1971 Wood and Pickett/Radford Mini Cooper S

• No London-based celebrity would be seen without a Radford or a W&P Mini in the sixties
• In 1965, Radford introduced the Mini de Ville GT which had the option of a hatchback with a folding rear seat
• This 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 hatchback
• The history file contains original build specifications from W & P and a ticked personalisation list
• The extras on this list came to ú3,487.50 (in 1971 a brand new Ford Cortina was ú968.00)
• 48,372 miles, and four owners from new, the first for 27 years
• Still presenting really well, it's worth booking an appointment to view this remarkable little car

Synonymous with the Mini badge, Wood & Pickett had been 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 a hatchback with a folding rear seat.

In 1960s London, the Mini was the epitome of cool. When you are in one of the world's 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 did Mike Nesmith from the Monkees, Ginger Baker from Cream, George Best, Peter Sellers and Britt Ekland. However, in the end, W & P produced more modified Minis than Radford with customers including Elton 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 and unbelievably, considering the fierce rivalry between W&P and 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