In the annals of psychological medicine, one sometimes comes across the term Savant Syndrome, where an individual develops a deep, comprehensive and uncanny photographic memory for one particular subject. I remember meeting one client some years ago, who had an unbelievable recall for days, dates and numbers-just give him a date from twenty, thirty, or fifty years ago, and in flash computer fashion, he would immediately give you the exact day that data fell on, with no mistakes whatsoever! The seminal film Rainman, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, gave an excellent graphic description of this condition.

Such cases are hard to come by, especially locally. But some weeks ago I had the good fortune to run into a man whose knowledge of old cars can be summed up as nothing short of encyclopedic. That person is Charles Sammut, who off the cuff, will tell you all about the origins, owner/s, life history, technical details, highlights, and present residence and state of nearly all significant old cars, especially sports cars, which have graced the local roads in the past hundred years!

For over forty years this man with an insatiable passion for old cars has been acquiring vintage, veteran and classic cars, rebuilding many of them, then soon disposing of these vehicles in order to move on to yet another restoration project. Yet Charles shows no visible sign of burnout symptoms despite being in his early sixties and the retirement stage. How did this burning passion evolve, I asked him when I went to his house in Mosta recently.

It seems that genetic makeup affects not only the physical and intellectual features of the individual, but also one's likes, dislikes, and idiosyncrasies. "My fatherlohn Mary, who was an overseas telephone operator, had a chronic obsession for old cars, which he gave vent to in his garage - a regular shrine in his free time", recalls Charles. "In this part time work he specialized intoning, carburetors and other delicate engine work. From a tender age, I followed unfailingly in my father's footsteps. We played cognitive and perceptual games together: he would show me car parrs on manuals at home, which I would then identify later in the garage".

Charles was the eldest of three boys, but the other two had greater affinity with sports, and showed absolutely no inclination towards the four wheeler. This jelled further the bonding between Charles and his father, who soon built him a wooden and aluminium pedal car. This shortly gave way in the play stable to another brand new, gleaming, mechanical pedal car, a step which sowed the seeds of continual and regular car replacements in the absorbent mind of the young child - a prelude of things to come!

"I remember various cars my father had, but one type stands our, smiles Charles as he meanders down memory lane. "It was a very rare 1933 BSA Singer, which he bought and rebuilt together with his brother kihn. I used to look forward to Sunday runs in the sports carte Ghajn Tuffieha and Armier, in the company of my brothers Pacifico and Joseph".

Despite being more technically minded, Charles had to sit (successfully) for the Lyceum entrance examination. "I came from a family with a long tradition of teachers, so I was expected to follow suit'', explains Charles. "However, my love for old cars continued unabated. I used to go by bus from Mosta to Sliema for maths private lessons. Making an early start. I would stop in Msida, walking to Shema all the may and taking in the vehicles adoming the showrooms of Muscat, Mizzi, Vanguard Garage (renowned for sports cars), the Services Garage (now housing Forestals), as well the loinwell area, packed with Servicemen's cars. There was also an added bonus, for with the money saved from the bus fares, I would buy the occasional copy of Autocar or Motor Magazine!"

Besides coping with his study workload, Charles continued to find (or make) time to frequent the family's garage. While the father was more mechanically minded, the son developed sharp skills in spray and body work. Well before eighteen years of age, he became well versed in driwing."One of my father's clients owned a motoring school in Monte. We used to service and spray his cars, and I started to deliver the cars myself to his garage on completion of the job", confesses
Charles in an unrepentant tone and with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Soon after completing his 0 levels in 1961, Charles entered the doll service and was posted at the Agriculture Department, beginning a career which eventually spanned more than forty years working at the Pilkall markets. "Part of my tasks was collecting cash from the various depots at Rabat, Birkirkara, Monte, Mersa and 2ebbug. This involved an early start to the day - at 4.30am - but I had no complaints as consequently I finished early too, giving me more time to fiddle around with the cars in the garage".

