Car-azy obsession! 'WE LOVE OUR MORRIS MINORS'

When motoring through Canterbury, remember to give these three gals a toot

- Kasia De Vydt-Jillings

My Morrie is called Audrey, affectionately known as 'Audrey Pordrey Pudding and Pie'. She is a 1959 Saloon with a 948cc engine.

My husband Brian and I have three Morris Minors — our original 1952 four-door Monty, who’s a bit of a challenge to drive but still a lovely wee car, Brian’s bright green 1952 two-door called Shrek and my wee Audrey.

They all seem to have their own personality and although it would make good sense to sell one, we just can’t bear to part with any of them.

Most owners will tell you that when you take your car out to get the groceries, you have to allow at least 10 extra minutes as you will have people come over to tell you their Morris Minor story. Often their dad, mum, aunty or uncle owned one, or they learned to drive in one.

It’s not surprising as 70,000 were originally brought into New Zealand from the UK and at one stage, there were more Morris Minors in NZ per capita than any other car.

When you’re driving a modern car, it’s all about the destination, but when driving a classic, it’s all about the journey. They may be small cars, but they have huge personalities and seem to make everyone smile.

Driving a classic for the first time is harder than you might think, but I love letting people have a go — it’s such a unique and special experience.

I remember getting a flat battery in my modern car and using Audrey to pick up a new battery so I could replace it. It gave me a real buzz using my 66-year-old car to rescue the modern one.

Audrey has never let me down.

There have been lots of highlights. Our trip to Rotorua for a Morris Minor convention not long after we bought Audrey was very special, as Brian, my friend Jane and I raised $5000 for the New Zealand Spinal Trust with the help of Audrey and Jane’s Morris Minor called Myrtle.