‘It’s come home’: A heartwarming

Phil Williamson never thought he’s see his precious Lotus again. He built the car from scratch almost 40 years ago, but was forced to sell it in the 90s as he and his wife struggled to afford a house.

That was the last he’d heard of it – until a few months ago, when somebody sent him a picture of the car on TradeMe and a wave of nostalgia washed over him. But nostalgia turned to surprise when he learned where the purchaser lived.

‘‘Bloody hell, it’s come home,’’ said Williamson, when told the person buying his Lotus lived only a short drive from his West Auckland home.

The car was built back in 1984, when Williamson and a couple of mates worked for more than a year to create a near-perfect replica of a 1960s Lotus 7.

The Sunday Star-Times arranged for Williamson to meet the car’s new owner, Ian Hutchinson, who’d had a life-long ambition to own a classic car.

‘‘I wanted to buy myself a Lotus 7 when I eventually gave up motorcycling – which I recently realised I’d never end up doing otherwise,’’ Hutchinson said.

Over a cup of tea, Williamson met Hutchinson at his Swanson home and the pair discussed the history of the Lotus – starting with Williamson’s dedication to ensuring the car was built almost perfectly to scale.

The Lotus sat on the driveway with a cover over it – ready to be revealed to Williamson for the first time since its sale.

Williamson told Hutchinson about purchasing a pile of tube to create a complete chassis for the car, purchasing a book called The Legion of the Lotus and scaling everything off the photos in it.

‘‘My wife bought me a plastic model of a Lotus 7 and I got a lot of stuff off that also,’’ said Williamson, describing the 16-month project. ‘‘Everything was built in my basement at home – all the suspension, found all the right bits, built it as an original Lotus, and used an old Ford engine.’’

Williamson said driving it on Auckland roads for the first time ‘‘scared the hell’’ out of him. ‘‘The car isn’t dangerous to drive, but the first time you pull up next to a bus, your head is level with the centre wheel and your bum is less than 200 millimetres off the road. They’re like driving a brick wall, but top speed is around 160kmh.’’

Lightweight and mobile, the Lotus has a racing history. Williamson would circuit-race his car in Pukekohe, drag-racing and grass-testing – at one stage crashing the car and having to replace the front suspension.