1988 Austin Mini Designer Mary Quant

What marks this Mini Designer out, perhaps even more than its eye-catching limited-edition decals and shiny black livery, is its mileage. This example has covered a mere 47,000 miles to date averaging out at a miniscule (no pun intended) 1,300 miles per year. As such the Mini boasts a condition truly commensurate with a cherished car of such a low mileage.

Our Mini Designer was first registered in October 1988 and supplied by dealer Caffyns PLC to its first lucky owner in stylish Tunbridge Wells. Since then, the Mini has been lightly used, but doubtless heavily enjoyed, by this and a further five previous keepers. Current owner Robin acquired the Mini Designer in October 2023 to become its seventh keeper.

Robin admits to having bought the Mini “on a bit of a whim.” Robin had enjoyed several Mini’s in his youth and his son has a Mini so when he saw this charming special edition he was unable to resist. “I am only now selling due to moving house and having less storage,” reports Robin, somewhat wistfully. “It’s such a fun car, runs brilliantly with a really smooth gearbox,” continues Robin. One senses that if it wasn’t for that perennial curse of the car enthusiast – too many cars, not enough space – this is a Mini Designer that may well have stayed put.

It comes as a reminder, on viewing our Mini Designer, how few black Minis you tend to see. Small and cheeky cars like the Mini tend to wear bright and cheeky liveries. It seems Ms Quant was having none of that instead insisting on just black and white, monochromes so readily associated with her striking checkerboard mini dresses of the 1960’s. 

It’s a great looking little car, that’s for sure. The gleaming black livery looks very well considered against the twin white coachlines that culminate in subtle “Designer” script decals on the rear wings. There’s just the right amount of chrome present to add some sparkle to the ensemble, too. The window surrounds, radiator grill, head and taillight surrounds and bumpers all appear to be well chromed and appropriately bright.

The Mini sits, with a familiar forward leaning stance, on a set of Minilite style “Supalight” alloy wheels. These are finished with thickly powder coated black centres and attractively finished with polished silver rims. These diminutive 12-inch rims are fitted with a matching set of Yokohama tyres in a 165/60 configuration. These sit below subtle plastic wheel arch extensions.

Other Designer flourishes here are the Mary Quant daisy bonnet badge and a further white script decal on the boot lid. Its all quite subtle and adds significantly to the car’s innate charm and allure.

On opening a door to this Mini cabin, one thing immediately strikes you (and it isn’t “how on earth does the current record for number of people in a Mini stand at 27?”). It’s surely the black and white seat upholstery arranged in vertical, deck chair-esque stripes. The striking herringbone fabric graces the seat faces with the edges piped in a cheerful red. The seat backs bear the leather, sewn on labels embossed with Ms Quant’s signature. It is no surprise that she was happy to lend her name to this quirky and distinctive interior treatment.

The rear bench is identically trimmed and, like the fronts, appears to be in an excellent overall condition. A pair of red lap straps are fitted, and the signature Mini side pockets formed from the body structure are in evidence. Side panels and door cards are finished in grey vinyl and are traversed by a black strip constrained within twin red outlines.  

By 1987 the Mini’s instrument cluster had moved directly ahead of the driver, sitting low in its own hooded binnacle. The two-gauge set consists of a white on black speedometer and multi-purpose gauge monitoring water temperature and fuel level. These sit behind a chunky three spoke leather steering wheel with another Quant daisy at its centre. The full width storage shelf from the earliest Minis remains and a smattering of rocker switches populate the centre panel. The boot provides a home to a non-matching spare wheel and tools.

By 1988 the Mini City, upon which the Designer is based, was utilising the venerable 998cc four-cylinder engine in revised “A-Plus” form. The A-Plus boasted quite a number of useful upgrades, mostly aimed at improving longevity and lengthening service intervals. These included stronger blocks and cranks, lighter pistons, and improved rings. As a result, service intervals were stretched from 6,000 to 12,000 miles accordingly. Hindsight has also shown that the A-Plus engines are generally longer lived than their predecessors meaning that the upgrade was £30M well spent by British Leyland in 1982. 

Lifting the dinky bonnet reveals that this A-Plus engine has seemingly been exposed to the weather with more surface rust appearing on and around the block than may be expected. The all-important weather guard is in place, however, protecting distributor and HT leads from the elements entering through the radiator grill when driving in wet weather. What can be seen of the underside of the car seems to be admirably straight and solid with plenty of recent looking preservative coating in evidence.

There is some useful, provenance providing paperwork included with the Mini Designer. This includes the current V5 registration and current advisory free MoT. The latter is valid until March 2025.

Other key documentation includes the original service booklet. The book documents seven services up to 18,674 miles in 1994. These were all performed by supplying dealer Caffyns in Tunbridge Wells. Other interesting ephemera includes the original special edition brochure, numerous earlier hard copy MoTs and many invoices detailing remedial and service work undertaken.

Given the design brilliance of the Mini, it is perhaps no surprise that it went on to enjoy a much longer and more varied life than originally envisaged. The Mini’s enduring appeal was certainly prolonged thanks to the slew of model variants and special editions which numbered close to 100 ultimately. With most special editions produced in strictly limited numbers and awash with extras and quirky design touches, the demand for these remains strong and is likely only to strengthen as availability diminishes.

This fine example is one of the less known and less ubiquitous special editions and all the better for it. Its sub-47,000 milage is a standout feature as is the resultant overall condition of the car. This is backed by a strong service history, plenty of supporting paperwork and a long advisory free MoT. Mary Quant once said, “Most of my memories of the Sixties are ones of optimism, high spirits and confidence.” We think these are qualities she further enhanced in the Mini she designed, too. As such we strongly commend it to you.

We are happy to offer this vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £7,000 - £10,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located with the vendor in Elstead, Surrey. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.