1969 MORRIS MINI COOPER S - BY WOOD & PICKETT

This Morris Mini Cooper S ‘Margrave’ by Wood & Pickett is a striking bespoke city car, presented in superb condition and with intriguing provenance. Under the bonnet is a 1275cc Cooper S inline-four engine, producing around 76bhp, coupled to a four-speed manual transmission. The odometer indicates 72,365 miles from new.

Having gained valuable experience within the famed Hooper and Co. coachbuilding business, the founders of Wood & Pickett started off with premises rented from Park Ward, and they carried out numerous projects for that business in their early years. By the mid-1960s, the Issigonis-designed Mini was rapidly gaining in popularity, and with it came the desire for ever more customised variants.

The Margrave model was Wood & Pickett’s take on the iconic city car, and was finished to each customer’s exacting demands. The polar opposite of the mass-production at the Mini factories in Longbridge and Cowley, the Margrave was produced at a rate of around 12 cars per year, for clients that included numerous celebrities, peers, and successful business owners.

This original Morris Mini Cooper S was converted within a 10-month window from December 1969 through to late 1970 - and it is believed to be the only MkII Cooper S upgraded by the company. Its front wings were reprofiled, the wheel arches were widened, and the doors were modified with opening quarter light windows. Riley-sourced chrome cowlings were fitted over the headlights, and it was fitted with Rolls-Royce door handles, as well as a smoother boot lid from a later Mini.

Other exterior changes included the addition of a full-length Webasto fabric sunroof, a Benelite front grille, and Lucas spotlights. In the cabin, the original seats were swapped for sumptuous Aston Martin DB6 style items in black leather, while Aston Martin switchgear was also used for the retrofitted electric windows. The dashboard was given the typically luxurious Wood & Pickett treatment with leather trim for the panels, as well as a full complement of Smiths gauges sourced from a Jaguar sports car. It is also fitted with twin five-gallon fuel tanks.

First registered in September 1970, this ‘Margrave’ Morris Mini MkII Cooper S was delivered to an owner in London. The second keeper was celebrity hairstylist Leonard Lewis, renowned for creating the look that helped to make Twiggy a star around the world, and for cutting the hair of the likes of Liza Minelli, Jack Nicholson, The Beatles, David Bowie, and even US president John F. Kennedy.

Its subsequent owners included fashion and music industry photographer Clive Arrowsmith, and in 1974 it was acquired by John Hammel - the long-serving assistant and road manager to Paul McCartney. Hammel sold the car to Denny Laine of The Moody Blues and Wings, who bought the car for his wife, but after less than a year it was back with Hammel who had kept first refusal. It was sold on again in 1998, and then purchased back by Hammel for a third and final period of ownership in the early 2000s.

During this third encounter with the car, Hammel evidently decided that it deserved a cosmetic restoration. He had the car stripped back to bare metal by Woods Restoration Services in Kent, with the wings replaced and repairs made to the lower body elsewhere, then finished in the same dark blue that it first wore in 1971. The interior was treated only to some sympathetic re-connolising to rejuvenate the black leather. It subsequently won the ‘Car of the Show’ award at the 2009 London-to-Brighton Mini Run.

In more recent years, the Margrave Mini has been fitted with electronic ignition, and has had its wiring attended to. Fuel lines have also been replaced, and the Hydragas suspension has been recharged. The engine and gearbox have also been overhauled by Minispeed in Surrey. There are now eight previous registered keepers on the log book, though per the description above it is understood that three of those entries all pertain to John Hammel. The current owner acquired the car in May 2019.

Today, its bodywork and paint are described as being in excellent condition. Though the cosmetic restoration took place more than 10 years ago, it is understood that the car has covered less than 2,500 miles since then, so is still looking superb. The light lenses are in good order, and the chromed metal finishes also present very well. It rides on a set of 10-inch Minilite alloys, which are colour-coded to match the body. There are minor blemishes in the finish of the wheel paint, but these could be easily refurbished.

Inside, the cabin remains highly original, believed to be in exactly the same specification as when it left Wood & Pickett’s premises in 1970. The black leather upholstery is visibly worn and aged, with some surface cracking - though given the famous faces who may have driven or ridden in this Mini given its music industry provenance, it is arguably more desirable for not having been re-trimmed. There are small scuffs and blemishes in the leather around the interior, but this is little more than charming patina that reflects its fascinating life to date.

Mechanically, this Mini Cooper S is reported to be in strong condition, benefiting from the recent work by recognised classic marque specialist, Minispeed. The most recent MOT test was on 15 May 2019 at 72,200 miles, when it achieved a first-time pass with no advisories. Given the six-month extension, the certificate is still valid until 14 November 2020.

Accompanying this Mini is an extensive history file, helping to chronicle not only various servicing and maintenance, but also its remarkable back story in the world of pop music. Photographs and paperwork documenting the post-millennium restoration costing around £13,000 are present, along with historic MOT certificates, invoices, and some wonderful period literature from Hammel’s time with the car during his tenure as road manager for Wings.

This Morris Mini Cooper S by Wood & Pickett is a unique and storied example of the highly bespoke ‘Margrave’ special. Boasting wonderful provenance with a string of owners in the 1970s British music scene, this is a smartly presented classic that is sure to impress at national and international shows.

All UK-registered cars and motorbikes on Collecting Cars are run through an online HPI check. This vehicle shows no insurance database markers for damage or theft. It is currently covered by a finance agreement, but the remaining balance will be cleared before ownership is transferred to the buyer.