Mary Cummins from Kilmessan in Co Meath entered the record books when she “scrapped” her 30-years-old Fiesta in favour of a new model.
Speaking at the handover of a new 2010 Ford Fiesta to Mary, John Robinson said: “As far as we know, this is the oldest car that has been traded in as part of the Government scrappage scheme. The car was first registered in May 1980 and is still going strong – it is a testament to the build quality of the original Fiesta and underlines why the car has continued to be a favourite with Irish motorists right up to today.”
Mary and her husband Pat’s family have owned the car since it was registered in 1980. Originally, Pat’s uncle and aunt, William and Elizabeth Cummins of Dunsany, bought the car new before passing it on to Mary and Pat.
Mary says the car had become like an extra member of their family. They affectionately called it the “Red Ferrari” and the car achieved something approaching celebrity status on the roads around Kilmessan in the last few years.
“Everywhere we went in it, people would always comment about it,” says Mary. “ I suppose it is such a rarity to see such an old car on the roads of Ireland these days. I will really miss it, but I have to admit I am looking forward to driving our new Fiesta which I think is just a little bit more stylish than our ‘Red Ferrari’.”
Like thousands of other Irish motorists who learned to drive in a Fiesta, both Mary’s son and daughter took their first driving lessons in the car.
The standard equipment on Mary and Pat’s new Fiesta (1.25 litre petrol ) such as ABS, electric mirrors and windows, air bags, and remote locking, are items that could very well have featured on the 1980’s hit TV show Tomorrow’s World when their original Fiesta first hit the road. In addition, Mary and Pat will have to get used to using such “mod cons” as headrests, five-gears, power steering and even a radio (there was no radio in the “Red Ferrari” ).
Do you know of any older car that has been (or will be ) traded in as part of the Government Car Scrappage Scheme?
