Hillman Minx Convertible Series 111b 1961 in White with Red Soft Top Lovely Car

This auction is for a lovely 1961 Hillman Minx Convertible Series IIIB in white with contrasting bright red soft top and interior.
I am selling the car on behalf of my Father. who regrettably is selling the car due to increasingly poor health.
This is great convertible. in excellent condition with only a handful of these cars in this condition on the road. I have been the main driver of this car over the last year. attending local classic car shows with my Father. I can honestly say that I love driving this car and prefer it over my modern car! The car runs superbly. and is happy cruising at between 50-60mph. I myself have previously owned a Morris Minor Tourer and whilst this was a nice car the Hillman has is a far superior ride. It gets admiring glances wherever it goes and brings back lots of memories for people who once owned a Minx.
The car has its original registration number 916 KRR which was first registered on the 22nd June 1961. Therefore the car qualifies for free Historic Vehicle road tax. (The car is presently taxed until the end of July 2014). My Father has recently (this year) made enquiries to the DVLA in relation to finding out a bit of the history of the the car and its previous owners. The DVLA were able to provide some information in relation to this. but only as far back as when the records were centralised on computer at Swansea. The car was originally sold in . and a future owner if they wished could trace the history from the original log book.
The car was subject to an extensive restoration in the past. the former keeper said that in excess of £10. 00 + was spent on the restoration. Unfortunately we have no records or receipts for this or when this work was carried out. although judging by the present condition of the car and its over all condition. this amount spent could be entirely possible.
As I have said this is a lovely car to drive and weather permitting is best with its canvas roof down. Being designed as a proper Convertible the roof folds neatly into a recess behind the rear seats and then when fitted with the Tonneau cover the car looks very stylish. It is certainly a nicer design feature than say that of the Morris Tourer - where the roof when folded sits on top of the car. It can also be used in what is called the 'coupe de ville' position where the front part of the roof can be pushed back halfway so that the front seat occupants can experience the open air without fully dropping the entire roof.  As I have said previously this car is best enjoyed with the roof down but the vinyl roof itself is in good condition with no rips or tears. The car is always garaged and the roof is put back up in place after being driven to keep creases to a minimum.
The car is in a very solid condition with no rust anywhere. the car as I previously mentioned has been subject to a full restoration several years ago. The car has been 100% reliable during my Fathers ownership.   The car passed its MOT last week - the 9th of September so has a full year's MOT.  It passed the MOT test easily having only been driven less than 700 miles since its previous test. The car has benefited from some very recent expenditure. The rear Leaf Springs were refurbished in July of this year with an extra leaf fitted. new bushes and U-bolts. The Dynamo & Pulley were replaced in May of this year. The car also benefits from a stainless steel exhaust which was fitted during its restoration. There was one advisory item on the latest MOT - Upper Front suspension Balljoint dust cover damaged. but preventing the ingress of dirt. This is a small job but does not require immediate attention. But this will probably require attention at a later date.  The engine runs very sweetly with good oil pressure. The steering is quite heavy at parking speeds but lightens significantly once on the open road. This is typical of cars of this era rather than a fault with this car. With modern cars we are spoilt by Power Steering. where as cars from this era were much more heavy to drive. I myself find the car heavy on the steering when stepping out of my modern car straight into the Minx but soon find it easy to adjust to driving this older car. The brakes are effective and pull the car up nice and straight although again being drum brakes all around you have to adjust your driving habits from the use of more modern disc brakes.
The exterior of the car I would describe as condition 1. Whilst not concourse the body is very clean and looks lovely in white with matching whitewall tyres and contrasting red roof and interior. All the chrome fittings and trim are present and correct (very important with these cars as certain trim parts can be very difficult to obtain) and in very good condition. The paint has a good lustre with only minor stone chips to the bonnet being the only fault I can see.  Again I think the car has benefited from the considerable expense of work carried out in the past.
 In their day these cars were considered to be a bit more upmarket than there equivalent Ford and Morris competitors. Having had the privilege of driving this car I can see why. the car does feel like a more up market product and certainly makes you feel that bit more special when behind the wheel.  
The car comes with a a couple of spare parts a King Pin set and Brake Cylinders. Also included is an original Owners handbook. 4 Workshop Manuals and a Rootes Official Parts List.
So to sum up this is a beautiful car. that drives lovely and is quite rare. I personally think that Hillman cars. in particular the Rootes group cars are highly underrated. I also think that this car will only increase in value.
As I mentioned earlier this is a regrettable sale but my Father is now unable to drive either a manual or un- power assisted steering car. I personally would love to own it but do not have a garage in which to keep it therefore it is up for sale.  
The car is being sold on an auction based format only so I do not have a 'Buy it Now Price' . I have set what I feel is a really realistic reserve price so the car will sell and hopefully be enjoyed by an enthusiast.
Please do not hesitate to contact me through E-Bay if you have any further questions or to arrange a viewing/ test drive.
I really recommend to anyone buying a car to view before bidding as there is nothing better than seeing a car first hand.
Please remember if you are bidding you are bidding to purchase not to view the car.
If you are the winning bidder. I will request an immediate deposit of £100 via PayPal (non-refundable) and the balance payment can be made by cash on collection of the car. If you are paying by cheque. the cheque will have to clear before you can collect the car.
Thanks for taking the time to look at this wonderful and much loved classic

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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