this MINI pickup truck from 1972 recalls a forgotten part of the brand's history

a compact pickup truck designed by MINI recalls a part of the british car company’s history that many won’t know about. originally introduced in 1961, the utilitarian model is built on an elongated version of the traditional MINI platform created by sir alec issigonis back in the fifties. between 1961 and 1983 a total of 58,179 MINI pickup models were built.

images courtesy of RM sotheby’s

at 11 feet or 3.4 meters in length, the MINI pick up features an open-top rear cargo area and a tailgate, but is still much smaller than the MINI one three-door hatchback. it has curb weight of approximately 680 kilograms (1,500 pounds).

this example is powered by its original 1,275 CC four-cylinder engine with dual SU carburetors under the hood. it has a four-speed manual gearbox and produces 69 bhp (51 kilowatts) and 77 pound-feet (104 newton-metres) of torque.

there’s also some modern day modifications bringing the compact pickup ever so slightly into the modern day. the interior features mountney steering wheel, clarion radio, and a hidden driver glovebox housing the sunpro super tach II, a radio, a CD player, and blaupunkt speakers.

the MINI pickup will go up for auction at RM sotheby’s scheduled for may 1st and 2nd.