83 replies to this topic

[some1158]

Was Miniman in Solihull an original dealer?

Over the last few years I've seen a few minis at shows with miniman stickers, badge and printed on the bottom of the number plates. And mine has all that too

 

I remember Miniman in the 90s but it just sold second-hand cars.  The main Austin Rover dealer for Solihull was Evans Halshaw at the junction of Marshall Lake Road and Stratford Road, and there was also Collier's at Acocks Green.

 

My Mini came from Swain and Jones in Farnham, which is now a Jaguar/Land Rover dealer.  I've the original invoice and a dealer key ring but sadly no stickers!

[CCX]

My MPi was sold new by SMC Rover of Slough, one of (if not the) biggest Rover dealers in the country at the time. It was first registered on 1st March 1999 (the first day of the 'T' registration) by the dealer itself, so I think it was a dealer demonstrator. It has some expensive options on it so that seems likely. In the wallet with service book etc, there is still an original dealer membership card (giving the owner free servicing) with the first private owner's name on it, and a business card for the sales rep that sold the car.  

 

Below are some pictures of the original dealer plates, tax disc holder and dealer sticker that I had reproduced last year:

 

 

 

 

Today, SMC are still around, selling Ford, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and MG. Their website is here.

[WMU 211G]

My '68 Mk2 came from Stewart & Ardern in West London, I keep meaning to have a look to see what's there now, probably long gone by now - managed to get some repro S&A stickers recently though and have just won a genuine interior dealer's badge on ebay...

 

 WMU 211G #5.jpg   118.52K   28 downloads

 

 DSCF4591c.jpg   66.55K   27 downloads

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lewBlew]

Mine was bought new from Berkely Vale Motors in Thornbury, and is a Bristol-registered car. It was transferred over from Sewards in Havant for the customer.

 

Berkeley Vale Motors is now a Hyundai dealer and I've tried contacting them to see if they have any old Rover dealer stickers, with no luck   I can't even find a picture to copy one from the early 90s.

[meathead]

My mpi has a plastic longman badge on the boot lid, its the same script as Richard Longman & co...found after a quick google....so i now know they are/were tuners of some note, dont know if they had a dealer franchise though?

 

[lewBlew]

 

My mpi has a plastic longman badge on the boot lid, its the same script as Richard Longman & co...found after a quick google....so i now know they are/were tuners of some note, dont know if they had a dealer franchise though?

 

 

 

They probably just breathed on it and put their sticker on there. KAW is a Shrewsbury registration

[CityEPete]

I have just been looking at mine again, the previous owner says the old lady before bought it new and lived on alderney, then moved to atherstone in warwickshire/Leicestershire the reg (E*** EAY) AY is both Alderney's own prefix on their unique system and the normal UK area code for Leicestershire! Weird.

[zinzan]

Is there any sort of directory of former dealerships?

[CityEPete]

I found one earlier actually.....

[CityEPete]

http://www.mg-cars.o.../MGF/mgf01.html

They are newer mg dealers but just from the local ones I can see most of these would have previously been austin rover, bl, morris etc. All electric Birmingham goes way back afaik.

Edited by CityEPete, 13 March 2014 - 09:19 PM.

[Will16]

We got him from Hartwells on the Watlington Road in Cowley, next to what is now MINI Plant Oxford.  Sadly, this now a Lidl and before that was Yes Car Credit .    

Mine also came from there I beleive! The old lady still had the rover brochures. Only the tax disc holder has the details

[62S]

 

My '68 Mk2 came from Stewart & Ardern in West London

 

 

Did it? I don't wish to spoil your day but as a former S&A employee I can advise you that Stewart and Ardern were the main Morris distributor for London. This means that they supplied all of the smaller Morris dealerships throughout the London area and it is therefore more than likely that they didn't actually sell your car to the first owner but would have obtained it for a smaller garage. It may say S&A Acton on your Heritage Certificate but that is only the destination from the factory. If this car is registered WMU 211G that is a London Central registration, cars registered from Acton were London North West registered.

