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Verax wrote:Thanks a lot for sharing this story

Costafortune wrote:I had 618, bought as a shell in 1985 from a Mini breaker in Reading. It was built into a Mark 1 Coopalike and sold in 1987, for 500 quid.

It was absolutely mint, all original panels and never welded. Not bad for 30 quid. It was on a Q plate but had the original AA2S7 7045 VIN. I couldn't be bothered with the re-registration rigmarole so used an ID from a scrap 1960 Mini instead. If I remember rightly, I took the VRD515 number plate off and got VSV605 in its place That's now on something else so the trail is lost. The car itself was hoovered up in 1987/8 by a Japanese buyer (Kuwahara iirc) and shipped out. If there was any way of finding the Mini Minor VIN, it might be able to be traced but that's just impossible. It's out there somewhere, the current owner unaware.

It was Farina grey or Speedwell blue, hand painted BRG when acquired.

No problem. Even though 618 was supposedly Farina grey, I could swear blind it was Speedwell blue although it has been nearly 35 years.

Given 617's change from grey to red, they were obviously swapping logbooks and chassis plates from car to car.

I can't find any factual evidence of Austin Sevens being prepped at Abingdon.

Any infos about 619 AOG and another private enter Austin seven ?

Costafortune wrote:

Verax wrote:Thanks a lot for sharing this story

Costafortune wrote:I had 618, bought as a shell in 1985 from a Mini breaker in Reading. It was built into a Mark 1 Coopalike and sold in 1987, for 500 quid.

It was absolutely mint, all original panels and never welded. Not bad for 30 quid. It was on a Q plate but had the original AA2S7 7045 VIN. I couldn't be bothered with the re-registration rigmarole so used an ID from a scrap 1960 Mini instead. If I remember rightly, I took the VRD515 number plate off and got VSV605 in its place That's now on something else so the trail is lost. The car itself was hoovered up in 1987/8 by a Japanese buyer (Kuwahara iirc) and shipped out. If there was any way of finding the Mini Minor VIN, it might be able to be traced but that's just impossible. It's out there somewhere, the current owner unaware.

It was Farina grey or Speedwell blue, hand painted BRG when acquired.

No problem. Even though 618 was supposedly Farina grey, I could swear blind it was Speedwell blue although it has been nearly 35 years.

Given 617's change from grey to red, they were obviously swapping logbooks and chassis plates from car to car.

I can't find any factual evidence of Austin Sevens being prepped at Abingdon.

steve1071 wrote:'61 Alpine

I'm guessing that was a private entry as according to the Peter Browning book, 617 didn't do an Alpine in 1961, being sold in 1960.

A pity there is so little info on the 850's.

Verax wrote:Any infos about 619 AOG and another private enter Austin seven ?

619 was one of two Austins used in 1961 (Acropolis) along with a Morris TMO560.

Don't know about privateer entrants.

A March 1961 Seven 363DOC (another Birmingham registration) was used on the 61 Acropolis, 1962 Monte alongside 737ABL the first 997 Cooper and the 1962 Tulip.

yes it's a pity that we do not know what became most of these 850 that ran between 1959 and 1962, works or not works ...

Costafortune wrote:

steve1071 wrote:'61 Alpine

I'm guessing that was a private entry as according to the Peter Browning book, 617 didn't do an Alpine in 1961, being sold in 1960.

A pity there is so little info on the 850's.

Strood in Kent, c.1970...

Nice photo, a row of my favourite BMC models.

Snoopy64's beastie when it was in my ownership...

I had money then!!

Aye but you have a super dooper rust free Cooper now

Don and Earl Morley on the 1960 Monte, 33rd overall.

Who knows?

Tish Ozanne and Nicky Gilmour, 1960 Monte (retired)

Alick Pitts and Tony Ambrose, 1960 Monte, finished 73rd after hitting a milk lorry.

The wreck of TMO560 was supposedly bought by Pitts for 10 shillings!

Talking to a Bloke Walking his dogs past my house .. apparently he was the Technical / Publicity Manager at Automotive Products .he spoke about the original development Mini with the Carb at the front grill .. apparently that early Mini did 90mph on test ? .. then he described that the Manager of the AP Development Shop Rallied a Cooper S with an Auto box as AP had a lot to do with the auto box development ?
No idea if all this is correct ? but will try to get more info next time this dog walker passes bye .

From what I know, all the info in the above post is spot on. Sounds like you have a very interesting neighbour.

VERY interesting Ken........... Similar thing happened to me when I took my police mini to the Shrivenham fete a few years ago. Seeing that it had an alternator, a man spoke to me about the car about it and said that he was a LUCAS design engineer who was working on the then new alternating current generators in the mid to late 60's - later shortened to alternators - and worked with BMC at Cowley, Swindon and Abingdon with MG and the works in order to test the new Lucas alternators for ruggedness on works cars and longevity in staff members BMC/BL cars at Abingdon and Cowley. He was getting on a bit by then so I wrote a few details down and passed it on to those few souls interested in works cars. They wanted more info from him but I didn't have his details. Went the next year but he wasn't there. Maybe I'll try this month when the Shrivenham Fete is on again!!!!!

Incidentally, he noticed straight away that my police alternator was a total mix-and-match lash up to look like an AC original using 17ACR guts! Lucas wanted to beat ACDelco and get Lucas into BMC/BL before AC got in so they based him at Swindon to be close to Cowley -0 and there he stayed when he retired!

Monte Carlo 1961 - N° 337 D.R. Milton / Milton -145 ème

Costafortune wrote:Who knows?

The Kings Road, Chelsea, 1966...
Mr.Cooper and Mr.Surtees…
Don't see many rear views of the one off Bertone Cooper S, I wonder where those light clusters came from...

Those lights look like Fiat 500 I reckon.