Ladies and gentlemen, it has been a very long time since I posted anything on the Club website, and there a number of reasons for that. One being the email address I had on the system was changed a number of years ago and I overlooked changing it here! Twit!

Another reason is – my wife has never taken to the car and as we go most places together, the car has been dramatically underused for years, so I have ‘fallen off the radar’, so to speak.

I now have a tale to tell. I bought D397 FMS about 13 years ago with the intention of insuring it for my three adult children and their partners as well as myself. It took a bit of persuasion to get an insurance company to agree to so many drivers, but we got there in the end. The reason for that was because this type of sports car was something I would love to have had access to as a young man, but it was not possible back in the day. As I could afford to purchase and insure the vehicle as a retired fella, I wanted to allow my ‘kids’ the thrill of driving it around – which they have appreciated.

When I bought it, I made it my challenge to track down all previous owners right back to the original builder and gain as much insight into any modifications that may have taken place over the years. I discovered that the vehicle was built back in 1997/98 by a guy in Scotland who after a while sold it on. Strangely, it was bought by a guy who lived only about a mile and a half away from me … and during his ownership I never saw it at all. He sold it to a fella who lived about five miles away in the opposite direction, and again I never knew about it. How weird is that that it had been within a stone’s throw for many years before I purchased it?

Contact was then made with the original builder and a year or so later he popped by to see the car on his way to a classic car meet/show in the midlands. He asked then if he could have the car back, but I politely refused as I was having great fun with it. We vaguely kept in touch via messaging in Facebook, maybe once a year.

For the last three years I have been questioning myself as to why I was keeping the car as it very rarely left the drive (next door’s drive)  and living continuously under a nylon cover was playing havoc with the overall condition of the vehicle and electrics!

I spotted an MG TF on a friend’s drive, and the car obviously hadn’t been used/moved for a good long time so I asked later if I could buy it, and he agreed. Now what the heck to do with hoodie? MOT due September, and this year I believe work will have to be carried out in order to sell it.

The original builder, from Scotland messaged me to ask if the car was still running well, to which I replied honestly .. Yes it is, with jobs that need attending to.

I asked if he wanted to buy the car back, and he agreed without hesitation! The car is now back in Scotland, safely with the original builder, who will now strip it down and take it back to the great condition that it deserves to be in, after approx. thirty years of use. So often, on car group pages, do people ask for their old car back as it has such sentimental value, but rarely do they succeed in tracking their old vehicle down … this story, in my book, is a success story, and both he, and I, are delighted that they have been reunited.

With regret, I am now leaving RHOCaR, but have enjoyed many different aspects of the club over the years, and wish you all every success in the future. Thank you.

Sad to see you go Alan but how amazing that the car is going back to the original builder!

Great to hear the car is going to the original owner.