Imprinting is an intriguing aspect of human behaviour. It can be described as an especially rapid and relatively irreversible learning process that occurs early in an individual's life, where auditory and visual stimuli from one or both parents lead the offspring to follow in the guardians' footsteps. Thus children tend to absorb traits of parental behaviour, including pursuit of pastimes, and incorporate them into their own development.
I saw the results of imprinting when I met Charles Farrugia and his only son Michael, seven. The boy was earnestly rehearsing an oral presentation for an English language test at school. The topic: old cars. His knowledge and confidence in the subject at such a tender age is impressive. But then Michael has a fatherly encyclopaedia near at hand, for Charles, besides owning classic cars, is also the secretary of the Old Motors Club.
While Michael has a role model, Charles developed his own keen enthusiasm for old cars on his own. "Unfortunately none of my family had an interest in classic vehicles," he laments. "However, they did not damper my drive, and Matchbox and Tonka models were regular, and most appreciated, presents".
Charles' parents lived in London, and his early educational years were spent at Glenbrook School in Stratham. In 1973, the family made an attempt to return to Malta and settle here. But the endeavour was unsuccessful, and after two years, they headed back to the UK.
"One of the highlights of that time was my father Alfred buying a brand new white Ford Capri with a black vinyl roof," Charles recalls. "We loved it so much that we could not part with it when my parents decided to relocate to London. So father, with my mother, my sister Martha, and myself in tow, drove us overland to the UK in it. The journey was an unforgettable experience for a young boy, and the Capri became an instant hero."
Nostalgia forced the Farrugia family to embark on yet another attempt to settle in Malta in 1977. This time, Charles and his sister flew to the island and stayed with relatives for some time, before being joined by their parents, who again drove overland in the Capri. The car had become such an integral part of the family that they could not leave it behind. This time they jelled with their Maltese roots and settled here for good.
Charles continued his education at Stella Maris College, and later, at the Umberto Calosso Trade School. "With my long nurtured inclination towards the four-wheeler, a course in auto mechanics was a natural progression," Charles explains. "My parents made no attempt to persuade me otherwise: follow your dream, they said. I did, and ended up with a distinction in the subject."
He learnt to drive well before the statutory age: "After school I used to help out in the family woodworks business at Ta' Qali. Initially, the short trip from our house in Attard was made on a bicycle. But after a while, I got fed up with it and started to drive a 1968 Ford Escort Mark 1 Estate, which was used for everyday travel. My father, a great believer in discovery learning, turned a blind eye."
Coming of age at 18 was a major milestone, for his father handed him the keys to the Ford Capri. Charles recalls: "I could not believe my eyes! 'He just said: this is your birthday present - the car is now yours.' Being the ever perceptive parent, my father was well aware, from my constant care and grooming of the car, that it already meant the world to me. It was the culmination of a lengthy love affair which had started in 1973, when I had accompanied him to the agent to take the car out for the first time".
The Capri was Charles' initiation into the local classic car scene. It was still in very good condition, but ever so careful to preserve it in its mint state, he only drove it on weekends. After a short time, he bought a modern car to prolong the life of this family heritage further. It was only in 2000 that he decided that the vehicle should undergo a standard overhaul, and in the process, a respray in its original diamond white colour.
In 2002, Charles came across an abandoned, deteriorated Ford Capri at an exhaust pipe shop in St Venera. He bought the 1973 red vehicle to shelf it for cannibalism, just in case the white Capri ever needed replacement parts. But after some time, Charles had second thoughts, and the grinder intended to chop the wreck, was now harnessed to remove the rust. A major restoration project was in the pipeline.
"This was a big undertaking, a complete nuts and bolts enterprise. I did all the tasks - except the panel beating - myself," Charles asserts proudly. "The job took two years. In the process I had to use some spare parts which I had previously stored for any emergency which the other Capri might have".
