Page 13 - MM_Sep Oct 2021

Kelmarsh Picnic
Well what a fantastic day we’ve had today. We took our van Ernie to the picnic expecting to be with just a handful of Minors but we were so pleased to see a great turn out as people had travelled from far and wide. It was hust great to see old friends that we haven’t seen for two years. Everyone was so pleased to be out and about again with their Minors after being kennelled up for so long.
Full marks to Kelmarsh Estates for allowing the event to happen. We personally love Kelmarsh as it
is perfectly situated with a good network of roads around giving easy access from all directions and full marks to the MMOC for organising the event giving everyone a lift in these gloomy lockdown days. It was just so good to see and chat with all our Minor friends again. Thank you MMOC and Kelmarsh.
Dave and Pam Holton (63638)
2018 MOT
I have attached a photo from the 2018 MOT when we stayed in a chateau on the way down to Duravel, our first MOT tour and longest run in the car which I finished restoring 10 years prior. When we got
the car in 1998 I said to my wife when it’s done we will one day go camping in it in France. I didn’t know it would be 20 years before that came true! I didn’t know if it was of interest for the magazine given how photogenic the building is? We have also done the 2019 Belgium tour and hopefully next year – will eventually get to the Saumur tour – our third.
Gavin Bell
Adventure and Overland
My wife, Lynn and I went to the Adventure and Overland Show at Stratford-on-Avon racecourse at the weekend, along with a couple of thousand others. One of the attractions was the seminars given by people that had done something extraordinary. This car and the family of five – Dad, Mum and three teenagers – went round Britain on £10 a day! No mechanical knowledge and with a car that hadn’t
been used for some years! We listened for three quarters of an hour, and spoke to them afterwards.
Keith Bridge (6729)
Vehicle Identification Numbers
Although MOTs are not now required for our vehicles I have always advocated that getting a professional to carry out an MOT is a useful safety measure. I took my saloon into the usual garage for its annual test in February. The tester said that he had to input the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) as it did not come up on the database when the registration number was entered. I got the Pass Certificate and thought that was it. However, in July I received a letter from the DVLA stating that there was a discrepancy between the VIN on the Test Certificate and their records and to complete a form and return it to DVLA.
I filled in the details on the form and it was clear that the tester had included a ‘D’ in the middle and an ‘M’ at the end of the VIN that are on the plate but not on the V5C. I checked the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate that I have and it does not include the ‘D’ or ‘M’. I also have the BMC Passport To Service from 12 November 1969 and the Registration of Sale, details of the chassis number does not include them either.
I then started wondering what the letters were for. On the very useful Potteries Branch website there is a chassis code identifier which gave me the answer. The ‘D’ is an optional letter to denote that the vehicle was built to deluxe specification and the ‘M’ was used from 1968 to denote that the vehicle was built at Cowley. I have taken photos of the VIN plate and engine number, and copied the BMIHT certificate and Registration of Sale page and returned it to the DVLA with the completed form and the explanation of the ‘D’ and ‘M’. I also asked why the details of my vehicle are not now on the database as there has not been this problem in previous years. I now wait to see what the DVLA will do. I wonder if other members have had a similar experience with recent MOTs?
Philip Cowling (14598)
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 MINOR MATTERS | 13