CONCOURS 1960 MINOR
‘So, Tom, why do you spend up to 20 hours preparing your Minor for concours events?’ we ask with slight trepidation. ‘I have OCD!’ he replies.
The fact Tom says this with a big smile, and we already know he’s a lovely chap following earlier conversations, prevents us from shuffling uncomfortably.
‘ Things do have to be right, but I enjoy preparing the car – it’s a great way to relax and I do see the funny side of concours,’ Tom explains. ‘But the most important thing is that I love driving the car. It doesn’t just sit in the garage.’
Tom’s 1960 Minor is a delight. Finished in the wonderful shade of Clipper Blue, it captures the light like a mirror and is glistening on this beautiful summer’s day. I find myself sinking into that happy Minor world of Merry Britain, but now Tom is making further revelations.
‘My family has never been into classic cars but when I was seven I wrote to the Morris Minor Owners’ Club and said that as I had several Corgi Classics models of the car, could I please join? Of course I could was the reply.’
Tom started to go to Minor rallies. ‘Even at that age I was always drawn towards the concours cars. There was just something about them, and I thought they looked great.’
Tom bought his Minor already in excellent condition and has gradually improved it. ‘ There’s always something else you can do.’ He normally prepares it for concours by starting at one corner of the underside and working round, then he does the wheelarches followed by the engine bay and finally the bodywork.
‘It does have to be right. Judges at a Morris Minor Owners’ Club concours spend half an hour on each car, and it’s the little things they pick on,’ explains Tom, who has won the national event four times. ‘I always wonder if I’ve missed a bit when the car is being judged.’
Thus every nut and bolt on the car is correct and properly positioned. The wheel balance weights are on the nonexposed side of the wheel. Cotton buds are used to clean the pedals. Tom uses Autoglym and Meguiar’s products during his concours preparation but never washes his Morris, preferring to keep it clean with a damp cloth. ‘ The water would get everywhere. You wouldn’t throw water over an antique dresser, now would you?’
He also has three other concours classics – two Metros and an Allegro. He says choosing a favourite would be like ‘having to choose between your children’, but admits to having a special soft spot for the Minor. ‘It’s a quintessentially British car that can’t help but make you smile.’