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Hillman Imp pick-up Coventry Road early 80s

foy9999

proper brummie kid
Hi everyone

This is a bit of a long-shot but I own a rather unique vehicle. It was converted to a pick-up in the Rootes Competition Dept in 1966 and I have traced a lot of its history.

So what's the connection with Birmingham?

Well, in amongst the paperwork I got with the car, is a letter from the chap who commissioned the car to be built to a Mr R Adams who lived in Sheldon, Birmingham 26.

The letter is from 1981 and I suspect Mr Adams had just bought the car and wanted to know more about it.

I wrote to Mr Adams when I got the car in 1988 but didn't get a reply and sort of gave up on that line of enquiry.

However, this month, I have some time off and have been trying to find out more of the history.

We now have Google Maps and I can see that Mr Adams' address - 2166 Coventry Road, Sheldon, Birmingham 26 - is basically a shopping centre. Something I didn't consider when I wrote to him all those years ago.

I've no idea if the shops have always been there or if it was a residential area back in the 80s but I'm hoping this post and the only picture I have of the car in the old days may jog a memory.

Does anyone in the area remember the car? Does anyone know Mr Adams?

Thanks. Grahamwwkln.jpg
 
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Hi everyone

This is a bit of a long-shot but I own a rather unique vehicle. It was converted to a pick-up in the Rootes Competition Dept in 1966 and I have traced a lot of its history.

So what's the connection with Birmingham?

Well, in amongst the paperwork I got with the car, is a letter from the chap who commissioned the car to be built to a Mr R Adams who lived in Sheldon, Birmingham 26.

The letter is from 1981 and I suspect Mr Adams had just bought the car and wanted to know more about it.

I wrote to Mr Adams when I got the car in 1988 but didn't get a reply and sort of gave up on that line of enquiry.

However, this month, I have some time off and have been trying to find out more of the history.

We now have Google Maps and I can see that Mr Adams' address - 2166 Coventry Road, Sheldon, Birmingham 26 - is basically a shopping centre. Something I didn't consider when I wrote to him all those years ago.

I've no idea if the shops have always been there or if it was a residential area back in the 80s but I'm hoping this post and the only picture I have of the car in the old days may jog a memory.

Does anyone in the area remember the car/ Does anyone know Mr Adams?
The shopping centre has been there since the early 1960s Waitrose opened a branch there in 1963.
 
The shopping centre has been there since the early 1960s Waitrose opened a branch there in 1963.
That's very helpful. Thank you.

It may explain why after all those years there was no reply to my letter.

Perhaps Mr Adam had a small shop there in the early 80s

Thanks. Graham
 
From memory i seem to recall that Adams was a greengrocers shop,
which may explain the unique vehicle...
 
From memory i seem to recall that Adams was a greengrocers shop,
which may explain the unique vehicle...


That's fantastic AnnS :D

Does make sense if the address was in a shopping centre and yes the little pick-up may have even been used for deliveries.

Actually the 1st person who owned it lived in a big house and said she used it for carting around gardening stuff and shrubs.

I have correspondence from her but unfortunately no photos ever materialised and she passed away arounf 10 years ago - with no family who might've kept pictures
 
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An article about LBW 245E appears here.

Yes I wrote all that many years ago. Pre-internet. When the www arrived I typed it all back out again for the Blog but didn't imagine that anyone who owned the car would still be a live or online.

This week I discovered one of the owners is leaving UK for good and all his possessions have been cleared out.

Talk about bad timing :confused:
 
From my memory 2166 was a Green Grocers, he also owned the flat above which was 2166 B
Many thanks for that information Penns

A few weeks ago someone advised me as follows

"
Dear Sir
My family owned the business operating from 2168 Coventry Road Sheldon, H G Turner Ltd Corn and Seed Merchants.
The Mr Adams you are enquiring about owned F J Saunders Jewellers he was known to me as Bob Adams and retired to a farm near Knowle he now runs a classic car business trading as Bob's Affordable Classics."

I was amazed by this information and that the chap was still alive - and involved with old cars

So I phoned Bob's Affordable Classics and the phone was answered by his daughter who advised Mr Adams had passed away the previous week
 
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