James Edwards, garage owner and Saab fan, was at a classic car auction on October 25, and couldn’t resist bidding on a 72 Saab. Turns out, he ended up buying his father’s old car, sold years ago.

When Edwards came home with the vehicle, he realized he had purchased his father’s car, with the BAW 771L registration number, when his dad purchased it brand new, over 40 years ago.

At 81 years of age, John Edwards, James’ dad, was long retired from operating the Westbury Garage, leaving in 1996. He had originally fallen in love with the Saab in 1972; so much so, he photographed it, and hung the picture of the new car in his garage for years. Unfortunately, James sold it for £1,023, expecting to never see it again.
He was wrong.

To his and his son’s delight, James returned home from the Richard Edmonds’ Chippenham in October, with the family’s beloved 1972 Saab. Doris Williams, aged 86, was a former Westbury Garage employee, and was quite pleased to also be reunited with the car; a vehicle she had cleaned up herself, prior to its sale.

James noted that he was amazed when he realized that he had purchased his dad’s car, which had been sold all those years ago. He knew there was a connection locally with the car, but hadn’t realized it was his dad’s.
Auctioneer Richard Edmonds chimed in saying the auction house was blown away when they realized the father/son connection with the car. He feels somewhat like a matchmaker in this story.

MSN reports James is currently researching the car’s past history, and will be placing the vehicle on display at the Westbury Garage. He also plans to use the car, but only occasionally. James is asking previous owners of the car to reach out to him via email at [email protected].