KEEPERS
Paul has owned ‘Hettie’ the Herald for almost as long as its original owner, the difference being that he’s never going to sell this cosseted classic
‘I came across this Conifer Green Triumph Herald 12/50 saloon quite by chance when talking to a friend at a club night, who gave me the contact details of the owners.
I then called them up and went to view it. It was previously owned by a family who bought it new in 1964 and I could see it was well cared for, as well as being totally original in every respect. This patently treasured Triumph – with only 20,000 miles on the clock – had been kept at the same property in a heated brick-built garage, which no doubt helped prolong its originality and condition.
‘Obviously, I just had to buy it. I was further astounded to discover that I’d also inherited an extensive history file, including the original bill of sale, sales brochure, period magazine that prompted the first owner to purchase the car, fully stamped service book and all previous MoTs – together with receipts for all past work done, even including petrol and insurance receipts. I’ve carried on such diligence by adding to the file as I’ve carried out work on it.
‘That was back in 1995 and, almost 30 years later, the car still only registers 46,000 miles. Following purchase, I performed some light restoration to return the car to the road. I then used the 12/50 for four years, attending car shows, club meets and days out, before deciding to take it off the road in 1999 to carry out additional work, mainly to the under bonnet, bulkhead and chassis areas.
‘This tidying up included minor welding around the front wheel arches (common areas for corrosion) and repairs to the bulkhead, which had suffered damage from brake fluid and battery acid. I also replaced the brightwork including the headlight cowls; the latter were very difficult to source, but I found two originals at an autojumble. The paintwork also was given many hours of T-Cut and polishing to give it the sheen that remains to this day. It all took around 12 months to complete.
‘The 12/50 is a slightly ‘hotter’ Herald, the original owner having had the twin (Spitfire) SU carburettor optional extra conversion done to improve performance. The car has been back on the road since 2000 and I’ve displayed it at many local and national classic car shows and club weekends. People enjoy seeing it and sharing stories about their parents having had one or learning to drive in one. Most are surprised about the car’s unique history, and it regularly wins trophies.
‘And how eerie is this? I took the Herald for a local drive around the Essex countryside and came across the garage that the car was purchased from, way back in 1964; it still looked in-period too. After I’d taken a photo of the Herald in front of the garage I noticed
