On a beautiful summer’s day we took a trip out to the coast, to inspect our 1990 Austin Mini 30. And whilst in Southwold we couldn’t resist a trip to the beach too.
And we weren’t alone in our beach trip. We even bumped into our 1969 Pontiac Firebird, still looking as good as the day she left our workshops.
Launched in June 1989, the limited-edition Mini Thirty (30) celebrated the car’s 30th birthday and was based on the Mini Mayfair. Fitted with the 998cc engine, it was offered in Cherry Red (COG-BLVC843) or black (PMA-BLVC90) and was fitted with chrome bumpers and grille, a dedicated Coachline set and 1959-1989 crests, a security coded stereo and a set of Minilite-style alloy wheels.
The black and red half-leather interior was common to both car colours.
Of the 3,000 produced for the UK, 2,000 were in Cherry Red and 1,000 were Black; 2,800 were manual and 200 had an automatic gearbox. 600 were made with an optional sun roof.
At the time, the list price was a cool £5,599, another 30 years on, the car is a true British classic, with prices heading in one direction from now…upwards!
