What’s cuter than a classic Austin Mini? I don’t know about you, but I am going to say an Austin Mini Pickup Truck. Speaking of which, the 1972 Austin Mini Pickup is more of a Ute than a pickup since it was based on the Mini Van and presumably, has a one-piece body like a car and 2-piece like a pickup truck.
This fine example is among the 58,179 units ever produced. Production stopped in 1983 when it was still under the Austin marque. This 1972 model has a 1,275 cc four-cylinder motor with dual SU carburetors, mated to a four-speed manual gearbox.
Other notables include dual Talbot-style mirrors, wood-slat pickup bed, Mountney steering wheel, Clarion radio with CD and Blaupunkt speakers, and hidden driver glove box housing Sunpro Super Tach II.
Anyone familiar with Austin Mini of that period will know that it is not quite exactly the original, original. It is a modded classic Austin Mini Pickup. Accompanying the car is a BMIHT certificate. That’s British Motor Industry Heritage Trust for the uninitiated.
This 1972 Austin Mini Pickup, bearing the chassis no. X-LU1/248769-A and engine no. 12HD16/101233, will be on the block at RM Sotheby’s The Elkhart Collection on May 1-2, 2020. It is offered without reserve.
You learn more about this delightful classic, albeit one that appeared to be modded, in a post by Mircea Panait of autoevolution.com.
If you are more of a van person, you may instead be keen on a 64’ Austin Mini Countryman that is also going on the block in the same sale event.
Images: RM Sotheby’s.
Source: autoevolution.