Wedding car we did up for £25,000
Torched...
IT was a labour of love that cost Charles Thomson £25,000 as he restored a classic sports car for his wedding day.
But now his 1964 green MGB has been destroyed by arsonists.
Police believe the vandals may have torched the car after a failed theft.
The MGB was of ‘huge sentimental value’ to 37-year-old Mr Thomson as it was the only possession he inherited from his father after his death in 1997.
The IT worker was called by police to say the car had been damaged in a garage break-in and now he is anxiously waiting to see if it can be restored.
The attack also enraged his wife, Elizabeth Thomson, a manager at Cambridge University’s department of zoology.
She said: ‘Anyone wondering why I might be so furious – this is about the only physical object my husband has that his father owned. His father who is dead. We
‘Only possession he inherited’
also used it as our wedding car. Whoever you are I hate you for doing that to my husband. We believe our garage was targeted by people who wanted to steal the car.
‘When they couldn’t get it started, they used the spare petrol we kept in the boot to set it alight.
‘We are devastated. It’s not just a car to us, it has huge sentimental value which can never be replaced.’
Mr Thomson, who works at Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, never met his father Simon, who parted from his mother when he was a baby.
After their engagement, the couple decided to use the MG as their wedding car in 2015.
Mrs Thomson added: ‘When we got the call, we assumed the whole block of garages had been set on fire. When we got there and saw it was just ours, and then saw the damage to the car, it was heartbreaking.
‘We just don’t understand why someone would want to do this, what have they gained from it?’
The couple, from the Cambridge suburb of Chesterton, hope that the chassis and engine can be saved and replacement parts can be found.
But while the car was insured, it is not thought the pay- out will cover the restoration costs.
Friends and family are now fundraising to restore the car through the website Go Fund Me. One of their friends, Simon Ruggles, 28, said: ‘Unfortunately this special car cannot be replaced, and its insurable “book value” pales into insignificance compared to its value to Charles and Elizabeth.
‘Affectionately known as “the little green car”, the MG was the only thing that Charles had belonging to his late father.’
Mr Ruggles added: ‘Charles and Elizabeth invested countless hours and most of their wedding budget to restore the car from top to bottom, ensuring he could be part of the most important day of their lives.’