Lost Moggy

[TracyGad]

Hi I am looking for my Brothers Morris Minor - it is a convertabile Reg number LUM 78F. Trafalger blue and according to the DVLA still owned by my brother
My brother purchased this car in 1997 and then he moved to Norway and stored the car to use when he returned home
He then decided to take the car to Norway and placed this in a garage called ‘over the hill’ in Ripley, Surrey owned by a Mr Alan Hill who was going to convert the lights, change to KM and also replace the hood. This dragged on for some years (due really to my brother and not Mr Hill). Sadly, my brother was diagnosed with MND in 2013 although he had been unwell some time before this but had put the symptoms down to other illnesses. The car was then forgotten as the MND took hold and my brother knew he could no longer drive or travel back to England. At the age of 49 my brother lost his battle earlier this year and we would like to find the car. I believe Mr Hill may also have passed away a couple of years ago but I am not sure.

If Anyone knows Alan Hill or even the whereabouts of the car I would be grateful for any information. This car is of sentimental value to my dad who used to go touring with my brother in the car.
Thank you for your help

[sid]

hi Tracy, i just googled 'over the hill ' cars in Surrey,and the details came up..phone number for the garage is 01483 222258 if that is any help.

[ManyMinors]

Very sorry for your loss. Do you still have the V5 registration document? Assuming you do, make sure that you register it in your name at your current address. If somebody still has the car and cannot get in touch with you (which seems quite likely) they will probably try to obtain a V5 for the car. If this happens, all that the DVLA can do is to contact the registered keeper at the address they have. If this address is no longer current the DLVA can do no more and will issue a new V5 to whoever applies for one.
On what basis do you state that "according to the DVLA" the car is still owned by your Brother? Have you been in touch with them already? According to their website, the car is not registered anymore.

Hope you find the car but a lot of years have gone by.

[Myrtles Man]

Several instances of double-posting recently; now we have a development of the theme - triple posting (these two plus the one on August 11).

[palacebear]

The OP posted this query in the Concours Forum section last month. Somebody replied with the info provided by Sid but unfortunately it was a dead end as it appeared the company had ceased trading.

As the message board has a relatively low number of regular users, perhaps a short letter to the club magazine might help your appeal reach more people...?

[TracyGad]

Hi, thank you all for your help. Thanks Syd for the number but this no longer exists. i did also post this in the Concours forum but i thought i would post it here as it seemed more appropriate.
i contacted the DVLA by e-mail and they confirmed the car was still in Shaun's name - i wasnt aware you could also check on the website.
I have contacted the police but it is not really there concern as the car is 'lost' rather than stolen which I totally understand
i believe the car may have been rotting away somewhere and may now have been used as parts. However, if there is any chance of finding the car, in whatever state, it would be great although i know this is a long shot. i will send a letter to be posted on the magazine - thanks for the idea, seems like a good plan of action.

[Chief]

I don't know if they post letters but you might also try a letter to a magazine such as Practical Classics or one of the other car magazines out there since it's possible that you might catch the eyes of an old mechanic or customer who might not be an MMOC member but may be able to give you more information as to the fate of the garage at the very least, and allow you to go from there.

Also don't be too disheartened that the DVLA site holds no records for the car, this doesn't necessarily mean it was broken up for parts etc. I've seen cars for sale on eBay and the like, that come up with no details on the site.

Either way, good luck with your search

[Dean]

Have you been to Ripley and popped into any local shops?

It doesn't look a very big village, Someone would remember either the garage or Alan surely?

[sirrom918]

Suggest you contact Burrows Lea Forge Ltd - they're based at Burrows Lea Farm, Hook Lane, Shere - they may know what happened to Mr Alan Hill and his Over The Hill Motor Co.

192 also lists a number of Alan Hill with addresses in Surrey - https://www.192.com/atoz/people/hill/alan/4/

https://a-blacksmith.co.uk

https://a-blacksmith.co.uk/contact-us/

Here's a satellite view of the site - there could potentially be one or two vehicles stored behind the building immediately to the right of Burrows Lea Forge Ltd or elsewhere on the farm site.

