This section is designed to help with the identification of the differing interior features that distinguish a 1959 mini from later minis and the differences between DeLuxe, Basic, Austin, Morris, early 59 and late 59.

We hope this will aid members in buying and restoring their cars.

Deluxe Seats.

Early seats are distinguished from later ones by having distinctive patterns and different seat frames. They came in two styles. Austin seats were red or blue and fleck with multiple thin flutes and the back of the front seats in red or blue. Morris seats were black and fleck with one large central flute and grey fleck on the back of the front seat. Both had stitched flutes to begin with. Around mid to late July 1959 the Austin seats changed to the welded type flutes. The Morris seats remained stitched.

Early Austin seats.

These pictures show very early stitched Austin seats. We have knowledge of a Mid July car with one part of the back seat as a welded type and all the others as stitched so this could indicate a change from stitched to welded

In the left hand picture you can see the later (august >) welded flute seat but still in
red and fleck.
One characteristic of the early back seat is that the wheel arch was covered by the
seat too.

Early Morris seats

As you can see the Morris seats are very different in design to Austin ones. They are black and fleck with a large central flute. All Morris seats are stitched. These seats were superseded around chassis number 8500 (Mid November 1959)

The Morris seats on the left have fleck on the back unlike the Austin seats that are plain coloured vinyl.

Basic seats

The basic seats are covered in cloth, originating from a caravan suppliers and thus very light wearing. The majority of basic cars have lost their original interior due to the seats being worn through. This material is now impossible to find. It’s a very rare basic to retain it’s cloth interior.

Post Mid November seats

Morris seats changed around mid November (approx chassis 8500)  from black / fleck to red or blue / fleck and the flute pattern changed to a uniform pattern similar to the Austin ones but with a wider flute. The back of the front seats still done in fleck

Seat frames

The front seat frames and mountings changed from ones with tubular feet on the left picture to the shaped frame on the right picture. Also the early seats were bolted onto a welded mounting on the square cross member whilst the later ones were bolted onto the front of the cross member. Basic passenger seats were none adjustable and had the hoop leg right from the start.

Switch panel

The early switch panel had a flat surface . The later one had recessed holes for choke and heater controls.

Passenger door lock button

Early passenger door locks had a round button. Later ones had a flat button.
Also all Morris 59s had body coloured door locks as in the left hand picture, and all Austins had black coloured door locks as in the right picture.

Cord door pulls

All Mk1s, except Coopers and Supers had wire door pulls with a fixed ridged grip as in the right picture. Some early 59 cars however had door pulls as in the left picture where the grip slides on the wire. As far as we know only Morris cars had this type fitted.

Straight gear stick

All 1959 cars had a straight gear stick. It was replaced by a cranked type mid 1960.

Early Heaters

Early heaters had no flap to direct all the air to the demisters as in left picture. The right picture shows an unusual variation found in an August built Morris. It has long metal tubes to demisters with 2 small flaps to shut the air on or off.

Later flap heaters

Later heaters were fitted with a flap to direct air to car or demister in 1960

Rear windows

The rear quarter light catches on early cars were much narrower.

Speedometer

Austin speedo with red needle cream face. Morris speedo with clear needle silver face

All early speedo’s had no tenths on odometer.

Oil warning light green, headlight warning light red