If it’s the one I’m thinking of, he had it on display at the Nottcutts (Nuneham Courtney) show a couple of years ago. He told me that it had been brought by him after being found in storage for many years (I know, usual story but he sermed a decent genuine chap ….. and his name wasn’t Greg . He had enquired long and hard but had been unable to find proof that it was used as a works car but the consensus was that it was built by Abingdon as either a spare or for recce. It certainly looked right and had full works dash, engine bay and interior with great patina.
If I remember correctly it was bought without a V5/plates and he used a V5 from another car.
It did all look correct though and certainly looked good!
If he’s at this year’s Notcutts show next month I’ll try and get some photos.
Peter Laidler wrote: ↑Sun Aug 07, 2022 5:38 pm
Are there really any missing or unaccounted for cars out there after all this time.
Oh, come now Peter, you know that question is the ring pull on the ACME family sized can of worms.
'Accounted for' could equally be taken to mean 'claimed', and that as we know is a very moot point. Are there any missing? Well, maybe, and it will continue to create ripples as and when they emerge to find another already in their place in the limelight.....
Hi Woodypup and Pandora. My eyes glazed over once he started talking about the remains of a works car. Luckily another bloke came by and we got into a more meaningful discussion about pre-Romano Abyssinian pottery before 300BC. I have found a few of these ex works relics around these parts and the only bit that pricked my ears was his mention of the roof mounted Lucas spot light.
Mind you, I did take another blokes phone number who had a couple of wheels and a few engine and suspension parts from his mini owning days. We'll see.....
Nor me. Especially in the Abingdon area. BMC frequently built their rally cars into new shells and sold the old rolling shells off to local lads for a few £££. There might well be the odd one still to be discovered!
The most complete one I found/identified was a red and white '850 saloon' with twin tanks and obviously S brakes, 'F' registered and a tad tatty around the gills. Being regularly used and tootled slowly around Abingdon by an elderly lady who used it for her shopping.
Her husband worked at MG, so I put the two and two together. Yep, that was the third and I was dead right. No4 was even better.............
There's another that I forgot. The car stuffed in a garage in St Amand Drive here. Purchased by dad who worked there. Son said he would build it up to a road car. Total tosser. Moved away from home and many years later, parents want to downsize, tosser son doesn't have anywhere to keep it and the remains go to Charlie Booths scrapyard in Drayton
I never really knew what their works numbers were. I only got to know a lot of these cars because I was a vehicle examiner at the time and restoring a Cooper S of my own. That's how I found TRX 177G - not a works car, but one that I kept.
Abingdon mechanic Nobby Hall acquired from the works one of the MG1100 rally cars, put it back to fairly standard (just the white roof) and his wife ran it until the mid to late seventies.
Someone I used to know from Oxford bought it around 1991/2 and broke it up. It was pretty rotten but even so. I had the straight cut 3 synchro box (solid remote) for my 970 S and the modded 1100 engine with Amal carbs went into an earlyish OEW Mini Minor.
That’s another great Works car related story Paul. I’m sure other forum members have a few snippets to share. I know it’s not everyone’s thing but I personally find it really interesting….. and have a few more related tales since being involved with GRX 309D. Delicate subject, but perhaps another thread is required…( until it is locked )
Following it's appearance at the Abingdon Works Motorsport Celebration display at the BMC and Leyland Show, there's a nice photo and interesting description of " Paul Bates' lovely restored Ex works mini cooper S GRX 309D " in this months Cooperworld.
Paul informed me that he, and his car were warmly welcomed by Ex works aficionados.
And it’s now got its rightful registration number back on it after years of being sat on a clone logbook car which is great news for the owner, not so great news for the cloners.
. He had enquired long and hard but had been unable to find proof that it was used as a works car but the consensus was that it was built by Abingdon as either a spare or for recce. It certainly looked right and had full works dash, engine bay and interior with great patina.
Or should I say what has happened 