This lovely little video from the BBC archives, shows some rather outrageous Minis. The most interesting ones, if you ask me, are the two Wood & Pickett Mini Margraves at the start. And they are two very well known cars, too. The blue one is a car used at the Earl's Court Motor Show of 1978 of which we now can see its registration: 'WOE 951T' (which was last taxed in 1989, or so it seems).
The other car is least as interesting: it's the infamous '50 MAR' built for in 1974 for Al Sharif Omar Almandily. W&P boss Eddie Colins told me about that: "One of the novel things in his car was that he had not one but two telephones. He was a crazy man who rang up himself asking how he was doing!" Although several people doubted the survival of this lavish W&P Mini, it was believed to survive in an underground parking in Cannes, France, but modified with a rather ugly Mercedes grille, white painted roof and different registration (III UN). With the BBC footage unearthed we can now confirm it is indeed the same car: on the video it is seen with the later modifications, but still wearing the '50 MAR' plate.
The infamous '50 MAR' in its original guise, built for Al Sharif Omar Almandily
Picture Jeroen Booij archive
Not one but two telephones plus television on board - 'illegal in the UK'
Picture Jeroen Booij archive
The car as it was seen last May by Paul Blank. We can now confirm it is indeed the same
Picture courtesy Paul Blank
It is joined by a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow in an underground parking in Cannes, France
Picture courtesy Paul Blank
Current plate is 'III UN'. Unfortunately this very special Mini is not much cared for
Picture courtesy Paul Blank
1978 show car on the Wood & Pickett display in London. We learn this was registered 'WOE 951T'
Picture Jeroen Booij archive
The two seen together in the BBC footage that was undisclosed earlier this week
Picture still BBC Archives
Retro ist angesagt;)
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