A year later, Charles had bought his first old car. "It was a Saturday night and I was on a date with my future wife, Lily", he recalls with nostalgia. "We were walking near Lintorn Barracks in Floriana (now housing the Inland Revenue Department), when we came face to face with a parked 1946 MG TC. Cu-    1946 prd s arrows hit hard and fast! I gleaned more information about the vehicle from a nearby    MG watchman, who informed me that it belonged to a British RAF captain stationed at Castille. I made it a point to go and see him first thing on Monday morning, and he told me that he would contact me when the terrnination of his tour of duty in Malta was approaching. Fortunately for me, this was only a few months away, and true to his word, he sent me a letter. I got this old English white coloured gleaming model in full working condition for LM100".

While Charles was overjoyed with this acquisition, the same reaction was missing from his parents' repertoire. They admonished their son in no mean way, describing the attractive sports car as unbecoming of a young engaged man embarking on the eventual path of marriage, and that a "family car" would be more appropriate. Persistent pressure finally persuaded Charles to part from his first love, and his next purchase was a Fiat 600. Although in very good shape, he decided it to strip it, and besides refining the mechanical details, he changed the inept yellow and black colour combination to a light blue factory works colour.

The 1960s was a time when Malta was teeming with British servicemen who came and departed after their tour of duty, but most of their cars were left behind. "There were no many opportunities around", blurts out Charles excitedly. "I used to go straight to the classified pages of the Times to detect bargains. Another rewarding source was the large notice board at the side entrance of the NAAFI establishment near St. lames Cavalier (now a post office branch), where servicemen would advertise their wares for sale. I got a Wolseley for LM8, and a Topolino for LM30! I was bursting with enthusiasm, as there was no much choice! So many of my dreams were materialising! Yet no one single car stayed too long in my garage. After the initial thrill of the hunt, I could not stay long with the kill, so I had to move on to getting another old car".

It seems that such enthusiasm was infectious to the extent of a mini epidemic, for in 1965 Charles got together with three other young Mosta men, with the aim of buying old cars to build up a collection for eventual public consumption. These were Dr. Joseph Xuereb, a general practitioner addicted to old cars; Paul Micallef, a mechanic; and Emanuel Borg, an engineer. The group made several purchases, including a 1922 Model T Ford, a 1929 Studebaker, a 1933 Daimler, and a 1934 Monis Oxford. Their condition varied from excellent to precariously lethal - as Charles found out when together with some of his colleagues, he had a lucky shave when the two back brakes of the Model T turned out to be completely useless as he drove down Wardija Hill into the main traffic artery of Burmarrad Road!

Alas the Mosta collectors' group was short lived, as differences on how to forge forward surfaced. Some wanted to barness the old timers to the full on the road, while others opted for jacking them up and preserving them in showroom condition. The cars were eventually sold, some finding local buyers while others ended overseas. Charles had a soft spot for the Daimler, for it was his official wedding car. "It was sold to a Sicilian collector", he recalls. "A few years ago, on their annual trip to Sicily, members of the Old Motors Club coincidentally met this collector, who took them to his garage to
view the Daimler - it is still fully functional and in regular use. It's a small world!"

Charles, who by nature is a quiet, unassuming man, decided to continue collecting old cars on    Charles his own. He yearns for those days when bureaucracy was minimal or non existent. "I once had a Vauxhall 12, and was driving through Gzira when I saw a man washing a marvelous black Jaguar. I stopped in my tracks and started a conversation with him. The man - a Serviceman - started complaining about the maintenance and upkeep of his car. I asked him whether he was interested in exchanging the Jaguar for the Vauxhall, and the deal was done

on the spot. I returned to Mosta proudly showing off this 1948 sumptuous vehicle", recounts a beaming Charles. There was no lengthy transfer process then, no log books - all one needed was to eventually go to the local police station and fill in a simple transfer form.

Another quick exchange occurred when Charles was at a Monte petrol station filling up his then Fiat Topolino Giardinera - an estate car with a wooden body. "This was a lengthy procedure, as I had to open the bonnet to locate the fuel tank. A shining 1946 1.5 Riley RME glided in at an adjacent position. The driver-another Serviceman with a family in tow - observed how economical my vehicle was in contrast to his. How about an exchange, I queried? We reached a deal that same evening over a pint a beer in a pub!"

