Peter Marron had been looking for a Cooper for years. He wanted an original and sound car, and if this meant a slight restoration project, then so be it, as he's owned and worked on many Minis for many years. In Ireland, genuine Coopers are rare, and few are in good condition. This meant that the search had to be broadened to other countries, and this search led him to look online at various websites, including Wood & Pickett. Here is Peter's story of how he found DCC:
"They had a 1071cc 64 Almond Green/Old English white roof Austin Cooper for sale and after viewing a few pictures I decided to go and see it at their premises just outside London. My son and I arrived at Wood and Pickett and were greeted by the site of various beautiful Minis. I had a look at the Cooper but even though it was Mint after being thoroughly restored by someone other than W&P it was not worth the asking price, as some of the panels were ill fitted and as I thought the 1071cc engine would have a bit of power, it actually turned out to be quite sluggish. The car was not finished off properly which was a disappointment...

My son mentioned they had another Cooper at the back of the showroom, along with a few SPI's and an ex-W&P show car, all of which were for sale. When I first laid eyes on the Cooper under its cotton cover, I knew that this was the one. The car was being sold on behalf of a customer of W&P. They had the car for a few months previous to this in order to install the OAP 1380 Engine and strip out the Innocenti tan interior (someone had stripped out the original interior in favour of the tan Innocenti interior), including the clocks. W&P fitted full black interior plus Speedwell bucket seats and 130 mph speedo and centre binnacle plus everything else you see on the spec...

Everyone smiles when they see this car from young to old. A real sheep in wolfs clothing. Well, a month later we were met in Holyhead port, drove her onto the ferry and to her new home. I only ever bring her out in good weather as the rest of the time she is locked up in the garage. Since then I have changed the seats, as I found them uncomfortable, in favour of a pair of Paddy Hopkirk recliners with matching back seat, a set of 10 x 4.5" Cooper S Steel rims in OE white with Falken Tyres and a few other touches to put my own mark on the car."

1380cc OAP (Osbourne Automotive Preparation) Half-Race engine, 1275cc A-series offset bored to 1380cc, Powermax Pistons, Stage 3 Big valve head, Kent 266 Camshaft, Twin 1 1/2 SU carbs, alloy inlet manifold, Twin K&N cone filters and Breather filters, Crankshaft Flywheel and balanced with competition clutch fitted, S Distributor with electronic unit and Sports Ignition coil, Steel center mainstrap, Lightweight duplex timingear, 1 7/8" single silencer exhaust system with Playmini stainless steel exhaust, Standard S oil cooler and Radiator, Braided and copper hosing throughout.