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The Trip

by Pete Giles

Meet the car

I had been collecting Rovers since 1974 when I bought a 47 16hp saloon followed by a 47 12 4 seat open Tourer then I found Jerry, (short for geriatric) it’s a 1933 Rover 12 saloon I first saw this car in 1978 in Plymouth it was parked on the side of the road near to my sister in laws, I had a frogeye at the time and I thought I like that car, I next saw it in the village driven by a friend then it disappeared again until I stumbled across it on a farm, I was looking at a V8 Ford trials car (a Matock I think) I asked if it was for sale and he said yes so I paid £100 for it.

We returned the next day with a battery and some petrol and drove it home this was in December 1982.

I used the car every day after the mot and drove to work in Plymouth with it about 15 miles each way so I soon put a few miles on it.

Some time in March 83 I read in a magazine about a museum in France that had a lot of Bugatti and 400 other old cars some of the workers had burnt an Austin 7 because they had not been paid, this was the Shulmph Museum in Mullhouse.

I asked my mate if he wanted to split the cost of a trip he said what shall we take, looking around the only thing I had taxed was the Rover so that was volunteered it was decided that as we both had time off coming we would go on the 1st of April 1983.

The cost was £150 for the return ticket from Plymouth to Roscoff in Brittany we also allowed £150 for fuel and food (this was under funded) the car was packed for the journey spare oil, 5 gallons of Cornish water (can't drink that foreign muck) tent, tools, cooker, gas, maps etc. Fitted new plugs and topped up the oil did a grease job and off we went.

To be continued...

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