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52291 became mine and the drama's that followed. As you do I was
looking for a Pre-A in 1998. I found a red car that was listed in
a local paper and it read "Porsche 356 55 Beetle engine needs
work." Well I followed up the car it was a young lad who had
got the car from a Lemon yard sale and was looking to make a fast
buck. I said "I like the sound of the car " I had a friend
of a friend. Go round and have a look at the car and see if was
ok. The result was that is was worth a look and a good project car.
The seller sent me photo's and the price was set. I sent a tow truck
driver around to collect the car and he had sold it..... So I phoned
him and said "what's going on?" He said "I thought
you were not for real and sold it yesterday"...
Next my
wife and I split and I sold every thing I owned to keep the house
and pay her off. So dreams of a 356 or 912 went out the window.
But I still kept looking thinking well I will buy one, one day!
Just not any time soon. Then out the blue a 54 Pre-A project car
came up for sale. It was in America again but too far from any one
I knew who could look the car over for me. I asked the seller to
send me more details. He did and photo's followed via email but
I couldn't wait so I called him that night. We spoke on the phone
and he told meI was the first to call and he would wait till I returned
with an answer to him. Well what a star he was. I found a car half
way around the world with no one to view it for me and er oh.......
no money. So what does a sensible newly single guy with no money
do..Get a bank loan. So One car halfway around the world, one car
I had not seen nor anybody else, one bank loan and one newly single
guy looking to do something for himself. Well most would say what
the hell are you doing, and they did!!! So I did it anyway.
I told
him I was so surprised to find a pre-A I had no money but could
raise the finance to fund the project, could he wait...........He
said " Yes" thank god. I sent over $1000 to hold the car
to show I had intent to buy. In the deal he said he had a 912 did
I know any one who would buy it and I said yes. Looking to sell
the car on to help fund the 54, I bought the 912 as well. I
sent over the money to the shippers $9000 and I was then to wait
and wait and wait.. Then the call " Hello, your cars Mr Collins
have arrived can you come and collect next week" **** this
is for real they have arrived what have I bought? I have to thank
Andy Wishard of Performance EFi in Stubbington for offering ( and
the bribe of free food all day!!! ) to collect the cars for me.
What a day !! I was to collect two cars I had bought off the internet
with a bank loan it was going to be doom or glory. Not sure which?
I got up
4am not that I could sleep and I traveled to Andy's loaded my Escort
on the back of the lorry and off we went. London bound. When we
arrived I made sure all was fed as I dashed across town to Essex
to collect the paper worked needed to collect the cars. I went to
WT shipping and drove back and waited till they gave us the call
of all clear to load the cars. At one stage it was so late we had
to think about coming back another day as it was 4.30pm and customs
had not cleared the cars still. But at the last second they cleared.
Only trouble was I needed to get a load of dock workers with home
time on their minds to help push my cars out before they went home.
Thank you guys they were cool about it and pushed the cars out for
me to load up. So this was it weeks of work and two cars were mine.
What had I bought..........
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