Charles made enquiries about the original colour of the red Capri, and it transpired that it was also a diamond white with a black vinyl roof - identical to the family heirloom. Coincidentally, the chassis number also revealed that the two Ford Capris went off the production line one after the other! After a period of uncertainty, Charles decided to consult a paint dealer about standard Capri colour schemes in the early 1970s. "I was accompanied by Michael at the time, and when I asked his opinion about the range of colours paraded before us, my son opted for the orange Sebring red, a very popular spray of the era," he continues.
With two functional Ford Capris on the road, one would have expected Charles' appetite for classic cars to have been whetted. But the man had always harboured a secret desire - to be behind the wheel of a convertible. "Images of an MGB, a Triumph Herald or a Spitfire were frequent intruders in my subconscious, with a preference for the MG, a pure classic," says Charles. "After a while, it was time to implement the dream, fully realising that in the process, one of the Capris would have to make way". After much soul searching, it was decided that the orange Capri had to go. Michael was initially very reluctant to part with what he always referred to as "my car".
"I talked to a local auto dealer well versed in importing classic cars from the UK, and within two weeks of the Capri sale, a white 1972 MGB Roadster had filled the void. It is in a very good condition and currently needs no work on it." Michael is also over the moon, and cannot wait for better weather when he can join his father in the convertible, top down.
Charles bid his time before becoming a member of the Old Motors Club, waiting until the renovated white Capri was ready, and then joined in 2001. A committee member for the past four years, he has always filled the secretary post - something for which his job as an import co-ordinator with a leading shipping company stands him in good stead. Besides recording meetings, dealing with correspondence, and helping out in general tasks, he has the unenviable task of alerting all members - all 300 - to sudden developments at short notice by text message.
Charles would like to see more cohesion among OMC members, and more family events organised. His wife is also a classic car fan and accompanies him frequently to OMC activities. On a national level, Charles thinks that the FMVA has achieved some major milestones for old car enthusiasts, but there is room for improvement. He is apprehensive as to what will happen in the future should Malta adopt measures of detecting exhaust fumes from old cars - something other European countries have already initiated.
Charles has no other pastimes except his old cars and the garage: "They are my sole sanctuary, an oasis of relaxation away from it all," he sighs. "Michael is always here, helping me out with small tasks".
Joe Busuttil is public relations officer of the Old Motors Club.
www.oldmotorsclub.com; info@oldmotorsclub.com
I saw the results of imprinting when I met Charles Farrugia and his only son Michael, seven. The boy was earnestly rehearsing an oral presentation for an English language test at school. The topic: old cars. His knowledge and confidence in the subject at such a tender age is impressive. But then Michael has a fatherly encyclopaedia near at hand, for Charles, besides owning classic cars, is also the secretary of the Old Motors Club.
While Michael has a role model, Charles developed his own keen enthusiasm for old cars on his own. "Unfortunately none of my family had an interest in classic vehicles," he laments. "However, they did not damper my drive, and Matchbox and Tonka models were regular, and most appreciated, presents".
Charles' parents lived in London, and his early educational years were spent at Glenbrook School in Stratham. In 1973, the family made an attempt to return to Malta and settle here. But the endeavour was unsuccessful, and after two years, they headed back to the UK.
"One of the highlights of that time was my father Alfred buying a brand new white Ford Capri with a black vinyl roof," Charles recalls. "We loved it so much that we could not part with it when my parents decided to relocate to London. So father, with my mother, my sister Martha, and myself in tow, drove us overland to the UK in it. The journey was an unforgettable experience for a young boy, and the Capri became an instant hero."
Nostalgia forced the Farrugia family to embark on yet another attempt to settle in Malta in 1977. This time, Charles and his sister flew to the island and stayed with relatives for some time, before being joined by their parents, who again drove overland in the Capri. The car had become such an integral part of the family that they could not leave it behind. This time they jelled with their Maltese roots and settled here for good.
Charles continued his education at Stella Maris College, and later, at the Umberto Calosso Trade School. "With my long nurtured inclination towards the four-wheeler, a course in auto mechanics was a natural progression," Charles explains. "My parents made no attempt to persuade me otherwise: follow your dream, they said. I did, and ended up with a distinction in the subject."
