Vintage Minor Register

Having held the totally inconclusive debate about the rarest Minor models, what, in the opinion of the forumisti, is the most desirable Minor? In other words which model would you sell your wife/partner/children into slavery for? The only exclusions are M Type MGs and there derivatives, therefore all the special bodied coachbuilts can be included. Simply posting a marque and model name is not acceptable, and full, emotive reasons are to be provided. Where possible post an image so that we can all share your reasoning behind the desire. (Blimey, this is beginning to sound like a dodgy intro to 'Sex in the city'!!!!)
I am going to refrain from making the first such 'justification' as my choice might be the cause of some hilarity, but I promise to reveal all a couple of posts on - honest.
Chris

For me it would be the Maddox Drop head coupe on the ohc chassis. This s a delightful looking car, from the 3/4 front pictures that appeared in the adverts of the period. The car combined a dainty style along with the then fashion to produce a Minor of real quality. High quality full leather interiors, range of paint colours including the imfamous Nile Blue and Green. Further the car could cope with more than two passengers in the dicky seat, or hold a good amount of luggage. I have yet to locate a picture with the roof down but you can see the the idea from similar Arrow drop heads where the top and rear of the door frame folded with the roof. Some might say the folded roof looked a little messy, certainly the rear view mirror would have been a waste of time!

Here is a slightly later version without the running boards. Any more details of these lovely cars would be most welcome!

Not really my most desirable minor , but I came across this photo and thought that you might like to see the "baby Bentley"

of David's . Coincidentally , look what's behind it ! Amazing how these thing crop up !

Tony

And now we know that that is David's daughter in his '34 tourer. How smart we are all becoming!

OK, as promised my hearts desire Minor is ......... wait for it...........a 1932 two seat (£100) Tourer. Why? Because I think it has a very shapely rear end, looks to be extremely well proportioned, has got the best looking rad of all the different variants and I am told goes quite well. (Whoa Lambert - its beginning to sound like that dodgy intro again!!)
This was also the car (or a hybrid of same) that I learnt to drive in as a twelve year sprog. My elder brother Colin initially sat next to me whilst I drove up and down our 20 yard driveway and then let me go solo. Later I was given highly illegal trips around the block to perfect my technique. One day I will get to own one and when the VSCC get around to allowing it and its like to compete, that is what I will do.
Has anyone got a decent image of one - because I haven't?

Chris

Just to set your pulse racing !!! Here's one I owned in the 70's [ wish I'd kept it too ]

Tony

Chris

And another view .....

Whilst it's time for confessions, then here is mine .......my favourite would be a 1932 Family Eight ohc. Why ? Pure guilt at leaving that one with a PJ registration in Goodey's scrapyard in May 1963. I saved DG 7729 (1933 two door saloon) which was in better condition but could not afford both of them on the £4.2.6d I was getting at the time (age 16!) Old man Goodey wanted £10 for DG and I could have had both for £15. There, I feel better now !!

I'm with Chris, the 32 rad, to me, (and I'm biased!) is perfect styling. The sv seems slow but on country lanes it whips along quite impressively and the ohc seems more bother. I'd like to go for a 4 seater tourer but not sure how the engine would cope so that leaves me with the car I already own! A bit sad but never mind. So many minors, so little time (or money)!

I agree about the '32 rad. My most desirable has to be the McEvoy. Mike Gibson's '32 Mac was the first Minor I ever saw - back in 1976.

Here is Jim Peacop's magnificent '32 Mac.

Tony,
That is one good looking car. I think I may have to put my saloon on the market before I intended to! I expect Toby has got three in his garage and he wont miss one! As for Mr. Harris - shame on you, but well done for salving your conscience. Family Eights are much maligned cars. My claim to shame is that I let my 1934 Morgan three wheeler get wrecked by my younger brother and end up in a Colnbrook scrap yard in 1965. Sacrilidge. By the way 1946 was a vintage year!
Chris

For the record, the photo was taken down Ferry lane on our first bath Rally. The single track lane leads down to the Claverton Pump.

I still cannot believe my luck in unearthing my Mac in Ipswich, and the original engine ten miles away, when even the owner didn't know where it was, and it is incredible that it had been tucked away there, close to the city centre for over 50 years undisturbed. Can't wait for it to arrive her in April.

The Most Desirable Minor !

Well , well , well. After all the discussion on the rarest , and the "disagreement " that ensued.

We ALL [ well nearly all ] agree on the '32 SV two seater.

This book [ below ] has such a super cover picture that it started me off collecting Minors like there was no tomorrow.

It is definitely the prettiest model , and I agree , the best radiator. Superb !!

Tony

Good grief, Tony, this was the pic that inspired me too! I lost my copy of this book years ago. It is a superb cover photo. And the book is great, too. I believe it has an appendix giving advice on how to fire up an old car which has been found in a barn?

I have no record of this car, and it doesn't appear on Gren's list either. But we wil find it sooner or later!