Much ado about a Mini, as Wood & Pickett afficionados have united after a video was posted on youtube yesterday (shown here too). What's the story? Well, the connoiseurs believe the car in question - registered '111 UN' - could be long lost '50 MAR'. Yep, that's the one that I mentioned as its sister car.
Danish Wood & Pickett fan Jens Christian Lillelund wrote: "If you go through all the details you will notice that every detail on the car matches 5OMAR - the 3 roof aerials, the sunroof, the rear screen, the modified boot lid, the front wing antenna, the wheels and spinners, the exhaust, the steering wheel, the rear view mirror, the 4 spot lights. There have never been two Wood & Picketts that match so many details. It has to be the same car that's been back to W&P for a Landau conversion and Mercedes grill. I have many articles regarding W&P, and one thing they all mention are that the owners keep coming back to have more stuff done to their cars."
Meanwhile, I have been sent over some more pictures of the W&P Mini Margrave - looking rather sorry for itself in the Medditerranean underground parking. So we can now better check the similarities. I guess Jens Christian has got a point here. But I'm not yet convinced. Only if I see the interior of the car (including a television and not one but two telephones...) I'd dare to be sure. Furthermore I know there was another W&P conversion that looked pretty similar to '50 MAR', even in its colour. That one was registered '777 ACE' and hasn't been seen for decades either...
Wood & Pickett fans say this is most probably one and the same car that has been converted once more
Pictures Jeroen Booij archive/Bart Vanreusel
Aerials, rear window, exhaust, spinners, locks - all the same. Landau roof, grille and red pin stripes aren't
Pictures Jeroen Booij archive/Bart Vanreusel
The car's interior should provide the answer. Trouble is the windows are pitch dark...
Pictures Jeroen Booij archive
Hi Jeroen,
ReplyDeleteJust had a look at Eurods/WP, to check the 3 other Landau,s ? these are late 70ies cars, running on 12" wheels, and only 1 have quarter windows, and they are Innocenti,s - not the early James Young type, as III UN has (WP stopped using these around 1974 app). Non of them have the early Lucas alloy mirror, These are more signs, that point towards III UN being an early WP, and therefor could be identical to 5OMAR.
Jens Christian
Good point. Keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteRegarding wp 50mar,I used to see this special car in the seventies around Park Lane w1 areas in central london, I may be mistaken but it looked like a MK11, ie 1968 /69 year made.
ReplyDeleteThe 111UN car has similarities but appears to be MK3.
I have a mercedes front light WP mini cooper S which was made in 1968 ,obviously MK2 vintage. This has Porsche 911 style trim ,recaro's ,911 type drop down ,individual rear seats,
Mercedes switch gear, hand stitched leather dash, shortened rear quarter windows,slightly smaller rear window as 50mar ,among other interesting mods.sadly needs restoring now.
Best wishes, M.
5OMAR is a MK III Min.
ReplyDeleteIt was built same time as many other famues WP,s
Date of Liability 01 08 1999
Date of First Registration 16 10 1973
Year of Manufacture Not Available
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1300cc
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type PETROL
Export Marker N
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour BLACK
Vehicle Type Approval Not Available