Canberra Region
Morris Minor Club Inc.
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PO Box 3202 |
Click on thumbnail for large photo Vehicle Particulars (from Body plate) Type OFE 51 Car No. or Chassis No. 10363 Engine No 02/105872 Colour Empire Green Year Built (from body number) 1954
Story of Vehicle © Russell Harvey Recently discovered in Australia is the oldest known surviving pick-up in the world and it is drivable! I first knew of this vehicle via e-mail from Bruce Perry in Australia who knows that I am a keen LCV enthusiast, he also is an owner of a 1954 ute. Bruce however immediately informed me when he first learnt from one of the owners that this one was an old ute and a lot older than his! He had been contacted by Anna Zammit enquiring for information on their ute explaining that they had just purchased it (they being Anna and her partner Ian Shepherd). I immediately contacted them and was able after seeing the chassis plate to give the current owners the good news that they currently have what is believed to be the oldest known surviving pick-up! These vehicles are referred to as ‘utes’ down under in Oz, which is an abbreviation for ‘utility’! The current owners Ian Shepherd and his partner Anna Zammit were able to supply the chassis details and a photograph of the chassis plate (Australian Compliance plate) that carries the following OFE 51/10363, which equates to the following: O = LCV F = Pick-up E = Green 5 = CKD RHD 1 = Paint Type synthetic 10363 = 9862nd LCV built, but confirming it as the oldest known surviving pick-up! Also it was built in early 1954 and is somewhere around the 15th oldest LCV in existence. Ian & Anna originally wanted to purchase a Minor LCV to take to the Australian National Rally in Adelaide during Easter 2003. This event is a special event and will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the production of the Minor LCV; little did they know that when they purchased this ute that it would be the star of the show! It was purchased in an unregistered condition, therefore it had no history and the only piece of paper Ian had at the time of the purchase was a receipt, which quotes the chassis number. Ian then rang the previous owner who did have the LCV registered, but he had disposed of all his papers. Ian is now desperately trying to trace some of the history of the ute but nothing has turned up yet. The ute has an 950cc engine installed. When Ian and Anna purchased the ute it arrived with a load of spares in the pick-up back. Possibly the original gearbox is there, and there is also differential unit that the previous owner had taken out as it was geared too low, so that may well be the original as well. Ian noticed that this diff carries the original ratio for the LCV, and believes the fact that it had remained in the vehicle for over 40 years, which may indicate that it has not been used extensively, also confirming this fact is that the pick-up bed section and tailgate are not badly dented. The exterior is currently in Emerald green but the original Empire Green paint is visible if the other coats of paint are rubbed back. Ian intends to respray it in the original colour and is somewhat amused by the name of the colour and somehow it seems fitting for an English vehicle that ended up in Australia in the 1950s, Empire Green! This ute was supplied with a tonneau cover and it carries the Australian type tonneau fasteners rather the hooks that are carried in the UK. This vehicle also has the tonneau support rail in the centre of the pick-up bed and below the cab window, both Australian genuine features, although the support under the cab window seems to have been replaced and is certainly not the original. The tonneau cover itself is a bit frayed around the edges, but is still a snug fit without any rips or tears, it is unlikely to be the original though. The bulge in the tonneau is for the spare tyre and is only wide enough for the original size cross-ply tyre, the later wider radial tyres will not fit. Ian had an accident soon after buying the vehicle, but managed to obtain the parts second-hand through the Canberra Region Morris Minor Club. Ian plans to keep the vehicle as original as possible, but he has no intentions of making it concourse condition, he informs me that neither his skills nor his wallet are capable! Ian purchased the LCV in March 2002 for AU $1800 (around £680) and only came by it by chance. After reading a classified ad for a Morris utility, he phoned to enquire, it wasn't what he wanted, as it had a Datsun motor/gearbox conversion etc... The seller then informed him that his father-in-law had a utility in original condition for sale, so Ian rang him and bought the ute over the phone, unseen! He had it transported down from Ipswich, not in England, but close to Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. The ute was delivered undamaged. However in the middle of the night, Ian changed the spark plugs, left the bonnet open, opened up the choke and started it in first gear without engaging the clutch. Much to his horror, the ute took off across the driveway, and hit a tree. If that was not bad enough Ian’s head broke the windscreen, luckily no damage to his head, his knees bent the instrument panel, he was told by the physiotherapist that it was a very common car injury in the old days and his chin bent the steering wheel, this required some 5 stitches, his chin that is not the steering wheel! Externally this ute carries the cheesegrater grille, short silver (not chrome) bumper blade both are correct and original items, although later LCVs in Australian were assembled with a chrome LCV bumper blade. The 950cc unit mentioned earlier is also equipped with a red 4-blade fan like a lot of exported vehicles to hotter climates. The seats on the other hand seem to be the right pattern but the frames have been cut down, which means that these possibly have come from a saloon, as the LCV frames are different. On the inside of the cab the door panels were covered in material, but when this was removed, the original LCV hardboard ‘grained finish’ door panels were still intact, complete with the cut-out for the door pulls, but these were broken, however the original part that screwed to the inside of the door is still there! One of the first objects to go are the non-standard indicators, Ian hopes to find a way to attach some smaller units under the bumper somehow. The column-mounted stalk has already been removed and a brown Bakelite switch is to be mounted on the edge of the dashboard to operate the indicators. When Ian started to think about a ute, he didn't realise what a distinct personality they had, initially he was just attracted to the shape of them, but then he does now have some very special the oldest pick-up in the World, unless you know different? © Russell Harvey |
