Barn finds make for some of the most intriguing classic cars, which is something Bob Lang can relate to. The 65-year-old stumbled across the earliest known Mini Cooper in a Suffolk barn. After putting out an ad to try and find a Mini Cooper S Mark 1, he found a car that had been locked away since 1983. The Mini that he found was made in 1963, the sixth of only 4000 ever made.
The cream-painted 1963 Mini came with the original engine. Judging from the tax disc, it can be considered the earliest surviving model. Lang has been buying cars for a long time. “I collect rare cars and it has taken me for your years to collect something like this. I was purposely looking for this car, I wanted it as it is so rare – I only collect rare cars. And I have specifically taken a liking towards the Mini Cooper because it was my first car I ever bought. I would imagine that car has done very few miles.”
Lang lives near Bungay in Suffolk. The ad he sent out put him into contact with the owner and he was stunned when he stumbled upon such an important vehicle. The 1963 Mini has a proud racing history, competing in the 1964, 1965 and 1967 Monte Carlo Rally. The car features Restall seats, Minilite wheels and a sticker linked to an organisation that used to convert motors into racers.
According to Lang “this car is what made the Cooper famous when it won the rally race in Monte Carlo. The first one made of this car would have been used to test in production and I have the sixth one, which means it’s really rare. It still has its old road tax disc in the window, its original engine and its original body.”
“The feeling is like the guy who found Tutankhamun’s treasure. I’ve got a Mini version of that. Someone unlocks a barn or a garage and it is there in your grasp and you are hopefully going to be mine!”
