Here, Tom, our Estate Ranger tells us more about this classic find;
Following years of attempting to contact the previous tenant, we had the task of opening up what we thought was an unused garage. The door needed replacing and to achieve this, the garage needed to be clear.
To everyone’s surprise, the garage held a secret – a Triumph Mayflower, dating back to the 40’s/50’s.
When we opened up the door, it was like a time warp! The car had been there for some years and it had a thick layer of dust covering it, along with some very healthy spider webs!
We quickly found out there was a very heavy old engine behind the car and needed all hands on deck to move it!
What did we do?
With a little bit of head-scratching, we decided that we would get the tyres pumped up and drag the car out of the garage by hand!
We attracted a fair bit of attention with many passers-by wanting to stop and watch. One passer-by even commenting that the car had been in that garage for over 20 years. Everyone stood by with bated breath as this piece of history was pulled out of its resting place.
Once we removed the car safely, this was when it really felt like we’d stepped back in time. Underneath the car were newspapers, they were in quite a bad way but each dated back to 1972! We think that the car has not moved since then, meaning I moved it for the first time in 48 years!
What else did we find?
Along with the car were lots of additional parts, including a broken engine and gearbox bell housing. Unfortunately, these were not good enough to save.
We did, however, find a new head and some other parts that will be sold with the vehicle. We also found some vintage lamps alongside some old oil cans, which, even when empty are collectable.
Going to auction at Anglia Car Auctions
The auctioneers who were involved in the process were impressed with how dry the car had stayed and the lack of rust given the time it has sat still. The car serves as a great advert for our garages and how dry they are.
The amazing thing is, given the car is MOT exempt had it been running it could have been taken straight onto the road! Whilst it may not be a popular car, the model is very hard to come by nowadays.
The auctioneers said it will likely go to someone who will restore it.
It’s lovely to think that after so many years being sat unloved it may get another chance at life again!
