This 1966 Mini Cooper spent over 36 years locked in a garage

It's one of those stories: guy buys a nice little car, something comes up, the car is stored and never touched again. Not every car emerges from a 36-year slumber unscathed, but this green 1966 Mini Cooper isn't worse for wear – on the surface, at least.

As reported by The Daily Mail the Mini was owned by recently passed-away Brian Smith from Christchurch, Dorset. Mr. Smith bought this Cooper new in Portsmouth, Hampshire. He drove it until 1976, accumulating some 22,270 miles on the clock, but due to developing health issues he parked the car in his garage and didn't take it out since. As his relatives cleared the house earlier this year, the dusty Mini was unearthed from the garage. There's no word how the mechanicals fared, and according to the article in Daily Mail it doesn't start. Then again, as simple as Minis are, it should pose no large problems to get it going again, when the stagnant 1976 fuel is drained and the engine freed. A fresher battery wouldn't hurt, either.
As Mr. Smith's relatives aren't mechanically inclined, the low-mileage Cooper is being put up for auction. The car is expected to command something in the general ballpark of 12,000 GBP ($18,000 US). With a twin-carburetor 55-horsepower one-litre engine, the Cooper should provide lots of laughs when gotten back on the road again, after 36 years after being put away.

via The Daily Mail