"I'm Inspiring The Next Generation"

Lorna's not just enjoying history - she's inspiring girls to consider engineering

- SUSIE KEARLEY

Lorna Mountford from Basingstoke is a keen participant in the Annual Kop Hill Climb motorsport event in Buckinghamshire. It takes place every September, raising money for local charities, and it attracts 16,000 visitors every year.

Lorna is a motorsport enthusiast who restored her own vehicle after taking lessons from her friend Tony on how to give a vintage vehicle a new lease of life.

She says, "My car is a restored 1931 car, with bodywork made by Swallow Side Cars and Coachbuilders Company, which later became Jaguar. "Back in those days, you'd have one company making the engine and chassis. They sold the bare chassis to another company, who would make the body. That was where Swallow stepped in."

Her beautiful pale blue car would look perfect in a 1930s TV show, or a wartime movie. It's a classic example of a luxurious car from the early days of motoring, now in tip-top condition, thanks to Lorna's hard work.

"My car is a very stylish car and it's quite unusual," she says. "There are fewer than ten of them in the UK. My dad bought it in bits and never got around to putting it together and restoring it, so eventually, I did it for him.

"I knew nothing about cars, so I had to learn the skills to do the restoration. I did a total nut and bolt reconstruction, which I finished in 2008-9. Then I started going to lots of events with it, including the Kop Hill Climb, Goodwood Revival, and club events, and I drove to Chanteloup near Paris twice for the French equivalent of Kop Hill Climb.