MOTORING down memory lane, Fermanagh teacher Carol Elliott reflects on a magnificent classic car that is not just a huge part of her life but a beloved part of her family history.

The stunning red Austin Healey 3000 Mk II is more than a car to the Enniskillen woman, it is a reminder of her childhood, of happy, family moments and enjoyable journeys, with the sun shining and the roof down. Each time she starts the engine she is transported back to when she was a child.

“The car was there before I was even born. My father bought the car before he was even married and in those days it was the price of three houses. It is a piece of my history,” said Miss Elliott.

Her father David, who is now 82 years old, bought the car for £1000 in Belfast in 1963.

“Daddy bought it through a garage in Belfast and remembers going up on the bus with my uncle Derek. He paid in cash for it on the day he collected it and drove it back to Enniskillen.

At first, the young Miss Elliott was a little apprehensive about travelling in the car.

“We drove it as our family car right up until I was 17. I told daddy to put it in the garage and get a decent car so I could learn to drive! We drove it everywhere; church, Sunday School. I spoke to someone recently who said the only reason he went to Sunday School was to see our car in the car park. There were no other cars like it at Rossorry Church so I didn’t like it for that very reason. It stood out and other people would have commented on it. As I child I wasn’t overly interested, but it is only now when I look back that I appreciate it more and remember how good those days were.

“It was in the garage for 27 years and was never taken out and then as I got older I realised I actually really like this car and would like it restored. I have a brother and out of the two of us I was the one who was probably more interested in it,” she said.

Miss Elliott wanted to get the car restored in her father’s lifetime and when he took ill over five years ago she made contact with Omagh man David Marshall, who restores classic cars.

“We took the car out of the garage, never let on, and found Davy. We didn’t tell daddy that it was in the garage until about two months before it was due to be finished. We told him it was getting repaired and he said, ‘Oh, yes, it needs a new clutch’,” she recalled.

Little did her father realise that the car was actually undergoing a complete restoration.

“Daddy sits in the lounge and we made sure it was clear for him to see out the window. He didn’t know anything about it, and Davy and myself drove up in it. He was gob-smacked. He got up and I’ve never seen him leave the house as quick to get out through the door. He came to look at the car. He was talking away about the car, where he bought it, what did he did to it, where he used to go in it. He was amazed. That really was a moment,” said Miss Elliott.

The complete restoration of the Healey took two years and was a labour of love for Mr. Marshall.

“When we threw up the garage door and I saw the back of this Healey sitting there, I thought, ‘Wow. Am I going to get to do one of these at last?’ This was a total strip down. We took the body off the chassis and gutted the car. I took a van to Warwickshire and came back with the parts. It was a dream to do it and an education,” he said.

Throughout his work, Mr. Marshall sees the love across Fermanagh, Tyrone and further afield that people have for classic cars.

“There is no doubt about that. People have a love for this type of thing. I started classic car restoration in ‘89 when I was still doing ordinary body repairs. Every new customer I get I have made a lifelong friend. When you are at ordinary body repairs, job satisfaction is nil whereas job satisfaction with this is right up there,” he said.

He states that Miss Elliott’s car isn’t just a part of her family history but “a piece of Fermanagh history” as well.

“I would doubt if at all there is or was ever another Austin Healey 3000 registered with an IL number on it. I would doubt it very much. The car was a product of a marriage between the Austin Motor Company and Donald Healey who had a design of an amazing looking sports car. The Austin has the mechanics; the engine; gearbox; running gear. The two were mated together and the Healy 100 was the product of that. This is pretty much four evolutions on from that car and now one sits in Fermanagh and has all the mod-cons, like wind-up windows,” he laughed.

These days Miss Elliott enjoys going away on trips, taking part in events with the Erne Vintage Car Club and spending time – weather permitting – on the road with the roof down. The car has also played a starring role at the wedding of a family friend.

“The car means a lot to me and is something that I can look back on. I would never sell it. My father gave it to me on the condition that I didn’t sell it and I won’t. It is a piece of my family,” said Miss Elliott.