At auction a salvaged Mini Clubman taken from the tunnels under the Longbridge factory
This car is the last Mini to leave the famous site and is being auctioned at the Silverstone Classic Auction.
The iconic car – which was used to travel around the sprawling plant – had been secretly dumped by workers in the late 1970s after suffering some damage thought to be from a storage container falling on it.
However, photos of the famous ‘lost’ Mini emerged and after much searching it was saved by a former factory worker who got permission to remove it in 2012 shortly before the tunnels were due to be filled in – making it the last ever Mini to leave Longbridge.
Now the ‘The Longbridge Tunnel Mini’ is being offered without reserve by Silverstone Auctions at its sale on Saturday 27th July at Silverstone circuit.
[quote]Nick Whale, managing director for the Silverstone Classic Auction, said: “Without doubt, this has got to be one of the most fascinating cars we’ve ever secured for auction. The car made international headlines when it was rescued from underneath the factory and has caused a fair amount of controversy in the Mini community, as some people would have preferred it was left in the tunnels as a hidden memorial”.[/quote]
Anyone interested in owning a very important slice of British automotive history should remember though that having been abandoned for many decades, suffering wounds along the way and without any sunlight, that this Mini Clubman 1275 GT needs much love and attention to return it to its former glory!