KR 5670

[Ian Grace]

The end of a tumultuous week finds me the ex-owner of LJ 4435 - the Bed-Pan - which has now found an excellent new home in deepest Kent - and I am now the very proud new owner of the ex-the-late Olive Willats 1930 fabric saloon KR 5670.

Phew!

As many of you will know, I had been trying to find a good home for KR for some considerable time before I persuaded the owner - Sue Pocklington - to bring it to VMR Prescott in 2005, where it failed to find a new home. To cut a long and convoluted story short, the car ended up with a dealer in North Yorkshire (who thankfully did NOT separate the car from its number plate), from whom I acquired the car at about 10 a.m. this morning Pacific time. It will conveniently fill a void in a container alongside the 1933 McEvoy 70 NV 2803 bound for Seattle shortly (volcanoes and Barclays bank permitting), as well as filling an equally large void left by parting with the Bed-Pan after seventeen fascinating years.

Some have suggested that I should now give Halbe a run for his money with a competing restoration - but restoration is not on the agenda for this time capsule car, with just 41,000 miles on the clock - a few hundred miles of which were probably added when Olive took the car to Italy and won the FIAME Rally Concours in June 1964.

This car was bought by Sue Pocklington's late husband in the late seventies and has not turned a wheel since.

This double transaction led me to think about the OHC Minors I have owned over the last 30 years - and the number is at least a dozen - including five Semi-sports (LJ 4435, JN 570, TY 7961, M30883, PL 4854), one coachbuilt saloon (UT 7156), three tourers (VF 6700, FD 6409, OF 4554), now two fabric saloons (WL 7995, KR 5670) and the hybrid RFP 374B that ended up with a Semi-sports body and is now in the Haynes Motor Museum. I'll have to think of how may SV Minors I have owned - probably about the same number. Each one of these cars has taught me many valuable engineering and life lessons - and I am certain that KR 5670 will continue this happy trend. (I think I comfortably beat Tony Gamble in numbers of Minors owned, but he easily thrashes me on the number of Minors owned at one time! )

The first to know about the KR transaction were Olive's son Michael and Amanda Willats in Devon who are delighted. Sadly, Olive passed away three years ago (her obituary was published in M 123, and history of the car appeared in articles in M 114 and M 117).

More anon.

For the record, various photos from the Register vaults:

Here is the car at Brooklands for the 60th Anniversary of the track in 1967 and looking very sharp indeed - check out that door shut line. (Photo taken by Ken Martin)



At the 1963 VSCC/VCC Rally at Goodwood 9th to 11th May (Michael at extreme left next to Olive). The results reveal that Mrs. C. H. Willats came third in Vintage Class 4a with her Minor.



At the 1964 FIAME Rally in Venice. Olive drove the car there and back, and won the Concours while there against plenty of illustrious competition.

(VSCC Bulletin 83 (Autumn 1964) includes a report by Peter Hull on the 1964 International Federation Rally in Italy, in which we read that the gayest British contingent was undoubtedly the Lancia one, with four Lambdas, under the command of Air Commodore Buckle. They apparently sped across Europe interspersing rebuilding their cars with huge parties. Happy days. I well remember the colourful Air Commodore Buckle (who was elected President of the Lancia Owners Club in 1948) and his Lancia - he used to regularly attend the VSCC pub meet at the Red Lion, Woolverton, on the A36 just south of Bath when I was a student at Bath Uni back in the seventies - seemingly many lifetimes ago now... I believe the Lancia is now campaigned in VSCC events by his daughter.)



Olive photographed by David Roscoe shortly before her death in 2005 with the FIAME Cup which the family now cherish as a family heirloom.



Finally, the car at VMR Prescott 2005 where it failed to find a new home.



Vintage motoring really is a splendid pastime – it has its ups and downs – like life in general, it has its sorrows, its regrets and its dreams and elations - not to mention its utter cock-ups from time to time! I wouldn’t swap it for the world.

