Outram grandmother June Sim is back behind the wheel of the
car she first bought more than 50 years ago.
Mrs Sim (74) bought the 1938 Morris 8 Sport in 1957, but
later sold it after starting a family.
The car was originally owned by her late brother, George
Mason, from 1954.
"George used it until I bought it from him for 180 in 1957,"
she said.
"I used to drive it ... from Broad Bay to work at London
Mantel [now Alex Campbell Menswear] in South Dunedin.
"It wasn't very fast. It would be lucky if it does 50mph
[80kmh]," she said.
"And you had to double the clutch all the time.
"It's a bit hard on the arms, too, because it's heavy on the
steering.
"You've got to really concentrate.
"I used to always drive it around with the top down, which I
thought was pretty smart."
Mrs Sim and husband Owen tracked down the car two years ago
and bought it for $12,500.
They had since been having it restored and certified.
"It was in reasonably dilapidated condition when we found it
again," Mr Sim (73) said.
"But the motor's still good. I did the engine and gearbox up
in 1959. It's a wee 850cc side valve."
A photograph after Mr and Mrs Sim's 1961 wedding shows the
car after it had been covered with toilet paper by friends
and workmates.
"Then we had kids and the kids would fall out of the
passenger door into the gutter, so we thought we'd better get
something else," Mr Sim said with a chuckle.
Mrs Sim still has a 1956 warrant of fitness for the vehicle,
from the Outram Garage.
She also has the original AF 8038 number plates, although
they have recently been replaced.
"A neighbour gave me the number plate `Old No1' and I put it
on the car because it was my first car."
She said she was looking forward to getting the Morris back
on the road.
"I might go for a run here and a run there - once it gets a
bit warmer and I can put the top down."
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