MARGRAVE MORRIS MINI COOPER S 1275 MK II, 1969

PACIFIC BLUE METALLIC WITH BLACK CONNOLLY HIDE

4-SPEED MANUAL, MINILITE WHEELS, WEBASTO FULL LENGTH SUNROOF, BENELITE GRILLE, LUCAS LR9 SPOTLIGHTS WITH RILEY 1.5 HEADLIGHT RIMS, MOTO-LITA STEERING WHEEL, TWIN 5-GALLON FUEL TANKS, ASTON MARTIN DB6-STYLE SEATS, ROLLS ROYCE CHROME HANDLES, W & P KICKPLATES AND JAGUAR AUXILIARY INSTRUMENTS.

            Hexagon Classics are delighted to offer what is believed to be the only Wood & Pickett Morris Mini Cooper S MK II ever made and is offered for sale on behalf of a long-standing client.  A rich tapestry of former celebrity owners included Steve Marriott (of Small Faces fame), Denny Laine (Moody Blues and Wings), John Hammel (Sir Paul McCartney’s guitar technician and long-time personal assistant), celebrity hairdresser Leonard Lewis of Mayfair and – so its rumoured – the Duke of Bedford, this award-winning example sets a true precedent in coachwork by Wood & Pickett. All of The Beatles owned coachbuilt Minis.

Rare, opulent and extremely fashionable, the coach-built Minis were a fascinating take on the Mini story, which is widely acknowledged to have begun with actor Peter Sellers’ Mini Cooper by Radford. In 1947, Bill Wood and Les Pickett left their jobs at London’s leading coachbuilders Hooper & Co to start their own business. Wood & Pickett developed their own uprated Mini model, known as the Margrave, featuring a distinctive leather & walnut fascia panel alongside a long list of individually priced options to which customers were invited to choose from. This Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ MK II was supplied new to Stewart & Arden Limited of Acton, it was then sent directly to Wood & Pickett who converted it into the Margrave specification and finished it in Pacific Blue metallic. The attention to detail on this car could keep a classic spotter happy for hours, amongst the array of options chosen by the first owner, a few really stand out: Aston Martin DB6-style seats, Aston Martin electric window switches, Radio mobile 8-track, Jaguar dials, Benelite front grille, Rolls Royce chrome handles, Paddy Hopkirk throttle pedal, Moto-Lita steering wheel, modified MK3 boot lid and a Webasto full length sunroof. Tuned to 76 bhp, this was also a little flying machine.

John Hammel acquired this Cooper S Mk II in 1973, and despite his love for the car, John sold it to Denny Laine of 1960’s group, formerly of The Moody Blues, and now a member of Paul McCartney’s Wings. Mr Laine bought it for his wife, but after only 8 months, John Hammel asked Denny Laine if he could buy it back and a deal was struck. John Hammel kept it until 1997 when it was sold to its new owner with the stipulation that if he ever wanted to sell it, to please get back in touch. A few years later the call was made, resulting in Mr Hammel buying it back again. In the early 2000’s and now onto his third ‘chapter’ with the car, Mr Hammel had it fully restored by Woods Restoration Services at Brands Hatch. The car was taken back to bare metal and re-painted in its original Wood & Pickett colour Pacific Blue. The wings had to be replaced and repairs made on the sills, floors and rear valance. Fortunately, the interior had stood the test of time and a simple re-Connolising was enough to bring it up to top spec, prompting the award of ‘Car of the Show’ at the 2009 London-Brighton Mini Run.

Supplied with an extensive history file and photographs documenting the £13,000 restoration of 2009, alongside historic MOT’s, works invoices, backstage passes and spare keys. This “one of one” Mini Cooper S MK II is available for viewing at our London showrooms.

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