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'I was making more money from jumping over cars than I was playing football!': Duncan McKenzie on throwing golf balls, hurdling Minis and NOT playing for England
- Duncan McKenzie will go down as one of football's great entertainers
- The former Everton man played in the age of maverick versus hatchet man
- Despite making many England squads, McKenzie never came on for his first cap
- McKenzie says he earned more money from betting he could leap over cars
By Craig Hope for the Daily Mail | Published: 8th September 2019 | Updated: 9th September 2019
An opposition manager, Norwich City's John Bond, once growled at Duncan McKenzie: 'Why, when you get the ball, all you want to do is take the p***?' The striker shot back: 'Because I f****** can!' And McKenzie could. He was one of the 1970s' great entertainers, from hurdling tackles to jumping over Minis and throwing golf balls the length of a football pitch.
McKenzie made his senior debut for Nottingham Forest in 1969, earning £12 per week. It was there that a need for cash, and lemonade, saw him hone the skill for which he remains most famous —jumping over cars. 'The only access to training was through a turnstile. When we finished, we only had two jugs of cold lemonade in the dressing room. If you weren't quick, you weren't getting any. So I used to bypass the turnstile by jumping over the hedge. It was about five foot high. I just used to hurdle it.
An iconic shot shows McKenzie leaping over a Mini before Paul Reaney's testimonial match - image courtesy & © of Bob Thomas Sports Photography as used by the Daily Mail
'One of the lads said, "(Coach) Tommy Cavanagh's Mini isn't as big as that hedge, could you jump that? We'll give you a fiver?". 'Well that was nearly half a week's wages. I didn't need a second invitation. I just jumped over the Mini as if it didn't exist.' Word soon spread.
'The likes of Martin O'Neill and John Robertson were betting everyone in sight that I could jump over their car. I was making more money from jumping over cars than I was playing football!' McKenzie joined Leeds United in 1974 and there is a famous picture of him leaping over a Mini before Paul Reaney's testimonial match at Elland Road two years later.
'Jimmy Armfield was Leeds manager and he was stood there, puffing his pipe. He said, "Very good son, but don't ever do it again". 'But in many respects it's the best thing I've ever done. Wherever I go, everyone knows about it. There were kids all over the country trying to jump cars — casualty admittances were at a record high! Some nutter even tried to do it with the car coming towards him and broke every bone in his body.' Despite occasional requests from his grandchildren, McKenzie's car jumping days are behind him.
Image sourced from Twitter
The driver who never grew out of his Mini ... and still has it 43 year later!
Motorist, 61, still has model he bought brand new as a teenager
- Simon Crowfoot, 61, fell in love with the dark red Mini 1000 when he was 17
- He asked his father for a loan to pay the £1,050 asking price in 1974
- And 43 years later, he is still able to drive it, though now for special occasions
A motorist who bought a Mini on April Fools Day 1974 is having the last laugh - because he is still driving it 43 years later. Simon Crowfoot, 61, fell in love with the dark red Mini 1000 as a 17-year-old when he visited an Austin showroom. He successfully begged his father Horace for a loan so he could afford the £1,050 asking price and drove the brand new car away there and then. It has been his pride and joy ever since and he has taken great care of it.
Simon Crowfoot aged 17 with his brand new Austin Mini, which cost him £1,050 and was bought with a loan from his father - image courtesy & © of AdrianFlux/ForeverCars/BNPS as seen in the Daily Mail
He used it as his day-to-day runner in the 1970s and '80s but in more recent years he has stored in a garage and now only takes it out in sunny weather and on special occasions. Mr Crowfoot, a computer technician from Poole, Dorset, has taken care to keep hold of as many original components as possible including its engine, transmission, bodywork, seats and even the Motorola cassette player. The carpets have been replaced, although in their original colour, and there are new Dunlop Aquajet tyres, the same as it left the factory with.
And now 43 years later, he can still drive the classic car, though mostly just on sunny days or for special occasions - image courtesy & © of AdrianFlux/ForeverCars/BNPS as seen in the Daily Mail
It has a mere 82,000 miles on the clock - an average of 1,900 miles a year.
