Express & Star

Rare Collier micro-car to be restored at Tettenhall museum

A transport museum is set to restore an extremely rare car from the West Midlands.

Published
The shell of the Collier Car made 50 years ago

The Collier, made in the 1960s, was rescued from a yard in Dudley and donated to the Tettenhall Transport Heritage Centre, Henwood Road, Wolverhampton.

The car was made by Bob Collier, who lived in Sutton Coldfield, and is the last of only five micro-cars he made that is still in one piece.

Alec Brew, curator of the musuem, said: “It’s been progressing slowly but surely. The engine is out at the moment.

"It will take two years to get it back on the road again.

"It was donated last week after one of our members saw it in a yard in Quarry Bank at a company that was going to restore it but never did.

“He inquired and the family were quite pleased to pass it on.”

Four volunteers from the museum are now working on the project. Mr Brew said: “It’s unique, it’s local and that’s what we do. We’re a transport museum and this is our first car. We don’t have a lot of room but this is quite small and it only has three wheels.

“It’s a bit of local history that would have just rusted away into nothingness so we’re quite happy to restore it. It was all complete, but it’s been standing outside for probably decades. I’m very anxious to get driving it but that’s at least two years away.”

Mr Brew said he had no idea how much the final project would cost, adding: “We made the first purchase – a speedometer – for £25 off eBay.

"That will be the first of a long list of bills – some of which we’ve not even planned about yet.

“All labour will be free because of the volunteers so it’s parts and being a very rare car, many of the parts were off the shelf from other vehicles.”

The Collier Car has three wheels, four seats, with a single cylinder Briggs and Stratton engine mounted on the front wheel – along with a removable roof.