Not only is this stylish car extremely eye-catching but it’s one that the proud owner first saw when he was fourteen. That was in 1977 and he fell in love with it straightaway, and after acquiring the car from his friend and then-owner, Brian Woolley, it’s been with Ed for more than forty years.

“I couldn’t believe that at just 17 years old I owned this fantastic looking car, and I immediately set about making it the best I could. The mechanical side was okay but it was poor cosmetically, so that’s where I started.”

A couple of years were spent on the rebuild and it was back on the road in 1982, but four years later Ed realised his dream of becoming an RAF pilot and the Nova had to take a back seat to his exciting career. It wasn’t until the middle of the 1990s that it received some more attention, including a respray and interior refurbishment, but then work stopped again.

“I’d become a long-haul airline pilot in 2007 but when the Covid pandemic hit in 2020 my career was on hold, which was a very stressful time. Working on the car again was the perfect tonic, and I really enjoyed undertaking this third and final rebuild.”

Work would get in the way again over the next few years, but he continued work on the car in his spare time and it is now complete. And just a couple of months ago he drove it for the first time in 36 years, so it really has been quite an ownership journey.

Originally designed by Richard Oakes at Automotive Design and Development, this particular Nova is the third prototype of the 175 made and was constructed in February 1972. The oldest and probably most original example in the world, it’s a fascinating part of this year’s display.