Gorgeous isn’t it? After a two-year search and several false starts I found the basis for the Flux Capacitor masterplan. My car – HPN 912N – has led a pretty peppered life.  Born in December 1974 it was one of about 60 (of the 120 cars made) purchased by a British electricity company to live life as a research vehicle.

Mine started out as a white car and was sent to Brighton with SEEBoard (South East Electricity Board) where it was used as both pool car and scientific experiment for future transportation.

It reportedly has been featured on Tomorrow’s World (although I’m still looking for footage) and more recently used by Quentin Willson as the booby prize on telly show Britain’s Worst Driver.

I bought this car for several reasons: Firstly there aren’t many for sale, so pickings are far from rich. Secondly, because it was heavily flood damaged about five years ago.

As you know electricity and water aren’t close friends so most of the original circuitry was dead.  But as my intention was to bring all of the electrics up to today’s technology none of it was needed.  It was a good haggling tool.  HPN 912N had been sat in a Bristol shed since being half-filled by the river Severn. Prior to that records show the Enfield had been restored back in the late ’90s.

Presumably it was at that time the then-owner thought it wise to bolt a Rover 216 radiator grille on it and paint the thing NHS Blue.

Once trailered home I could see that the car was pretty solid and straight. And complete, which is important when there is the small issue of very obsolete parts. For example, the heated windscreen is unique to the Enfield. Try finding one … Why Flux Capacitor? Well, in the ’70s every custom and race car had a name. As this is a vehicle from the past destined to travel at unholy speeds, I couldn’t stop thinking about Back To The Future and the fictitious electronic widget that powers the DeLorean. It was either that or Batt Outta Hell.

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