This 1978 British Leyland Mini Van cost £50,000 to restore – and it’s up for grabs

This 1978 British Leyland Mini Van has been restored at a cost of more than £50,000 and it’s now going under the hammer at Coys with an estimate of £15-20k.

There was a time when small businesses, and hard-up families, considered the Mini Van – the original Mini Traveller but without back windows and back seats – as it was something of a bargain with no sale tax because it was classed as a commercial, despite its dinky size.

Most Mini Vans have long disintegrated in to a heap of rust, but this 1978 example has had a great deal of love and money lavished on it – more than £50,000 – to make it more that it originally was.

Well know on the ‘Mini Scene’, the restoration of this Mini Van has taken more than 3,000 man hours to complete, has been seam sealed and strengthened with a new front panel and has a beige Connolly leather interior.

Under the bonnet is a 1.3 litre MG Metro engine which makes the Mini Van a bit more lively thanks to its 117bhp, a chunk more than the original 998cc engine could manage.

Now, after 10 years of restoration and another 10 years grabbing awards at Mini Shows, this Mini Van is going across the block at Coys Goodwood Auction today, with a pre-sale estimate of £15-20,000.

Which just goes to show that classic car restoration is not necessarily a money spinner.