Louis Deguara stands proud next to his mustard Eclat Series I.

Louis Deguara has been a family doctor for more than 40 years, his wife Maria Fatima is also a general practitioner, while his two children Christopher and Christine have followed their parents as doctors too. Yet surprisingly, with the exception of his father, who was a pharmacist, the Deguara clan in Naxxar was renowned for its woodwork skills.

“All my uncles were carpenters,” Deguara said. “One of them, Arthur, had the first Chevrolet bus in Naxxar in the 1930s. In line with the standard practice of the time, he imported the Chevrolet engine and chassis, and then built the body framework.

“As a young boy it used to be my pride and joy to roam around in it, and that vehicle instilled in me a lifelong passion for old cars.”

Deguara confesses to an addictive attraction for vehicles that dominated the roads in the 1960s. “For me, the Ford Anglias, the Mini Coopers, the Alfa Romeos, the Triumph Spitfires, the Consuls and the Zephyrs, that were in fashion with a passion in those halcyon days, bring waves of nostalgia of the period when I was in my late teens and early adulthood.

“In a way I feel part of their history. It was always on the cards that once I settled down, old motors would feature prominently in my life.”

Despite his yearning for so many marques, he managed in his purchases to limit himself to two classy classic car brands – Lotus and Jaguar – with various models from each.

As a young man, Deguara watched enthralled as two Lotus vehicles owned by Naxxar residents used to shatter the sleepy serenity of the then small village as they made their way through its narrow streets.

Years later, they came into his possession. “The 1975 British racing green Lotus Élan 2+2 belonged to Victor Camillieri. When I bought it it had long been abandoned and was lying in a farm, providing accommodation to chickens and preying rats.

“Having been idle for more than 30 years, it obviously required a nut-and-bolt restoration project urgently. Among other things, a new engine – which was subsequently tuned by the Lotus company in the UK – had to be bought, as the original had been replaced by a Ford one.”

Deguara’s Lotus Elan. Photos: Tony Vassallo

Produced between 1967 and 1975, the Élan was the first Lotus car to use a steel backbone chassis coupled with a fibreglass body.

Deguara also has a 1977 Lotus Éclat Series 1 fastback version that he bought from Carmelo Schembri.

“It also needed dismantling and restoration, but unlike the Élan, we used its own parts again. The only major change was in its colour, which from the original white became mustard.”

The Éclat Series 1 was manufactured from 1975 to 1982, and was considered to be the British Ferrari at the time. This UK brand of fast, agile sports and racing cars, with their light weight and fine handling characteristics, gave the Italian iconic firm a good run for its money, vying with it neck and neck in mortal combat, and in fact won several Grand Prix championships in its heyday.

One of his Jaguars, a 1967 grey 3.4.

While lingering at leisure around his two Lotus vehicles, Deguara has more than a soft spot for Jaguars, of which six large models straddle his stables. There is a 1965 white 3.8 Mark II; a 1966 grey 3.8 Mark II; a 1967 grey 3.4; a 1969 twin tone midnight blue with clear blue 4.2 Mark X; a 1985 white 4.2 XJ6 Series D; and the latest addition, a 2002 metallic grey X Type 220.

He says that the Jaguar is a vehicle of beauty, strength, comfort and performance. He thinks that when the company was taken over by Ford in the 1990s, there was a drop in standards; but the latest owners, Tata Motors, who took over in 2008, have restored the original quality.

With a still ongoing busy medical career, as well as 40 years of active political life as a Member of Parliament, including lengthy stints as Minister of Health, Deguara admits that he has had very little time to be involved in the restoration of his classic cars. “Besides the time factor, I also lack the technical skills, so I leave everything in the hands of my very able mechanic friend, Charles Sant.”

Deguara has a very high regard for the quality of old motors in Malta, which he deems better than their counterparts in the UK and Italy.

He attributes this to the fact that these sturdy vehicles suffer very little wear and tear locally, there is no salt spread on the roads like abroad, and the Maltese islands boast a strong concentration of many skilled craftsmen, like mechanics, panel beaters and sprayers, who not only work from the head but also from the heart.

He thinks that likewise, unless one really loves classic cars, there is no point in getting an old vehicle, because today’s cars have all sorts of comforts that are lacking in the old timers.

“For this reason, although I try to rotate my classic cars for regular outings, I tend to fall back often on the XJ6, which has air-conditioning.” He also makes it a strong point to take them out only when it is not raining.

Asked whether he would like to add to his collection, Deguara shakes his head. He says that today, the cost of restoration is prohibitive.

Also, he laments that his two children and his wife are not very keen on old motors. Moreover, his wife urges him to sell them – but that would be too much of a hassle for him. So he continues to do what he loves to do best – enjoying his classic cars while he still owns them!

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