Introduction
1968 Aussie Vignale Gamine re-EU-import...
Hi!
My Vignale Gamine was probably sold in 1968 by Frixos Demetriou in the UK. The owners took the car with them when the emigrated to Australia.
In 1992 I found it there after it had been sitting -probably with a dead battery- for the previous six years. Carol Grace, married to one of the Grace Brothers, sold the car 'as is' to me. With the help of a borrowed battery & some work on the ignition points, I got it running for about 20seconds!
I then flew it to Amsterdam (...) & worked on some minor stuff (brakes/EU- lights, some other MOT-stuff) to get it registered in the Netherlands. Next, we drove it for 25 years. 2 longer holidays: one time with a car-train to France, driving back via all the small coastal roads & the second time to Lands' End in Cornwall & back.
In 2017 it was finally time for a bare metal restoration. New front wings -lucky to find them years before- and back to her original color.
Now ready for the next 25 years!
+ 500 regards, Martin
Hi!
My Vignale Gamine was probably sold in 1968 by Frixos Demetriou in the UK. The owners took the car with them when the emigrated to Australia.
In 1992 I found it there after it had been sitting -probably with a dead battery- for the previous six years. Carol Grace, married to one of the Grace Brothers, sold the car 'as is' to me. With the help of a borrowed battery & some work on the ignition points, I got it running for about 20seconds!
I then flew it to Amsterdam (...) & worked on some minor stuff (brakes/EU- lights, some other MOT-stuff) to get it registered in the Netherlands. Next, we drove it for 25 years. 2 longer holidays: one time with a car-train to France, driving back via all the small coastal roads & the second time to Lands' End in Cornwall & back.
In 2017 it was finally time for a bare metal restoration. New front wings -lucky to find them years before- and back to her original color.
Now ready for the next 25 years!
+ 500 regards, Martin
