Minis, 1975.

[Costafortune]

1975 short film by Fyfe Robertson, a very forthright Scottish journalist and a delight to listen to.

Lots of Minis - spot the knackered Almond green Mark 1 Countryman having an FTP moment. It was around 8-12 years old so ready for the scrapyard.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxM8vxS_yLs

[mab01uk]

Thanks for posting!
Nice to see some film of Mini Vans and Pickups, Clubman Estates and 1275GT on the BL production lines. Plus Wood & Picket production as a bonus!

I remember him well...back in the days when the BBC had reporters worth listening to and programmes that were still worth watching.
Ironically in the film he thought big cars were on the way out...while standing amongst unsold BL Triumph 2000's which now seem quite small when compared to most modern cars and SUV's on the roads today.
ROB 1 E the numberplate on his black Wood & Picket Clubman is now on a 2007 5998 cc Bentley.

[davidnutland]

I like the Castaro brown Innocenti 1300 in the W&P workshop.

[Pete]

Brilliant bit of film that and how prophetic? Albeit the drive for lower fuel consumption was little to do with today’s reason for the same. Yes spotted that Innocenti and the 1275GT he picks up from Longbridge must have been a special order in black in 1975? Wood & Pickett were busy boys back then!

[Old English White]

...while standing amongst unsold BL Triumph 2000's which now seem quite small when compared to most modern cars and SUV's on the roads today.

Seeing all those unsold Triumphs standing outside unprotected and unloved for months (years?!?) makes me realise why my own Triumph 2500 started rusting so early in it's life A combination of poor build quality, Italian steel and being stored outside all combined to create a very seriously rusty car within a few short years. Such a shame. In many ways it was a lovely car to drive. It was the last British Leyland car I ran.

[Peter Laidler]

It wasn't just Triumphs OEW. In very late 1990's, BL used to store their unsold cars at the old secure USAF air base at Upper Heyford near here. Alas, the cars were stored in big long rows on the grassy areas. After the last real minis had ceased production and the great British motoring public were slowly being underwhelmed by the dire quality of the rest, the cars were out there, unloved and unprotected in all weathers.

A year later, in the September 0f 2001 there appeared an aerial view picture of these lines and lines of hundreds of unsold cars. And guess what you could clearly see.....? Two things...... Grass growing up to the door levels and hundreds of unsold minis. You couldn't make it up!

The irony of it all was that a year before, in the autumn of 2000 I went to buy one of the last minis and had the temerity to ask for a discount for cash. The sales girl here at Hartwells looked agog ......... And told me that there was no discount and I should get one while I could. Not only that, these little cars were in such demand and were flying of the shelves. Not in Oxfordshire they weren't! A year + later, they were still available. New and presumably already rusty underneath

[Costafortune]

Triumph only had another 5 years to live, and Jaguar was already starting its slow demise. The XJ6 was a great design but absolute crap as a car.

I'll take the Rolls Royce Camarge - I always liked those.

[Costafortune]

Yes spotted that Innocenti and the 1275GT he picks up from Longbridge must have been a special order in black in 1975? Wood & Pickett were busy boys back then!

Aah, but the car W&P really build for him is a Clubman automatic - spot the boot badge and the front drum brakes when they're bolting the (Mamba?) wheel on.

[peasantslife]

Whatever you do dont assume anything untoward when your magnet fails to stick on a Camargue. It was just a few years after that I was there, but the entire shape is sculpted in lead over some questionable BL and Abbey Panels steelwork. They chuckled in Wilsden about having to have extra long thread ariel bases as front wing tops can exceed 25mm thick!
Whilst Royces are seen as 'bespoke' their panel tooling was in those days always cheap, so prone to error and early wear out. I always learnt a lot on my trips to MPW.