Jim Punter first laid eyes on a Morris Minor aged 14, when he got a Saturday job cleaning one in Hayes End.

And after owning one for a spell in the late 1960s, he jumped at the chance to snap up another – for the bargain price of £1.

Now he reckons it could be worth thousands, after mechanics spent months repairing it.

A customer brought the 1960 Morris Minor 1000 Traveller in to Mr Punter's business, Punters Garage, in New Road, Uxbridge, for an MOT. But when staff discovered it was in need of a complete overhaul, the customer intended to scrap the classic car.

Instead, he sold it at the lowest price possible to Mr Punter, whose team spent nearly five months restoring it back to its former glory, replacing the entire chassis and floor and refurbishing the woodwork, at a cost of around £1,200.

Mr Punter said: “My staff pleaded with me and said, 'If you don't mind us doing it in between jobs, we reckon we can do this.' It's nearly like new now.”

He added: “They got a huge amount of satisfaction doing it. They really enjoyed the process.”

Mr Punter, who collects classic cars, said he was now torn between keeping the vehicle and selling it on, reckoning it could be worth up to £8,000.