 

 I keep meaning to have a look to see what's there now, probably long gone by now - managed to get some repro S&A stickers recently though and have just won a genuine interior dealer's badge on ebay...

 

 

Yes all signs now long gone. S&A became part of the Henlys group.

 

S&A never had window stickers like that, there were window sticker but of a different design. Had S&A actually sold the car, your dealer badge would have more than likely have been fitted under the bonnet not inside the car. Reproduction badges appear on ebay from time to time. Your 'genuine' badge looks in far too good condition to have been fitted to a car previously.

 

Your Mk 2 Mini has the lower dash rail padding from a Mk 3 or later Mini.

[minidizzy]

I have the original documents which came with my RSP of 1990. One of them is:

Rover UK & Republic of Ireland Dealer Directory

Publication No. 4127

8th Edition September 1989

There must be about 1000 dealers listed.

[Dan]

My MPi was sold new by SMC Rover of Slough, one of (if not the) biggest Rover dealers in the country at the time. It was first registered on 1st March 1999 (the first day of the 'T' registration) by the dealer itself, so I think it was a dealer demonstrator. It has some expensive options on it so that seems likely. In the wallet with service book etc, there is still an original dealer membership card (giving the owner free servicing) with the first private owner's name on it, and a business card for the sales rep that sold the car.

My local dealership and where I used to spend a LOT of time waiting at the parts desk. In fact I probably sat in your car while waiting a few times! I don't know about them being the biggest dealer but they did have one of if not the highest turnover of Minis in the country at the time your car was born. I don't remember them having a blue regular Mini demonstrator to drive but they had a blue one on the shop floor for a while and a Volcano Orange one. I was there a lot in '99 as we started our first rebuild of the car we still have that summer. They had a Paul Smith demonstrator that they were trying to push on us once, my girlfriend (now wife) got so close to buying it. She filled in the finance forms and everything but chickened out during the cooling off period. We were still kids and it seemed like a huge financial commitment. Does your car have a full length sunroof? All the ones they used to have in the showroom had a Webasto I seem to remember. Does it have zip decals?

[WMU 211G]

 

 

My '68 Mk2 came from Stewart & Ardern in West London

 

 

Did it? I don't wish to spoil your day but as a former S&A employee I can advise you that Stewart and Ardern were the main Morris distributor for London. This means that they supplied all of the smaller Morris dealerships throughout the London area and it is therefore more than likely that they didn't actually sell your car to the first owner but would have obtained it for a smaller garage. It may say S&A Acton on your Heritage Certificate but that is only the destination from the factory. If this car is registered WMU 211G that is a London Central registration, cars registered from Acton were London North West registered.

 

 I keep meaning to have a look to see what's there now, probably long gone by now - managed to get some repro S&A stickers recently though and have just won a genuine interior dealer's badge on ebay...

 

 

Yes all signs now long gone. S&A became part of the Henlys group.

 

S&A never had window stickers like that, there were window sticker but of a different design. Had S&A actually sold the car, your dealer badge would have more than likely have been fitted under the bonnet not inside the car. Reproduction badges appear on ebay from time to time. Your 'genuine' badge looks in far too good condition to have been fitted to a car previously.

 

Your Mk 2 Mini has the lower dash rail padding from a Mk 3 or later Mini.

 

 

 

I already know that the S&A premises in Acton were the distributors - perhaps I should have said that it was despatched there first (on 11th November 1968), but it then went from there to a dealership in London where it was registered in April '69.... the dealer badge was bought on ebay and came from a Morris Minor that had been supplied by S&A in Acton, I never said the badge came with my car. It is however a genuine item, it was filthy when I bought it and has been cleaned up, the material and indentations for the lettering are identical to a genuine one belonging to a friend of mine. As far as I'm aware some S&A supplied cars had two of these badges, fitted inside the door shuts although I've seen others fitted elsewhere, including various positions on dashboards (not just in Minis). I already know that the repro stickers aren't 'correct' but they will do for now until someone makes the correct shape and size, and the dash rail in Mk2 is the same as early Mk3s.

Edited by WMU 211G, 14 March 2014 - 12:42 PM.