Five years ago this week, I was browsing classic car sites looking for an old car. Virtually all were out of my very modest price range and I was losing heart, but I knew it was a case of now or never as what little I had would soon go on bills towards the end of the year. Then all of a sudden I came across this in Old Classic Car - Vintage & Classic Cars.. I read through the blurb and it sounded promising..full MoT ( cars built before 1960 were still eligible for the test back then ), taxed, restored, rebuilt engine, recent new brakes and clutch. I looked at the views of it and saw there were over 400 which was a bit disconcerting. In the picture it looked as if it didn`t have window glass, and that tow rope didn`t look good either! But, with more hope than anything else we went to see it in Wiltshire. It was at a muddy farm, and the owner was a young lad who had restored it with the intention of using it daily but had carelessly lost his licence. His insurance rocketed and he had no option to sell it, priced to go at £1400, no offers. Well, the restoration was `interesting` and filler was all over the place, overspray too. The back bumper had been replaced by a trailer board and the engine sounded rough as hell and idled at about 1500 revs.. and then he took me for a spin. I took over five minutes later, after being told how to drive it ie first is where second normally is, second is where third normally is etc and reverse is where first is usually located... I absolutely fell in love with it. As they say, I saw it, loved it, bought it, insured it over the phone - and without a second thought drove it all the way back from Wiltshire. Yes, it broke down three times at Longbridge Island stuck in queues much to the `amusement` of a mile of honking traffic behind me, but I soon realised the fuel was evaporating in the carb while at a halt and found a way to keep him going. Arriving in the dark back at Coventry, the headlights although having been converted to 12 volt were as effective as tea lights in a tsunami, I was as breathless and excited as a kid at Christmas, still buzzing with adrenaline. A bit of basic tweaking to the carb the next day and he ( yes, it was a `he` already ) ticked over and ran like a little sewing machine - and the love affair began. Five years on, sporting a different and `proper` 103e rear bumper and lights thanks to Judy who spotted a pair for a tenner on ebay, he`s going better than ever. `Bertie` ( named in honour of my Dad who christened his Morris 8 type e `Gertie` ) is wheeled out every now and again, his rust and paintwork polished lovingly and gets to be trundled round on a nice day or two. He has successfully completed every Coventry Festival Of Motoring run since being in my hands - four to date - and in celebration of five great years with him, he`s doing POPSTALGIA SHOW 2014 this coming sunday...and although Judy can`t make this great event this year, she`ll be in his passenger`s seat in spirit with me too.. :-D
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 21:12:26 +0000
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