No London-based celebrity would be seen withouta Radford or a W&P Mini in the sixtiesIn 1965, Radford introduced the Mini de Ville GT which had the option of a hatchback with a folding rear seatThis remarkable example is W&P commissioned Cooper 1275S that moved across the road to Radfords to be fitted from new with a Mini de Ville hatchbackThe history file contains original build specifications from W& Pand a ticked personalisation listThe extras on this list came to3,487.50 (in 1971 a brand new Ford Cortina was 968.00)48,372miles, and four owners from new, the first for 27 yearsStillpresenting really well, it's worth booking an appointment to view this remarkable little carSynonymous with the Mini badge, Wood & Pickett hadbeen converting, tuning and supplying parts for Minis since the 1960s. Proprietors and founders, Bill Wood and Les Pickett mastered their craft at Hooper & Co Ltd. in London before joining forces and setting up their own company in 1947.Spotting a gap in the market, they were determined to offer Mini conversions better than that of leading rival Radford and the 'Margrave' Mini was their first offering, featuring a distinctive leather & walnut fascia panel, leather or Dralon seating and front and rear nudge bars, to which customers were invited to add from a long list of individually-priced options.The aforementioned 'Radford' was, in fact, Harold Radford,a successful South London coachbuilder, known for his work on Bentleys and Rolls-Royce, who formed a separate company creating bespoke bodywork and interior conversions for the Mini range, culminating in the celebrity-acclaimed Mini-de-Ville. In October 1965, Radford developed the Mini de Ville GT and amongst the options was the availability of ahatchback with a folding rear seat.In 1960s London, the Mini was the epitome of cool. When you are in one of the worlds best rock/pop groups, and you can have anything in the world, the ultimate toy for around town was a coachbuilt Radford Mini Cooper. All four of the Beatles had one as didMike Nesmith from the Monkees,Ginger Baker from Cream,George Best,Peter Sellers andBritt Ekland. However, in the end,W & P produced more modified Minis than Radford withcustomers includingElton John, Denny Laine, Mick Jagger, Paul and Linda McCartney, Hayley Mills and Twiggy.Offered here from the Anthony Hamilton Collection, a life-long Mini enthusiast, is an exceptionally rare derivative. It's an unusual car as it was ordered new from Wood and Pickett andunbelievably, considering the fierce rivalry between W&Pand Radford in the early years, was specified with a Mini-de Ville hatchback by Radford. However, as we all know, time is a great healer and Radford and W&P started to work together. The brand new car was delivered to Radford for the hatchback to be fitted and trolleyed across Abbey Road, Park Royal to be finished by W&P.Possibly unique, but definitely fascinating, is the original "Personalise your Mini with Wood & Pickett Conversions" quote. It runs to six pages and 92 options and the lucky person who purchased this particular 1275 has ticked most of them in a ball-point pen. It makes really interesting reading and is part of social history when you consider that the final amount totalled 3,487.50 which, at the time, would have bought you threeand a half Ford Cortinas or a couple of terrace houses in Bradford.Registered as 4 JEA, this car was enjoyed by its first owner for 27 years with three subsequent keepers. Old MOTs in the file run from 21/11/77 @ 18,193 miles through to 17/09/2012 @ 48,303 miles. The Mini was part of the remarkableJames Hull Collection before joining Anthony Hamilton. The history file contains everything that is relevant to this groovy Wood & Pickett Mini even down to an unused WP key fob and tax disc holder.This was almost certainly one of the last examples to leave the Abbey Road, Park Royal, Wood & Pickett premises in 1971, however,it remains in lovely condition and will be a real conversation-starter anywhere.You can now book a one-to-one appointment (up to one hour) to view this lot at our central location between 16thand 30thJuly. Please contact Lionelon 07831574381/[email protected] to secure your appointment or to discuss the car in more detail.The health and safety of both our customers and team remain the utmost priority, we are therefore operating to strict COVID-19 guidelines and full instructions for arrival and inspection protocols will be given when making your appointment.