Author and former politician Jeffrey Archer has died aged 86:-
https://www.bbc.co.u...s/ckj0l401dvpgo
Back in the 1990's when Wood & Pickett were using my brothers Garage Workshops in Epsom, Surrey for their customer repairs and servicing, I remember seeing Jeffery Archers W&P Mini in for some work and taking a closer look....
The Independent - (Wednesday 27 October 2010)
"For just £10,000 or thereabouts, you could be the proud owner of a classic "Margrave" Mini that once belonged to a Lord. One snag: the peer in question is Lord Archer of Weston-Super-Mare, aka Jeffrey. The 1988 model Mini, which he had refitted with a luxury interior during the Nineties, has since passed through another owner's hands and is now being resold on eBay by Mini specialists Wood and Pickett. This particular little car has special significance: it was the vehicle in which Lord Archer allegedly enjoyed an extramarital encounter with his alleged former mistress, Sally Farmiloe, in a Mayfair car park. Michael Standring of Wood and Pickett assures me that the seats are fully reclining. Still, if it were me I'd have used the Jaguar.
Standring is also selling a letter on Lord Archer's headed notepaper, in which the peer complains that Wood and Pickett (who performed its original upgrade) took too long to complete the refit.
The Archers remain Mini fans despite the car's sordid associations: Lord Archer, 70, was spotted chauffeuring a mystery blonde in his wife's Mini Cooper just a fortnight ago."
(Scroll down in link)
https://www.independ...nk-2117477.html
Become Lord of the Manor with this mega Mini (Classic Driver - 17 May 2021)
"This 1988 example of a Wood & Pickett Mini is currently offered for sale in Paris and its original owner was Lord Jeffery Archer, a novelist and former politician. Once the specification for Lord Archer’s Mini had been chosen the cost amounted to the equivalent of £54,000 in today’s money.
The Margrave featured the usual Wood & Pickett de-seamed rear end, full Webasto sunroof, electric windows, custom-made leather seats fitted with arm rests and an all-custom interior and dash. The result was a unique and real period stunner. The 1,000cc engine was also uprated to a stage 1 engine tune. The car stayed in the Archer family for 19 years and currently resides in Paris where it has been used as a very stylish daily driver for its lucky current owner. Mini specialists in Paris were used to conduct a restoration of the car to the value of €15,000 and as such the car currently presents in perfect useable condition. The perfect city car and wearing just 35,000 miles in its 33 year life."
https://www.classicd...manor-mega-mini
The converters : Wood & Pickett Minis (AROnline - Jan 2017))
Jeffrey Archer, ordered a deep-red, de-seamed Mini in the late 1980s to use as his London runabout.
https://www.aronline...-pickett-minis/