The car has fewer than 82,000 miles on the clock, working out at 1,900 a year, as Mr Crowfoot used it as a run around - image courtesy & © of AdrianFlux/ForeverCars/BNPS as seen in the Daily Mail
Mr Crowfoot, who now drives a Volkswagen Up, said: 'When I was 17 I had an old Ford Anglia but was fed up with it continually breaking down so I headed down to an Austin garage where my older brother worked. 'There was this brand new red Mini in the showroom and it was love at first sight. Even though it was one of the cheapest cars around I couldn't afford it so I had to plead with my dad. 'After a lengthy conversation I convinced him it was a good idea and ended up driving away in my new car, which I spent a few years paying every penny back for. 'At the time I never imagined I'd have it for the rest of my life. I've always loved the car and it wasn't worth very much money for a long time so I've never been tempted to sell it. 'Funnily enough over the years it has become a beloved classic. I can't see myself ever parting with the car, it's part of my life - wherever I go it comes with me. 'I have had it since I was 17 and when I get back inside it I feel like I'm a teenager again - it's incredible.
Because the car wasn't worth much money for a long time, he was never tempted to sell it - image courtesy & © of AdrianFlux/ForeverCars/BNPS as seen in the Daily Mail
It's hard to judge the greatest car of all time but in my opinion it's the Mini - a true British icon.'
Mr Crowfoot's Mini has been featured on the popular blog Forever Cars, which follows the personal stories of car enthusiasts who have owned their vehicles for 20 years or more. The Mini, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, is one of the most recognisable cars in the world was voted the second 'most influential car of the 20th century', behind the Ford Model T. 'They are also immensely collectible, with the record price for one standing at over £100,000.
25-year-old Mini goes on sale with just THIRTEEN miles on the clock - after owner bought it for his sons who were too tall to fit inside
Car was one of 3,000 built to mark 30th anniversary of Mini production
Cheshire-based farmer bought two to give to his sons when they turned 21
They were too tall to fit in the car however by the time they were old enough
By James Rush |Published: 23rd June 2014 | Updated: 23rd June 2014
A 25-year-old Mini has gone up for sale with just 13 miles on the clock, after it was originally bought for the previous owner's sons who were too tall to fit inside. The car was one of 3,000 limited edition vehicles made at Longbridge, Birmingham, to mark the 30th anniversary of Mini production in 1989. It was one of two bought by a Cheshire-based farmer who wanted to keep the vehicles to present to his sons when they turned 21. His sons were however too tall to fit inside the cars by the time they came of age.
The Mini 30 Edition Logo
"The car was one of two bought by a Cheshire-based farmer who wanted to keep the vehicles to present to his sons when they turned 21" - image sourced from BPM Media Group as used in the Daily Mail Article
The cars were eventually sold to the British Mini Club, which raffled one off three years ago. The other however remained in storage and is now being sold for £18,000. The car, which comes complete with an original handbook wrapped in its packaging, has not even been registered since the day it rolled off the assembly line back in 1989. Mini Club leader David Hollis, from Amblecote, near Stourbridge, said: 'It's an amazing story. 'Classic cars are going through the roof at the moment. We are looking for around £18,000 but it may be worth more. 'We are seeing Minis go for £20,000 or even £30,000. 'The price is constantly on the rise and we're willing to wait to get the correct price for such an excellent car.
The Mini 30 Edition
"The cars were eventually sold to the British Mini Club, which raffled one off three years ago." - image sourced from Caters News Agency as used in the Daily Mail Article
'Since 1989 it has only done 13 miles. I have driven it on and off a trailer but it has not even been registered.' The final Mini to leave the factory in Longbridge was last year sold for £1,400 after being hidden for more than 30 years in tunnels. Workers used the Mini Clubman 1275 GT to travel around the plant but it was dumped in the 1970s after being damaged when a storage container fell on it.
Pool Table Minis
Apparently all the rage in some hostelries now!
So Sad - 'Rotting in Peace' somewhere!
Image courtesy of Vintage Minis, Netherlands
Carnage on the streets of London 1982
The senseless killing of seven horses and sacrifice of at least two Classic Minis when a bomb went off in London 1982 - image courtesy & © of the Associated Press
Now then, where did I put the keys? Classic Mini found after being locked in a garage for 36 years
By Alex Ward | Published: 16:56, 24 October 2012 | 20:30, 25 October 2012
Thank you to the Daily Mail for this story. All images courtesy and copyright of Bournemouth News and Picture Service
A classic Mini Cooper car has been discovered, 36 years after it was locked away. The family of the late Brian Smith recently found the car he had hidden away in his garage in 1976 - ten years after he bought it. Now the classic car is up for sale and expected to fetch £12,000.
