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Hillman Imp pick-up Coventry Road early 80s

foy9999

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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foy9999 said:
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?
Click to expand...
The shopping centre has been there since the early 1960s Waitrose opened a branch there in 1963.
 
jmadone said:
The shopping centre has been there since the early 1960s Waitrose opened a branch there in 1963.
Click to expand...
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
 
AnnS said:
From memory i seem to recall that Adams was a greengrocers shop,
which may explain the unique vehicle...
Click to expand...


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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Spargone said:
An article about LBW 245E appears here.
Click to expand...

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:
 
Penns said:
From my memory 2166 was a Green Grocers, he also owned the flat above which was 2166 B
Click to expand...
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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