A petrolhead grandad is still driving around in the Morris Minor he passed his driving test in nearly 50 years ago. Greg Hoar inherited the classic two-door British car from his gran, who bought it brand new in 1967 for £628 – £10,000 in today’s money.
The delighted 17-year-old passed his test in the car in 1976 and has driven it since, clocking up almost 200,000 miles on trips across the UK. Greg’s wife Nicky and their two children, Emily and Peter, all later learned to drive in the grey Morris Minor. Emily was even taken home from hospital in the car, nicknamed ‘Moggie’, as a newborn baby in 1986. Now Greg’s grandson, Joseph, 14, is now “eyeing it up” for when he is old enough to drive.
Haulage consultant Greg, from Corfe Mullen, Dorset, said: “It must be quite unusual to find someone who is still driving the car they did their driving test in so many years ago.” Over 1.6 million Minors were produced by Morris Motors between 1948 and 1971. But sales declined in the late 60s as the Mini became a staple of popular culture.
Greg said: “I’ve restored it every 10 years, with the latest one being in 2017, but it still has a lot of original parts including its core frame. My wife and I still drive it on a weekly basis. Whenever you are out and about, it puts smiles on people’s faces. We get approached by people saying they or their family owned one. The Minor is part of British heritage and we will keep it running as long as it goes.”