Barn Find Beach Car - 1964 Morris Mini Beach Car

Today I take a first look at the 1964 Morris Mini Beach Car that I found in a barn which had been parked for more than 30 years.

This Week With Cars - Episode 0096
#Morris #BeachCar #ClassicMini

[airaction]

I'm 63 and lived in England all my life and i've never heard of Mini Beach cars, you learn something new everyday.

[estaban]

That starter button is period correct. The ones I remember used to sit in a black plastic cup of sorts, you would switch the ignition on then drop your left hand down (RHD I'm from the UK) to the side of the seat press the button and away you go. Lovely bit of history I'm sure it's in safe hands.

[jimspackman]

My mother had a red Morris Mini Minor in the 60s. Seeing the inside of this just took me back 52 years!

Thanks from another Brit who didn't know about Mini beach cars!

[AbsoluteMiniacGena]

Absolutely beautiful. Fancy tucking that away with all those Austin Healy Frogeye Sprites

[Ogmabandcamp]

Wow, there's something I've never seen in my 50 years. And I'm an Englishman.

[rickterrell]

Hey There Steve! Mind officially blown Your Beach Mini is literally worth a small fortune!!! Loving it is easy to do!!! Yeah!! You need to be congratulated. I have a special interest in the Beach Minis. I'll tell you why...

Back in the early 1990's, I was looking for a Mini Countryman Woody Wagon. One came up for sale in Auburn Washington State. I lived in Kelso WA., at the time, so it was a bit of a trip up the I-5. I owned a 1961 Austin Mini Cooper which I was interested in some partial trading, so I trailered it up to Auburn with me. This guy had a whole collection of wierd vintage cars in a couple of heated garages. He had a perfect original 1966 Moke that I instantly fell in love with. He also had a really nice 1967 Austin Countryman Woody. Both Minis had been parked and stored and never started for over 11yrs. I took my chances that they would run again, and traded my '61 Mini Cooper straight across for the Moke, and $2, 000 cash for the Wagon. I had to make two trips, but it was well worth it!!! Okay, and now for the interesting part of the story... Guess what was parked next to the Moke? Yes, an all original 1962 Austin Beach Mini! It was pink. I'd never seen or even heard of one before that day. I actually laughed at that Mini, as I thought it was as ugly and impractical as it could be. I had no interest in it whatsoever. The Gent still proceeded to tell me that it was supposed to be a fairly rare Mini. If I only knew then what I know now!!! I was so pleased with my other two Mini's that I purchased/traded with him, that I couldn't wait to get them home. The boot of ignorance has been kicking my butt ever since!!! Yes, I have a special place in my heart for the Mini Beach Car. In my defense, I have owned 12 early MKI, (1959-1967) Minis since 1988. Five of those were Mini Woody Wagons, two were Mokes, one was a Austin Mini Pickup, and the rest were Saloons. I did save the guys phone number and tried calling not too many years later. His wife answered and told me he had passed away, and she didn't know anything about his car collection, which apparently got sold off. Sorry this story was so long. Thanks to anyone that took the time to read it! Rick T.

P.S. Both Minis I had purchased from the guy in Auburn both ended up running perfectly!!!

[geddonmeansome]

Extended boot version was either a Riley Elf or Wolseley Hornet.

[MrFlyingguy]

I've spent all my life in England (except one year in the states when i was 16 in 90') i can honestly say i have never seen one here not even at props to you for teaching us old dogs new tricks.... let me know if ever you are over and i'll find you and buy you a warm brown beer....

[keystonekid]

Hell yea Steve! These videos are better than watching “Chasing Classic Cars”. Keep it up buddy! I love all your vids on old British cars!! Let’s fire it up!!!

[rx]