[halbe]

Hello Ian,

Congratulations , this car couldn't have found a better home

Halbe

[Highlander]

I say here here to that. Ian, I think this car only needs light commissioning and would run on a tank full of petrol - try!!!! I am so pleased you have this historic car - I would have loved it and did try but was beaten by her in doors!! Highlander.

[Ian Grace]

Thanks guys. The question now becomes - exactly how to treat it. Neither a full restoration, nor doing nothing to it all all are attractive options. Servicing is obviously needed - new battery (and isolator switch - depending on the state of the wiring!), oil changes, chassis grease, internal brake rebuild, re-pack the steering box and so on, plus a sympathetic clean. Then there will be the firing up - and the subsequent celebration! Thankfully, it will need no MoT, TuV or equivalent here - just get in and drive.

Currently revisiting all the research that went into the car's history a few years ago - I think I have traced the owner in the seventies - Gordon Davico - to Aylesbury.

I would value opinions from the team as to how best to preserve the car while also being able to drive it. For example, much of the laminated glass will probably need changing. I think I intend to preserve the various mods that were done in the sixties (or earlier?) - the rear lamps, the horn ring on the steering wheel, the stop watch/clock (probably added for the trip to Venice), the ash tray, the luggage grid and GB plate, etc.

And in 3 weeks time, the old girl turns 80!

[Ian Grace]

I have done some further research and here are my findings:

The chassis is definitely May 1930 - I had the vendor check the dumbiron - this definitely was a driving chassis when it left the works. This agrees with the split bumpers and diamond rubber running board mats. The engine is also confirmed as the original unit.

As for the body, the 1931 season changes commenced at chassis M27098 - according to the parts list (but 27012 according to the Progress Books). It has the 1930 pattern door hinges (self aligning hinges commenced 27098), 1930 window locks (lever type - replaced by thumbwheels and different clamp mechanism at 27098), BUT it has black fabric with red interior. - to 1931 season spec. (and ignoring the yellow superstructure!)

My conclusion so far is that the new 1931 colour scheme must have commenced somewhat prior to the season change - as we are finding with Eric Mouser's maroon saloon (M26547) which went to the body shop 2nd June.

So where does this leave the Maltby enigma?

It looks like the body (and it has a number - WF527 - the only fabric saloon body number I have ever found) was built some time around/prior to the transition to 1931 season - quoted in the Progreses Books as 16/7/30 - so early July? The car was registered 7th July 30, so it is just possible that the fabric body was on the chassis when it was first registered. But that doesn't answer the question - why was a chassis supplied in May and then a saloon body procured in July?

Hopefully the original registration records may throw some light on this complete mystery if they can be traced.

Incidentally, the current mileage is not 41,000, but 4,104.8 - the 8 being the red tenths of a mile (and 182.8 miles more than quoted on a 1978 MoT certificate). I don't believe for a moment that the total mileage is 4,104.8 - but possibly 14,104 or 24,104, etc. We shall probably never know.

[halbe]

What a super car this is!
The picture is of VG's body number , what a coincidence that our fabric saloon's have their original numbered bodies still on the chassis
Just why the numbers are so different beats me



Regards,
Halbe

[Simon]

Is it possible that Maltbys had an order for one of their bodies on a Minor chassis which was subsequently cancelled so they acquired a standard fabric body from Morris and fitted it to that chassis? Perhaps some further research on Maltbys is required!

[Ian Grace]

Or somebody ordered a 2-seater, paid for the chassis and then had twins?

[Ian Grace]

A couple more photos that were sent across this morning are of interest.



This cockpit shot shows the original state of things and the three plaques are intriguing. I have asked for a legible shot so they can be indentified. Candidates are the 1963 VSCC/FIA rally at Goodwood, the 1964 FIAME rally in Vienna and the 1967 60th Anniversary celebrations at Brooklands.

The clock is another nice touch - possibly added for the Vienna jaunt and 4 pm is highlighted in red - perhaps indicating teatime?



This inside rear shot clearly shows the unusual headlining in leathercloth that matches that used on the seats and trim panels. Has anyone else seen anything like this, or might it be a Maltby touch - along with the two-tone black/yellow exterior? What a pity photographs like this don't include the smell!

