A (Morris) Minor miracle by Father & Son

Richard McKellar confesses that he has been reliably told that the first word he uttered, was not "mummy" or "daddy" but "car".

He vividly remembers as a four-year-old, the thrill of riding in his father's regal blue 1955 Morris Minor.

"It was a convertible. I remember being in the back seat and you could feel the wind in your hair", he said.

It was the beginning of a lifetime passion for the 41-year-old graphic artist from Canterbury.

He was devastated when, months later, his father Bill reluctantly sold the car. McKellar coveted that car and kept tabs on it. Its new owner was a nurse. "When I turned 18, I hunted down the car and bought it."

When hoons hit it in 1985, he enlisted his retired father's help in restoring it.

"That experience rekindled a passion we both had for old cars," he said.

It led them in 1994 to import a limited edition 1960 Morris Minor Millions to restore but the restoration did not start in earnest until 2008.

The restored Morris Minor Millions is now on show in their North Harcourt garage in Australia's central Victoria, a replica of a 1920s garage, along with 15 other restored cars of similar vintage, and a collection of Morris Minor badges and brochures.

http://www.morrisminorgarage.com/

TWO IN A MILLIONS: Richard and Bill McKellar have even produced a book about their restoration project. Only 350 of the Lilac-coloured Millions were manufactured.