Number 243 of the five hundred that were built, ‘RE51 ZLY’ is a one-owner-from-new 2001 Rover Mini Classic Cooper Sport that’s still showing only 7,624 miles on the odometer.

Finished in Solar Red and sitting on Minilite-style alloy wheels, its sportiness is further enhanced by no fewer than four extra driving lamps fitted to the front bumper.

The interior is trimmed in black and nickel-silver hide, and the cabin still features its full suite of alloy trim and nothing more; no extra holes, switches, or instruments.

In fact, it’s still completely standard, which is a wonderful thing to see; the seller’s mum worked for the firm and tipped them off about the existence of this model; a long search ensued, and they eventually managed to snag the very last available example – and knowing how important is was to the marque’s heritage, they pampered it from Day One.

They used it as a daily driver initially, albeit lightly, but then a move to the countryside meant muddy dogs, so its use was...