Pablo

Great, thanks for that. I'll probably just keep it exactly as it is

Here we go... I dont have a pic of the whole thing yet.

My next job is to figure out what a few of the switches and dials do. There seem to be 2 or 3 extra added at some point. One is just below the bottom of the dash, and looks a little like a metal tyre valve cap and feels sprung. Anyone know what this might be? I'll get a photo at some point. It has a radio too, and it could be original. Did they come with radios back in '63, or would this have been added later?

Olive and cactus. Perfect. And a much better name than mine. This might mean the restorer stayed faithful to the original colourway, which is great.

Very good point about the tyres. They look perfect, but then they would do. A good idea to get them replaced right away. The car was restored, I believe in the mid 90s, and I assume resprayed. Does anyone know if this might be the original colours? It's a greeny browny vomity colour, and I've grown to love it!

Thanks Pete. I look forward to meeting some Devon members at some point, even if just from afar. Sue from the local group kindly helped me a few months ago with some information on a valuation, which was very helpful.

Great, thanks for the replies. And very helpful info about running high-octane fuel. There's a shell and a tesco within a mile or so. I don't have much experience with cars. Nowadays I drive new cars and let the garage do everything. I built a Westfield kit car from scratch in my early 20s so I have some mechanical knowledge, but that was 20 years ago I'm a little rusty! I'm not sure there's much I'll need to do on this car really.

Hello everyone. This is my first foray into the world of classic cars, and it's not been the usual process. The owner of this this beautiful little car passed away a few months ago, and I was given the opportunity to buy it. I don't know much about it, other than it's been owned by two people (mother and then daughter) and it was restored by SW Classics in Devon. The owner had the car MOTd every year, as far back as I can see on the DVLA site. Neighbours tell me that she wasn't able to drive due to her age, but had it collected, MOTd and serviced every year. It's covered about 300 miles since 2006, and shows 27000 on the clock. I assume that's 27k since restoration? The car has been garaged and the condition is excellent. Solicitors are trying to find the paperwork and keys in her property, so I don't have any paperwork or history but I'm hoping this will turn up in due course. Someone told me about reading the three numbers on the ignition, so I ordered a key and it worked. The car started, but it was a bit lumpy, as you might expect. My next step is to get the car checked over, serviced, and to get it roadworthy. It might even been ready to go! I've no idea about the fuel and whether it's been converted to run with unleaded, or whether I need an additive. Without taking the head off, is there a way to tell? It won't be my daily drive, but I hope to get it out and about as much as I can. She's such a little beauty. If anyone has any words of advice, pointers in the right direction, or even just a friendly hello, many thanks in advance. The car is in Devon so some of you might see her out and about before too long.