THIS classic example of British motoring will soon be enjoying life on the other side of the world.

Motorvation in Boscombe has been restoring this 1962 Morris Minor 1000 convertible for a regular client and, with a finished value of around £15,000, it will eventually end up with its new owner in Melbourne.

Colin Dietrich, who has been working on the car alongside garage owner Gary Alcroft, said: “It was basic, a bare shell.

“It’s going to be pretty much brand new when it’s done.

“You can still buy mostly new parts.

“We’ve done it from the ground up.”

The restoration is satisfying what is becoming a global hunger for classic British cars – most of the parts for the Morris are still made and easily sourced.

Colin added: “We’ve done a few of these.

“In the summer we did a left hand drive conversion for the same guy and that went to Bordeaux.”

The car has been in the garage for a month and goes to a bodyshop next.

Colin said: “It’s eventually going to Melbourne in Australia.

“They end up going everywhere.

“There’s interest from around the world in cars like this.

“The Mini Cooper scene in America is huge.

“It’s the original engine and it now has an unleaded head on it.”

Some modern parts have been added, with the original brakes replaced with disc brakes and shock absorbers fitted to the suspension.

“A lot of them now you can hire and people are having them restored to use for the hire business.

“I think it’s picked up abroad a lot, there’s a good following,” Colin said.

The Morris Minor is an iconic British car, developed by former Battersea Polytechnic student Alec Issigonis, who brought car ownership to the masses.