If you have a look at my page on Sally the GS, you'll see that it ends with my wish to have a GS estate one day. A few days ago someone surfed right in, read my page and emailed me to say that she had a GS estate (Break, I should say) that had been sitting in her mother's garage for 20 years and was now looking for a good home. I don't really need another project at the moment (the drive's actually completely full now - someone please buy the Fun Bus soon!) but when I heard where the car was - only three miles from here - I had to go and have a look.

Before we saw the car, we heard its history. It had belonged to a chap who'd died a couple of years before. He'd absolutely loved the car, but driven it into the garage about 20 years ago in favour of a Toyota which was cheaper to run. It seems he was a bit of a hoarder and couldn't bear to be parted from the car, even though it was just taking up space in the garage. He'd hoped one of his sons would drive it, but they preferred Triumphs.

Anyway, the garage now needs clearing out and the car has to go...

I didn't really know what to expect when the garage door opened (but knowing what GS rustproofing is like, I'd expected a brown stain on the floor where it used to be) but there it was, covered in household junk, a vision on Cornflower Blue.

That was when the widow told me that she didn't have the keys, but that her husband had been very logical and that she was sure they were in there somewhere. I thought for a bit, struggled round to the driver's door, and found it unlocked with the keys in the ignition. Perfect!

The bonnet release cable had snapped so it was a bit of a struggle to get the bonnet open, but we got there in the end. The engine turned over very easily on the starting handle. The clutch and gearbox seemed okay. The steering wheel had melted and the front seats were very tatty, but they did all go like that. The mileometer was showing about 45,000 miles, which was probably genuine. The bodyshell all seems present and correct, and there's no rust on the outer panels. What a find! An early Break is rare enough, but one with a nice story like that one would make a really nice car to own. I still haven't committed as to what to do with it, whether or not to take it on, but I will definitely go back next weekend with a battery, some fresh petrol, leads, spark plugs and points and have a closer look. I'll keep you informed.