MEET Betsey. She's 70-years-old and was discovered on a derelict site near Durrington in the 1970s.
It took more than 25 years to painstakingly restore her and now the rare 1937 Frazer-Nash BMW is set to star in popular television detective drama Foyle's War.
As a teenager in 1971, Tim Kent discovered Betsey while clearing land on Salvington Hill.
He said: "I was sent to clear the site ready for a housing development of 20 detached houses.
"Low and behold in an old hut I found a 1930s Morris 8, a Lanchester pre-selector and something called a Frazer-Nash BMW.
"I called my boss from the local phone box, no mobile in those days, to ask what the price was."
Tim from Hawthorne Road, Worthing, added: "£200 a piece was the reply and as I was on less than £20 a week I went for the car I had never heard of.
"My notebook of the time tells me I paid £5 for it a week over several months and only got to £185. I still owe him £15 – sadly his estate has never claimed it."
RestorationTim, 57, spent several evenings scraping off the Second World War blackout paint from the bumpers, changing fluids and putting a new battery into Betsey.
"It took him 25 years to fully restore the car and for the past 10 years the black saloon BMW has appeared in several films and TV shows including The Enigma Files.
Betsey has just finished being filmed for the latest Foyle's War series due to be aired on ITV in the autumn, in which she is driven by an actor who plays a Russian secret agent.
Tim, who runs his own company and also produces the Worthing Scout and Guide Gang Show, added: "Betsey is such an unusual car.
"I fell in love with her really. There are only about four or five left the country so I'm lucky to own her."
Click the green play button to watch video of Betsey and her owner Tim.
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Last Updated:
30 April 2009 12:08 PM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Worthing
