The Adventures of a Vintage Car (1966)
Mr. Oldcastle had to sell Gumdrop, his wonderful vintage car, and his new owners did not look after him very well. He lost his lamps when two burglars stole him, his engine and battery went to run the police cement mixer, his instruments and, in the end, his wheels too.
He was then dumped in a field where a tramp slept in him every night. One day Bill McArran, a vintage car enthusiast, bought him and towed him home. Bill and his wife repaired him and eventually he was able to get back all the bits that were missing and won first prize in the vintage car rally.
Gumdrop and the Farmer’s friend (1967)
Bill McArran was driving Gumdrop when he met up with an old traction engine that had broken down on its way to a vintage rally. Bill fixed it and it drove off. Soon Gumdrop ran out of petrol and Bill went off to a garage with a can.
Two men in a tow truck saw Gumdrop at the side of the road and decided to steal him but, as they drove off, they were held up by the parade of vintage cars headed by the slow moving traction engine. And Gumdrop was saved.
Gumdrop on the Rally (1968)
One day the Red Lion Car Park was full of vintage cars. It was a car rally and one of the cars was blue with a black hood. It was Gumdrop, driven by Bill McArran, and he had his number 9 on the front. Bill was driving down a country lane when a young man told him to turn left-- the wrong way.When Bill and Gumdrop became lost down the country lane they found a little boy who was also lost. They took him home to the farm and the farmer gave Bill a can of oil as a present. And so it went on --- they helped a girl get her horse to the jumping competition and received sparking plugs as a present, they got an instruction book from the Mayor, vintage tools from a farmer, and a vintage petrol can. All for helping people.
Suddenly a motor bike, driven by the young man, skidded and a parcel fell off---- he had stolen the prizes for the rally. Bill returned them and although they did not win the rally they received all the presents and were awarded a brass starting handle for their kindness to other people.
Gumdrop on the Move (1969)
As we saw in the very first Gumdrop story Mr. Oldcastle had to sell Gumdrop and, some time later, he saw that an Austin Heavy 12/4 was for sale in an auction. He was sure that it was his old Gumdrop so he went to the auction.
The car, however, was sold to Mr Banger who then sold it to a racing driver. After a number of owners, who all removed bits and pieces of Gumdrop, Mr Oldcastle came across a yellow painted wreck in a farmer's field. At the local scrap dealers he found all the pieces that the various owners had removed and sold and, when he re-built the wreck, he realised that he had, at last, got his old Gumdrop back again
Gumdrop goes to London (1971)
Mr Oldcastle and Gumdrop were invited to take part in a television broadcast in London and while they were driving through the city a bank robbery took place. The robbers dashed off in a yellow car and upset a lot of people who all jumped into Gumdrop to join the chase. There was Sgt. Bluemantle a policeman, a beefeater, a judge. the big drummer, from the band, a Chelsea Pensioner and finally a trombone player. Gumdrop went as fast as he could with all the passengers and two soldiers on horseback followed along behind.
Suddenly the robbers swerved in to a carpark and, jumped out of their car and ran into the building. "It is the TV Studios," cried Mr oldcastle and everyone trooped in after him. The robbers ended up right in the studio that was expecting Mr Oldcastle and Sgt, Bluemantle hancuffed the two robbers. Gumdrop was brought into the studio and everyone stood around and sang a special song.
Gumdrop Finds a Friend (1973)
Gumdrop in Double Trouble (1975)
