In the summer of 20211 agreed to help my then 15-year-old son Eli look for his first car. He planned to buy a Mini and he knew exactly what he wanted. We had already travelled back and forth across the province looking at Minis that were as solid as Swiss cheese when Eli discovered an online ad featuring what appeared to be a Mini in decent condition. We contacted the seller when the ad was only a few minutes old, putting us first in line to see the car. The ad showed what seemed to be a very tidy 1985 Mini which was described as a 'barn find'. In the pictures we noticed that the car was missing several components including bumpers, wheel arches, badges and more. While driving across Toronto to see the Mini I commented to Eli: "Wouldn't it be nice if the missing accessories were with the car."When we arrived at the address we found that it was an automotive shop and the mechanic was selling the Mini for one of his customers. He was able to provide a basic history of the 1985 RHD Mini Mayfair (in Canada we typically drive from the other side). Apparently the Mayfair spent its early days in Bexhill-on-Sea, England, and was then shipped to Ontario,Canada, in 2004. The odometer read 22,000 miles and it is believed to be accurate. According to the paperwork, the car only travelled a few hundred kilometres in Canada before being stored in a shed from 2011 until now.
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