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Britt's Dream Ends As A Wreck - Dec 1984


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#1 mab01uk

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Posted 01 May 2011 - 10:29 PM

Here is a another interesting press cutting retrieved from some of the boxes of old Mini info I have stored in my loft from years ago! I posted about it quite a while back on the MCR forum but this is a better recent scan which is hopefully more readable.

The press cutting/photo from the Daily Express in December 1984 showing a very upset Britt Ekland and a Mini Cooper (20 years old in 1984 = approx. 1964) given to her by her late husband Peter Sellers. The Mini is partly stripped on the back of a tow truck having been stolen then recovered in London. I remember at the time wishing I could locate & purchase the salvage but unfortunately never did follow it up as it appeared in the paper around the same time my father died. (He had the Express delivered every day). Anyone out there remember this or know if the car was ever restored, there is also some doubt as to whether it was a Radford or Wood & Pickett?


Posted Image


Daily Express Monday December 31 1984
EXPRESS PICTURE EXCLUSIVE
Britt's dream ends as a wreck
by John McCormick. Picture: Barry Gomer
Small B&W picture of Peter Sellers, caption: He sold the car.
Large (1/2 page) B&W picture of Britt Ekland actually sitting on the front of the stripped Mini which is sitting on the road vandalised with no wheels, no bonnet, no grille, dark paintwork looks damaged with light patchwork areas,front bumper with overiders & Mk1 corner bars is present, visible headlamp shell is the rectangular style (were these fitted to Radford & Wood & Pickett?) No.Plate backing plate is still fitted but no Reg plate unfortunately. Leather steering wheel & probably a sunroof can also be seen.
The Article reads:-
Forlorn and sad film star Britt Ekland was reunited yesterday with her "dream car" - now a complete wreck.
She burst into tears when she found the car, stolen before Christmas from outside her Chelsea home.
Engine, battery, doors, windows, headlamps and even numberplates were missing when it was found at Ealing, West London.
"They have done everything they could to it. The only way I could recognise what remained of my car was the little black aerial which I painted myself", said Britt.
"I was heartbroken when I first saw it. There was hardly anything left. It's like a sardine tin now."
A shocked vehicle recovery expert who saw the car also said: "This was not the work of professionals. It was sheer vandalism."
The 20 year-old Mini-Cooper had been treasured by Britt, ever since she bought it from her former husband, the late Peter Sellers.
She said the custom-built Mini was like a Rolls inside, with leather seats and dashboard.
Britt, who married 23 year-old rock singer Slim Jim McDonnel earlier this year, said: "We had been looking forward to spending our first Christmas and New Year as husband and wife in London. Now it has been soured.
"That little car was one of my prized possessions. It has a lot of fine memories."

#2 Bec

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Posted 02 May 2011 - 10:04 AM

Jeeze I was upset about my wing mirrors, she must have been heartbroken. I'm suprised she didn't try and restore it with all of the memories it held.

Great article :shifty:

#3 mab01uk

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Posted 07 May 2011 - 09:19 AM

Update: Britt Ekland pictured with the Mini in 1970 (1969 Reg. XPF 500G)

Britt-mini3.jpg

Britt-mini2.jpg

The vehicle details for XPF 500G are:

Austin
Date of Liability 01 08 1984
Date of First Registration 07 03 1969
Year of Manufacture Not Available
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1275CC
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour BLACK

Date of last V5C (logbook) issued 28 June 1982

 


Edited by mab01uk, 13 April 2021 - 06:57 PM.


#4 Bec

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Posted 08 May 2011 - 07:32 PM

Interesting it was stolen just before christmas but the date of liability was before then, also it was registered black too.

The mods on it make it look like it's a mini from very recent times considering it was 1984.

I like the quirky bits of mini history most of us wouldn't get to read about other than for enthusiasts digging through the things they've collected. Massive thank you :thumbsup:

#5 Mini-Hazel-Nut

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Posted 28 November 2014 - 10:35 PM

Yes, well done for digging this out and showing us. For myself I definitely WOULD have burst into tears upon seeing the car had it been mine. The mind boggles at times.



#6 mab01uk

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Posted 07 August 2015 - 10:20 PM

Ex Britt Eklands Classic Mini Cooper For Sale (1991)

"You will be hard pressed to see any article written about the ‘ultra cool’ Mini and London in the swinging sixty’s that doesn’t refer to the Mini that Peter Sellers her then husband bought Britt Ekland as a birthday gift. Britt, Mick Jagger, Twiggy and the Beatles all owned and used Sir Alec Issigonis brainchild and collectively made the Car and the Era such a huge success.
Unfortunately the original mini bought for her was stolen, stripped and subsequently crushed so this vehicle could very well be the last remaining connection between that era and this style ambassador."

http://www.carandcla....uk/car/C645024


Edited by mab01uk, 07 August 2015 - 10:20 PM.


#7 mab01uk

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Posted 12 July 2016 - 10:15 PM

Mk2%20WampP%20Morris%20Cooper%20S%20Brit

 

This photo has now appeared of Britt Ekland's W&P Mk2 S when it was black.



#8 mab01uk

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Posted 13 April 2021 - 06:54 PM

rFpgrCO.jpg

Same photo but colour / colourised?






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