George Frame
Local car enthusiast shows his collection to AM
David Milloy
George Frame will be the first to admit that he loves cars and has done so since he was a young man. His first car was a BMC 1100 and he’s since gone on to own a plethora of other cars including a Triumph Stag and a Jaguar E-Type, both of which are now highly sought after classics.
Talking of classic cars, George owns no fewer than four of them these days as well as a substantial collection of models and memorabilia. He’s very kindly invited Ayrshire Magazine to view not only his cars but the rather special garage in which he keeps two of them, an invitation that we’re only too glad to accept.
The oldest car in George’s collection, and the one that he’s owned the longest, is a 1966 Sunbeam Alpine Series V. Built in Coventry by Rootes Motors, the pretty Alpine is a traditional British sports car which was deemed good enough for a certain British spy to drive in his first cinematic outing. But in spite of having one of cinema’s greatest heroes in its corner, the Alpine was unable to match the MGB’s sales figures and production ended in 1968, shortly after Chrysler completed its takeover of Rootes.
George bought his Alpine in 1986. It has now covered 77,000 miles and remains in excellent condition inside and out.
The Alpine shares a garage with a 1977 MGB roadster which George purchased about two years ago. Like the Alpine, the MGB is in excellent condition and is used all the year round. MG enthusiasts will be quick to note that it has been retrofitted with chrome bumpers rather than the bulky plastic items originally fitted to it in order to comply with laws introduced in the USA, then MG’s biggest market for sales, which required that bumpers be able to withstand a 5 mph impact.
The third example of George’s collection is a Toyota MR2 GT T-Bar. First registered in 2000, it’s one of the last examples of the MR2 coupé built before the model was replaced on Toyota’s production lines by an all-new MR2-badged roadster. Unlike the Alpine and MGB, the MR2 is mid-engined and has removable glass panels on its roof rather than having a soft top.|
George acquired his MR2 in 2008 whilst working at Mercedes-Benz in Ayr, after a customer traded it in against a new Mercedes. It’s in time warp condition right down to its unused spare wheel, although George reports that keeping it in pristine order means having to ensure that its red paint is well protected by polish, as like many red cars its paintwork does tend to fade in the sun.
George uses the MR2 for five months each year, swapping it over with another red car that he only uses in the winter, a Rover 414 Si. George acquired the Rover, which had then only 17,000 miles on the clock, for free. The only catch was that he had just three days to remove it from the garage in which it had been housed for over twenty years.
A member of Ayrshire Classics Car Club since its inception, George believes in using his cars and regularly displays them at shows. Indeed, some of George’s cars will be on display at Ayrshire Classics’ 20th anniversary show at Culzean Castle on August 4th, where it will be joined by up to 100 other cars owned by club members.
George’s love of cars is further illustrated when he opens his garage door. The back, side walls, and ceiling of it are home to around 1000 model cars, photos and memorabilia. There’s also a large scale Ecurie Ecosse racing team transporter with working lights and sound effects, plus there’s a building on fire diorama which includes emergency vehicles with working lights and horns. In addition, a number of aircraft – including Spitfires, Lancasters and the BAE Hawks of The Red Arrows – are suspended from the ceiling of the garage. One of the Lancasters, a ‘Dambusters’ spec model, has working propellers and lights, as well as its own soundtrack. The Red Arrows are celebrated in sound too, with a surround sound recreation of an airshow display available at a press of George’s remote control.
And if that lot wasn’t enough, there’s also a fully operational model railway which, thanks to a bridging section that lifts out of the way when required, runs around the entire inner perimeter of the garage. It’s the sort of place where kids of all ages could easily while away hours if not days.
www.ayrshireclassics.co.uk
