I honeymooned in a 1995 4-door Morris Minor Split-Screen and in an attempt to rekindle those happy years I purchased ‘Wilbur’, a 1962 Morris Minor Pickup.  Now I know it is not the same model that I married with, but two things changed in the intervening years, my shape and my passion for golf.  I used to fit into that 4-door when I was 19 but my flexibility is now not the same, so if I were to buy a Morris that was hard to get into, it needed to ‘pay-back’.  Wilbur, as a pickup did just that as it could carry all my golf gear with ease and that hobby would ensure he got used on a very regular basis and would not just sit in the garage.    

Next steps were to change the colour and make the loading bay waterproof for the golf clubs.  Morris Pickup canvas covers are notorious for their poor fit and for leaking like a sieve so my decisions were a little unconventional.

I chose to wrap Wilbur in an adventurous colour shifting vinyl with some key areas protected with PPF.  For those not familiar with car wraps, let me summarise.  A ‘wrap’ can simply be a clear, self-repairing film that leaves the original colour on someone’s cherished asset unchanged, while protecting it from the ravages of stone chips and scrapes that invariably happen during use and storage.  See the wheel arches for example.

Alternatively, a coloured wrap may be used to transform a whole car, or just parts and this is what I chose for Wilbur.  I was familiar with the growing use of PPF to protect classic cars, but I was also intrigued to see what could be achieved from a colour wrap that would transform the look.  For this I used a cranberry wrap that gentle transitions to copperish tones as the light hits it from different angles and I am delighted with the outcome.  I also dechromed Wilbur to black trims with a gloss wrap to sharpen the appearance.  

 

Next, I designed and commissioned a hard, low profile, waterproof and lockable tonneau to protect my golf clubs.  I kept the design minimalist and then wrapped it with a soft textured film to give a canvas like appearance.  It opens quickly on gas struts to make loading and unloading of the golf gear very easy.  I may in fact market these.

This was my first classic and I was overjoyed to take on a revamp of Wilbur’s appearance.  I know the colour changes won’t appeal to some of the purists, but I knew I could reverse it if needed and the reaction at shows has been very positive.  Clear wraps on the other hand for classic cars are really a no-brainer, protecting them from the ravages of regular use.  Such protection is now becoming common place and is growing fast.