Ethel Green and her husband, David, have always had an interest in cars from a very young age.
But while they share the interest, their preferences are very different.
“My husband likes the older types of car but I prefer the more sporty cars,” Ethel, 65, of Canisbay, by Wick, said.
Their collection has already grown to five and includes a 1936 Austin 10 Cambridge, 1937 Woosley 1300 and a 1969 Triumph 1300.
The latest addition, however, is something Ethel has been searching for for many years – a 1999 BMW Z3 Convertible.
For as long as she can remember, it has been her dream car but had to wait until now to be able to buy it.
She said: “I just like the car, it’s always been my dream car.
“When they first came out, I always fancied the look of them but I couldn’t afford them then. But about seven years ago I decided I was going to try and find one so I started looking in the P&J to see what was available.
“I saw a few before I found this one but it was never a blue one. I saw red and grey but it was the blue that I really wanted.”
She eventually found the one she was looking for in the Press and Journal about two years ago.
It belonged to a man in Torphins who used it for special occasions so it only had 37,000 miles on the clock. Once Ethel saw it, she knew she had to have it.
“When I first saw it, I just thought, ‘Oh wow'”, said Ethel.
“We met the man in Inverness in a car park and I was so delighted when I saw it, I just knew I had to buy it.
“I was looking for it for about seven years but it was really because I wanted the blue one.. I think it stands out in that colour, it’s just really nice. It was absolutely immaculate, all we had to do was give it a polish.”
Ethel’s first experience of being behind the wheel involved her taking the car from the Highland capital up to her Caithness home.
She said it was “lovely” driving it for the first time.
“I was just so happy with it. It’s so smooth. It’s very different to driving the other cars, mostly because it’s more modern.
“My favourite part is the soft top. I just like the convertibles, it’s nice having the soft top. It blows the cobwebs away.”
And it’s not just Ethel that is a bit taken with the car. It seems other people are attracted to it too.
“You always see people looking at it,” she added.
“You drive past and they say to you ‘My that is in really great condition’. It definitely catches people’s eye.”
Since buying it in July 2012, Ethel hasn’t been able to use it much as she had been caring for her mother, who passed away recently. Without those responsibilities, the couple hope to go on more adventures in the dream car this year.
They have been able to take it out a few times though, mostly for rallies across the region. The furthest they have been is to Forres as part of their regular rally calendar.
As members of the Caithness and Sutherland Vintage and Classic Vehicle Club for more than 30 years, they are no strangers to the rally circuit.
“The social side is very good and it’s nice meeting new people and seeing different cars,” she said.
“We always get people coming up to us saying ‘Oh I had a car like that, I wish I never sold it’, others have told us that they did their courting in one of the cars, you hear lots of nice stories and it takes people back. We’ve met a lot of friends through the club over the years. It’s a nice hobby.”
So now she has finally got her dream car in her hands, what’s next for these car enthusiasts?
“I don’t think we’ll get anymore,” she said.
“We have five cars at the moment and I think that’s enough. Our garages are now full so we can’t have anymore.
“My husband used to say we’ve got seven grandchildren so we need to get seven cars but that’s not to be because we haven’t got the room for them. This is the last, I’ve got what I wanted now. It’s a good one to end on.”
First car: 1966 Ford Anglia
Dream car: Got it!