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This Mini Pickup Truck Is Heading to Auction, Boasts Wood-Slat Bed

Small pickup trucks aren’t exactly rare, but they’re pretty localized if you know what I’m on about. Japan started this trend with the kei truck in 1949, and Mini followed suit in 1961 with the Pick-Up that’s actually a coupé utility vehicle.
1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck 16 photos
Photo: RM Sotheby's
1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck1972 Austin Mini Pickup Truck
Produced until 1983 and numbering 58,179 examples of the breed, the pickup is based on the Mini Van. At 11 feet or 3.4 meters in length, this fellow here is tiny when compared to the MINI One three-door hatchback. Tipping the scales at less than 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms), the utilitarian body style was renamed Mini 95 in 1978 but the design remained pretty much the same until production ended in 1983.

Chassis number X-LU1/248769-A is a pristine pickup that’s accompanied by a BMIHT certificate, part of The Elkhart Collection of cars that RM Sotheby’s will auction on May 1st and 2nd, 2020. Offered without reserve, the lil’ ute features desirable options such as the Talbot mirrors, Mountney steering wheel, hidden driver glovebox housing the Sunpro Super Tach II, a radio, a CD player, and Blaupunkt speakers.

Even the carpets appear to be in tip-top condition, yet the re-upholstered seats are the interior items that pop out the most. The odometer shows 78,090 miles, and even though the speedometer goes all the way to 150 miles per hour, you won’t be capable of hitting that velocity because of the engine and transmission’s gearing.

1,275 cubic centimeters and dual SU carburetors do the talking, a setup that’s good for just around the same horsepower and torque as the 1.25-liter engine that Hyundai uses in the i10 city car. The 1972 model also features a passenger-side sun visor and a laminated windscreen, features that we take for granted in modern cars.

The wood-slat bed isn’t stock, and as you can tell from a photo in the gallery, that’s where the Pirelli spare tire is stored. There’s no denying that a mid-sized Ford Ranger has more payload and it’s better at towing trailers, but still, the Blue Oval’s workhorse can’t hold a candle to the cuteness of this Austin Mini Pick-Up.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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