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SL 9739 1929 Minor Coachbuilt Saloon
Now pay attention as making sense of what follows will be difficult. SL 9739 is from a DVLA reissued sequence, the car’s original registration (W 808) having been lost. Clive Hall purchased ‘SL’ on eBay and commenced its restoration before selling the incomplete project to Steve Lewsley. (SL was one of the very first Coachbuilt Saloons to leave Cowley with a body number of M030, which it transpires is different to the bulk of the coachbuilt saloons that followed.) Steve did not want many of the car’s body parts as he was intent on building an MG M Type replica which he proceeded to do. Mike Houston in Tunbridge Wells was in need of a Saloon body as the body of his own Saloon (VG 3260) was beyond salvation. A deal was struck and Mike acquired the early body from Steve and restored it beautifully. However, Mike had a Semi-Sports to restore and couldn’t find the time for both so sold VG 3260 to Tony Gamble in Selby. Tony needed a chassis upon which to erect his beautiful Enrique Llinares CMS Super Sports body and used VG 3260’s chassis to do so. Tony then sold on, the by now, fully painted early Coachbuilt body to a gent in Nottingham and then his Part completed CMS to Brian Arnell in Lincolnshire. After finishing the car in fabric, Brian sold his newly re-registered VG 3260 to Bob Kellock, who I believe resides in the West of England. Steve Lewsley meanwhile had retained SL’s original bonnet which the writer then acquired for his Arrow Minor Special project. After gathering a kit of parts and realising that running a website was almost a full-time job the Arrow project was sold on to Tony Gamble bonnet et al. Which just leaves the current whereabouts of SL’s original (and very important) body? It’s believed that this has also made its way to the West Country where I suspect that the current owner does not appreciate its importance or its chequered past.
