Up for regrettable sale is a rare beastie. MK3 Morris 1800 'Landcrab', in Teal Blue. This was bought as a restoration for me to use & enjoy, however change in circumstance and another project waiting in the wings means this beaut needs to find a new home.

If the title drew you in, let me explain that firstly. The history: this car was bought in 1977 from Kenning's garage in Scunthorpe, by a Mr Arthur Howson. Mr Howson owned the vehicle and drove it until 2008 when it was SORN'd. It stayed in his possession until 2012, shortly before he passed away. During his ownership, Mr Howson kept meticulous records of the work his car underwent, so there is a comprehensive folder of history. I believe it has every single MOT and tax disc from '77 until '08, there may be one or two anomalies. It has invoices, reciepts, SORN letters, even the warranty from Kennings is in there. It's a truly remarkable document.

And now, the mystery. The car was bought as secondhand in 1977 with 25,000 miles on the clock, yet Mr Howson was the first registered keeper. Whilst working on the car with a friend, we discovered a large power drain of around 40amps, which we traced to mysterious things under the back seat, one of which looks like an old transmitter, possibly military. There is also a hidden switch which turns off the panel lights, but it was also at one point wired up to the equipment under the rear seat. The car also has a vinyl roof - an old picture shows that it's been on the car a very long time, and is the only one I know in existence to have this feature. It may well have been added to cover repairs to the roof where equipment was removed. Current theories include it being formerly in the ownership of an embassy, the RAF, the police or the government, but I really wouldn't know how to go about tracing that. The first five years of this cars life are an interesting mystery, and I really do hope this car finds its way to a good home so that some answers may be found eventually.

On to the vehicle itself, then. Teal Blue, with Olive/Brown interior and Limeflower carpet. 1800 B-series engine, single carburettor, 4 speed. Features include a  strip speedometer, a black vinyl roof (appears to have been on the car a very long time), and1980s Triumph radio. Owing to its very long life with one owner, the car is mostly in very original condition. Even the clock blank is still proudly in place. The interior is a lovely place to be, the drivers seat has 2 tears in it, but I didn't want to change it as it's the original seat. I believe it would be repairable by someone with the skills, though. The other seats are all in great condition, the back seat has no tears across the top, although the parcel shelf is discoloured (but not warped). Headlining good.

Engine runs sweet and starts up on command. Clutch & gearbox seem fine, haven't had the chance to check the brakes over though, so assume they don't work.

Now I must move onto the unpleasantries. One of the reasons this car has to leave is that it simply presented too much work for me and my friend to take on. Whilst it seemed good on top, it's hidden a few ugly secrets. The car will need the following work as a minimum to make it fit for an MOT.

- Welding to rear valance
- Welding to OS-R arch inner and outer
-Welding to  NS-R arch outer, presumably inner
- Welding to OS-R sill
- Rear hydrolastic displacer repairing or renewing
-Brakes overhauled
-Fuel tank repair

In good news, though, as we only discovered the rot after we'd already done some work, it's had the following work done:

-Replaced OS-F hydrolastic displacer
-New headlamps
-General clean & polish
-Engine checked and run for evaluation, found to run fine, selects all gears and moves
-Electrics checked and found to work fine (especially after disconnecting the back seat mystery box)
-Chrome work is generally presentable but not mint
-Footwells & boot floor both solid
-Sills appear sound except one bent jacking point and a rear repair needed (repair sill included in sale)
-Doors are mostly sound, except a bit of rust along the bottom and surface rust at the top

The rear bumper and shelf are with the car, but are off it (needed to check how bad the rust was behind it). Some parts in the boot including 4 wheel trims and a spare wheel. The car will be sold with all of the history that came with it, including two of Mr Howson's old road maps, and the history file full of MOTs, tax discs etc.

Car is available to view in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire. Car will need recovering, don't expect to be able to drive it home. Bidding to buy, not to view or haggle. Would completely reccommend viewing this car before bidding, I've tried to describe it accurately but I'd feel happier if you'd seen it beforehand & made your own decisions. Selling it at a loss as I desperately need space and money for my new project. Any questions feel free to ask, or phone me on 07824557194. I would very much prefer collection on this car, but if you're utterly lovestruck but have no way of moving it, speak to me BEFORE the end of auction & I'll see what I can do. Happy to oblige where I can. Cash on collection preferred and within 2 weeks of auction end tops as I need the money sharpish.

-Rob.

Revision: Thanks to user tonyatmorelyvilla for a few corrections - it's Hydrolastic, not Hydragas on the 1800 & apparently sills and panels are available through the L.O.C.I (Landcrab Owners Club International) and are the rear displacer which is broken on this one is also interchangeable with the Austin Maxi unit. The fronts are unique to this Landcrab/3Litre, one of which is holding pressure fine & the other has just been swapped for a working replacement. Thanks for the heads up!

Revision 08/04/15 - Just thought I'd add in a bit more information about the Mystery Box. We've unwired it because it doesn't have a manual and it was causing alarming things up front to do with the battery, and the 40amp drain was a bit much. The main item is made by Philco, has a valve, a few capacitors or resistors and something else. It has a number of markings including some which appear to be in pencil, and a few numbers. It apparently was wired up to something else in the boot, which is no longer present. I've included a picture of the Philco gubbins, if anyone's ever seen one before feel free to drop me a line. Somebody on the Barn Finds group noted it could have been an observer vehicle, a detector vehicle, or ex-Royal Protection, which can be added to the list of things-it-could-have-been.

We also discovered something akin to lashing points welding onto the underside (which incidentially is in quite good order, the floors seem quite solid).