Meet the thoroughly modern Moggie...

The first vehicle off the assemb­ly line at a Wells car factory will soon be on its way to the customer.

And the signs are good that the chic and powerful machine will be the first of many turned out by Mr Chris Street's C S Autoclassics, housed in outbuildings on the outskirts of Wells.

So he is planning to expand and, hopefully, take on school-leavers to cope with what he hopes will be a keen demand.

The successful business has grown out of a love by the former Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer for the humble Morris Minor, which ceased mass production in Britain in 1971 after 1.5 million were made.

And there is nothing humble about the Morris Minor created by Mr Street, who learn his engineering skills at Yeovilton and has honed them in his classic car business at Wells for the last 12 years.

He has retained the basic loveable shape of the Minor but cleverly introduced many features which bring the car up to 1993 standards.

The Morris Minor Cabriolet boasts features which include advanced handling, braking and suspension, and modern gearboxes and rear axles, making the car capable of 0 to 60 mph in around 10 seconds.

Said Mr Street: "It is not simply a one-off custom Minor."

"It is a modernised classic which has been carefully designed for a limited production run, with all the necessary jigs and fixtures for manufacture made ready."

CS Autoclassics start with the original body shell and take it down to whatever clean, bare metal remains. They build up from there.

The 1275cc Cabriolet sells for a little over £21,000, including VAT.

• The proud new owner of Morris Minor Cabriolet 001 is an automotive engineer working for the Nissan European Technology centre.

Amanda Hazlett helped Mr Street with the original concept and has supported the two-year development project.

Source: Talking business - Mid Somerset Series, July 1, 1993