Car and motorbike lover Stephen Zerafa took an abandoned Rover PC 2000 TC and meticulously restored it to mint condition.

Childhood visions and memories often stand out uppermost in one’s mind and have a lasting effect on future developments. Stephen Zerafa says that he was just five or six years old, and living in Australia, when a classic vehicle suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Being used to the usual round or square headlamps of cars at that time, I was amazed by the strange vertical headlamps of this majestic car in front of me. I was later told that it was a Mercedes”, he recalls. “It was like a Damascene moment. From then onwards, I was hooked on old vehicles… cars, motorcycles, trucks… all of them!”

The Zerafa family eventually returned to Malta from Australia and Stephen, by now a budding teenager, soon started to spend a lot of his time in the workshops of a number of mechanics he befriended. He also made it a point to take on summer jobs that were related to the automobile industry.

He followed an industrial electronics course at the Fellenberg Institute and subsequently opened his own garage, working there as a mechanic for a number of years. Eventually, he decided he wanted to continue his education and went to University, graduating in communications, followed by post graduate studies in business ethics.

Aged 22, Stephen bought his first classic car, a Triumph Herald convertible which he restored himself. Shortly afterwards, he purchased an Escort Mark 1 and a 1966 Land Rover Series II. After this initial flurry, his interest in classic cars cooled down and he diverted his attention to old motorcycles.

“I realised that bikes gave me the freedom I craved for. For the next 20 odd years, I only had eyes for classic motorcycles, and consequently I involved myself in the Historic Motor Cycle Club, even serving as its chairman for some time”.

When Stephen’s three young children started to grow up, it slowly dawned on him that motorcycling wasn’t quite ideal for family activities. His attention turned back to classic cars and in no time at all, he started looking around for a suitable vehicle. A good friend of his by the name of Philip Camilleri informed him of a Rover P6 2000 TC that was destined for the scrap heap.

“The car was left abandoned on the grounds of a factory in Ħal Far and its owner was more than happy to let me have it”, recalls a bemused Stephen.

It just so happened that Stephen took delivery of his Rover just as he was finishing his first degree, so he fortunately had enough time available on his hands to embark on its full restoration, a task that took him two and a half years to complete… or, as he meticulously states, a total of nine hundred working hours.

Stephen’s Rover P6 2000 TC came off the production line at the Malta Car Assembly in Marsa in 1969. Its chassis number prefix of 617 meant that it was a ‘CKD’ or ‘completely knocked down’ and assembled outside the UK. When he rescued it, the car was in a very sad state. Its engine had seized, its gearbox was damaged and its interior upholstery was all torn. The car had also sustained some accident damage and the body was covered in rust. Another two second-hand Rovers had to be bought in order to have sufficient parts to restore it.

A bare-metal restoration, including sand blasting, was required. All the needed parts were sourced, mainly from local garages. The cylinder head proved to be a slight headache as the valve seats were converted to unleaded and there were clearance problems due to the bucket and shim OHC set-up. All the internal and invisible work, like the engine, suspension, brakes and electrical tasks, was carried out by Stephen himself, while the exterior finish was left to his friend from Qrendi, Grezzju Farrugia. Stephen wasn’t too keen on the car’s original zircon blue colour so he opted for another original factory colour, Arden green.

Stephen proudly points out that his Rover – awarded the UK Car of the Year in 1963 – has never let him down, notwithstanding the fact that he annually crosses over to Sicily with it and takes it through its paces. The car was equipped with an exorbitant amount of features when you consider that it was designed in the late 1950s. These included four-wheel disc brakes (with the differential attached to the body thus minimizing un-sprung weight), a rear De Dion suspension coupled with horizontally-mounted front springs that give an amazing magic-carpet ride, front seat belts, front and rear crumple zones with a fuel tank in mid-car position, padded knee/shin panels and ergonomic switchgear.

It was the first car designed by the factory to take a gas turbine engine, adjustable steering wheel and bolt on panels, including the roof, for easy repairs.

In addition to his Rover, Stephen also owns a number of old motorcycles, including a 1958 Moto Guzzi, a 1970 Triumph Trophy 250, two 1970 Ducati’s, a 1972 BMW and a 1974 Laverda, with which he recently attended a week-long rally of the International Laverda Owners Club in Wales. Some other old motorcycles stand in line, awaiting their restoration.

A firm believer in a balanced lifestyle, Stephen finds peace and solace in his garage, using his lathe, milling machine and oxy-acetylene kit to create the parts required for his vehicles. The fact that his wife Rosanne and sons Daniel and Luke are all into cars and motorcycles respectively is also a great plus. His daughter Francesca, however, is simply not interested.

Heading public relations in a major government corporation, Stephen voluntarily harnesses his skills as PRO of the Federazzjoni Maltija Vetturi Antiki (FMVA). He was for many years the PRO of the Historic Motorcycle Club and, for a time, was also in charge of the Old Motors Club website.

He notes with great satisfaction the enormous progress that the local old motors scene has made.

“I see Malta slowly becoming a hub for restoration and preservation not only on a national level but also across southern Europe. There are so many skilled craftsmen in Malta. The OMC has come a long way and can be proud that it is a key component of the classic movement in Malta,” concludes Stephen.

www.oldmotorsclub.com