THE DAY MY DAD WON A FORD CONSUL CAPRI

It is Friday 9^th March 1962, and a young Mountain Ash resident named Martyn Williams has been allowed to watch television that evening. The ITV line-up includes Rawhide, starring Eric Fleming, and a young actor named Clint Eastwood, at 730pm, followed by a screening of Cat and Mouse, an undistinguished 1958 B-feature featuring Lee Patterson and his amazing quiff. But commencing at 7pm is the reason for the Williams family’s viewing – Martyn’s father will be competing on Take Your Pick!, and the star prize might even be a car.

Younger readers may be unaware of Take Your Pick! but from 1956 to 1968, it was one of Independent Television’s most popular quiz shows. One advantage was that, unlike the rival Double Your Money, it was entirely Hughie Green-free while the prizes could be genuinely spectacular. Each week Michael Miles, a tall genial New Zealander, invited the guests to take part in the “Yes-No Interlude” -

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On surviving this round, the compere would eventually ask whether they wished to “take the money” or take a gamble and “open the box”. The unfortunate might go home with a box of matches or some prunes. By contrast, the lucky might be flown to Sydney Harbour Bridge, or in Trevor Williams’s case, receive the keys to a brand-new Ford Consul Capri. One of the show’s hostesses recently confirmed that Miles did not know in advance which prize was in which box, so the climax to Take Your Pick! could be genuinely nerve-wracking.

Associated-Rediffusion, the London ITV franchisee, produced the show, but occasionally they would take the quiz ‘on the road’. For example, in early 1962, Television Wales & The West of England aired Take Your Pick! from their studios in Pontcanna. Martyn explains, “What happened was that Dad and my uncle were in the audience. The floor manager asked for a volunteer to do a sketch; Dad did it - and was chosen”.

And on the 9^th March, Mr. Williams made the wise decision not to accept Mr. Miles’s offer of £17 for the key but open ‘Box Number Three’ – “Dad chose that box as I was aged three at that time”. Of course, from a distance of 60 years, it is hard to convey the impact of winning a Ford worth £915 12s 3d to a young family, and Mr. Williams later told the press, “I couldn’t have afforded to buy a car. Now we can have a first class touring holiday this summer”. And this was not just any vehicle but a Consul Capri, one of the most striking-looking British cars of its generation.

The Capri debuted in September 1961, four months after the launch of the Classic 315 saloon, and Ford reserved the first examples for export. British sales commenced on the 3^rd January 1962, and many drivers were understandably mesmerised at what was essentially a scaled-down Thunderbird. “Once you get the feel of it, you won’t want to hold back”, promised the sales copy, as well as a coupe that was “a sleek and elegant extension of your own personality”.

As for the Williams’s Capri, Martyn recalls, “It was sold back to the dealer and the money used to buy a house. The car was so stunning, Dad thought it may get vandalised - he could not relax with it parked outside on the road”. Unfortunately, A-R did not record many editions of Take Your Pick! but there is always hope that an archivist may one day find a tape from the 9^th March 1962. For now, Martyn’s photographs and newspaper clippings are utterly priceless – and as he put its “I can remember the smell of the seats”.

With Thanks To – Martyn Williams