A Sandbach man is painstakingly restoring a 91-year-old Rolls-Royce once owned by a war hero – after falling in love with it at an auction.

Former Bentley engineer, Andy Feaver, from Claymore Road, spotted the vintage 1932 vehicle in a sorry state at a classic car sale in Buxton.

The car, which was in a rundown state, turned out to be close in age to a Rolls-Royce owned by family friends which had been stored at his parents' house.

Now the talented engineer, who paid £5,000 for the vehicle at H & H Auctions in 2021 has set a deadline to finish the restoration ready for his daughter's prom in four year's time.

Any paid £5,000 for it at auction. (Photo: Nub News)

And he's using local businesses such as Andrew Carter Jewellers, Sandbach Motor Factors and Handy Household to source any help and or products needed.

"I was looking for a project during the 2020 - 2021 lockdowns and I sort of fell in love with this dilapidated Rolls-Royce which I had seen at auction," said Andy.

"It looked so neglected and I felt it deserved to be saved. A study into its history show that it was very close in age to a Rolls-Royce owned by family friends 30 years ago which had been stored for a time at my parents' house."

History-loving Andrew has researched the background of the car which should eventually be worth around £30,000 once fully restored.

The prestigious Rolls-Royce logo. (Photo: Nub News)

It was owned by a commanding officer in the Parachute Field Ambulance assigned to the parachute brigade.

"Lt Col. E.I. Bruce-Harvey DSO MB was a decorated war hero, landed on D Day and served with distinction both in France and finally in Norway at the end of the war," said Andrew.

"He was the first owner of a blue and black Rolls-Royce 20/25 which he bought in June 1932 as he was preparing to move to Edinburgh to start his university studies to become a doctor, before joining the Royal Army Medical Corps at the outbreak of war.

"He kept the Rolls-Royce until near the end of the war before selling it to John Catlow, the headmaster of Wood Hall Prep School, near Harrogate.

"Catlow was the second of a nine owners of the car, which included a Fleet Street photographer and an expert in the coins of antiquity.

"The car was sold for scrap around 1963 and then rescued by a Mr Gilbert in 1968 from a scrap yard in Barking, Essex.

"The restoration of the car stalled and the car lay undisturbed in a barn for 53 years before being offered for sale via auction, as part of a house clearance."

Andy has been working hard on the restoration cleaning and unseizing of rusted components and has called on local Sandbach firms to help. .

Andrew Carter Jewellers have been able to help Andy with some delicate machining of parts of the car's shock absorbers, using the precision and skills of the jeweller and watchmaker to bring the parts back to the correct 1932 specification.

Local apprentice blacksmith and skilled metal worker Carl Allison, based in Bradwall, has been employed to make a repair to a bent chassis crossmember, seamlessly blending in new metal to replace a part damaged during the car's stay at the scrap yard.

Andy intends to mount two badges on the car – one for the 6th Airborne Division, the other commemorating the Royal Army Medical Corps, as a permanent mark of respect to the car's first owner. (Photo: Nub News)

Sandbach Motor Factors and Handy Household have both been regular suppliers of materials such as solvents, oils and cleaning materials to help bring the vintage car back to life.

When completed, Andy intends to mount two badges on the car – one for the 6th Airborne Division, the other commemorating the Royal Army Medical Corps, as a permanent mark of respect to the car's first owner.

Andy says "I hope the car can be a lasting memento of the bravery of him and his company during WW2.

"My daughter wants said she wants to drive the car to her school prom, so that only leaves me four years to get it finished."

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