Y 0900 - a modified MG Y 

It is not unknown, still in this day and age, for new discoveries of Ys to come to light - or at least to the knowledge of the Register.  This has happened already a few times since we opened the web site.  However, we have never seen a "barn find" so heavily modified as that of Chanaka Jinasena's who contacted us recently for help and advice.  The car is clearly a very early Y and was exported to Sri Lanka.  A possible explanation for the car's modified appearance could be that the availability of "spares" may have forced previous owners to cannibalise bits from other cars to keep it going!

Here, in Chanaka's own words is an outline of how he has come to acquire the car:

The car belonged to the daughter of a collector. When her dad passed away, she knew the cars would never get used again so she got the engines filled to the brim with oil, the bodies coated with grease and the cars were all parked under cover in her TAXI / HIRE CAR company premises. This explains how a visitor was able to take a photo of the car (see "as found").  This lady would not sell any of the cars to any one ... at first. With persuasion we, as relations to her, were the first to get a car off her hands.  In the ("as found") photo, if you look in the top left of the photo, you can see the rear of a Vintage "Hupmobile" which was parked in front of the "Y".

Chanaka very kindly has supplied us with several very interesting shots of his car for your perusal and inspection.  He his intending restoring the car, and has promised to update us with his progress.

Here are some of his photographs.  Click on them to enlarge.		Safety Fast Newsletter - June 1994
Y 0900 - as found	A Morris 8? dashboard - very reminiscent of the early prototype car!	An unusual fuel filler cap arrangement, but neat!
A strange looking handbrake.	There is a total absence of Jackall on the car, however, traces of the pump fixing holes can be seen on the front of the side-mounted battery box.	The car is wearing strangewheels! What are they off? They are 15 inch diameter!
Someone has moved the wipers!	Strange side lights too.	Busy with the welder under the wheel arches.
Before starting under the rear seat.	... and after.	The sill gets the same treatment
Before starting on the boot (trunk)	... after removal ...	and then finally, back in.
Right body side	Firewall	Left body side
Rear of car	Right rear door jamb	Sliding Roof
Lamps with bumpers	Bonnet	Door catch and screen
Body on its side being being blasted	Body fully blasted	Body being primed
Body fully primed	Rear 3/4s	Rear wheel arch

I have attached 2 photos of the car as it is today (15 August 2003).  Y 0900 was given a coat of white paint and it is now covered in patches of putty. We hope to do its final painting soon. I have also attached 2 photos which I took when the car was being sand blasted. One shows the chassis number and the other shows what is referred to in the 'Let there be Ys' book, as the "right hand chassis number".

Side view	Rear 3/4s	The MG14T "right hand chassis number"
Chassis number	Painted - rear view	Painted - front view

Sadly the restoration of this car stalled as Chanaka had too many projects on the go and the car was parted out.