Ex-Abingdon Cars Database

[Nevsmini]

Lovely looking cars. Is ORX 707F the only real ex Works car ?

I don't know and to be honest I don't really care!

[Pete]

Lets look at this in a different way, a bit of a curve ball here :

Which works cars are still in a works shell ?


Ronnies LBL66D


any more, that are defo in a works built shell ?

Just on this topic, I know Ronnie's car is widely thought to be the 67 Monte car LBL 66D, sold off by the works without it's registration number as many were. I seem to recall a conversation years ago that the car can't get the number back, How come? It's the real deal, so just wondered what the reason was?

[Supersonic]

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Nice car 570 FMO. And to be fair the owner is more than honest about it. In fact his honesty has won people over

Alan

[spoon.450]

Lets look at this in a different way, a bit of a curve ball here :

Which works cars are still in a works shell ?


Ronnies LBL66D


any more, that are defo in a works built shell ?

Just on this topic, I know Ronnie's car is widely thought to be the 67 Monte car LBL 66D, sold off by the works without it's registration number as many were. I seem to recall a conversation years ago that the car can't get the number back, How come? It's the real deal, so just wondered what the reason was?

Any update Pete ?

[mab01uk]

from 'Mini Cooper Club' magazine 1983

[Supersonic]

Ronnie’s car is the genuine 1967 Monte car LBL 66D and he has the official receipt from BMC when he purchased it from them all those years ago. I remember him telling me he had both the brown and green logbooks for this car with BMC Competition Department listed as first owner but never got round to transferring it over to his name. I can understand this knowing Ronnie. I’m hoping to see Ronnie at the Slieve Donard indoor Classic & Sports Car Show from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 January. I’ve my Morris Cooper S ready for it and rumour has it Ronnie will have his newly restored 1959 Mini on display.

Will post photographs as you know

Alan

[Ronnie]

Sorry Alan
But you are mixing your Ronnie's up, I don't think that we have ever met.
My car left Abingdon on the back of a cotton dyers truck with NO reg.

It was in a better condition than it is now (in the photo)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[Supersonic]

Sorry Alan
But you are mixing your Ronnie's up, I don't think that we have ever met.
My car left Abingdon on the back of a cotton dyers truck with NO reg.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Indeed I have Ronnie, the works car I referred to is owned by Ronnie White from over here in Northern Ireland. It is also like your car the genuine article that is not registered with the DVLA on their new system. I could add much more but right now I don’t think it would be my place to do so.

Happy New Year to you and your family as well

Alan

[Costafortune]

I remember DJB93B from around 1991 when it was an active rally car being used very hard by a guy from somewhere near Darlington. Can't recall who....Paul something? It was a logbook job then and something of a ten footer, exactly what a works car would have been in a few years after it left Abingdon. I was taken out for a ride in it and by Christ did it go. It was quite successful in local rallies and it was great to see it steaming though a special stage.

DJB was rebuilt around 1992 into a fresh car that began life as a very nice low mileage Maroon B Austin Mini. I think Simon Wheeler was involved, maybe even MiniSport but I can't be sure. The resulting car was very nice of course, but I preferred it as it was - a works Mini being used as intended.

There are so many recreations and delusions of grandeur that the whole subject is of little interest. There was a guy who built a replica of a works Triumph Vitesse rally car and managed to get one of the original works registration numbers. He openly described it as a replica.

If I had the $$$$, I'd buy a 'works' car, get it properly prepped and then kick its head in on some special stages, mud, dents and gravel rash be damned.

Here's the end of one of the original DJB93B's, retired on the 1965 Acropolis. This pic was taken just after it was tipped back onto its wheels after some welding work. It did get going again but was badly fire damaged and the engine later seized. I doubt it rolled again as a works car. I wonder how many shells this car has had?

[Pete]

Looked a good turn out at Gaydon yesterday, which I missed as I was at the the dreadful Autosport Show , Mike Wood, Paddy,Basil,etc , some interview footage on facebook of them all in a very noisy room! Anyone go?

[graham.codling]

I remember djb it was sat in mini machines workshop in the early 1990s in Darlington.mini world did a story on it .the engine seized on a rally by using standard oil instead of using castrol R .

[billycooper]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/16788879@ ... 3xs-5fEfrV

DJB was owned and used by Phil Short for a few years in the early 2000s, sprints and Hillclimbs, here he is at Croft in 2000, he beat me by 00.40 of a second as I remember rightly, so he wasn't frightened of pedaling it on a bit !

[Pete]

I remember djb it was sat in mini machines workshop in the early 1990s in Darlington.mini world did a story on it .the engine seized on a rally by using standard oil instead of using castrol R .

And me! Refreshingly the then owner was very clear that his car had no connections with Abingdon at all and the number plate was bit of a joke and he couldn't believe that DVLA had issued it. JK nd MM never changed that description either but fast forward to 2011 and Bonhams put bit of different spin on it to say the least...

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/19289/lot/214/

[Costafortune]

Jeff had the docs but they passed to MM and the car used until late 1991 was Pauls* - it reverted to another V5 after that.

They were good days. Andy was a good boss, JK was a pain in the arse but Doreen kept him in check. Simon Donald from Viz Comic had a few cars there as well - I saw him again recently and we talked about the good old days at Whessoe road next to Autospray. There were some seriously skilled guys there.


*Wish I could recall his full name, but he was a serious driver.

[SMOKE GREY]

Remember Simon Wheatcroft navigating I think in it on a Rally Britannia, the historic event that did the first day, Sunday of the RAC/NETWORK Q Rally. I was on the same event in a Cortina GT.

[Pete]

J Simon Donald from Viz Comic had a few cars there as well

He had a nice FY Cooper S I remember and a lovely Traveller, does he still have his Minis?

[Costafortune]

He has a couple including a Mark 2 Cooper.

I think he may be on here! I did point him this way.

[Simon776]

It was Paul Aston who drove it on a few events.

I navigated it on the Rallye Bristowe and drove it on the Britannia Rally but that ended prematurely after the drivers side front tie bar pulled through the front subframe and broke the top ball joint.