Not every purchase was a bed of roses. "A 1947 flat radiator Morgan gave me quite a number of sleepless nights". says Charles with a wry smile. "I saw this car at a repairs garage, where the verdict was that since no pistons for a rebore were available, the car was a write off. The owner, a hairdresser from Shema, gave up on it, and I bought it for LM30. I then searched intensely overseas and finally located appropriate parts in the UK. After a thorough job, I got the car back on the road. Then a problem cropped up. I had not bothered to proceed with the transfer form, and when the previous owner saw the Morgan restored to its former glory, he refused to sign it I had to take legal action, although fortunately we reached an out of court settlement. The cans now in Canada".

Charles reckons that around 200 old cars must have passed through his hands. Any vehicle with a chequered lineage, I probe? His eager eyes light up as another story unfolds. "I was walking around the San Anton Gardens area with Lily, when suddenly we came upon a 1934 Triumph Gloria - a rara avis indeed - parked outside a house. I plucked up courage and knocked on the door. Luckily the owner (another Serviceman!) came out, and seeing my keen and exuding interest agreed to contact me before leaving the island. He kept his promise, and later wrote to me, also disclosing that since the car had developed big end bearing knocking. I could have it for LM18. What manners of gentlemen! What chivalry! You could depend on the British Servicemen's word of honour, for they oozed trust. In all my dealings with them, none ever let me down".

As with the other vehicles, Charles repaired, rebuilt and resprayed the Triumph in British racing green prior to selling it The new owner also wanted to leave his own imprint on it, and while he was investigating the inner body, came across a brass plaque which declared the car as a very rare ex works rally car, which had been driven by the legendary Donald Healey! The owner contacted the UK Triumph Owners Club, who sent a delegation to Malta, and the find was confirmed as genuine. "I had missed the plaque completely", says a disappointed Charles. "But I had a gut feeling that this car was special, as it had two spare tyres on top of each other on the outside of a large rear petrol tank - a sure sign of racing history". 

Of all the cars that he owned and restored, Charles picks up a 1970 Morris 1000 Traveller as    1000
his favourite and greatest rehabilitation job. "This was a complete rebuilt task, with the car    Traveller dismantled to the last nut and bolt. It took me time, energy and effort, but the result was
worthwhile, for it was revamped to concourse conditions before I sold it", he states with jus-
tifiable pride. He admits to a soft spot for the Morris 1000- his current classics are another 1970 Morris 1000 and a 1966 MGB GT. Charles is also a regular contributor to the UK Minor Monthly, writing articles about local vehicles branding the Morris marque.

Although aware of the existence of the Old Motors Club, Charles was in no particular hurry to join, and it was only through the insistence of his friends that he became a member some years ago. With his background skills and experience, a committee job was soon beckoning, and after a stint as secretary, he is now events coordinator. "As an old cars enthusiast, the OMC gives me great satisfaction, although the position that I currently hold involves much running around and takes up a significant amount of my time", he states in a non complaining tone.

What about his family, I enquire? "My wife Lily has been a strong source of constant support    Chairs throughout', he reveals. "I always discuss my dealings with her, both prior and after. Besides taking a keen interest, she has been a tremendous help in doing the upholstery, carpeting and hood of many of the cars. She also likes to accompany me on OMC cues to. My only regret is that none of our four daughters, and their partners, show any genuine liking for old cars".

Lily must also be a very good cook, for the smell of her cooking wafting in the kitchen where Charles and I have been talking for three hours, is stimulating my taste buds and stomach juices. Before I leave, I ask Charles about his other hobbies. "lam very fond of cycling, fishing, as well as boats, but the old cars leave me very little time for other outlets", he sighs. "The satisfaction and fulfillment they give me is second to none, and I feel I can sit back and relax - until the next challenging car project appears on the horizon!"
 

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