A team of car pros from across Oldham have joined forces to breathe life back into an old classic car which is now being auctioned for various local charities.
A red Reliant Scimitar 1973 3.0 GTE vehicle is currently being flogged by the Oldham-based car body shop, Delete-a-Dent, the proceeds of which will go to The Christie Hospital, Dr Kershaw's Hospice and the Ricky Casey Trust.
The vintage car fell into the care of the garage at the tender age of 50 years old last autumn.
Rik Wild, who runs the garage, said they came to own the car after putting out an "SOS" for a car donation to train up their apprentice, Jordan Sunter, so he could practice and improve his skills.
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts
A family friend from Royton, Mark Dickinson, then got in touch with the news that he had a Reliant Scimitar sitting in his barn at his farm.
The car was in a mild state of disrepair, what with being covered by just a tarpaulin and years of "dust and hay".
The glass had been smashed in three places, the panels were damaged and the tyres were so flat it wouldn't run.
However, Jordan was up for the task and has been tirelessly working away at it at the body shop ever since.
He repaired and repainted its panels, recovered its leather seats and replaced the glass to transform the car back to its former glory.
When hearing about the charitable cause, Pro-fit Tyres in Oldham donated and fitted four tyres for free.
OTR Service and Mot Centre in Royton also serviced the engine and the brakes - again, completely free of charge.
After a few weeks of daily use and testing, the car is now ready for its next home with the auction going up on eBay.
The listing reads: "Enjoy classic car motoring with peace of mind as this vehicle won't require major expenses for years to come.
"Yes, it could do with little improvements to cosmetically enhance it, like fixing the clock and replacing some seals, but nothing is preventing this car from daily use.
"I have been using it and people are loving seeing this car drive past them with thumbs up an often occurrence.
"This is a car that people would love to see at classic car shows up and down the country."
The listing also says the vehicle has fibre glass bodyshell, rust-free galvanised chassis, also rust-free stainless steel exhaust, new tyres and an interior driver's seat cover.
It is MOT and tax-exempt.
Rik said all the money raised will be split equally between the three Oldham-based charities, one of which concerning the Oldham firefighter, Rick Casey, who died in 2019 of a rare form of cancer and was a "very close friend".
"Nobody is making any money out of this car and nobody is being reimbursed.
"In our eyes, it's not always about earning money for the business but, like so many others do, its about doing as much as you can, when you can, to support worthwhile causes", Rik added.
At the time of writing, the current bid for the car currently sits at £3,300 and the full listing can be seen on eBay here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266269745000?hash=item3dfee9df68:g:k5EAAOSwDwdkbeuX
Viewings and test drives of the vehicle can also be booked at Delete-a-Dent, which is on Windsor Street.
Commenting on the news, Rebecca Bentham, the director of income development and marketing at Dr Kershaw's Hospice, said: “We are extremely grateful to Delete-a-Dent and to the Dickinson family for their very kind gesture.
"Their support means so much to the Hospice, to our patients and to their families.
"As only one-third of our £4.7 million budget is funded from the ICS (Integrated Care Systems) the money raised from the sale of this incredible, vintage vehicle will help us towards the two-thirds needed to be able to run our Hospice each and every day, and to support the local community of Oldham.”
If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel