with EBC Greenstuff pads, braided hoses, new callipers and a new master cylinder.

Lucia drives wonderfully, as you would rightfully expect with all the work and money spent on her! Although her engine is heavily modified, this is a car you can genuinely use every day without needing to worry about driving in traffic and keeps up with (and overtakes) modern traffic in all situations. The engine fires into life with a few squirts of the throttle to prime her, and after a few seconds idles smoothly at 750rpm. The battery is a brand new Yuasa Silver 60Ah item which ensures she starts first time every time. The power is addictive, from any revs she will pull hard all the way up to 6500rpm and beyond. It is instant torque; the supercharger gives the impression of a larger capacity engine, it really feels like there’s a tuned 2000cc under the bonnet! The straight cut transmission is inherently more audible than a conventional unit, but it is by no means intrusive, rather adding to the driving experience. At 70mph she is surprisingly comfortable and calm with huge reserves of torque available with a small press of one’s right-foot.

There is no overheating or misfiring, oil pressure is exemplary as you would expect from a recently rebuilt engine. Gears are selected precisely and without any issue. There are no knocks or bangs from the suspension. The brakes are excellent, able to really scrub off the speed when you need to. There are no electrical issues and she doesn’t leak water if you get caught in a shower.

Lucia has excellent bodywork. The jet black body and white roof still have an excellent shine with a mirror-like finish, thanks to being garaged and carefully detailed several times over the years. There are no paint chips on the front of the wings or bonnet. There is no orange peel or crazing; quite frankly the paintwork makes modern car finishes look quite poor! The car is astoundingly solid, still with all its original panels from new. The sills are solid and have never been welded. The car has been kept topped up with cavity rust proofing. The floors are like new, as is much of the rest of the car. There is a small amount of corrosion to the seam between the front wing and scuttle, but nothing of any concern. There are a couple of scrapes and small cracks on the fibreglass arches and there is a stone chip on the windscreen. The seat fabrics have some small marks, but no rips or tears. The carpets are in great condition. Extra sound insulation is fitted which reduces noise. Other than the aforementioned, she really is an immaculately presentable example; it is incredibly difficult to find Minis with all original panels in such good condition today.

The stunning Alleycat lightweight alloys are in immaculate condition and have never been curbed. The tyres are Yokohama A539s purchased last year which have covered only 1000 miles. Lucia was given a full alignment by our local specialist who also aligns the David Brown Minis!

Lucia gets an incredible amount of attention, whether on the petrol station forecourt, or at the biggest car shows. I once parked her next to a Ferrari 250GT and Lucia attracted more attention! She is featured in Practical Classics magazine and there is a wealth of photographs of her from over the years. A huge amount of history comes with the car; all receipts, servicing records and MOTs since 2004 are included, along with the original manuals and keys.

I suspect I will greatly regret selling in years to come. Prices for Minis continue to rise as they become increasingly more desirable and rare. This is a particularly special example, a true one-off and strikes a wonderful balance between originality and tasteful modification. I am currently raising funds for a house deposit, so Lucia must unfortunately be moved onto a new owner who will take just as much care of her.

Providing you have appropriate insurance, test drives are welcomed. If you do have any questions, or would like to arrange to view, please do not hesitate to contact me on 07309 857370.