The original Mini was produced from 1959 to 2000. A resounding success, but all things must come to an end and to extend its life Rover came up with all sorts of special editions towards the end of the previous century. Here we have a Mini Balmoral Edition, created by the German importer and so we can assume that before it got its yellow plates in 2002, it was driving around in our eastern neighbours. Balmoral is a Scottish estate, including a castle and a legendary whisky distillery, Royal Lochnagar, where the British royals spend their holidays (in the castle, not in the distillery). A worthy label to stick on such a typically British car as the Mini, especially when it is sprayed in the colour British racing green. Special Mini Of course, the Mini did not always remain exactly the same during its long existence. Connoisseurs divide the life of the Mini into seven chapters and here we have one from the penultimate generation, called Mark VI. It was given a 1.3-liter engine with 61 hp, which replaced the old one-liter block. The version with monopoint injection had just a little more power than the carburetor power source with 63 hp. Anyone who ordered a Balmoral received a Mini with a special interior with a lot of high-gloss lacquered wood, Green Tartan upholstery (green with red Scottish plaid), red belts, rev counter and a wooden sports steering wheel and ditto gear knob. It also came with a fabric folding roof and the well-known 12-inch Cooper RSP wheels, which have unfortunately disappeared on this example. The owner seems to have wanted to compensate for this by doubling the two standard spotlights. Those RSP wheels are very popular among enthusiasts, so it is quite possible that the owner of this Mini Balmoral found his car on blocks one morning. Hopefully he will be able to get hold of a new set one day, because you naturally want to keep this Mini as original as possible. It deserves nothing less.
Source: www.autoweek.nl