He learnt to drive well before the statutory age: "After school I used to help out in the family woodworks business at Ta' Qali. Initially, the short trip from our house in Attard was made on a bicycle. But after a while, I got fed up with it and started to drive a 1968 Ford Escort Mark 1 Estate, which was used for everyday travel. My father, a great believer in discovery learning, turned a blind eye."
Coming of age at 18 was a major milestone, for his father handed him the keys to the Ford Capri. Charles recalls: "I could not believe my eyes! 'He just said: this is your birthday present - the car is now yours.' Being the ever perceptive parent, my father was well aware, from my constant care and grooming of the car, that it already meant the world to me. It was the culmination of a lengthy love affair which had started in 1973, when I had accompanied him to the agent to take the car out for the first time".
The Capri was Charles' initiation into the local classic car scene. It was still in very good condition, but ever so careful to preserve it in its mint state, he only drove it on weekends. After a short time, he bought a modern car to prolong the life of this family heritage further. It was only in 2000 that he decided that the vehicle should undergo a standard overhaul, and in the process, a respray in its original diamond white colour.
In 2002, Charles came across an abandoned, deteriorated Ford Capri at an exhaust pipe shop in St Venera. He bought the 1973 red vehicle to shelf it for cannibalism, just in case the white Capri ever needed replacement parts. But after some time, Charles had second thoughts, and the grinder intended to chop the wreck, was now harnessed to remove the rust. A major restoration project was in the pipeline.
"This was a big undertaking, a complete nuts and bolts enterprise. I did all the tasks - except the panel beating - myself," Charles asserts proudly. "The job took two years. In the process I had to use some spare parts which I had previously stored for any emergency which the other Capri might have".
Charles made enquiries about the original colour of the red Capri, and it transpired that it was also a diamond white with a black vinyl roof - identical to the family heirloom. Coincidentally, the chassis number also revealed that the two Ford Capris went off the production line one after the other! After a period of uncertainty, Charles decided to consult a paint dealer about standard Capri colour schemes in the early 1970s. "I was accompanied by Michael at the time, and when I asked his opinion about the range of colours paraded before us, my son opted for the orange Sebring red, a very popular spray of the era," he continues.
With two functional Ford Capris on the road, one would have expected Charles' appetite for classic cars to have been whetted. But the man had always harboured a secret desire - to be behind the wheel of a convertible. "Images of an MGB, a Triumph Herald or a Spitfire were frequent intruders in my subconscious, with a preference for the MG, a pure classic," says Charles. "After a while, it was time to implement the dream, fully realising that in the process, one of the Capris would have to make way". After much soul searching, it was decided that the orange Capri had to go. Michael was initially very reluctant to part with what he always referred to as "my car".
"I talked to a local auto dealer well versed in importing classic cars from the UK, and within two weeks of the Capri sale, a white 1972 MGB Roadster had filled the void. It is in a very good condition and currently needs no work on it." Michael is also over the moon, and cannot wait for better weather when he can join his father in the convertible, top down.
Charles bid his time before becoming a member of the Old Motors Club, waiting until the renovated white Capri was ready, and then joined in 2001. A committee member for the past four years, he has always filled the secretary post - something for which his job as an import co-ordinator with a leading shipping company stands him in good stead. Besides recording meetings, dealing with correspondence, and helping out in general tasks, he has the unenviable task of alerting all members - all 300 - to sudden developments at short notice by text message.
Charles would like to see more cohesion among OMC members, and more family events organised. His wife is also a classic car fan and accompanies him frequently to OMC activities. On a national level, Charles thinks that the FMVA has achieved some major milestones for old car enthusiasts, but there is room for improvement. He is apprehensive as to what will happen in the future should Malta adopt measures of detecting exhaust fumes from old cars - something other European countries have already initiated.
Charles has no other pastimes except his old cars and the garage: "They are my sole sanctuary, an oasis of relaxation away from it all," he sighs. "Michael is always here, helping me out with small tasks".
Joe Busuttil is public relations officer of the Old Motors Club.
www.oldmotorsclub.com; info@oldmotorsclub.com