missing minor
Moderators: Ian Grace, Will Grace
missing minor
Good to see us in the Morris Register with the summer rally invite... there is also a letter asking for news of a minor saloon that was owned in the early sixties and left the Morris Register in the '70s, Reg. No. MU1728 Is it still around?
if it's got wheels or chips - it'll cost you dear
Re: missing minor
The Rally reference is down to John Nagle who kindly passed on the invite to the powers that be. There is also going to be a piece in Safety Fast shortly.
Yes, MU 1728 still survives. I'm in touch with the chap who owned it in the sixties.
Yes, MU 1728 still survives. I'm in touch with the chap who owned it in the sixties.
Re: missing minor
From David Biles, who owned MU 1728 back in the sixties:
"Indeed that is me, 1964 I think, and outside the then Maria Grey teacher training college in St Margarets, Twickenham. The location is still there - the college became part of Brunel University but is now being redeveloped as riverside dwellings. I now have an even smaller car - a Smart ForTwo - and was thinking of posing for a reshoot! Shades of O Winston Link. If you are not familiar with that story, let me know and I'll fill you in.
This was all in the days just before vintage car values skyrocketed. I bought the car for £10 - cheap even then. I think it cost £12-10s-0d to tax and about £15 to insure. I did loads of work on it but was never able to conquer the oil leak down from the OHC to the vertical dynamo (or the one past the rear main bearing and into the clutch. Fullers earth was the temporary fix for the latter.
On a slightly related note, a friend and I visited Northolt Airport (RAF) to look at a car an airman was selling, and he took us to a hangar that was full of old cars that airmen had abandoned (killed in the war/ reposted?). There was a K type MG, a huge Sunbeam sports saloon and much else too. I can't think that it still exists, but perhaps I'll seek permission to look just in case, though present day security concerns make it unlikely."
"Indeed that is me, 1964 I think, and outside the then Maria Grey teacher training college in St Margarets, Twickenham. The location is still there - the college became part of Brunel University but is now being redeveloped as riverside dwellings. I now have an even smaller car - a Smart ForTwo - and was thinking of posing for a reshoot! Shades of O Winston Link. If you are not familiar with that story, let me know and I'll fill you in.
This was all in the days just before vintage car values skyrocketed. I bought the car for £10 - cheap even then. I think it cost £12-10s-0d to tax and about £15 to insure. I did loads of work on it but was never able to conquer the oil leak down from the OHC to the vertical dynamo (or the one past the rear main bearing and into the clutch. Fullers earth was the temporary fix for the latter.
On a slightly related note, a friend and I visited Northolt Airport (RAF) to look at a car an airman was selling, and he took us to a hangar that was full of old cars that airmen had abandoned (killed in the war/ reposted?). There was a K type MG, a huge Sunbeam sports saloon and much else too. I can't think that it still exists, but perhaps I'll seek permission to look just in case, though present day security concerns make it unlikely."
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Highlander
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2006 12:52 am
Re: missing minor
Cracking photograph!!! Open top minoring in the 60s!!! Bald tyres (years of wear still left - when did MOT start?) and what a horn!!! I knew a David Biles who became a teacher but that was mid 50s and he lived in Ewell. Great story as well. Alister (Highlander)