Anyone help find an Austin Mini Cooper Reg 40 WYD ????

[skid]

Hi chaps
My father used to own a 1956 Austin Mini Cooper in green registration 40 WYD, in the 1960's.

I look it up on the DVLA every few years as it would be good to know it was still alive. I gave up a looking as it kept coming up as not recognised.
However Father's Day reminded me to search, and it's suddenly popped up as a live record, with a V5C being issued for it 3 years ago.

He loved the car, and I have an interest as when as a child in the late 70's we were on a family holiday in Devon or Cornwall, I remember my Dad jumping on the brakes of our family car and him flagging down a green Mini he'd just spotted. It was 40 WYD and he was pleased as punch to see it 10 or 15 years after he'd sold it.

So where is it now? No matter what the condition, he'd love to see it again if he can.

[skid]

[skid]

[Orcadian]

Strange that DVLA have it down as a 1956 vehicle - they have NEVER been known to make a mistake 🤓 but good to know the number hasn't been transferred to a Chelsea tractor or some such. 1071 'S' is the most desirable of all imo but only produced in 1963/4, so that must be a '65 vehicle. Might be worth contacting the Cooper 'S' register gurus to see if it's a known vehicle. A lot of Mini (and other) V5c's have been hung onto long after the cars have been scrapped, probably in the hope of making a fast buck or using the identity for a lesser vehicle - all illegal of course.

[skid]

Orcadian said:

Strange that DVLA have it down as a 1956 vehicle - they have NEVER been known to make a mistake ?? but good to know the number hasn't been transferred to a Chelsea tractor or some such. 1071 'S' is the most desirable of all imo but only produced in 1963/4, so that must be a '65 vehicle. Might be worth contacting the Cooper 'S' register gurus to see if it's a known vehicle. A lot of Mini (and other) V5c's have been hung onto long after the cars have been scrapped, probably in the hope of making a fast buck or using the identity for a lesser vehicle - all illegal of course.

UK Car registrations started annual age related suffices in 1963. So I'm not sure what's going on there. I wonder if you could do plate changes in those days? Will ask the old fella if he has any memories of why '56 and that plate.

Edit update, spoke to the old chap and we've concluded it was probably a '64 built car registered in '65 and entered on the DVLA with a reverse typo as '56 when they digitised.
Age related plates started in 1963 with the Suffix of 'A' being the starting point. However as it was still a manual paper system some regional DVLA offices took until later in '65 to get up to speed on the new system so kept the old plate system running.
As this was registered in Somerset (YD of the registration - Yeovil?) it could well have been that this local DVLA office was behind the new age related registration identifier system.

I really hope this turns up somewhere.

Edited by skid on Monday 29th June 15:05

Edited by skid on Monday 29th June 15:10

Edited by skid on Monday 29th June 15:12

[Orcadian]

Somerset didn't use the suffix until 64 B reg, not sure if they ran 3 and 3 alongside the 'new' system so would suspect it's a typical DVLA cock-up.
As the first Mini of any type rolled off the line in August 59 there is no way it's a '56! Cooper came later. As I said earlier I think your best bet is to contact the Cooper S register folk. If the car no longer exists 'in the flesh' then whoever is sitting on the V5c can only (illegally) stick it on a similar car. Unfortunately if they scrapped it themselves recently, there is now no system with DVLA for scrappage by owner unless they have an 'end of life' certificate from a registered facility.

Regards,
Ian