It looks like an ordinary Mini from the 1980s. But it’s not. No, this Mini is full of surprises.
Like its sister car registered as VGN 10R (a Mini 1275 GT delivered to Scottish comic Ronnie Corbett), VGN 2R was also destined for celebrity ownership.
The VGN 2R left the factory in a white hue and was repainted black as part of the Wood & Pickett (W&P) makeover for first owner Priscilla White, stage name Cilla Black!
Cilla’s new car, a 1977 Mini 1000 automatic, was ordered on her behalf by her husband for the school run and trips to the local shops, and complimented the family Bentley T2 in the garage.
It’s just occurred to me, I may have helped pay for this car, as I bought her vinyl 45 titled, Something Tells Me (Something’s Gonna Happen Tonight) in 1971.
To my eye the car just looks like the perfect Mini. And that’s down to the Whites getting the specification right: lightly smoked windows (decades before privacy glass became de rigueur), Minilite wheels, and a 14 inch leather rimmed Mota-Lita steering wheel as part of a bespoke passenger area.
Open the door for the first surprise. It’s the stunning W&P interior: seats, steering wheel and dashboard.
Stepping over the sill pate, with Wood & Pickett Ltd, Abbey Road, Park Royal, N.M 10, I reflect on how appropriate the address is, and then drop into the comfiest seat I’ve sat in. Ever.
No headrest but with a high back the black leather adjustable Recaro is so perfect I’d have one for my lounge. Note the leather of the upper dashboard rail has been double-stitched: this reminds me of Aston Martin quality interiors.
Visually it’s a treat, but it also works well on the move with the big ovals set in the walnut dash clear and easy to read through that steering wheel.
And I fit in! 6 foot 3 inches tall and still plenty headroom, space for my left leg down the side of the brake pedal, and a central armrest/glovebox to support my left elbow. Lovely.
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The next surprise for me is that there is no “park” on the gear selector, so I’m not able to get the baby Mini to start (usually you start an automatic in park).
I’ve to jiggle the stumpy floor mounted lever to neutral to get the basic 998cc engine to fire up. A twist of choke and it’s running with all the allure … of a 998cc A series engine.
The small engine mated to the power sapping AP automatic gearbox torque convertor is a worse match than any Cilla attempted on Blind Date.
Think about it, with little power to start with, an auto ‘box, then a lot more weight in trim and sound deadening than the Leyland 1000 derivative, this is no Cooper S.
But that misses the point. This Mini was created by W&P to be a discreet city run-around and measured against this design brief it works very well indeed. I certainly loved it.
My time in the celebrity baby carriage involved driving in both town and county.
In my weekend jaunt there was a trip to the excellent Fraserburgh Vintage Car Rally (where VGN 2R was on display), and some relaxed driving around the north-east coast back roads.
And I wouldn’t have swapped VGN 2 R for anything else on the road.
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While the luxury interior made me feel rock star special, I found driving Cilla’s Mini to be a lorra lorra fun too.
Now, as a child I repeatedly fell off roller skates, so I can’t tell you how one would feel if just over three metres in length and with a 1ltr engine on the front, but I’d wager VGN 2 R comes close.
The handling is fun, fun, fun, and on our Aberdeenshire side roads the car came into its own, allowing me to make quick – yes quick – progress across country.
With the engine, as all Mini drivers know, right over the front wheels traction is excellent.
The rack-and-pinion steering is a delight, constantly telling me what’s happening up front. It’s light, delicate and direct with no play. In fact, the Mini corners like, yes, a 3-meter-long roller skate.
Wood & Pickett left the suspension in its standard form, so combined with that roller skate short wheelbase the ride can be swinging 60s bouncy when the rural roads start to undulate.
Around town or in the city the Mini is the perfect car. The turning circle is tighter than the Corgi equivalent on linoleum, and any parking space is big enough to slot into.
Much as I criticised the automatic gearbox earlier, it does make perfect sense on the high street.
The subtle exterior modifications Cilla chose means that the classless Mini in period retains that standing today.
On my journeys around the north-east the Mini was greeted as a familiar friend by passers-by and other road uses alike. Little did they know that they were looking at a piece of pop history.
But, celebrity status, my friends, has a shelf life and fades fast.
Back home I proudly gesticulated towards VGN 2 R, announcing that, “I’ve been driving Cilla Black’s Mini,” to impress a 24-year-old.
“Who’s Cilla Black?” came the reply.
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