Radford mini de ville colour cards found!!!

[surfblue63]

...l but what's the old white trafficatir switch for ?

The Parking Lights on the door pillars?

[billycooper]

This is the 1071 Radford the interior came from. Shame it was de-Radfordised. Looked like a cracking car.

When I released what I had, I made a lot of enquires to MK1 Gurus , through the Mini Cooper Register, I think it was too early for the forum ? , I cant remember, and no one had any interest in the car, I only paid 2 grand for it, 20 ish years ago mind, it laid in my garage for ages as a shell, with all the bits it came with, Firstly John Kelly, then a well know Scottish contingent, and a few other people I knew well even made me a visit, and at the time, the little bit extra I was offered didn't make it worth while selling it as the shell was so good for the basis for a Road Rally car, and I really didn't have any interest in it being a Radford or even a Road Car.

I did put the car back to its original state in the end, sold all the bits, as you know they were all in a poor state, unfortunately I never got to enjoy the car due to a messy divorce and finished it and sold it to get some funds in 2010 ish for around 12K

4706629575_233df7b367_b.jpg

[billycooper]

Just on all the holes, I did leave them all in, extra holes in the bulkhead and all the mechanisms, Ariel etc

[Pete]

I suppose if it was the original shell as it sounds Murph it could always be re-Radfordised by the current owner! There's loads of stuff I did with Minis I'd never do now with the benefit of hindsight!

[billycooper]

I suppose if it was the original shell as it sounds Murph it could always be re-Radfordised by the current owner! There's loads of stuff I did with Minis I'd never do now with the benefit of hindsight!

I have no doubt it was the original shell and 1071 unit, plenty of verification there, so yes who ever has the car now could turn it back to it’s Radford existence, it did get a little split up mind ! and the Radford bits did help in completing other famous cars .

It’s well documented where the seats and dash went, not sure about the doors, what a piece of work they were, all sorts of materials, quite amazing really.

I have owned 2 other “S” s, both owners have contacted me recently for info on the cars funnily enough, be nice to have a craic with the current owner of 8049SR, if anyone knows of them

[66Traveller]

The Radford binnacle dashboard, loom and sunvisors went to a guy in Northern France if I remember rightly.

[Hipwell]

Beauty! just needs a set of hubcaps, the wheels are too new! There was a set on Ebay a while back.

Yes shame that Selllers one hasn't got its wheel trims, looks like it had two or three different types over the years. Cosmics don't suit it IMO.

[coopertim]

They would at standard height with 145 Dunlop’s.

Tim

[billycooper]

Found some more pics of 8049SR (SSR1) on an old memory stick !

Picture 161.jpg

Picture 162.jpg

[Nick W]

Dual use number plates!

Alpine or Tiger???

[Pete]

Great photo, looked the same colour as Macca’s.

[billycooper]

Dual use number plates!

Alpine or Tiger???

I have a letter on file from the daughter of the first owner of the vehicle, SSR 1 was originally on the Radford then transferred in 1964 on to her Sunbeam Alpine and the Radford was put on to 8049SR, plate is still in existence on a Black Jag, so this photo must have been taken in 1964, the other pics were taken in 1973 before they sold it on.

in all the boxes of stuff that came with the car, i found another number plate which ended in SR , it may have even come off the Alpine ! (think ive still got it)

[UHR850]

Radford Mini conversion

[Pete]

George or Ringo??

[Nick W]

My guess is Ringo...

[nimbusprint]

George, seat's not far enough forward for Ringo

[mab01uk]

George

[mk1]

I would saw George too.

[Pete]

It should be George. They did drive each others Minis though and Epstein's sidekick Terry Doran also drove the cars.(this deffo isn't him though). Doran was an interesting character, very reclusive but was part of the Beatles family from the beginning and close friends with Epstein since they met in a pub in 1959. Doran was a car salesman in Liverpool (City Cars?) and also worked at a dealership in nearby Warrington from where he sold George his Anglebox in 1962 and supplied the band's first 'tour bus' - an 8 seater Ford Thames. He moved to London when the Beatles did in or around 1964 and ran Epstein Automobiles Ltd with Brian himself as a silent partner, supplying cars to the Beatles themselves, Epstein, their friends and family plus other musicians, band managers and various associates. The company was renamed Brydor in April 1966 and operated up until and slightly after Epstein's death in August 1967 whereafter Doran was put in charge of Apple Music publishing. He was a very close friend with John Lennon (Lennon owned the house he lived in in Esher) and George Harrison particularly whos Friar Park estate he managed throughout the 70s and early 80s to my knowledge. Considering the fact he was so close to the band from the very beginning to the end (and beyond) he rarely ever gave interviews (though there's one on Youtube, if he did any others I'd be very interested to read anything) and refused to record his story in an autobiography, as interesting a read as that would have been!

The last I heard is that he was working for Saab in London, though some years ago now and that as recently as 2016 he was very ill so not sure whether he's still alive or not. Any info on Terry would be gratefully appreciated as Ive just purchased Terry's Brydor ledger in which he detailed every vehicle that the company purchased or sold between November 1964 and January 1967 including all the Beatles cars,and those for Mick Jagger, Yardbirds, Moody Blues etc etc plus details of where cars were sourced from, prices, and part ex details.

[Pandora]

I was just reading Jeroen's post on the ledger and my first thought was 'Ooh, I hope Pete bought it!"

One of those things that is very interesting to have survived and invaluable as a research tool, but has the potential to cause huge upset debate in years to come if it had come into the possession of someone purely , how shall we say it, 'financially motivated'.

Just think of the hours of fun you can have now Pete! (and well bought, I think)

Al