Hi. I'm watching this after you sent me the link after I commented on the grey Mini van you had in your racks on the 'eBay banned me' video. Well - I was aware of the beach cars, not necessarily the proportion of Morris to Austin badged ones though. The beige one in your still photos - I saw that one and took a photo back in 1978 when I was 16! The license plate UK registration number on that one is 442 FON. I've had some Minis myself (not as many as you though) and around 2009-2010, when I owned a 1973 850, I bought an issue of 'Mini World' magazine that ran a feature on the beach cars. 442 FON was featured with its then-current owner, and among the historical photos in the article was a black and white one of Alec Issigonis posing with a light coloured (but unregistered) beach car. The article claimed 442 FON was the same car pictured with Alec Issigonis. I spotted some minor detailed differences, like the colour of the rear view mirror and one or two other things, and sent an email to the 'letters' page to point them out, but the magazine neither published nor acknowledged my message! Anyhow, what I did NOT know, nor can I find images of, was the A40 beach car you spoke of. Austin A40 is a term used to cover several models from 1947 - 67.... A40 Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Cambridge among them.... so I wonder which model it was? The one I most associate with the 'A40' tag is the Farina, because there were more of those around when I was a kid. So what I notice on your Morris beach car is that I've never before seen a 'Morris 850' boot lid badge - all the ones I've been aware of on normal cars say 'Morris mini Minor' while originally (as I guess you probably know) the Austin versions first came with 'Austin Se7en' on the boot lid, later replaced just by 'Austin Mini'. So I don't know where the Morris 850 badge comes from. The starter button on the floor - that was normal for early Minis. I don't know why they did it that way, and I can't remember when it was phased out, but in the early 70s an uncle owned an early 60s Mini for a short time with that floor start button, and I know it's a characteristic of the early cars. I also see your central switch panel does have some changes because there's an oval knob on the right which I think is where the choke knob should be, and what looks like a toggle switch at the other end of the panel which ought to be the push-pull knob to control the coolant flow to the heater. You should have an intake pipe for that heater running to somewhere just behind the grille as well, it looks like its been cut off or broken off at the bulkhead. As it is, it could drag in engine fumes, though I suppose on a car with no doors that isn't a big problem! During the early part of the video I was actually stunned by the amount of red Austin Healey Sprites found in the barn, lined up side by side. So THAT'S where they all are! I sometimes get the impression - correct me if I'm wrong - that outside of Britain the whole branding exercise of Austin-Morris and also Jaguar-Daimler cars, among other BMC and BL-owned brands, gets a bit confusing (and of course its people of a certain age like me i.e. knocking on a bit, who have been around long enough to understand it.) I watched a video review not long ago about a 1992 Daimler Double Six and the American reviewer seemed quite confused about what it was, talking about Daimler-Benz, Daimler 'having built' the Double Six to have more prestige than a Jaguar... basically since Jaguar bought out Daimler in the early sixties, mostly 'Daimler' was just a trim level and badging exercise on a Jaguar. Nothing more. And the name got to Britain in the first place by some guy who's name I can't remember having a licensing agreement with Gottlieb Daimler, to build his car brand here, before Daimler formed a partnership with Karl Benz in Germany. So 'British' Daimler and Daimler-Benz really aren't related, except by name. Anyway - Austin/Morris. Austin merged with Morris in 1952, something of an unequal partnership because Austin engines made their way into everything and Lord Nuffield, founder of Morris, retired as a director not long after. So the British Motor Corporation was formed and over time, rationalisation led to very similar cars being made under different brand names within the group - Morris Motors had brought the Wolseley, Riley and MG brands into the BMC group. I think the first badge engineered range might have been the 1959 Austin Cambrige MkII and Morris Oxford MkV - basically the same cars with different trim levels. Followed by MG, Wolseley and Riley versions that were offered as more sporting or more luxurious versions of the same. So that's why you have Austin and Morris Minis - they were all built by 'BMC', and Austins were made in Longbridge and Morrises in Cowley, but the factories were all owned by BMC. Part of the reasoning for the branding and badging was back then, customers had brand loyalty to an Austin and wouldn't touch a Morris, and vice-versa, plus there still remained brand-competitiveness among the old dealer network dating from when the brands were separate, so BMC needed to produce near-identical cars under different brand names to suit the different customers and dealer networks! Then as time went on there were more mergers, BMC became BLMC and then British Leyland in a government-forced initiative to merge with Rover, Jaguar-Daimler and Triumph in 1968, (this was to compete with foreign imports) and basically the poor old Mini has appeared to have been built by different companies (BMC, British Leyland, MG-Rover, Rover Group) whereas really it was always built by the same company, that company just kept changing it's name as it grew and then contracted again, until its last remnants finally disappeared in 2005! By which time BMW owned the 'MINI' (all upper case) brand name. Very ironic, since BMW basically grew out of building Austin Sevens under license in 1927 (BMW Dixi).

[tomthompson]

great find, but what a barn to look in.

[vvoodee]

Every time I see a video of somebody power washing a priceless car like this I want to cry.

[donmacdonald]

I didn t know those cars existed, what a history on yours. I purchased a Mini 1000 brand new in 1969 for $1340.00, and the most fun I ever had.

[timbre]

Wonderful, would love to see more videos on this classic Mini

[jjmac]

The starter button on the floor was a standard fitting back then. That looks like a much later 1 inch and half SU carb and airfilter. The 850 and 998 minis has 1 inch and quarter SU with a completely different airfilter box. There is a section of heater intake hose missing from the bulkhead to the grill.
It is based on a Super deluxe 850, 3 instruments and overrider bars on the bumpers.

[markmurphy]

It just takes too long to rinse a mini down!
A great video of something I’ve never seen before 👏

[ianburit]

Hi Steve, Such a great find you got there. I never knew they existed. I have forwarded this video to a buddie of mine who has owned, raced, and restored original minis for years and years and we met as families way back in the 1970`s been friends ever since. Lets hope you have a rubber glove trick on your mini distributor with all that jet washing - LOL - we needed them when racing minis in all weathers but before after market substitutes came along - OK, Young Steve you have now left me eagerly waiting for the next video.. Thanks again for your videos Steve.. IAN - UK.

[kierancasserley]

Hey there, apparently the Queen has one, peppermint green. Nice show, keep them coming. From the UK.

[daveshongkongchinachannel]

What an amazing find and in such good condition too. I never even knew such models existed. I agree with your sentiment to keep it in it's original modified state.

[colinfuller]

pretty sure the starter on the floor was standard on cars from this year. inducing emfs into coils came a bit later on the starter for bmc.