Throughout more than 50 years living and working in England, John Farrugia hardly ever needed to buy a car. But there was one significant exception, when he bought a 1958 Austin Cambridge A55 from his brother-in-law, Mario Conti. It was a classic car he kept for eight years.

“The Austin had been restored to an impeccable condition by Mario, who used to work as a mechanic with a car maintenance company that serviced the vehicles of the British royal family. He spent a lot of time and money on the project, leaving no stone unturned to bring it back to its original state,” Farrugia said. “It instilled in me a genuine love and affection for old motors.”

Many years later Farrugia and Conti returned to Malta to settle down here. About five years ago, Farrugia was with Conti´s son, Stephen, at a dealer’s when he spotted an old Vauxhall Victor gathering dust in the garage.

“I was suddenly overwhelmed by a pressing and powerful nostalgic desire to lay my hands on a classic car again. One of the immediate attractions of the Vauxhall was that it reminded me of the American Chevrolet,” he explained.

Farrugia bought the old car, which had been in the hands of only one owner for 25 years, and it had had to be sold after he had suffered a heart attack. A pick-up was required to tow the 1969 Vauxhall to his big garage in Marsascala. The wheels were completely jammed, and it took six men to get it inside.

Farrugia was astounded that despite all the years of service, the classic car retained all its original parts. The previous owner had treated it with much tender loving care, and not a trace of rust or scratches was to be found on the grey body. The red upholstery also retained its brand-new appearance.

There was no difficulty in restarting the 1600cc engine. Only a few tasks were required, like new brakes and some gasket replacement when the engine was taken out in order to spray its hold.

Farrugia did all the work himself. “I am no technical genius, but with Mario by my side directing operations, a task that I originally thought would take me six months was completed in just four weeks, and the Vauxhall was back on the road.”

The Victor model – with the original becoming Britain´s most exported car - was a large family car produced by Vauxhall Motors between 1957 and 1976.

Farrugia was so pleased with the result that he wanted to know how much the restored classic would fetch, so he put it up for sale on a local internet site. Among the many people who contacted him there was the original owner of the Vauxhall, congratulating him on a job well done.

With one old car successfully restored under his belt, Farrugia was easy prey to the pervasive classic car collecting fever. His nephew Stephen was again the prime mover, for while visiting him, Farrugia noticed that the young man had bought a Fiat 124 Special T with the intention of customising it to participate in local hill climbs.

Despite the fact that the car was crumbling down and had changed many hands, he fell in love with it and bought the 1971 vehicle. “Contrary to the Vauxhall, the body was full of rust and dents, and a panel beater worked hard to rectify the damage. I then took it to a sprayer who painted it in the original yellow colour. Thankfully, the 1400cc engine still worked perfectly,” said a relieved Farrugia, who had bought a spare 1600cc engine as well as many spare parts for it just in case.

The 124 was a mid-sized family car built from 1966 to 1974. A year after coming off the production line, it won the European Car of the Year award.

A few years ago, Stephen had a Fiat 850 Special which he sold to a certain Salvu. By pure coincidence Farrugia saw the car, and eventually bought it. “Many people tried to put me off, saying it was a small vehicle and lacking in strength. But I saw its potential, and I do not regret it,” he said, adding that the 1967 blue vehicle with brown upholstery was in excellent condition. Described as a sports sedan, the 850 was a small longitudinal rear-engine, rear-wheel drive model produced between 1964 and 1973.

Farrugia says that one of the things he enjoys most is having British tourists admiring the restored Vauxhall Victor, and Italian visitors gaping at his two finely finished Fiats.

“There is nothing better than sharing my experiences with these people, who appreciate with nostalgia these vehicles from their homelands.” He is irritated when people buy kit cars instead of original classics.

Having retired and with a lot of spare time on his hands, Farrugia makes it a point to ensure that his three classic cars are kept in showroom condition in his garage. Sometimes he regrets not having something more to do on them. This leads him to ponder whether he should go for another old vehicle of his dreams – a Rover P5.

“I have always admired this model, for this outstanding car has been the preferred mode of transport for members of royal families, government ministers, captains of industry and their ilk.

“It is not easy to find one, and even if I do, I would have space problems, meaning that at least one of the other classic cars would have to make way,” he concluded.

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