ANNAMARIE'S STORY
It is not surprising that Annamarie Jamieson first saw the as-yet-unidentified grey car at the back of K (Karangahape) Road, a stretch of roadway that's a known portal to the unexpected. She was taken with the vehicle and immediately set to finding where she could get one. She found only a few P1800s in the country, and when she did see one for sale, she was always beaten to the prize by those with more ka-ching. She even looked in Australia, where the market was bigger, but her desire remained unfulfilled.
Then one day, on Trade Me, there it was, the vehicle the doctor in Manawatu had imported 30 years ago, now being sold by his children. She rang and asked for it to be held while she drove down to Feilding for a look.
She was delighted; it was everything she had hoped for despite needing some work. She trailered it back to her inner-city home in Auckland and later found out that the seller had had several better offers between telling him she was on her way and buying the vehicle. But, he said, his word was his honour, and the car belonged to Annamarie.
It needed some work, so for help and advice, she contacted other owners and facilitated a little group of shared knowledge. The group eventually grew into an informal New Zealand P1800 Club. Annamarie swapped notes and photos of the interiors and trims of the other cars to give her ideas. When funds permitted, she bought carpet from Belgium, new leather seats from the Volvo shop in Sweden and found specialist motor trimmer John McKechnie and “oldschool” mechanic Bill Brown from Lansford European. There was also a lot of money spent on taxis and towing while Bill worked out what was breaking down.
Another member of the club was also renovating his car. But once the project was over, he was looking for a new challenge. He offered the car to Annamarie. Her own P1800 S was also her only vehicle and driven daily to her job at a media company, so the opportunity to have one that was fully renovated was too good to pass. She bought it and sold her own to Guy. Immediately she regretted it.
Not that she doesn't love her new version, but her first was her particular baby, the one she owned the restoration decisions on. So, should Guy ever give up his ecstatically realised dream — the chances are not good — Annamarie has first dibs. Or so she is hoping.