"THE little car with a big heart" is back from its latest adventure.
The 1953 Ford Popular, dubbed the Flying Tortoise, arrived back in North Wales, along with owner/driver Ian Glass and navigator navigator Ray Jones, after completing the Monte Carlo Classique for the third time.
The Flying Tortoise in Monte Carlo.
The trio, who have a combined age of 204, drove from North Wales to Glasgow before starting the rally that took them through Dumfries, Harrogate, Dover, Calais, Valence, Barcelona and Oslo.
The Flying Tortoise cruised along Alpine passes before descending towards the Mediterranean and then to Monte Carlo to follow a section of the famous Grand Prix circuit before crossing the finishing ramp at the harbour. All without a single breakdown or major hiccup, despite having "the least power, least gears, and least brakes" in the field of more than 300 cars.
Ian with the car in Rhosddu.
Ian, of Llandyrnog, said: “We had a lot of laughs.
"We had a superb time. A lot f he other cars had problems or broke down, but the Flying Tortoise kept going!"
The car attracted a lot of interest. In the villages we were visiting there was a real carnival atmosphere even if we didn't arrive until three in the morning."
On this trip, Ian was supporting the Community Care Hub, run by the Community Care Collaborative (CIC) and based at the Salvation Army building in Rhosddu.
To this end, Ian added the legend “WREXHAM STREETS TO WALK ON, NOT SLEEP” to the side of the car, which Ian rescued from a field in Denbigh where it was “resplendent in two-tone green and rust" after spending years abandoned.
The “one stop shop” for Wrexham rough sleepers, which enables them to access a wide range of services one the same day all under one roof, is open every Friday. It is there for homeless people so they can access advice and support around mental health, physical health, substance misuse, housing, benefits, domestic violence and probation services.
Ian with service director Dewi Richards and Beth Jones.
Service director Dewi Richards said the ethos behind the hub was to bring services to the people that need them.
It is now hoped the Flying Tortoise, powered by a 1172cc side-valve engine that gives just 30bhp and a top speed of 60mph, will ride again at events to raise funds for the hub.
Ian added: "It was too late to organise raising money for them on this trip, but I'm hoping we can do something else to raise funds for them in the future."
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