Screen Shot 2018-09-25 at 10.38.49.png (1.46 MiB) Viewed 9353 times

[geoberni]

This really is like an episode of Heir Hunters with all these multiple topics and red herring tangents....
On the other topic, the address was given as

Company: Over The Hill Motor Company
Address:

The Paddocks
Gambles Lane, Ripley
Nr Guildford
Surrey
GU23 6HS
Contact: Alan Hill
Telephone: 01483 222258
Category: morris minor
Area scope: surrey

To which Tracy replied:

Hi, thanks for the info. I have been to this address and it closed a few years ago. Unfortunately, this is the last address I have and also seems to be the last contact between my brother and Alan Hill

Can we just confirm that Tracy has been to this address to make enquiries 'on the ground'... since that address currently comes up as
Surrey Performance Cars
tel: 01932 282724

Now it may be that they are also no longer trading, the interweb is of course full of out of date info, but you never know...
Slim chance, but it could be out the back under a tarpaulin...

[philthehill]

Tracy
Has the question of the Lost Moggy been asked before in previous post/thread but some time previous?
I have it lodged in the back of my mind that the question has been asked before.

Phil

[Mark Wilson]

Phil,

You have seen it before. Don't know why, but this appeared on August 11th in the Concours folder.

Mark

[geoberni]

Tracy
Has the question of the Lost Moggy been asked before in previous post/thread but some time previous?
I have it lodged in the back of my mind that the question has been asked before.

Phil

Hey Phil
it's OK, you're not loosing the plot, well no more than at any other time. Tracy originally posted this in Concours on August 11th, to which several of us had responded. so the whole discussion is somewhat fragmented.
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=68984
She decided to ask it again under 'Stolen' even though it's not; it's more a case of 'abandoned, forgotten about, and then lost'...

[sirrom918]

On the Concours Forum thread geoberni posted a link to another 'Over the Hill Motor Company' based at Burrows Lea Farm which could have been based in the buildings adjacent to Burrows Lea Forge Ltd - hence my links, satellite image and suggestion that Tracy contact the Forge to see if they can offer any information regarding Mr Hill and the Minor. Below is geoberni's link from the Concours Forum thread.

Screen Shot 2018-09-25 at 13.48.50.png (191.26 KiB) Viewed 9324 times

[TracyGad]

Hi, thank you all for your helpful comments - I have not logged in for a while as other things to deal with.....
I have been to Ripley and asked around - it is a one road village - I think Mr Hill left long ago so no-one seems to remember him. amazing how many garages are in that village!
I looked at the one in Shere... that garage no longer existed - there was another company there. however, from the satellite pictures I will pop down there tomorrow as it is not to far.
thank you all for the info provided - I know it is a long shot but my dad keeps on asking me if I have done anything about the car.....

[Mr_Jim]

Hi there, I came across this thread by accident. I know what happened to the car. If you would like to message me directly I can let you know.

[jagnut66]

Hi, thank you all for your helpful comments - I have not logged in for a while as other things to deal with.....
I have been to Ripley and asked around - it is a one road village - I think Mr Hill left long ago so no-one seems to remember him. amazing how many garages are in that village!
I looked at the one in Shere... that garage no longer existed - there was another company there. however, from the satellite pictures I will pop down there tomorrow as it is not to far.
thank you all for the info provided - I know it is a long shot but my dad keeps on asking me if I have done anything about the car.....

Hi Tracey,
In the above post 'Mr Jim' asked you to contact him, as he has info regarding your brothers car. Unfortunately he didn't 'quote' you to get your attention, so I'm hoping this flags up with you.
Good luck and I hope his info is positive.
Best wishes,
Mike.

[Bornfree]

This is one of those "what happened next..." stories that leaves you on the edge of your seat. I'd love to know what happened next.... !

[ManyMinors]

I expect a few of us are mildly curious!

[les]

It’s not only cars that disappear!