Treat for man who sold dream car to win sweetheart
WOULD you sell your prized possession for the love of your life?
For Ken Short it was a sacrifice worth making when he decided to give up his treasured 1946 MG TC sports car more than 50 years ago in order to buy an engagement ring.
Although it was a tricky decision, any lingering thoughts of regret vanished this week when he was able to relive memories of his carefree younger days with his wife Diana.
Thanks to their sons Andrew and Rob the couple from Breakachy, near Beauly, were given a poignant reminder of their courting years after they arranged for an identical MG to be brought north to help celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary.
“This was a tremendous surprise and I always longed to have the car back again,” said 77-year-old Mr Short, who was in the Army at Sandhurst when he sold the vehicle.
The engagement ring was around £160 so I sold the car for probably about that much in 1956 after I’d had it for six months. We were then engaged for three years before we got married.
“I’ve not had anything like it since and I was sad to see it go.”
If Mr Short, the divisional secretary of charity Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, had kept it and wanted to sell it today, it would be worth £20,000.
It’s astonishing but this is where it all began, so many years ago,” said Mrs Short, a retired secretary.
“The car was a great thing in our lives and we had a lot of fun but I knew he sold it to buy the ring and I’ve looked after it extremely carefully since then.”
Car collector Iain Wright brought the MG north after being contacted by Robert MacGillivray, of the Caledonian Centre at The MG Car Club, following enquiries by the couple’s sons who wanted to arrange something special for their parents.
“I’m very pleased to be part of this,” said Glasgow-based Mr Wright, who drove Mrs Short to the Clachnaharry Inn to join her husband and son Rob for an anniversary lunch.
