Octagon November, 2017

Project #1
Part 1: Keeping up with Traditions
- by Matt Spoljarevic
Over the years the Abingdon Motors
workshop has seen many rare and historical
car restorations and a number of unique
custom builds. As the new owners, finding
a shop project that would be worthy of
Abingdon’s heritage was always going to be
a difficult task.
The hunt was on to find something the
workshop could get their spanners dirty
on and, by chance, one night an image
appeared on my laptop screen. It was
a partially restored 1924 Morris Cowley
Bullnose.... “If only we could do something
with that!?”
The decision was made to buy the car and
build a replica of Cecil Kimber’s Old Number
One. But this is not to be just any replica;
our intention is to build it as faithfully as
possible to its original specification. The car
will be built as it was when it competed in
the 1925 Lands End Trial, and we plan take
it to the UK in 2025 to compete in the Trial
on the 100th year anniversary.
There are only three photos of the car in
its original specification, and these are
obviously black and white images with low
resolution so much of the detail needed has
come from articles and firsthand accounts
from the time. After months of research,
and a “quick trip” by David Wands to the
British Heritage Museum to see the original
car, we now have enough information that
the search and the purchasing of parts has
begun.
Based on the published account of Mr C
Martin, an employee at the Morris Garages
in 1924, we know that the engine and
chassis for the car were being worked on
in March 1924. Similarly we are starting
our build in the same way with Project #1,
now stripped to a rolling chassis, and a
replacement engine en route from France.
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The Octagon - November 2017