Classic car survives 33,000-mile round-the-world trip only to be hit in Sainsbury’s car park

December 28th, 2011

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

£300 worth of damage done to the 1956 Bristol 405 Drophead Coupe when Geoffrey Herdman popped into the shop

By
Charles Walford

Last updated at 8:26 PM on 27th December 2011

It had completed a 33-000 mile around-the-world trip, surviving being driven along some of the most dangerous roads in the world.

At one point on Geoffrey and Hilary Herdman’s 16-month adventure, the 1956 Bristol 405 Drophead Coupe even got them up the side of a volcano.

But sadly a trip to the local supermarket was a journey to far for the rare classic car, of which just 42 were made.

Having popped into a Sainsbury’s store they returned to their prized car and found that another motorist had dented it.

Geoffrey Herdman with his 1956 Bristol 405 Drophead Coupe at the Skyway Bridge in St Petersburg, Florida, during his 33,000-mile trip around the world with his wife Hilary

Mr Herdman, a retired chartered accountant, said while they were travelling they were constantly warned about the dangers – from theft of the vehicle to kidnap and worse – but other than a few minor repairs, including a couple of punctures, they did not have any problems.

‘It was very nice reflection on human nature. The bad thing is when we got back I leave the car in Sainsbury’s car park and find there is a large dent in the front wing,’ he said.

‘A car is for using, it’s not a work of art … well, it is a work of art, but it is to be used rather than put in a glass cage and admire. And so these are things you have to face up to.’

During the couple’s first 24,000 miles they only had to spend £79.50 on repairs. But the dent in the car could cost them around £300.

‘I was just walking back towards the car and I thought “gosh, that doesn’t look right” and there was a large dent in the near-side front wing, someone had obviously overly crocked it parking next to me and put a dent in,’ Mr Herdman, 68, said.

He lovingly finished off the restoration of the car – started by its previous owner – after buying it in 1999.

In April 2001 Mr Herdman, a member of the Royal Automobile Club and president of the Bristol Owners Club, finally got the classic car back on the road.

The car – registration 10 DPG and the 29th to roll off the production line – is now believed to be worth around £90,000.

The Herdmans said that wherever they stopped, such as here in Panama, the car would attract much attention

Mr Herdman has travelled 135,000 miles in the car since 2001 and believes it would have completed around 500,000 miles in total.

‘We love driving it to bits, it’s a very, very comfortable car, both of us can fall asleep when the other one is driving,’ he said.

‘It’s just a lovely car to drive.’

Mr Herdman and his wife, 70, a retired lawyer, started the incredible journey in July 2010 from Miami, driving up the east coast of North America to Halifax before crossing Canada and then heading south down the west coast.

After a couple of months in South America, they headed across to Australia before the car was shipped back via Turkey for the drive home through Europe.

The couple, who are from London, and currently living in Sussex, eventually returned to the UK in November.

Mr Herdman said: ‘We never had a gap year when we were kids – people didn’t in our days – so we decided having retired we had the opportunity and so we’d go off and have a wrinkly gap year.

‘My daughter thought that we’d kill each other within three months, but we’re still talking and thinking about what we are going to do for the next one now.

‘Probably the most exciting time was going through Guatemala. We had to climb in first gear for about an hour going up the side of a volcano on precipitous narrow roads and there were no sign posts anywhere in central America.

‘GPS doesn’t work in central America and we were supposed to be going to Lake Atitlan, which is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, but it was 8pm at night, it was dark and we suddenly saw a sign post saying the road was closed ahead.

‘We rang the hotel and it meant a huge deviation without any signs so we stayed at a hotel at about 8,500 feet and we were the first people that stayed in that hotel in 20 years I should think.

‘There was no central heating, it was bitterly cold, the bed was damp and we said: ‘Where can we have some food?’

‘They said: ‘The restaurant is closed but we have some eggs and we can do you a boiled egg.’

‘My wife said “Right, come into the kitchen and I’ll show you how to make an omelette”.

‘So she went into the kitchen and made them an omelette and the one saving grace was that they had a lot of wine.’

The father-of-one continued: ‘We lost count of how many times we were stopped by the police in Spanish America, but the record was five times in three hours driving through Honduras.

‘We enjoyed it, I have to say, we had a wonderful time.’

