This Mini is in excellent condition and almost rust-free aside from some minor cosmetic spots as shown in the photos. It's been kept in a cool garage for most of it's US life and has recently had some major repairs done to the engine, suspension, and brakes.
This Mini was manufactured for the Italian market but was eventually sold to a German importer in the mid-'90s. The Mini arrived on US soil through Georgia around 2002 and lived in Atlanta for a few years before moving to Pennsylvania. I purchased it from its second US owner and brought it to North Carolina in 2016. The Mini is fully titled in North Carolina and after much pain and time spent at the DMV has a perfectly matching VIN. It turns out that '5' in classic vehicle VINs are commonly misinterpreted as an 'S.'
This Mini has a 998cc engine with an unleaded, stage 2 head from minisport.com. I've installed new pushrods, valves, springs, rocker assembly, engine studs, and a copper head gasket. Compression on all cylinders is good (nearly matching), so the cylinders, pistons, rings, etc. should be in good shape. I flushed the cooling system and replaced the radiator since the original was slowly leaking.
I upgraded the front brakes with 8.4" calipers and rotors, replaced the rear slave cylinders, pads, and rotors, and swapped the rubber brake lines for stainless steel. I also serviced front wheel bearings, knuckle joints, rubber boots, and cones.
The interior is in good condition and sports a very '80s look. The dashboard is unique and made out of real wood, although I can't explain why. The Mini shifts through gears smoothly, and the shifter has very little slop. There are no significant oil or water leaks, although a tiny drop of oil will drip from the shifter linkage every once in a while. I installed a fresh set of tires recently.
