Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[mid]

A bit of background...

back in 2006 i got married, and for our wedding car we had a 1933 morris 10 tourer, hired from a company in Nottingham.

there is a long story behind why we had this car but i wont go into the detail now, but the result of which was that on returning from our honeymoon myself and new father-in-law started looking for a couple of vintage cars to run as a wedding car business of our own. "I do cars" was born.

we bought ourselves a lovely Austin 12 Ascot and then 'our actual wedding car' Morris 10 tourer!



10 years on we've decided to throw in the towel. the Austin has been sold but i'm keeping the Morris for sentimental reasons!

so now the car is mine, i want to find out as much about it's history as i can.. the guy we bought it from also ran it as a wedding business so all receipts etc had 'gone through the books' so other than the V5 and the MOT, i didn't get any other details with the car... and rather annoyingly he'd sold off the original number plate and the car now wears an age related plate.

i've contacted the DVLA via their V888 form but apparently due to data protection laws they dont give out the detail that they used to anymore, and refused to give me anything as i didn't have 'reasonable cause' so this was a dead end even after repeated attempts and letters.

I obtained an heritage certificate from BMIHT and while this confirmed chassis and engine numbers and gave me build dates it didn't tell me anything else - i also requested a technical build data sheet from BMIHT but they declined saying there wasn't enough info to create one.

i'm a member of the Morris register, and i believe i'm the first owner to register the car with them so they have no further info although i'm going to try this avenue a bit further.

using the CAZANA website, that i assume digs into DVLA data, running the current registration confirms the data on the V5 and confirms that the age related plate was put on just before i purchased the car in 2007. however this is where it gets messed up - they suggest the previous original registration was something other than the one that was on the car when we had it for our wedding... searching this plate goes back to a AJS motorbike! the original plate that was on my car is now registered to a modern BMW so the trail stops there too.

i've spoken with the AJS/Matchless owners club and they have no record of the plate that cazana suggested should've been mine... but the guy there was incredibly helpful and had some old documents/books etc that he looked into the number plate that i believe to be the original for me. he confirmed the registration dates were likely to be correct and also that it was an Edinburgh registration.

so my latest attempt has been with the Kithead Trust. they have found the index card for the number plate and this confirms it was registered to a 'Morris' but unfortunately all that can be deduced is that the car was last owned in Cambridgeshire and that the documents were sent away to the 'central repository' in January 1973. however they also confirm that the registration date is likely to be correct based on 'close' numbers that they do have data for.

i assume that the 'central repository' would be the DVLA in their computerisation process that as i understand started in the early 1970s. so if this is the case, as the DVLA seem less than willing to help, and if the data i have found is anything to go by then they have made a complete mess of it anyway it would appear that i've hit another brick wall!

anyone have any ideas where to go from here?

[mikeC]

On the basis that it was known to be in the Cambridge area in 1973, it may be worth speaking to the Cambridge & District Classic Car Club; the Club itself doesn't go back that far, but they may have members who remember the car.

https://www.cdccc.uk/
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in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!