As they toured the world, Mr Herdman and his wife shared the driving of the convertible car.

‘If we had a dollar for every photograph taken of that car we’d be very rich,’ Mr Herdman said. ‘In Nicaragua, in a particularly narrow street, the car in front just stopped so we couldn’t pass it.

‘A father and son jumped out and without saying anything, the son stood by the car, the father took five photographs of him, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap and they both went into their car and drove off.

‘Whenever we left the car to go sightseeing, anywhere in Latin America, we would always find a crowd of people around the car.

‘Other would also pull alongside you on the road and with people taking photographs.’

Mr Herdman said that as they approached home his wife had wanted to keep going.

‘But it had done so well, we just didn’t want to push our luck with it,’ he joked.

To celebrate the achievement, the Royal Automobile Club is to put the Bristol 405, registration 10 DPG, on display in the rotunda of its Pall Mall clubhouse from January 3.

Ben Cussons, chairman of the Royal Automobile Club motoring committee, said: ‘We are always pleased to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our club members and Geoffrey Herdman’s is clearly one of the most remarkable.’

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
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Lovely story, great car.
Bit curious about the “member of the Royal Automobile Club” though; does that mean he has RAC cover? In which case I am a member of the Automobile Association…is that as good?

– Sceptical, Cheltenham, UK, 27/12/2011 22:40

The other driver! did he get her name??

– Jeff Richardson , Expat and UK taxpayer – France, 27/12/2011 22:16

You left the car unattended in sainburys car park? but women park cars there! say no more.

– col, derby, 27/12/2011 22:07

My kinda story!!! I too want to drive around the world in a classic car along with my wife. But there are two problems. Firstly, I don’t own a classic car, and secondly, I don’t have a wife. But soon, both!!!
– Nicky, Wimbledon , 27/12/2011 17:46
Best advice Nicky. Just get the car

– bewick, northumberland, 27/12/2011 21:58

the ONLY Bristol I’ve ever even seen was in Port Merrion, Wales some , mmmm, 35+ years ago,
Beautiful and luxurious machine and STILL British I think. The owner was one Tim Rice who disembarked, was recognised but not mobbed, and retired to his house to write more songs.
Then again some 20 years ago I visited New Zealand. There were SO many classic cars it was unbelievable.
NONE of them were rust buckets because Kiwi roads aren’t salted, Indeed most aren’t even “metalled” with tarmac.
There were cars still running that were around here in the 50s (the Kiwis are expert in repair because they have to be) . It was a classic car dream and all right hand drive.
The highlight for me was to see a circa 1960 Sunbeam Rapier in superb condition. Around 1965 I owned one and it was superb but sadly fell to the Rootes Group curse of rust. Loved that car. (wipes a tear from his eye)

– bewick, northumberland, 27/12/2011 21:55

Doesn’t surprise me in the least, when I owned and ran a car, it was damaged every single time I took it to ASDA. Ended up one mass of scratches, and dents from where lazy shoppers would drag trolleys down the side of it, whilst taking short-cuts to get to their cars…. or leave trolleys loose in the car-park after loading their vehicles up, so that gusts of wind would propel them into other parked cars…..I even sat and watched, in amazement one particular day, as one cigarette puffing middle aged blonde woman driving a 4X4 loaded her vehicle up, then pushed the trolley very hard so that it went careering across the carpark and straight into the side of a persons car…she then got in and drove off. Another friend had many thousands of pounds damage caused to their brand new two day old BMW by someone in a 4X4 who drove down the entire side of it damaging their car from front to back…perhaps unsurprisingly, no-one witnessed the ‘accident’…

– Anon , Lancs, 27/12/2011 21:51

Sympathise completely. Just spent £600 getting supermarket dents out of my car. Caught one elderly woman getting out of the passenger side of her duaghters car banging her door on my car – totally unaware of her actions, no apologies when remonstrated with. Her daughter was most upset at my anger to the point where she was prepared as she said “to call my husband to sort you out”.

– phil, rotherham, south yorks, 27/12/2011 21:46

Woman driver, I bet!

– RB, Aberdeen, 27/12/2011 21:21

OK Who thinks it was a woman parking too close with the kids out of control ? Come on you know who you are …..

– Neil, Spain., 27/12/2011 20:27

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