JERSEY CREAM

Harold Radford Coachbuilders started converting Minis into luxury vehicles in 1963 when Mini became the ultimate fashion accessory for the rich and famous. The owner of this stunning example is well-respected Mini restorer Brian Harding. He bought it from a Mini collector. “It was basically a rolling shell with an engine in it when I got it and the rest of the stuff was in boxes,” he explains. It’s super rare as it has a rear hatch and, according to Steve Burkinshaw, Coachbuilt Minis Registrar of the Mini Cooper Register, only around 15 hatchbacks were made. “There’s only a handful known to still exist,” says Brian.

The Mini was originally ordered as a 1275cc Mk1 Cooper S, in Tweed Grey, was built in September 1965 and was despatched on 15 November to W Varneys in St. Helier, Jersey. “Its Jersey registration number was J 817 and its first owner was Mr John Oscar Everard Hood. He bought it brand new and