Hello Bob and everybody else, yes, the wholesale ministry destruction did indeed happon, but gradually over at least 30-35 years. To put the numbers scale into perspective, in 1976, the Minisistry had 21,500 vehicles on their books. As far as I can work out on observation, LESS THAN A FEW DOZEN of the "Ministry" vehicles existing today were actully released into the wild (as in legaly!) by the ministry from then to 14/10/04 when the last ministry vehicle came off the road for good. ALL the rest were officaly scrapped. (I have a whole series of photos as proof, including a few of the last known electric AC Acedes being cut up. Which took place as late as 1996!) In addition to this figure, there were manufacturers that only supplied to private buyers, namely Trilox, Nelco (Solocar) and Harding after 1953 to name but three. Their vehicles tended to be in the minority, but it seems that "private" sirvival rate is quite high, I have 172 vehicles on my register right here right now, and the typical "ministry" machines actully only account for a relitivly small percentage. Which is a pitty, as it was mostly the ministry machinces that looked like "proper" small cars.
If I might put a question to the general public, as a case in point. Everybody take a look at my Harding Consort, as seen in my current Register Page. If you had not been TOLD that it was an invalid carriage, would you even know that it WAS one? The point of my argument being why are my invalid carriages less highly regarded just becuse of the purpuse to which they were put 30 years ago than, say, an Isetta? I make a point of not labouring the "Disabled" aspect, treating them instead as the last great "unknown" area of small vehicle history, but at the end of the day, that area is why these vehicles existed at all. Plus, remember there was a time not so long ago when the ownership of "Proper" microcars were seen as purverse. Why drive one of them when you could have a normal big car and all that.
To Bob again. Will you be at Jean's Open Day in July? I would quite like to meet you and have a general chat. Don't worry, I won't try to win you over to invalid carriages....