Village People


THE YELLOW POPPY T


he dull days of winter in Alve- church have been brightened by the arrival of a bright yellow


Mk2 Ford Escort on the village streets after a resident won the car in a competition. Ade Dark was automatically


entered into a prize draw when he subscribed to Retro Ford magazine – or rather, his mother took out the subscription as a gift for him. The draw took place at the NEC Classic Car Show, but Ade knew nothing about it until he received a phone- call saying he’d won. The lifelong car enthusiast was


delighted with his prize, a highly- collectable 1979 model that had been acquired and restored by Retro Ford ready for the competition, to celebrate 40 years of the Mk2. “It’s one of the most iconic cars of


all time, and the model has a great rally history too,” says Ade. “They are quite rare, and even a shell without an engine would cost you £4,000.” He says the magazine spent


around £5,000 on restoring the car, including overhauling the 1600cc engine and upgrading to gas suspension, fully adjustable shock absorbers, a rally-spec aluminium radiator and a top exhaust system.


It was also resprayed in its original Daytona Yellow. Certain elements, such as the


quick-shift gear linkage, had to be custom-made as they are no longer available. Ade himself has


Joan and Poppy


also installed a 1970s cassette radio and box speakers, to add to the authenticity. “Everyone thinks she’ll have a


colour-related name like Sunflower, but I found out I’d won her on Re- membrance Sunday, so I decided to call her Poppy,” he says. “She sounds beautiful – the


engine just putt-putts along and there’s no power steering, but if I want to go fast then I have my other car!” The other car is a Ford Focus Mk2


ST, named Joan after his late partner. “Joan is an absolute beast of a car – she’s got a 2.5-litre turbocharged engine and sounds unbelievable,” Ade enthuses. It’s perhaps no surprise that Ade,


who was born in Latimer Road and grew up in the village, became interested in cars – his mother used to work at Delson Ltd, Alvechurch’s very own car factory where the famous Dellow was produced.


14 The Village February 2017


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