CME 267
Bought new in Spalding by Mrs Ella Birch, local flourmill owner, this lady used the car daily for the next 31 years, it being maintained by the local selling garage. She bequeathed it to her gardener – who did not drive – and he sold it in 1970 to a Frenchman who lived locally. He in turn sold it to a Jacques Reydellet in Rouen and the car was exported to France in 1972. It was ‘certificated’ (taxed for the road) in 1975 and over the next four years covered a fantastic 200 km (about 120 miles!).
Ken Ford of Wareham brought the car back to England in 1979; he drove and rallied for many years. He then sold it in 1994 to Rodney Boyland, a farmer in Okehampton, who in 1999 did a ‘swap’ for a tractor locally with Tony Giddings. Off the road for four years, David Parry, also in Devon, then purchased the car in October 2003. During the next six months he replaced the tyres, battery, coil, some wiring and a few other bits and pieces. Having obtained an MOT he offered the car on eBay – on which we bought it in March 2004. ‘A story went with it’, sufficient to persuade us that the description was fair – as indeed it was.
Since then there has been extensive work ‘behind the scenes’ with the chassis and underside of the car cleaned to bare metal and repainted, replacement of all floor panels (lots of woodworm in the old ply!), the rear springs retempered, further tidying up and replacement of most of the wiring and also cleaning the engine bay.
The interior is largely original – just the sunroof lining replaced because it was torn. Otherwise, with a bit of wear and tear, much as it has been for the last 70-something years!
The MG’s
‘Bridget’ joined the household in 20xx.
A rather later addition was an MGF, rechristened as V111SLD and arriving unexpectedly at White Waltham aerodrome during a birthday celebration.