Terry Pulford's Mini Cooper S turned up as a write-off. Look at it now
It’s a car I bought over 30 years ago as a damaged example. It was towed into our panel shop and sat around for a few years. The insurance company wrote it off and I purchased it.
I decided it was a good old original Cooper S and it should be restored. That took a couple of years to get sorted. It was a bare metal restoration on a rotisserie. We put a lot of new components into the car and had a nice paint job done on it, in our shop.
We finished it around 25 years ago. I guess it’s not a bad testament to the workshop that it’s still looking like this.
We no longer have the business, but it’s something to look back on and say “well I really enjoyed doing that”.
It has a lot of the correct gear for the era, including the Minilite magnesium wheels, which are in big demand today. We managed to retrim it with rally seat covers, which makes it a bit more comfortable to sit in.
The BMC sticker on the back window is right for its age and helps to finish it off.
These were amazing little machines and had a reputation for being a giant-killer back in their day. With the careful rebuild it’s probably better to drive now than it was when it was new. We’ve been able to add updated suspension and engine components, while there’s a bit of comfort inside.
It’s not a bad little tourer – it can be a bit rough on some roads – but that’s how they are.
Valuation guide: Values have fluctuated wildly – we’ve seen them hit the 90s