A man has made a heart-wrenching decision to part with his vintage Hackney cab – the same model his grandfather drove round London 60 years ago.
As a child in the 1950s, Bob Nye was picked up in a classic Austin FX3 cab by his uncle and whisked through the smog of the bustling city like a VIP to go on visits to his grandad.
He remembers watching out the side windows as the city rolled by – with his uncle at the wheel and his grandfather’s two alsatians sat in the exposed luggage compartment.
Mr Nye is so fond of the memory of his grandad’s taxi that on a business trip to London four years ago he ended up buying one of the motors and having it shipped back to Ellon in Aberdeenshire .
He spent a small fortune restoring the 1956 taxi back to its former glory – even chauffeuring his son to his wedding in it.
But he has now made the heart-wrenching decision to part with the classic cab and put it up for sale.
Mr Nye said: “I’m 63 now and looking to retire so it’s time to pass it on.”
His grandfather Archie and uncle Horace both drove London cabs during the 50s.
Everytime Mr Nye got picked up it gave him a surge of excitement. But as he grew older the lure of the oil industry saw him leave London – and relocate to Aberdeen – where he later married and settled down with children.
But on a business trip to London four years ago he read an inflight magazine article about a Luton company selling retired taxi cabs.
With some spare time on his hand Mr Nye went to have a look – and ended up phoning wife Liz to ask for permission to spend £6,000 buying the same model of taxi his grandfather owned.
He said: “It was exactly the same taxi as my grandfather had driven. So I bought it there and then.
Mr Nye’s taxi had been in Holland – where it had been used as a wedding car – having previously been a London and Birmingham taxi.
He has completely restored it to its former glory – respraying it in traditional London cab black, with a new engine put in and refurbished seats.
But the classy cab retains many of the original fittings including the Argo meter – in shillings and pence – as well as 1950’s suitcases.
Mr Nye said: “Everyone loves it – it’s got plenty of character.
“Ideally I’d want someone to give it the same love and attention that I’ve given it.
“I’ve got a lot of pleasure from owning it and I want someone else to have that too.”