Update 1

The first modification to the car - see the first image following 'How it all started' - consisted of adding a pair of Perspex water deflectors that were attached to the windscreen frame. The design was based on the wind deflectors that could be bought for production cars - these allowed the front side windows to be open without creating a draught for the occupants.

The sidescreens on the EM did not fit particularly well so rain entry was a constant problem. The deflectors worked well but with the hood and sidescreens off, there was the danger of losing an eye when getting into and out of the car. To be honest, there were not many occasions when the car was driven with the hood off unless we undertook a +3 hour journey on a fine day. Taking the hood and sidescreens off was an time-consuming chore for short journeys such as shopping and commuting.

The second image shows the modification that allowed the boot space to be more useful. Instead of resting the spare wheel on top of the petrol tank, it was lowered into the space in front of the tank and the resultant excess height that prevented the boot lid from closing was eliminated by a localised lowering of the boot floor. This resulted in a bulge - in which the wheel sat - under the tail of the car.

The result was satisfactory apart from the bulge touching the hump on some of our rutted Essex country roads and eventually the resultant damage persuaded me to remove the modification.

The car was used as our only means of transport until our first child arrived and it then became less frequently used but the arrival of another child and my wife now driving meant that the EM was again in full use for my commuting.

This continued until a major refurbishment, including a new hood and screens, became necessary in the 70s. The hood was not as efficient as the original and the new version of the water-deflecting 'flap' that was meant to prevent the entry of the rainwater that was driven up the windscreen proved to be completely useless.

The rainwater problems, plus the deterioration of the petrol tank that produced a regular blockage of the petrol pump - despite fitting a filter in the fuel line - became unacceptable and the EM was taken off the road in late 1978.

It then languished under plastic covers in various parts of the garden until being put under partial cover in the late 1990s where it remained until June 2009.

How it all started

In mid-1959, we decided to spend a precious few hundred pounds on the purchase of a kit car.
Although our car at the time was a 1938 MG TB, we were not involved in trials, hill-climbing and the like and used it only for social and commuting activities.
The MG had, however, developed a crack between the valve seats in one cylinder and in view of its age and the real possibility of further problems plus our need to have a car that met our reliability, comfort, sportiness and, very importantly, our economic requirements, we decided to purchase a FAIRTHORPE Electron Minor 1.
For readers who are unfamiliar with the then current tax system, Purchase Tax (the forerunner of VAT) was not charged - in our case, a major factor - if the assembly of the car was carried out by the purchaser. The basic cost of the kit was £503 but if bought assembled, the cost rose to £713 14s 2d or £713.71!
After delivery (costing just over £10!) in a BR road/rail container to a local pub that had a large lock-up garage for hire, we set to work and, with the occasional assistance of my father-in-law, had the car on the road in just over a month of evenings and weekends.
Digital cameras were still many years away in 1959 and although we had a 35mm Kodak Retina 1A (another blast from the past), we did not find the time to take photos - much to our later regret.
The earliest photos we have were taken in 1961 when the car was nearly two years old. Two major modifications had been carried out by then and these can be seen in the photos that follow.