One of Britain’s most iconic automobiles pulled from barn after 47 years

The Mini Cooper is, in many ways, the quintessential British icon.

From being featured on the silver screen in The Italian Job to starring in the Monte Carlo Rally, the car is an icon.

Having been in continuous production since the 1960s, it is also one of the world’s most long-running lines of cars.

And now, a truly classic version of the iconic little car has been discovered in a barn.

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Mini: the icon of icons

When it comes to truly marquee cars, few are as iconic as the Mini.

In fact, aside from perhaps the Volkswagen Beetle and the Porsche 911, few others come to mind.

The Mini first entered the world in 1959, the product of the British Motor Corporation (BMW) and designer Sir Alec Issigonis.

For the first 10 years of its life, the car was produced under both the Morris and Austin (as the Austin Seven and the Morris Mini-Minor respectively).

When it hit the market, it was revolutionary.

The Mini, despite being small, was extremely spacious – the front-wheel-drive layout allowed 80 percent of the floorplan to be dedicated to seat spacing and the layout of the cabin.

The Cooper, the sport version of the small car, was brought about due to a collaboration between BMC and John Cooper.

Cooper, who owned the Cooper Car Company, saw the potential of the Mini for competition.

So he and Issigonis collaborated to increase the engine from the standard 848cc to a 997cc engine, with an increase from 34 to 55bhp.

Cooper uncovered in a barn by Jonny Smith

Thankfully, another classic example of the beloved car has been salvaged from the ravages of time and forgetfulness.

Jonny Smith, who used to present on Fifth Gear, also presents his own YouTube channel, The Late Brake Show.

In fact, we covered Jonny’s exploits not that long ago, when he uncovered a fantastic Peugeot 205 GTI in Essex.

Now, he has uncovered another classic gem – this time, the Mini Cooper.

In his YouTube video, Jonny heads to a barn in North Wales, following a tip about an old-school Mini Cooper.

The vehicle, which had been in the family since the 1970s, hadn’t been driven since 1977.

Sadly, given it’s age and duration of time in storage, the car was in bad shape.

It was covered in moss, rust and various other debris.

In fact, the only thing still intact was the interior, which had been protected somewhat.

The biggest problem was dragging the Mini Cooper out of the barn itself, due to the vegetation and earth blocking the entrance.

Thankfully, a digger and a Massey Ferguson tractor soon cleared the way for the Mini Cooper to see sunlight again.

Evaluation: Mini Cooper needs a lot of work

Once Jonny and the guys got the car out of the barn, it was time to do an evaluation.

As expected, the old and rusty engine wouldn’t start, and needed a big overhaul to get going again.

This particular example was repainted and received aftermarket components before going into storage in 1977.

Thankfully though, the owner confirmed that he was fully committed to restoring this Mk. 1 Mini Cooper back to its former glory.

Watch this space.