2024 01 Spring with bleed V4 - Flipbook - Page 57
Cars in their eyes
As a little boy, Eric Puffett9s
favourite day out was the bus
trip with his mother and
brother to visit his grandfather
at his farm near Newbury.
Why? Because his grandfather
had a 20s Austin 7 Chummy,
and with the top down, and
Eric in the passenger seat he
would race it up and down
White Shute (so called
because of the chalky downland soil) on nearby
Beacon Hill. `It was brilliant,9 he says. `I was hooked.9 Add to that an uncle
who used to buy old wrecks for £1, do them up and sell them for £54`a tidy
proot!9. `I9ve always wanted one,9 says Eric. And when, in 1990, he found
one in a garage in Torrington he tracked down
the owner, and made a bid. The car is still sitting
in his garage4by his own admission, Eric hasn't
done a lot to it yet. `It was a retirement project,9
he says. `But I9m still working&9 The only person
who has `driven9 it (ironically, as she doesn't
have a driver9s license!) is Sue, who sat
and steered it as it was towed home from
the late Paul Richter9s workshop at
Wampford. But after 34 years, work is
starting again, and Eric hopes to have it
restored later this year.
For video see `extra content’ online
To read online—www.kingsnymptononline.com/latest-edition
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