Park but no ride: The Mini was left in this garage for 36 years and completely forgotten
Neil Piper, 44, Mr Smith’s nephew, said: ‘It is a classic car and hopefully it will move to a place where it can be restored to its former glory. ‘There are no real car enthusiasts in the family so we decided to put it up for auction. The car needs renovation and we don’t have the expertise to do it. My uncle loved driving it but, for health reasons, he just put it away in the garage and there it stayed.’
Mr Smith, who never married and had no children, died in May aged 76. His family found the car in the garage at his former home in Christchurch, Dorset. It was purchased new in 1966 from Stringers Garage in Portsmouth, Hampshire. And it has only 22,270 miles on the clock, adding to its popularity at auction. The car does not start up and will need some repair work to restore it to working order. Matthew Whitney, from Charterhouse Auctioneers of Sherborne, Dorset, said: ‘Mini Coopers are synonymous with the swinging sixties and an icon of British motoring. ‘So often classic Mini’s have covered intergalactic miles or had panels and engines replaced, but this Cooper is a matching numbers car in totally original condition. It is probably the most important Mini Cooper I have been instructed to sell. It was purchased new in 1966 by Mr Smith and he drove it until the hot summer of 1976, when it was driven into the garage where it did not turn another wheel until earlier this year when relatives started to clear his house after he passed away.’
The Mini Cooper will be sold by Charterhouse, in Sherborne, Dorset on November 4.
Green machine: The Mini Cooper has been tucked away in this garage for 36 years
Nice little earner: The small car is expected to sell for £12,000
Plenty of miles left to go: The mileometer shows the car has travelled less than 23,000 miles
The first Mini Cooper made its debut in 1959 and was the first mass-produced car with a transversally-placed engine. Queen Elizabeth II was seen behind the wheel and after a series of celebrities bought them, sales took off. It has become the most popular British car ever made with more than 5.3million cars sold.
The Tallest Man
Let me introduce you to the 'Tallest Man' - George Gracie. I happened to be reading an article in a weekend magazine when this extraordinary picture caught my attention. The article did not provide too much specific information as the subject matter centred on the area rather than the individual and so I looked up the tallest man and am grateful to the tallestman.com web-site for providing the following information:
"George Gracie was born in 1938. He came from Forth in Lanarkshire. George was the tallest of 5 brothers at 7 ft 3. Hugh "Huge Hugh" Gracie born 1941 was 2.5 inches shorter. George Gracie was the tallest man of Scotland, but he was also briefly Britain's tallest man. After Ted Evans died in 1958 Guinness listed Ian Spofforth at 7 ft 1 as Britain's Tallest Man (Ian's brother Michael being 6 ft 10). Later on George would replace Ian as Britain's Tallest Man, until he was replaced in turn by Christopher Greener. George would be listed as Scotland's Tallest Man until his passing at the age of 54. For years Guinness listed George at 28 stones but George had weighed above 34 stone at one time and was 32 stone just before he died. George exhibited himself with his promoter Wheatley's and appeared at Nottingham Goose Fair, The Town Moor Fair at Newcastle upon Tyne, Hull Fair, The Links Market in Kirkcaldy and other Fairs. Big George enjoyed smoking a pipe and when you went in to see him he would slap his thigh and go into his spiel. He was a real character, a very likeable man and deserved his billing as "George the Gentle Giant".
Many thanks to Ray White for the info on George Gracie."
I was especially astonished at the link to our very own Goose Fair especially as this picture was taken on location there!
Guiness Book of Records Entry - for all the wrong reasons!
From the fastest tortoise in the West to the woman with 2,042 gnomes, meet the host of glorious eccentrics who have had their peculiar talents added to Guinness World Records - as described by the Daily Mail
"They are some of the most dedicated home-grown eccentrics - and they all have a starring role in Guinness World Records 2016, the annual round-up of joyously quirky achievements which is published today. As well as the Usain Bolt of tortoises, this year's crop of winners includes the world's oldest abseiler, and an amateur gardener who is the unrivalled king of monster vegetables. The Guinness World Records 2016 edition also includes an unabashed gnome-fancier - and an OAP strongman whose claim to fame is balancing a Mini on his head. "
John Evans, 70, faces little competition in the 33 weight-bearing categories for which he repeatedly sets records. Honoured here for ‘heaviest car balanced on the head’ (a gutted 352 lb Mini for 33 seconds), the one-eyed diabetic — who avoids the gym — explains: ‘I’ve got strong legs and a strong neck’
The description 'a gutted 352 lb Mini' speaks for itself - a curiosity maybe - an irrelevance definitely!
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