Keith Moon's Two 428s and Other Tales !

[Classicus]

"Keith Moon's Two 428s and Other Tales ! "
   
   Whilst trying to track down for the Register recently one of the two 428s that were apparently owned by the drummer Keith Moon of the Sixties rock group "The Who", one of which was the convertible CF 77, the other possibly a white fastback reg. EMX 431 J (Query 11 - still no trace), two small but very choice snippets of 428 history I'd forgotten about also surfaced. Including a few more incredible Moon motoring stories for good measure !
   
   There are three URLs with date entries that refer for 17th, 18th and 19th February 2007. Plus one separate one - "anecdotage".
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   1. "Keith Moon also had another race-worthy car for a time, an AC 428 Frua previously owned by Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. The Frua was powered by a seven-litre Ford engine, and was, according to Dougal, "unbelievably fast," until the day it broke down on a railway crossing and stopped commuter trains for an hour and a half.
   
   Reference the above (URL below) see second entry for February 18th 2007 – "Keith Moon's ROCKIN cars Part 2". Scroll about a third of the way down.
   http://rockindownthehighway.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html
   
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   Another Keith Moon story involving a sports car. See separate URL below.
   
   (From hearsay it seems that this second story below was a 428 as well, apparently stopping just short of Staines reservoir after crossing a couple of fields. It seems he never possessed a driving licence either ! )
   
   2. "While driving his sports car [the report does not say which car specifically] at more than 100 miles per hour one day, Keith Moon suddenly shifted into first gear. The rear wheels locked and the car was launched into a series of somersaults before coming to rest just a few feet from a sixty-foot drop. The first person on the scene happened to be a policeman on a bicycle. "Hello Keith," the bobby remarked, surveying the damage. "I knew it was you.""
   
   http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=12241
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   3. More Moonmania !
   
   See "Rockin' back to one of the great rock-and-cars birthday parties". (URL below).
   
   Scroll down (same URL below) to first entry on 17th February 2007 - "Keith Moon's ROCKIN cars Part 1". Then scroll up to third entry on 19th February 2007 "Keith Moon's ROCKIN cars Part 3"
   
   http://rockindownthehighway.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html

[Brooklander]

Hi Paul,
   

Tales from the Dark side of the Moon!

   Tale No. 2 appears to be 'based' (note the inverted comas here) on an anecdote almost certainly published in Dougal Butler's book "Full Moon" long since out of print. Butler was Moon's personal assistant and second chauffeur, as Moon never held a driving licence.
   
   However, the book has just been republished, and an interview with Butler in a current Scooter magazine appears to be part of the book's press re-launch. Here's the incident as reported by Butler:
   
   Journalist: "What about the AC 428 Frua?"
   
   Butler: "Yes, that was a seven litre V8 automatic. That went like sh*t off a shovel. We were coming back from a club in Staines one night, he'd had a drink but he wasn't drunk and he wanted to drive.
   
   He could drive a bit, he certainly wasn't great but I passed him the keys and told him to take it steady. We were coming along Chertsey Road, which is quite straight, but there were roadworks being carried out at the time as they were building the M25.
   
   He's there doing 100mph and I'm telling him to slow down! He looks at me and says:  "Well dear boy, let's see what this thing can do" and he downshifts to first! The back wheels lock and we skid into the kerb, we fly through the new motorway fence, we fly through a wire fence and by this time the car is on its roof, sliding along and stops about four feet away from a reservoir!
   
   We were both killing ourselves laughing when we spot a light coming towards us and it's George, our local copper, on night duty. He said: "Hello you two, what you doing now?" I said: "He was driving again George, but just put it down as me".
   
   The interview includes a colour photo of the 428 Frua fastback from Butler's personal collection before the accident.
   
   Another online reference to this incident increases the car's speed to 140 mph, so a lot of creative writing and embellishment, surrounds the truth.
   
   Tale No. 3 regarding the denise of the Ferrari Dino is also included in the magazine interview. Butler had a half share with Moon in the Dino. I have discovered an image of the wreck of the Ferrari after it was returned to Moon's house dated 17/10/1972.
   
   I also have additional images of Moon's 428 Frua scanned from a motoring magazine article from 1972. The Frua is photographed with other cars and the hovercraft from Moon's fleet of vehicles. Please email me and I'll happily send these on to you for your website register and archive.

[Classicus]

Very interesting indeed thanks for the kind offer ! It'll also be interesting to discover whether he actually ever did have two AC 428s which you might be able to tell from the pics you've got of their registrations.... ?
   
   "....one of which was the convertible CF 77, the other possibly a white fastback reg. EMX 431 J...."
   
   Thanks again ! [8D]

[bobbylangley]

In Scootering magazine April 2013 there is an article interviewing Dougal and shows a photograph of EMX but it is not mentioned in the text. It does say in the caption, the beautiful but doomed AC428 Frua, "One careful previous owner, John Bonham, as we found out on the logbook."