[Mike Stubbings]

Hi Ian, This is a Morris touch unless I have a Maltby Cowley folding head saloon,which I do not think it is. The internal
of your saloon is exactly the same as my 1929 Morris Cowley with the same colour/pattern fabric ,including the roof lining and the carpet. My is in worse condition than yours. I have searched everywhere for this material with no success. My car is a one owner and the original owner worked for Wadhams of Southampton who were Morris agents and he purchased the car new from them. The car was laid up in 39 and used for about 15months after the war. I will let you have a couple of pics but let me have your email as I cannot seem to find it. Mike

[Ian Grace]

vintageminor@gmail.com Thanks Mike. I also received some internal images from Halbe today - his is the same inside too.

[Ian Grace]

Continuing research has at last allowed me to trace Gordon Davico - owner of this car briefly in 1978, and the chap who bought it from Olive Willats - see her son Michael Willats' comments about Gordon in M 117:

"MW: There’s a gentleman involved in all this called Gordon Davico. Now this is very strange. Gordon was very kind to me. Because I can’t read or write, I got a job selling cars at Wadham Stringers in Reigate in the 1960’s. He discovered that I couldn’t read or write. He never told me, but he helped me tremendously, even though I never sold a car as long as I was there. He just told me not to worry. Anyway, it now transpires that he owned the car in 1978. He would be a man in 1974 of about 48 or 50. He left Wadham Stringers to become a restauranteur in Reigate. Now that’s all I know, and I lost contact with him, but if you ever find him, I want to meet him and thank him." [This from David Roscoe's interview which I have on tape]

M117 went on:

"To date, all attempts to trace Gordon Davico have drawn a blank. We know that his address in the seventies was Holme Cottage, Ripley Lane, West Horsley, Sussex, and that he was Morris Register member number 2389. We also know that, subsequent to leaving the restaurant in Reigate, he became manager of the Gravetye Manor Hotel in West Horsley in Sussex, but recent enquiries at the hotel have also come to naught. Interestingly, enquires to the Dutch Morris Register have also come up with nothing, so there is a very good chance that the car, which was in concours condition in the late seventies, is currently languishing ‘somewhere in the home counties’."

This morning, I received the followinfg e-mail from Gordon who has been traced to Aylesbury:

"Dear Ian,

I understand from Michael and Amanda who have very recently made contact with me - after what seems like a million years since I was working in Reigate - that you are anxious to hear from me, although I don't think that I can add any more information than you already have. I am now living on my own since losing my wife seven years ago and regrettably don't own a vintage car any longer. My last job was working as Club Steward for the Bentley Drivers Club which I did until I retired at 71! Unfortunately I blew the engine up on my beautiful Brooklands supercharged Bentley and had to sell it as I couldn't afford an engine rebuild - mea culpa!

Regards etc. Gordon"

So another piece of the puzzle falls into place. I would urge anyone with a Minor to redouble their research efforts into the history of their car - you never know what you might turn up. Make maximum use of the old logbook if you have it, original registration records, the internet, including BT.com, etc. The entire early history of the Bed-Pan as owned by the Hambro family was completely unknown when I bought that car.

[Ian Grace]

The three dashboard plaques read:

VETERAN & VINTAGE CAR RALLY
ARENASHOW
STORRINGTON JULY 62

BROOKLANDS TRACK
1907 1967

4TH INTERNATIONAL
V.C.C. RALLY
BRIGHTON
1963

[Highlander]

I attended all three rallys in my 1927, 9/20 Humber saloon. I will have the same plaques somewhere. Highlander.

[Ian Grace]

Incredible!

I don't suppose you have any photos? What was the Storrington event all about? I picked up a programme for the Brooklands event from Eoin Young last week - it purports to include a listing of all the cars on display. I'll check for the Humber.

Although the VSCC was founded in 1934 and the VCC even earlier, wasn't it the early sixties film Chitty Chitty bang Bang that romanticised old cars and brought them into the public consciousness?