My brother and I first saw the Amilcar from the bus window on our way from Renmark (South Australia) to Adelaide in January 1961. We were on our way into Adelaide to stay with our aunty at Burnside. It had pride of place at Kingston Motors, which was opposite the Windmill Hotel on the Main North Road at Medindie (a suburb of Adelaide). Our trips to Adelaide were always something we looked forward to after helping out with the fruit harvest at home. Our involvement during harvest was compulsory, but we were always paid award wages, which meant we generally arrived in Adelaide with some money for our holidays. We hadn't come to Adelaide to buy a car, but the sight of the little red Amilcar parked in the prime position at Kingston Motors obviously had its impact. I remember it being the main topic of discussion when we arrived at our auntie's house at 20 Garden Avenue, Burnside. We obviously passed our enthusiasm on to our aunty Mrs SV Hagley, because by the evening we had coaxed her into driving us out to have another look at the car. I can remember leaning over the fence at Kingston Motors and pulling the car closer to the road and commenting that it was very light. We had never seen a car like it before - the burning question obviously being the price.
A telephone call the next morning to Jack Finnis (Michael Finnis’s father) the owner of Kingston Motors established firstly that asking price was $240 and that he was selling the car on behalf of a Mr Mal West. While $240 was way out of the budget of two young apricot cutters, a "grant-loan" package was worked out between a very generous aunty and uncle, and parents at Renmark. Normally our aunty took a very keen interest in our welfare and safety, but was obviously not swayed by Jack Finnis's concern that a 16-year-old and his 14 year-old brother would kill themselves in the car if they bought it. "They are very sensible boys," she argued, as the deal was completed. Because the car was not registered it had to be towed back to 20 Garden Avenue, Burnside.
I still own the car today.
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