27 replies to this topic

[mab01uk]

I think it was exported to Japan?

[OfMini&Men]

I think its at that massive Japaneses mini garage along with a few other beauties

[miniman3003]

I believe that the car is now in Japan. I certainly remember the competition in the Today newspaper back in 1988 and still have some of the cuttings from it (somewhere!) in a folder. It looks as if this was the 40th car off the production line and was then given a Departmental VIN - hence the D98 - replacing the original VIN.

I would imagine that Bernard himself fitted the extra overriders. He seemed to added a few extra parts over the years including a 3-instrument binnacle off a later car and a Morris Mk2 bonnet badge on the boot lid.

[TheMiniDream]

Did anyone manage to find this car?

[mab01uk]

Quote from Trevor Ripley 1959 Mini Register:
"This is known as the 'Ferriman' car. The description on the old video by Noel Edmonds is far from accurate. The car came off the production line at Cowley on 20th May 1959 bearing chassis number 140. It was LHD and was allocated to the experimental dept for proving tests and re-allocated with another number. After a couple of years when they had finished with it it was converted to RHD and sold to Bernard Ferriman who worked for BMC. It was then re-allocated yet another chassis number 98. This re-allocation of numbers occured with a few cars that were plucked off the line for testing and then subsiquently sold off 2nd hand to employees. ( They went backwards from 101 ).
Anyway this car was used by Bernard Ferriman well into the late 1980's. Eventually it was bought by Today Newspapers and after being 'restored' by Penta Garages in Reading was used as a competition prize in the Today newspaper. Amazingly the first prize of the competition was 434 NWL along with a brand new mini. The lucky winners of the two cars were Lindsay and Cathy Bromage. Cathy used the new one as her everyday car and 434 NWL ended up on display in a small museum at Alton Towers. In 1999 the Bromages decieded to sell it and it was entered in Sotherby's auction. I was very interested in buying the car at the time but after consulting Sotherbys it turned out that it seemed to have been re shelled and I decided against it. It made just short of £3000.
Many years later I made contact with Lindsay Bromage to see if he new the whereabouts of the car, but unfortunately he did not.
It certainly was an early and interesting car, although not really original. The 1959 Mini Register do not know its whereabouts now.
It was certainly an early car but by no means as early as it says on the video.
It would be very interesting to know its present whereabouts. It is on the DVLA database, but unlicensed since 1988."
(Miniworld Summer 2011)

Really chassis number 140 re-numbered to 98 when it was sold in 1962. Reshelled into a later shell, where abouts now not known. Not a prototype but the 40th normal production Mini built. - 1959 Mini Register.

........as said probably now in Japan.

Edited by mab01uk, 16 March 2013 - 09:02 AM.

[PetrolNut]

What would you say if I said if found this car...?

Because I have

I genuinely have.....

And it's on eBay.....

1959 Morris Mini Minor MK1 http://bit.ly/1qDWCrO

[PetrolNut]

After years of searching

She turns up on eBay...

1959 Morris Mini Minor MK1

http://bit.ly/1qDWCrO

[mini 100]

I believe that the car is now in Japan. I certainly remember the competition in the Today newspaper back in 1988 and still have some of the cuttings from it (somewhere!) in a folder. It looks as if this was the 40th car off the production line and was then given a Departmental VIN - hence the D98 - replacing the original VIN.

I would imagine that Bernard himself fitted the extra overriders. He seemed to added a few extra parts over the years including a 3-instrument binnacle off a later car and a Morris Mk2 bonnet badge on the boot lid.

 

can you put some photos on here of the news paper cuttings 

[mini 100]

did anybody fine the car 

[mab01uk]

More here in links below but it has sadly been re-shelled a couple of times since the video with few if any original parts........

http://mk1-forum.net....php?f=5&t=7857

 

http://www.theminifo...k1-mini-434nwl/

[ToM 2012]

not worth the money now not even original 

[mini 100]

did anybody fine the car

[miniman3003]

 

I believe that the car is now in Japan. I certainly remember the competition in the Today newspaper back in 1988 and still have some of the cuttings from it (somewhere!) in a folder. It looks as if this was the 40th car off the production line and was then given a Departmental VIN - hence the D98 - replacing the original VIN.

I would imagine that Bernard himself fitted the extra overriders. He seemed to added a few extra parts over the years including a 3-instrument binnacle off a later car and a Morris Mk2 bonnet badge on the boot lid.

 

can you put some photos on here of the news paper cuttings 

 

 

When I find the cuttings, yes I can do that.

 

They are in a box which remains 'somewhere'. I know where that 'somewhere' is (my parent's loft) but not exactly where at 'somewhere' - basically they're in a box, one of several that all look the same but I never labelled any of them up so it could be quite a lengthy search. I too would be interested to see the cuttings again. When I get a few spare minutes, then I will have a rummage.

Edited by miniman3003, 23 March 2014 - 06:50 AM.