Current Owner: Chris Guy, Victoria

MMM No: 2460

Information:  Built at Abingdon on 13/1/1936 as a 2-seat roadster for the home market painted black with red trim and silver wheels.

History:  Article written by Chris Guy and printed in the M.G.C.C. Victoria monthly magazine, Wheel Spin June 2026, see full version here.

The car appears to be an amalgam of the chassis from 0698 and the mechanical and some body panels and guarantee plate from another PB, 0679.  The original 0679 plate has been restamped to add the 0698 chassis number 

11/5/1936:     First registered to Kent County Constabulary, UK.  Registration Number CKT 827 (Maidstone).

Late ’50s/’60s; Likely that PB 0698 chassis was used in conjunction with body, engine, gearbox etc. from PB 0679* to create the present car.

1966:              Acquired in UK by Ralston (Ral) Rainsford for £40. Car was running but in poor condition.

Late 1960s:     Imported into Australia by Ral Rainsford and dismantled.

1970s:             Restoration outsourced then terminated.

1980s:             Car transferred to Eric Rainsford (Ral Rainsford’s father) followed by high quality restoration. Car then became part of Eric Rainsford’s collection and was exhibited at the Australian National Motor Museum at Birdwood, South Australia.

Early 1990s:    Eric Rainsford’s car collection split up and PB 0698 acquired by his son, Garry Rainsford.

16/1/2006:     Car was little used by Garry Rainsford and sold to John Firth-Smith in NSW.  Registration Number in NSW was GO 122.

2007:             Offered for auction in Sydney.

1/11/2008:    Acquired by Lou Symes in Western Australia. Registration Number in WA was 1 CYE 833.

12/4/2022:    Acquired by Chris Guy in Victoria. Club Permit in Victoria is 0812 H5.

• Known history of PB 0679; built at Abingdon on 7/1/1936 as 2-seater for the home market.  Supplied by C. H. Truman of Nottingham to Mr Ernest W. Marchant on 28/5/1936. By February 1938 the car had been acquired by Mr V. Burgass, also of Nottingham. A picture of PB 0679 (UK Registration Number CAU 863) is attached.
• 
• Some observations about the picture are:

1. The vehicle appears to be in very poor condition. MoT tests were made compulsory in the UK in 1961, which led to the scrapping of many unroadworthy vehicles, as it was not economically viable to repair them. From the picture, it looks as though PB 0679 may have been one of these. Consequently, many of its salvageable parts may have been combined with the good chassis from PB 0698 to form the present car, perhaps in the early 1960s. This hypothesis would date the picture at around 1960.
2. The semaphore indicators have been removed and appear to have been replaced by flashing units mounted in the rear number plate panel. Given that flashing indicators were only approved in the UK in 1956, it seems likely that the picture was taken in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
3. The colour has been changed from the original black to a much lighter colour (white/cream?).

There appear to be additional instruments in the dashboard.

• Listing ID: 2535
• Midget: PB
• Location: --Victoria
• Chassis Number: 0698
• Year of Production: 1936
• Previous Owners: Kent Constabulary, UK 1936
  Ral Rainsford, SA 1960s
  Eric Rainsford, SA 1980s
  Gary Rainsford, SA 1990s
  John Firth-Smith, NSW 1/2006
  Lou Symes, WA 11/2008-4/2022
• Current Owner: Chris Guy
• Original Engine Number: 925 APB
• Current Engine Number: 906 APB
• Date Acquired: 12/4/2022
• Current Reg: 0812 H5 (VIC)