So, as you know, I’ve been looking back at old road tests in Autocar. The Mayfair one was revealing. While the 1997 Cooper one properly got me going.

I asked the question, wonder if the Mayfair’s still on the road? Tom Rowan answered it – probably not. He did a canny registration search, and discovered the potentially bad news.

Well then, I thought… if it worked for that, why shouldn’t it also work for P 752 KWK, the 1997 Rover press fleet car?

To the DVLA link I duly went. Whence, I got back some very interesting news.

The car still exists.

But it’s currently declared SORN.

Why? What’s it doing? Where’s it living? Has it been crash-damaged, and is currently being repaired? Is it a restoration project? Has the owner discovered its famed provenance, and is keeping it safely stored in a lockup somewhere?

I don’t know! But I would love to… see, if this is a car in ill health, that the owner wants to move on for minimal bucks, I’d definitely be interested. Hey – owning an ex-press car… what a thrill!

It could even be the same car my boss Peter Burgess had down here on loan all those years ago. It could be the same test car my mates at Autocar thrashed around the track. Providing me with the delights to pour over a few weeks later.

It’d be nice to find out. Anyone out there recognise it, and can help? If so, let me know.

Because, staring at the images, a metallic orange Rover Cooper on 13”s would do the job quite nicely, I think…

Can you help me buy a Mini in 2009?

Mini search over already? If I’m lucky

What can I expect from a Mini?

OK, I’ve been ploughing the Autocar library again, seeking out tests from back in the day. 22 January 1997 doesn’t sound *too* far back in the day, even though it is, actually, 12 years ago. Gawd, etc.

Anyway, Autocar Road Test no. 4228 is of the Rover Mini Cooper, by now with airbag, seatbelt pretensioners and side impact bars.

The radiator’s on the side, damping pads are fitted in the roof, there’s an extra exhaust silencer, and the final drive is longer. All helping the 1275cc meet the 74dB noise limit.

Fear not, says Autocar. It’s still a Mini, and thus, unlike any other car on sale. Encouragingly, the 63bhp A-Series is now ‘evergreen’, taking nearly 10secs off the Mayfair’s 0-60mph time. It’s still unrefined, though.

The ride also remains bouncy – ‘burying drivers’ heads in the roof’. The key is finding a smooth corner. There, says Autocar, four-wheel drifts are the norm. Intimate, if crude, feel through the steering helping you achieve ‘perplexingly high speeds’.

Needless to say, the interior is as dated as ever (despite a two-speed fan!). It’s very cramped, doors are tiny, and tall people simply have to bend their knees. Buttons on the dash are unlit (I didn’t realise that) and the boot is highly awkward.

Once again, Autocar’s objective terms write the Mini off as from another era. But, of course, it is! That’s why it’s so great! And thus,  ‘as an object of basic desire, it’s still up there with the best of them.’

Couldn’t have put it better myself…