Aged 14, John Cauchi began a plumbing and electrical app-renticeship which lasted seven years. After that, he worked for a number of companies, including an American firm responsible for erecting the first reverse osmosis plants in the 1980s.
“I have always wanted an old car and in my childhood I had a fixation with the old Ford Fordson van, which my father Francis used for work,” Cauchi says.
Despite his enthusiasm, time and financial constraints always kept a lid on his passion. Subsequently he used to channel this drive by sometimes working on other people’s cars.
“I frequently was called to carry out electrical and plumbing tasks at the house of an elderly magistrate, who had a 1951 Humber Hawk Mark IV,” Cauchi said. “The magistrate was always complaining about this old car, as it was constantly giving him problems. He had taken it to various mechanics in order to get it fixed.”
One day, Cauchi offered to look at the car. “After an inspection, I found out that it was a shock absorber problem. The magistrate was delighted and our relationship went up a few notches.”
Years later, when the magistrate became too old to drive, he handed his Humber to relatives. But after some time, the vehicle developed differential problems, and the magistrate, who still followed the fortunes of his beloved classic, took it back. He then spontaneously donated it to Cauchi.
“Over the long years I had worked for him, I had never quoted a charge for my work, leaving it to him to offer me whatever money he felt fit. I suppose he appreciated this fact, and the donation of the Humber was his way of showing his appreciation.”
The Hawk was a large cylinder saloon produced by the British-based Humber car company, which was part of the Rootes Group. It was the first Humber car to be launched after the Second World War, borrowing heavily from the previous Hillman 14.
The Mark I and Mark II, produced between 1945 and 1949, were powered by a 1,944cc, side valve, four cylinder unit. The Mark III had a new body style while retaining the earlier engine and transmission. The Mark IV was manufactured in 1950 and came out with a more powerful 2,267cc engine.
Delighted with his first classic acquisition, Cauchi immediately began an overhaul on the Humber, which is not a common car in Malta. Its maroon colour was replaced by the original two-toned fathom grey and cypress greenco-ordinates.
Owing to time limitations, as well as his attention to detail, the restoration project took Cauchi a few years to complete. But once it was finished, he was ready for a second classic car.
In 1990 Cauchi went to a car auction at the old Torpedo Depot in Msida, where the Customs Department was receiving offers for impounded vehicles. His eyes fell upon a two-toned, 1966 Rover P5 three-litre. It had been brought to the island by its Maltese owner, who gave up on it when he discovered the amount of money he would have to pay in tax andlicense fees.
Having been left at the Depot for a long time, the Rover was not a pleasant sight; moreover, some parts, like the wooden components of the doors and the dashboard, had disappeared.
“Despite its derelict state, I saw potential,” Cauchi said. Embarking on another major rescue plan, he found all the missing parts at a spare parts dealership in Cospicua. The engine needed very little work, while the body rust was removed prior to spraying again in the original colours.
Sometimes called “the poor man’s Rolls Royce”, the P5 was a group of large saloon and coupe cars produced between 1958 and 1973.
Powered by a 2,995cc, straight six F-head engine, the Rover used an overhead intake valve and side exhaust valve. Later models featured more power from the same three-litre engine, as well as more luxury trim and fittings.
The third classic car to come into Cauchi’s collection was a 1970 automatic black BMW 800cc, bought in 2003 from his brother Noel.
The vehicle was in good condition, although the engine needed some work, including the rings, and a little rust had also appeared on the body.
“Initially I was put off as I thought that German spare parts would be hard to come by,” Cauchi admitted. But all he needed for restoration was available in the UK.
The car’s colour was changed to the original gulf yellow, with matching black upholstery. In May, Cauchi put the BMW through its paces in Sicily, where it was one of the main attractions in an Old Motors Club tour of the nearby island.
For a number of years, Cauchi had noticed an old Morris Wolseley 1500 parked in Birkirkara. Its owner used to go fishing with it, and with its mobile collection of fishing rods, nets, basins and stool, it resembled more of a hobby shop than a four wheeler.
When the Wolseley finally came on the market, Cauchi lost no time and jumped at the chance to own it.
“I have no regrets, for beneath that abandoned appearance, there was something which clearly indicated why the Wolseley had once been described as one of Britain’s finest luxury motor cars.”
Another major restoration project was on the cards for the Wolseley, which was based on the Morris Minor floor pan, suspension and steering, but fitted with the larger 1,489cc B-series straight four engine with an MG Magnette gearbox.
Cauchi’s fifth and final classic car found its way to his spacious Birkirkara garage through nostalgia and sheer coincidence.
In the 1970s he had noticed a sleek Reliant Scimitar on the road. One day, he was hospitalised and asked his son to bring him an old classic car magazine to read. On opening it, the main story featured a Reliant Scimitar. As luck would have it, through work contacts, John found out that the 1970 Scimitar originally belonged to an English businessman, who sold it to a Maltese. The latter migrated to Australia, abandoning the classic car for 15 years in a grove of prickly pears in Madliena.
Cauchi contacted the Maltese owner, who had returned to the island, and finally persuaded him to sell the car.
“The deal was not without its dark side, for the next day the owner’s wife spewed fire and brimstone when she found out her husband had sold me the vehicle without her knowledge. She wanted him to renege on the agreement, but the deal had been done and a deposit had been paid.”
Towing the car away, John found its condition was far from immaculate, and another big restoration plan was on the cards.
TheV6 Ford engine was rebored, the fibre glass body mounted on a steel frame was revamped, its colour altered from dark green to caramel red, contrasting with the new black upholstery.
The slashed tyres were replaced. A new set of bumpers was ordered from the UK – these took two years to arrive. But in the end Cauchi was more than pleased with his labour of love on the Scimitar, which was the name used for a series of sports cars produced by British car manufacturer Reliant between 1964 and 1995.
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