“Surely this is the best Mini van for sale anywhere in the world. You’ll never see another one like this,” said vendor Maria Biddle, of Biddles Motors.

The Mk II birch grey van was bought new by a lady owner from Northern Ireland to take her driving test. However, after she lost confidence, the van was laid up in a heated garage for the next decade before being bought by a collector, Tom Turkington, who kept the mint Mini in storage ever since. The van is said to be completely original, right down to the seat protectors and rubber floor mats, fitted by BMC. The van was rustproofed from new and still sits on its original Dunlop C41 crossply tyres and retains its original Lucas battery, although the van is said to need some light recommissioning before it’s ready to be put back on the road.

Original and unrestored Mini variants have rocketed in value recently, with the most notable being the 1959 Austin Mini Se7en (8th produced, 4th in existence, unrestored) selling for £40,250 at Bonhams in May.