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A smart car, in an attractive shade of deep blue, and in good running order, driving well. The red leather interior - a colour which contrasts very nicely with the exterior, is original, but suffering from age and some strange damage, which would benefit from attention and gentle re-colouring. In many ways however, the interior is appealing, with good carpets, nicely re-lacquered woodwork, original HMV radio and inertia reel seatbelts. The toolkit under the dash is impressive, and the large tools are in place in their clip in the lower boot compartment. Overall, the car is good, sound, correct, very useable. Offered serviced, MoT tested, and comes with a large history file, which include the correct handbook, the original buff logbook from 1953, a great deal of invoices for repairs and maintenance carried out, letters and notes from earlier owners, etc, etc
Chassis No. B303TO Reg No. RMB 17
Snippets: Smoking, SAS & GolfersThe chassis cards show the B303TO was registered in the name of Mrs K. M. Horton of Easthrope Lodge, Bottesford. Kathleen Mary Horton was the daughter of William Goodacre Player (1866/1959) & the grand-daughter of John Player & Ann Goodacre. John Player initially set up as a shop owner in Nottingham where he sold prewrapped tobacco - this proved so popular that in 1877 he bought the tobacco factory of William Wright and soon opened two more shops in Nottingham. By the time of his death in 1884 the Player Tobacco Company had 3 factories& 3 shops in Nottingham. William and his brother John took over the firm in 1893 and in in 1895 it became a private limited company. The firm continued to expand and prosper and the two brothers retired from the board in 1926 but remained involved in the company until 1932. At the time that Mary purchased B303TO the company had 15 brands of pipe tobacco and 11 brands of cigarettes on the market. In 1919 Mary married Frederick Henry Le Gendre Horton whose father Rev. Horton had added the extra name of "Starkie" to his surname. During WWI Frederick Horton had served with the 2nd Battalion in WWI but was invalided relatively early on whilst on duty in France. The 2nd owner of B303TO was Michael John Waller Marsh who during WWII had served with the Royal Armoured Corps and in 1943 (just prior to his 22nd birthday) was awarded the Military Cross for his efforts. He also served with the SAS and saw action behind enemy lines at the Battle of El Alamein. Whilst on active duty in France his code name during the D-Day landings was Jo-Jo! We have a copy of the family book "Melton Mowbray to Oakham" which has a rare photo of 1 Troop, 2nd SAS Regiment at Melton Mowbray in 1944 (taken illegally!). This book goes into some detail of Michael's exploits during WWII, after demob he joined the family law firm and later became a judge. During the 1970s B303TO was owned by Dr G. M. Barling who during WWII was attached to No. 2 Commando and in 1942 he took part in 'St. Nazaire - Operation Chariot'. During the 1970s John Simmonds met & played golf at the same club as Dr Barling which is where John Simmonds first saw and fell in love with B303TO which he duly bought from the doctor!
V5 Registration Document; AM/FM Stereo; Safety Belt Pretensioners
About Us:
The Real Car Company was established in 1987 by Ray Arnold & Ian Johnstone. It was a hobby that 'Got out of hand'. Our interest in cars of the type that we now sell goes back to our childhoods, and ownership back to the 1970's. Gradually more cars started passing through our hands, and by 1986 we had decided to make a full time occupation of buying and selling the cars that we love.
We started with a single car (all we could afford) which we sold quickly, and before we knew it we had 4 or 5 on our hands! This was alongside another business that we were involved in at the time. In the Spring of 1988 we gave up the other business, (exhaust systems), rented part of the premises that we still operate from now, and went full time.
We had a good start in the boom years of the late eighties, which set us up well enough for us to ride the storm of recession in the years that followed. As the years went on the number of cars going through our hands increased gradually, we built up a workforce, and we now carry a stock of around 40 to 50 vehicles and there are nine of us here. In 1999 we were awarded 'International Classic Car Dealer of the Year' by Classic Cars Magazine. The market for 'our' kind of cars is nicely stable, generally prices are creeping upwards all the time, and we feel that investing in a car - or cars - of the type that we sell is generally a great place to put your money. Don't do it just for investment, but you can get a great deal of pleasure from these vehicles, prices are - in our opinion - unlikely to drop, and you can't drive a share certificate! Some prices in the last three or four years have moved up considerably, and these cases have shown a tremendous return on investment.
Over the last fifteen years or so we have brought home several hundred cars from the USA, and we are always looking for more. If you know of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley anywhere in the world, in absolutely any condition, please let us know. Distance no object, commissions happily paid. We always particularly enjoy the 'barn finds'.
Opening Hours:
Mo: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Tu: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
We: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Th: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Fr: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Sa: Closed
Su: Closed
Why buy from us?
* Classic Cars
* Over 30 years in business
* Cars are physically at our premises
* Lovely roads to test drive on
* Our reputation