In 2015 Douglas Wragg of Balcombe in Sussex became the proud 'custodian' of a two tone blue 1963 Rover which is in pristine condition and is the subject of much admiration when he takes it to car shows.

The car has covered 25,000 miles from when it was new and to date there have been only six owners. He has managed to trace all of them, including the second owner a Mr Stevens who lived in London, with the exception of the person who bought the Rover when it was new.

It was first registered on November 25 1963 and was sold by Hughes of Bournemouth from their premises at 34 Poole Road soon after. When it had its first service there was only 1,000 miles on the clock. Whoever first bought the car had money and wanted to make an impression.

1963 was the year of Beatlemania when the Beatles appeared at the Winter Gardens in Bournemouth. It was also the time of a thriving music scene with rising stars such as Radio One DJ Tony Blackburn and musicians Zoot Money, Andy Summers, Robert Fripp, Greg Lake and many more. Other celebrities who came to Bournemouth included model Mandy Rice-Davies, best known for her association with Christine Keeler and her role in the Profumo Affair which discredited the Conservative government and Prime Minster Harold Macmillan in 1963. She was known to travel around the town in a blue expensive car. Bournemouth also attracted many other wealthy visitors.

Douglas believes the site of Hughes of Bournemouth was redeveloped. Today there is another Hughes garage at Ashley Road, Parkstone.

Any information on the first owner contact Douglas at dgwragg@tiscali.co.uk or Echoes.