Rare gem gets a polish

It is an Arrol Aster and it seems certain that this same car is now preserved at the National Museums of Scotland collection centre in Edinburgh, one of only two Arrol Asters it knows to exist, the other - a different model - being in Australia.

We published this photo, which came from Ian Lucas, who is the one polishing the car, the other day. It was taken in Oswestry in about 1961.

According to the museums' records the car in its collection was first registered in Shropshire on May 5, 1928, and was bought by one George Riley, a popular auctioneer in Oswestry.

Mr Keeble, from Leominster, is his nephew, and the first snippet he can provide is that the correct spelling is Ryley.

"George Ryley was an uncle of mine. He was my mother's sister and he was born in Wem. He was a partner in the firm of Whitfield and Ryley in Oswestry.

"I'm in my 80s now and remember them talking about the Aster, although I can't remember seeing the vehicle. It was spoken of with awe.

"He obviously passed his love of old cars to his son who has only recently died, who had Bentleys and Aston Martins and things like that."

Gerry says George married into the Eckford family of Wem who popularised the sweet pea.

"George Ryley married Charlotte Eckford, known as Lottie.

"He gave up auctioneering either during or shortly after the war and retired to take up a guest house on the south coast. I have an idea it was at Hythe, but in any event they finished up at Bournemouth.

"My grandfather, George Ryley's father, was Walter Ryley, a master butcher in Wem.

"I had never seen your picture before and was very interested to see it. It was a spectacular motor. If there are only or two left it will be worth a bob or two."

The NMS has had the car, which is not on display, since 1990, having bought it at auction.

Arrol-Aster was a short-lived car maker, based in Dumfries. Its cars were complex and expensive, and so did not sell well. The company went into receivership in 1929 and finally closed in 1931.