In 1966, Captain P.O. Nilsson flew the J35 Draken, the pride of the Swedish Air Force.
That same year, he purchased an Austin Cooper S from Carlmarks Bil in Norrköping—the rare top-spec version of the legendary Mini.
Now the fighter pilot’s car is for sale, in an improbably preserved condition, with him as its only owner and driver.
Sometimes the term “reference car” is used for classic vehicles. These are cars that have remained unrestored, with original paint, untouched interiors in fine condition, and a drivetrain left undisturbed.
Captain Nilsson’s Cooper S is one such car. It shows exactly what the Longbridge icon looked like after a couple of years of use—bearing visible signs of wear, yet with its soul intact.
The captain was probably something of a perfectionist—perhaps you had to be one to fly supersonic fighter jets in the 1960s? Despite driving his Cooper S for 90,000 kilometers, he clearly took exceptionally good care of it.
“It is extraordinarily rare to find a Cooper S in this condition. Most of them wore out early in their often hard lives,” says Bilweb Auctions inspector Nisse Brandt, himself a devoted Mini enthusiast.
He has known about the car for many years and was aware of how well preserved it was. In 2000, Captain Nilsson sold it to a collector in Söderköping, who essentially stored it in a heated garage.
When the collector passed away last year, Nisse Brandt and Bilweb Auctions were commissioned by the estate to sell the car.
“After a minor recommissioning service, there was no problem starting and driving the Cooper, but it does need a more thorough inspection,” says Nisse.
He highlights the car’s originality as its greatest strength, noting that it is a “once in a lifetime” occurrence for a car like this to appear—and he hopes a new owner will not change anything.
“It’s not up to me to say what a new owner should do, but personally I wouldn’t even touch up the stone chips,” says Nisse.
Captain Nilsson also preserved the car’s original documents: the owner’s manual, service booklet, the 1966 tax receipt, and much more that contributes greatly to a collector car’s overall authenticity.
He clearly lived an exciting and intense life—with the Draken in the skies, the Cooper S on the roads, a world championship title in modern pentathlon, and freelance work for sports television.
As his beloved Mini is now being sold through Bilweb Auctions, it is valued between SEK 350,000 and SEK 400,000.
The auction ends on January 28, and more about the car can be found here: https://bilwebauctions.se/en/januariauktion-4-2026/bmc-austin-cooper-s-1275-54634
