A car which was purchased and driven by a Wellington woman 100 years ago has been returned to the town by a local motoring enthusiast.
The century old made-in-the-UK Sunbeam car was bought by Frances Gill of Beaconsfield, Mantle Street, on September 6, 1923. After an extended period away from the town, including a starring role in the 1966 Morecambe and Wise film The Riviera Touch, the Sunbeam will go on display for Wellington residents to enjoy.
The current residents of Beaconsfield have agreed to the car being showcased outside of the property, in the same spot that it would have been parked by Miss Gill in the 1920s. It is also hoped a number of other locations will be secured to showcase the car.
Miss Gill purchased the car from George Oates Garage, in Wellington, for £684.1.3 in 1923, and she remains the only registered keeper on the logbook, which survives a century after she signed it.
The car's new owner was kind enough to allow a journalist from the Wellington Weekly to sit in the classic car
The Sunbeam Motor Car Company manufactured cars at its Wolverhampton factory from 1905 until the firm folded in 1981. Miss Gill's Two Seat Tourer model has a 1954cc engine and magneto ignition - a method of starting the engine that would now more commonly be seen on a lawnmower.
Miss Gill is understood to have been a woman of some wealth, and as such had a chauffeur to drive the vehicle. But she often insisted on taking the wheel herself, and drove the car on a tour across Scotland to celebrate her purchase.
In the Winter of 1939 the car overturned on ice with Miss Gill was behind the wheel. A platoon of passing army soldiers returned the car upright, with both passenger and vehicle escaping from the incident unharmed.
Two years before it would star in The Riviera Touch, Miss Gill sold the car, after which time it passed through the hands of a number of dealers. Although works have been made to the car, including the fabrication of a new fuel tank, the car remains mostly original.
The new owner, who wishes to stay anonymous, said: "Everything on that car is original, apart from the petrol which has been repaired and new tyres that have been put on.
"I bought it nearly a year ago because I want to unveil it on its hundredth birthday. It's not been in the street yet.
"All the seats and leatherwork are all original, it's never been touched.
"I like original cars because if you look at the pictures of it when it was brand new - it's badges have never been touched, the headlights have never been re-chromed or anything."
"It's been touched up by hand paint, but most of the paint is original. It's all hand built."
The car is set to go on public display in town for its September birthday, and is then hoped to tour Wellington, where it will appear at a number of locations.
Anyone with a connection to Miss Gill or the old George Oates garage is encouraged to come forward to shed more light on the terrific history of the car and its owner.