Man Accidentally Stumbles Upon Late Grandmother's Car While Searching Internet
Losing a loved one is never easy, but when you stumble upon something that makes you remember them, it can ease the loss.
When British car enthusiast Daniel Fox was searching for a used car, he had no idea it would bring back a memory of his grandmother from the most surprising of places.
Fox, 36, wanted to find an old Mini to have as his own and spent many a day looking at used car sites, according to Fox News.
Eventually, Fox came across a classic car that looked oddly familiar.
It was a red hatchback with a striking resemblance to the one that his late grandmother bought in 1983 for £400 ($525). The Mini was her ride of choice until she passed away in 1990.
Upon closer inspection, Fox discovered that the car had the same steering wheel and radio that his older sister put in it when she inherited it.
“It had no number plate so I didn’t immediately recognize it, but then I had to do a double and triple take,” he said to BBC News.
His sister traded in the car in 1994, but he still wasn’t sure.
So Fox reached out to the seller in Norfolk to get some more information.
Yes, indeed it was his grandmother’s car. Fox couldn’t believe he had found it.
“When my sister Andrea had the car, she put in a distinctive radio and changed the steering wheel, which was key to identifying it was the right one.
“It’s remarkable, really. In a way, it’s a bit of a burden – it’s a car I can never sell, so I’ll have to break that to my wife.”
“I remember being in the car as a six-year-old, rolling around in the back because it didn’t have seat belts – I have really happy memories of it,” Fox told SWNS.
The car had been sitting in the owner’s garage for 20 years. It was pretty close to its original glory, even with its classic hounds-tooth seat upholstery intact.
“My sister put seat covers over the seats because she didn’t like the interior and that has actually saved them,” Fox explained.
Even though Fox had to pay more than he wanted to for the car, he just knew it was a sign and he just had to have it.
The car wasn’t in running condition, but Fox knew he could fix that. He hopes to have it back on the road very soon and is even planning to take it to the 60th-anniversary celebration of the Mini this year.
As the news of his unlikely find began to circulate, he was invited to several car events to show off the Mini.
“The motoring community is a really lovely community and it’s been amazing,” Fox told SWNS.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.