i can see your view but taste is a question of personal opinion at the end of the day.
when you look a little deeper this is the very brief history. the original minors had a different front end, more like a beetle till the us market dictated higher headlights.
also the minor was designed by Sir alec Issigonis who also designed the mini and a lot of the technology on the mini came from the minor or was tested in the minor on a prototype leval. e.g.
front wheel drive!
all the occupents being within the wheel base giving a better ride for all.
rust treatment pre painting,
tortion bar suspension
and also monocoque construction to name a few all these were pretty much firsts on the minor.
The minor was aslo the first car to sell over a million units worldwide.
the minor is one of the real unsung heroes of the automotive industry.
the other things that make it appealing are you can build one to do sub 13second 1/4 mile times for about 3 grand incl buying the car. there is also a full range of engines that will go in with minimal fettling from the rover k seies, the fiat twin cam the rover sd1 engine (3.5 v8) all with off the shelf kits
its real easy to make a total sleeper.
mine for evample has a moderatly tuned 1.1 engine that will keep with stock modern 1.4`s even in some twistys and the real giggle is there is a kit which ive got waiting to put on which hides range rover brakes under there
like i said a really understated car
*gets off soap box and bows*
... if only his and richard whitely's roles had been reversed the world would be a better place 
well maybe
