After a prolonged bout of hot, dry weather, it was a relief to experience a cooler day with some much-needed rain – that is of course, unless you had intended to display your beautifully detailed classic car at our monthly meeting. Despite the misty atmosphere and wet roads, several members made the effort to bring their special vehicles to our regular dinner meeting. Most parked outside the clubrooms, but Allan and Lorraine Richards were lucky enough to have secured the prime position inside the dining room for their recently refurbished 1968 Morris Cooper S.
Allan purchased the kelp-beige-with-a-white-roof Cooper S about 18 months ago from the previous owner at Nar Nar Goon. Before finalising the deal, the car was carefully examined to validate its Cooper S credentials and the extent of any alterations or modifications. The inspection revealed several modifications and indications of competition preparation, but evidence supported the advertised claim of it being a genuine Cooper S. A partial restoration had been undertaken by one of the several previous owners, but after that it had sat mostly unused in a large shed.
Over the last few months, the car has been resprayed in its original (the somewhat rare and unloved) kelp-beige and the interior completely retrimmed. Most of the bright-work has been rechromed and the dashboard brought back to the original configuration. Mechanically the car feels strong and there were no obvious problems that needed attention.
Allan and Lorraine have done a great job bringing ‘Winnie’ up to the mark, and they plan on enjoying the results of their labours in this year’s RACV Fly the Flag Tour of western Victoria – a report on which will hopefully be forthcoming after the event.
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