BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)<br />
Pic: SimonBenton/BNPS<br />
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Pictured: The newly transformed mini<br />
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A beloved Mini bought as a surprise Christmas present for the owner's mother but later left to languish has been salvaged after his parent's death.<br />
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Simon Benton's fondest childhood memory is of his mum, Mary, drawing back the curtains to find the bright blue Mini parked on the driveway on Christmas morning in 1977.<br />
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His father, Eric, had parked it there the night before, wrapping a red ribbon around the roof and writing 'Merry Christmas Mary' with lipstick on the windscreen.<br />
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Simon, who was 11 at the time, later learned to drive in the 1967 Austin 850 and it sparked a lifetime's love for the classic British brand.<br />
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But a faulty gearbox meant the car failed its MOT in 1991 and was forgotten at the back of the family garage for 17 years.