The Farina's l got into by accident. My dad was given one by a friend who had given up driving due to age. At the time l was drifting through cars while we were restoring my P5B, mainly ones my dad had sitting around. An old Audi 80, Renault 18, Lancia Beta, Austin Montego then he mentioned the Oxford saloon that Cecil had given him. As soon as l sat in it the time warp hit me & l was hooked, starting handle too & not always needed. What more could you want? While l was driving that it piqued dad's interest & he bought a Riley 4/72. Obviously she needed work so he attended to that, added a contrasting green to the lower half of the body & because she didn't run well, put her in a lock-up. Finally, Cecil's Oxford had deteriorated beyond usability & needed a lot of work so l reluctantly scrapped her (with Jeff, next door to Harvey's workshop with the queue of rear brake-less P6's meandering up the road). My P5 was on the road by that point but of course too good for everyday use. By then a Frogeye Sprite dad had bought was around, plus another P5B was in the family, (replacement interior courtesy of Harvey) more paternal interest piqued by my car.
I mentioned the Riley, dad gave me the key to the lock-up, l went over there & got her running by substituting the twin carbs for the Oxford's single item (she was still on the pile at Jeff's yard) & started running her daily. Later on an early morning (sleepy partner) spin on the M11 resulted in a crushed (rotten) sill on the grass bank. Footman James paid, my brother repaired it then l ran her until some Herbert half-inched her, doubtless for the banger track. Footman James paid out, dad & me split the money. So what was sitting around now? The Mk1a P5 of course, bought locally from a young chap who'd been running her as a cool old smoker. Sitting round the back of the house just waiting, bought then repaired with 'B' front wings with the lower light recesses removed & a new 'B' front valance l had picked up because it was there. The wings were from my dad's car, IIRC. That had gone to the banger track with an acquaintance of my brothers after we couldn't sell it (a running car with MoT for £500, try getting one now). Anyway l used & loved the Rover, another time warp. Had to have the head off to replace the rear O ring in the block, eventually replaced the low profile tyres with more appropriately sized items, a revelation, then on my way to work one morning another herbert came round a bend on my side of the road, hit her just off head-on & l went over a concrete bollard which did for her. I was gutted but Footman James paid out, dad & me split the money. I decided l wanted another Farina & l now liked estates so a scan through the ad's & £400/450? later l ended up with the car l have now, in nowhere near as good condition that she is in now. Mind you, she took daily service for a couple of years before any major work began & when this pesky virus has put it's head back below the parapet she'll be getting the crated recon engine l've had sitting around for a dozen years or so. An 1800 to match the one l bought her with. Hopefully at some point the MGB O/D 'box l have sitting around too.
That was a sunlit garden marathon & a half.