“Modifications would have incurred an extra charge so I’m confident there was nothing extra.”
In 1992 Michael Goodwin bought a Mini Thirty for commuting from his home in Hayling Island to his job as a lecturer at Portsmouth University. “He saw it in a local garage,” explains his son Andrew. “He’d always liked Minis and decided he would treat himself.”
However, Andrew wonders why he bought this particular Mini, especially as it was a rare Automatic Thirty. “Mind you, he did have an Austin Princess in the same colour and that was automatic.” The fact that he lived on an unadopted road should have put him off. “There was no tarmac in sight on the road, it was made up of shingle, stones and sand. In the winter there were more puddles than road. He was taller than me and, when I drive it, I feel like my kneecaps are close to my ears. I hate to think what it was like for dad. Being an automatic it’s not the sort of car you can
