Hello Stuart, the article ‘Morris through Africa’ in your March 2019 issue has reminded and prompted me to write to you about the ‘well-used’ Morris Traveller I acquired in the late ʼ60s.
The car was previously owned by a magician with the name of ‘The Great Fakiro’ and was decorated on all panels with paintings of him swallowing swords and light bulbs and doing all sorts of magical tricks. As an amateur spray painter, I attempted to cover up the artwork but the more coats of paint I applied, the more the images reappeared – scary stuff! While doing this and cleaning out the inside of the car, I came across a service label (the type that the garage used to place on the inside of the door frame) from a Shell Garage in Cairo with a mileage of just under 100 000 miles. After driving the vehicle for a few months it was stolen, but three weeks later it was returned to exactly the same spot it was stolen from. Maybe The Great Fakiro did his magic and had the car returned to its rightful owner.
Love your magazine.
Kind regards,
Boet Le Roux
Hi Boet, what a magical story. Glad the Traveller came home to roost. What happened to the car in later years? I wonder if it is still around somewhere and whether or not ‘The Great Fakiro’ paint job was ever covered up. Considering its original owner’s occupation and the difficulties of cross-continent travel in the 1960s, one can only imagine that the stories the wagon could tell would be legendary. If you happen to find an image, please send a copy on to us. Thanks for the support.