THE creator of Radford Coachworks, Guy Harold Radford, started out as a Rolls-Royce and Bentley dealer, pursuing a successful career between the wars from his West London showrooms; during the war years his company – Harold Radford & Co Ltd – worked on goverment contracts to supply modified vehicles to the military. By 1948, he was ready for a new challenge, and set about designing a estate car conversion for the Bentley MkVI with then-conventional wood-framed rear bodywork.

By the beginning of the 1970s Radford’s position was looking precarious. The Mini craze had peaked, and the company increasingly found itself competing (poorly) with the likes of Wood and Pickett for an ever-dwindling amount of conversion work.

The company re-launched the Radford-Mini, although predictably, this is now based on the new generation BMW-era MINI. The models available are the Bel Air, De Ville, De Ville S and MINI Miglia, recalling the names from the company’s heydays of the Sixties and Seventies.

Austin Mini Radford: Price Between £12995 - £29950