Post by rogermunns on Mar 21, 2012 0:27:36 GMT -5
I owned KMY 98 between about 1970 and 1972. At the time I worked at Rolls-Royce in Derby and saw the car advertised in the RR newsletter.
It turned out to be a dark blue 1939 tourer, still original owner, 28000miles and in lovely condition. I bought it at the asking price - £50! The elderly couple were heartbroken to see it go, but that was their only option - couldn't drive anymore, no family etc. After all, this car had seen them through the war (the car was registed at a London address when new and only moved out of London when it was taken to Derby).
I was just married when I got the car and my wife and I enjoyed it. We would visit my parents at weekends (in Chatteris Cambs.) - quite a journey. It was a slow-ish journey each weekend, a bit uncomfortable with the suspension set-up. But never any real trouble - I did have to fit new piston rings but that was about all. I rigged up a heater by running a large flexible tube (cardboard/metal) from the heater into the passenger footwell.
On one occasion, winter '71 I think, the journey to my parents was made very difficult with snow on the roads. At one particular hill we could see cars stuck at various points up the hill. A policeman was at the bottom of the hill, urging us up by waving us through. I suppose there had been an incident of some sort. Of course, with the long gearing, we got up this hill (near Melton Mowbray?), as we went up the hill we passed more abandoned cars, until ours were the only tracks in the snow!
When time came to sell I advertised it (I think for £200) in 'Motor Sport' but had no replies, so I advertised it in the local paper and a guy from Nottingham eventually bought it for £75. A few weeks later I had an enquiry from someone in California, who had seen the Motor Sport advert. and wanted to know shipping costs etc. Sadly I had to tell him, of course, that it had already been sold.
I do sometimes wonder if KMY has survived and, if so, where she is now.
It turned out to be a dark blue 1939 tourer, still original owner, 28000miles and in lovely condition. I bought it at the asking price - £50! The elderly couple were heartbroken to see it go, but that was their only option - couldn't drive anymore, no family etc. After all, this car had seen them through the war (the car was registed at a London address when new and only moved out of London when it was taken to Derby).
I was just married when I got the car and my wife and I enjoyed it. We would visit my parents at weekends (in Chatteris Cambs.) - quite a journey. It was a slow-ish journey each weekend, a bit uncomfortable with the suspension set-up. But never any real trouble - I did have to fit new piston rings but that was about all. I rigged up a heater by running a large flexible tube (cardboard/metal) from the heater into the passenger footwell.
On one occasion, winter '71 I think, the journey to my parents was made very difficult with snow on the roads. At one particular hill we could see cars stuck at various points up the hill. A policeman was at the bottom of the hill, urging us up by waving us through. I suppose there had been an incident of some sort. Of course, with the long gearing, we got up this hill (near Melton Mowbray?), as we went up the hill we passed more abandoned cars, until ours were the only tracks in the snow!
When time came to sell I advertised it (I think for £200) in 'Motor Sport' but had no replies, so I advertised it in the local paper and a guy from Nottingham eventually bought it for £75. A few weeks later I had an enquiry from someone in California, who had seen the Motor Sport advert. and wanted to know shipping costs etc. Sadly I had to tell him, of course, that it had already been sold.
I do sometimes wonder if KMY has survived and, if so, where she is now.