Our 1966 Riley Elf was part of my husband’s family from the beginning when it was shipped from England to Mark’s grandmother in Dunedin, New Zealand. She was all of 4’10” tall making it the the perfect size car for her. It arrived all shiny red with an impressively heavy chrome grill. A show stopper, really.
The car was pivotal in Mark’s life as it was behind its wheel he learned to drive and also where he learned to smoke! Those were the days. The car had always been owned by a family member. After Gran, Auntie Syb had it in Christchurch and then Mark’s parents, Win and Prue, in Queenstown.
Eventually, Mark’s folks were talking about selling the car. What?? We couldn’t have that so had it shipped to us in Shasta County, California around 2000. We named it ‘Size One’ which was stated clearly on the license plate. She was a great conversation piece and how fun to pack 5 adults in to go for a cruise and take in the stares.
Life moves along and it became OUR time to downsize. We had a dear friend who was a major car enthusiast who bought it in 2014 with the understanding we would get first option to buy it back if he ever decided to sell it. Sad as were to see it leave the family, it went to a friend who FELT like family who made it easier. We knew we could visit any time we wanted.
Dave, the buyer, stored ’Size One’ in a large garage on the west side of Redding, CA. Roll it forward to July, 2018. Size One was 52 years old and had managed to retain its perfect grill and original red when the Carr Fire ravaged 230,000 acres around the city of Redding, CA. That very garage burned to the ground with most of the contents turning to ash. The Elf looked very different but came out completely recognizable in shape and check out the GRILL!
Our friend was thoughtful enough to check with us – did we want the car back? It seemed like a joke and yet we couldn’t see crushing it since it had provided so much fun over the years for many friends and family members. In December of 2018, we drove to Redding and rented a U-Haul flatbed trailer to bring this little beauty back to our home on Guemes Island. It was still getting stares as it rode in its sad condition up I-5 on a very rainy day.
It’s all about chapters. When life gives you lemons… Flowers and birds alike are happy we made it into a planter. And it is happy to have returned to its glory of being a conversation starter. Size One is living happily ever after on Guemes.
Our 1966 Riley Elf was part of my husband’s family from the beginning when it was shipped from England to Mark’s grandmother in Dunedin, New Zealand. She was all of 4’10” tall making it the the perfect size car for her. It arrived all shiny red with an impressively heavy chrome grill. A show stopper, really.
The car was pivotal in Mark’s life as it was behind its wheel he learned to drive and also where he learned to smoke! Those were the days. The car had always been owned by a family member. After Gran, Auntie Syb had it in Christchurch and then Mark’s parents, Win and Prue, in Queenstown.
Eventually, Mark’s folks were talking about selling the car. What?? We couldn’t have that so had it shipped to us in Shasta County, California around 2000. We named it ‘Size One’ which was stated clearly on the license plate. She was a great conversation piece and how fun to pack 5 adults in to go for a cruise and take in the stares.
Life moves along and it became OUR time to downsize. We had a dear friend who was a major car enthusiast who bought it in 2014 with the understanding we would get first option to buy it back if he ever decided to sell it. Sad as were to see it leave the family, it went to a friend who FELT like family who made it easier. We knew we could visit any time we wanted.
Dave, the buyer, stored ’Size One’ in a large garage on the west side of Redding, CA. Roll it forward to July, 2018. Size One was 52 years old and had managed to retain its perfect grill and original red when the Carr Fire ravaged 230,000 acres around the city of Redding, CA. That very garage burned to the ground with most of the contents turning to ash. The Elf looked very different but came out completely recognizable in shape and check out the GRILL!
Our friend was thoughtful enough to check with us – did we want the car back? It seemed like a joke and yet we couldn’t see crushing it since it had provided so much fun over the years for many friends and family members. In December of 2018, we drove to Redding and rented a U-Haul flatbed trailer to bring this little beauty back to our home on Guemes Island. It was still getting stares as it rode in its sad condition up I-5 on a very rainy day.
It’s all about chapters. When life gives you lemons… Flowers and birds alike are happy we made it into a planter. And it is happy to have returned to its glory of being a conversation starter. Size One is living happily ever after on Guemes.
Our 1966 Riley Elf was part of my husband’s family from the beginning when it was shipped from England to Mark’s grandmother in Dunedin, New Zealand. She was all of 4’10” tall making it the the perfect size car for her. It arrived all shiny red with an impressively heavy chrome grill. A show stopper, really.