An American automobile with a King Alfred connection
At the Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) we are proud of our carefully restored and nurtured collection of buses and coaches, but there is another vehicle in our fleet that has stayed out of the limelight – up until now!
An incredible American automobile which was long the prized possession of the joint Managing Director of King Alfred Motor Services, Mr Bob Chisnell, was given to us quite a few years ago. In a poor state, it has languished in our sheds, but now it is to take on a new lease of life with a complete rebuild and a return to its former glory! This is a very rare car in Britain. Fewer than 4,000 right hand drive Ramblers of this model were built (mainly, it is believed, for the Australian market).
It is an American Motors Corporation (AMC) Classic 770, straight six OHV 3802cc petrol engine four door saloon, built by Rambler, Canada. (There is a theory that right hand drive models, such as this, were assembled in Slough, UK).
Mr Bob Chisnell was impressed by the model at the 1965 Earls Court Motor Show in London and, following the family tradition of choosing American cars, promptly bought one. DOR 9C was first registered almost sixty years ago on 14 December 1965, making 2025 its Diamond Jubilee year! In King Alfred days, the car was often seen parked on the forecourt of Hillside Garage, usually with a live poodle sitting on the back shelf! The last tax disc found in it expired on 31 March 1979 and the car thereafter stood in Mr Bob’s drive in Quarry Road, Winchester. During this period the engine seized severely from lack of use and the bodywork suffered from the weather, but Mr Bob would not part with his beloved Rambler.
Following his death in 1988 his widow Hilda very generously presented it to FoKAB member Robert Jowitt, who had long been an admirer of the car. He organised the rebuilding of the engine and many other parts of the car, and it first passed an MoT again in April 1996.
Robert was this exotic automobile’s custodian for a number of years, using it to convey his young family about until in around 2000 when it suffered a failure that took it off the road. It was then kept under cover until at least 2010 before being passed to FoKAB, where, because of the pressure of other projects it has been laying in one corner or another, under cover in dry storage but gathering dust, right up until now.
Enter a wonderful and munificent benefactor, in the shape of a FoKAB member, who has offered to sponsor the restoration of DOR 9C to running order – a tall order, but one which, when achieved, will mean that once the fire-damaged Leyland Olympic 708 has been repaired, that all FoKAB’s vehicles are operational.
Our benefactor has been looking round for a suitable specialist vehicle restorer to take on the task – not easy, as it turned out, to find one, but a couple of months ago he located one, based at Silsoe in Bedfordshire.
So, on 24 June, a group of FoKAB members pushed the car out of its corner of repose so that it could be collected and spirited away to the experts, who will lovingly restore it. When it returns, FoKAB will have a very special car that is as much a part of the King Alfred Motor Services story as any other vehicle in our collection.
