FOR GUISELEY man Steve Ellams parting with his beloved classic car proved not to be such sweet sorrow.

Steve, an ex-surgeon, had paid £2,500 for his MGB GT Jubilee in 1990. After carrying out a total rebuild he went on to take it - often accompanied by his wife, Jackie - to lots of shows before selling it three years later.

But the car continued to hold a special place in his heart and was not easily forgotten.

So when he spotted it on the cover of Classic Car Weekly magazine during a trip to a local supermarket he decided that he simply had to get it back.

Steve had to pay double what he had originally to purchase the vehicle from Trophy Cars, in Lincolnshire, but has now given it a £3,500 refit which has boosted its value to £11,000.

The GT Jubilee holds many fond memories for Steve and Jackie, who has also been delighted to welcome it ‘home’.

The couple had enjoyed taking it to classic motor shows at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre and it also played a key role in the early days of their relationship.

Steve said: “I took Jackie out on our first date in the car. We did loads of shows together, including at Harewood House many times, but it nearly all ended in disaster when I asked Jackie to clean the grass out of the tyres at one of the concourse events!

“We got married at Gretna Green on New Year’s Eve, 1994 and the car by then had been swapped for an MG TD.

“At the time of rediscovering the car I had a soft top MG RV8 - it was a no brainer to sell this in preference to the Jubilee GT. The V8 was very limited in carrying capacity while the Jubilee is a little like a hatch back and, as we had acquired a West Highland Terrier when we moved to Guiseley, it is now fit for purpose.”

The Jubilee GT still has all of its documents so Steve has been able to look through all of the work that has been carried out over the years.

Its latest rebuild included a total respray, a set of new tyres and a major engine and suspension overhaul. Steve described the experience of being able to work it once more, nearly three decades after first owning it, as ‘amazing’.

The MGB GT Jubilee was produced as a Limited Edition in 1975 to celebrate 50 years of the MG Car Company, with each car fitted with a plaque bearing the original owner’s name. The cars are painted in Dark British Racing Green with large gold stripes, and have gold and black Dunlop V8 composite wheels.

Of the 750 that were made about 350 have survived and the model is highly regarded - but Steve says has no plans to sell his any time soon.