How Gerry Larkin lost his heart to old cars
Sometimes the path to old car ownership does not run smoothly. Consider Gerry Larkin, committee member of the Irish Jaguar & Daimler Owners Club whose classic car show takes place next weekend.
He has been collecting old cars for over half a century. It was a collection which almost ended before it began.
In 1948 Gerry was an apprentice motor mechanic in the Great Northern Railway in Dundalk when a friend asked him if he would like an old car. Of indeterminate make, the vehicle was clearly from the very early days of motoring. It had been standing unprotected in a yard for several years and had deteriorated considerably.
Undaunted, Gerry and his friends - with some considerable difficulty - transported it to his parent's home. There the car remained for some time as Gerry couldn't afford to undertake the difficult restoration it required.
As time passed Gerry managed to undertake some of the more minor aspects of the restoration, making slow but steady progress until the fateful day when, home after a day's work, his mother casually mentioned that gypsies had called during the day and she had told them to clear out the yard . . . including the remains of the old car!
Every old car enthusiast seems to have a 'one-that-got-away' and this was Gerry's. (Subsequent investigation revealed that the car was a Chevrolet 490 4-seater tourer built in 1912).
Having moved from his native Dundalk to Dublin, Gerry's interest was rekindled by visits to the cinder racing track at Chapelizod. Before too long a Baby Austin was acquired for the princely sum of £5. Some car rallying followed but, with a young family and having just started a motor business, Gerry decided to concentrate on old cars. The next addition was a 1926 Singer Tourer which was bought for £40. Gerry still has this car which can regularly be seen in the Irish Veteran & Vintage Car Club's annual Gordon Bennett Rally.
Several more interesting cars followed before a flirtation with a couple of fire engines, including a unique 1934 Drogheda Municipal Fire engine which was the only such tender in the country to spent its entire working life painted in a colour other than red. This green-painted engine had a particularly interesting history and, among other things, was one of the engines which travelled north to offer assistance during the Belfast blitz.
Gerry's daughter Maria and son Don have both inherited his interest in cars.
Nowadays Don and Gerry take part in several events together. Gerry is probably the oldest participant in the Circuit of Ireland Retro Rally in which he shares a rally-prepared MGB with Don.
Last year the pair also managed to complete the famous London to Brighton run in their 1903 Cadillac, an achievement of which they are rightly proud. It was their first time in the event, which they view as one of the most enjoyable and satisfying old-car occasions in which they have participated.
Yet in many ways Gerry's experiences with old cars are typical of so many people who fall under the spell of these cars. Nostalgia, pride of ownership or just an old fashioned desire to own a car once admired but unobtainable when new - these are the attractions of old car ownership.
So, if someone should offer you an old car, think seriously about it, it could be the start of a lifetime's collecting. But do beware of mothers who regularly clear out the garage.
The annual Irish Jaguar & Daimler Car Owners Club Classic Car Show sponsored by Axa Insurance takes place next Sunday in the grounds of Terenure College. Almost 1,000 cars will be on show. Gates open at 12 noon