Meet The Owner – Ed Straw and his ADD Nova

One of the cars that stood out to us most on this year’s Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership stand at the Classic Motor Show, was an exceptionally rare 1972 ADD Nova owned by Ed Straw, who also happens to be a former Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster Bomber pilot.  We spoke to Ed about his experience of owning such a unique classic car and his history with the iconic Lancaster Bomber.

Could you tell us a little about your ADD Nova?

My ADD (Automotive Design and Development) Nova was designed by Richard Oakes and manufactured in February 1972.  It is the third prototype body of the 175 made at the Southampton works.  Now extremely rare, it is the earliest and possibly the most original example of the marque in the world.  

The Nova was originally bought and constructed by Mr Brian Woolley, a truly gifted engineer and renowned jazz clarinet player.  Wanting the best engine possible for his Nova Brian contacted Geoff Thomas, the Managing Director of Autocavan, agreeing the highest possible specification engine available at the time: a 2.2 litre flat four with a roller bearing crankshaft, high lift cam, and twin 40 Weber 40DCN carburettors. Brian even coupled the engine to a specially manufactured Hewland five speed transmission.  

I have owned this Nova now for 44 years; it has been such an integral part of my life and remains my pride and joy, it is something I would never sell. I consider this Nova as beautiful now as I did when I first saw it 47 years ago.  Having completed this restoration just in time for the Pride of Ownership show, the Nova hasn’t been driven much yet and prior to the show very few people had ever seen it or were aware of its existence, the car had remained unknown for decades.

How did you become a classic car enthusiast and owner?

The original owner Brian was a classic bike specialist and had many ongoing car and bike projects.  I particularly remember his shed at home being full of wonderful vintage motorcycles, the earliest being a 1923 Rex-Acme. Aged about 13, I was invited to Prescott Hill with Brian and my friend Trev; the sight of vintage Bugatti’s, and particularly the Ferraris, racing up the hill made a big impression on me. At this time I was also helping my friend Trev build a Dutton kit car, working on this project taught me so much and fuelled my enthusiasm for all things mechanical.

I first saw this Nova in 1977, aged 14.  It was under a pile of boxes at Brian’s sock factory in Shepshed, Leicestershire; I absolutely fell in love with it. Like any 14-year-old, I would dream of owning the Nova but never thought that dream would come true just three years later and that only happened because of the amazing generosity of the owner, Brian Woolley. 

I had lost my father four years earlier to cancer, and our garage at home was empty, so in 1979 it was agreed to move the Nova to my Mum’s house where I could look after it for Brian.  I loved having the car at home and tinkered with it almost every day; I was keen to improve it. In 1980, Brian, who had many classic car and bike projects, decided to give me the Nova in exchange for £200 and my Kawasaki KH250 motorbike which I was still too young to ride. This was exceptionally kind of him as I was barely out of school and had little money. Just turning 17, I now owned this amazing looking car; I could hardly believe it and set about trying to make it the best I could. 

Could you tell us about the restoration process and how you got the car to where it is today? 

Mechanically, the car was in pretty good shape, but cosmetically it was poor.  I soon had the car in bits and spent the next year rubbing it down, priming, and getting the car ready for re spray.  I then spent another year completing the rebuild, finally getting the car back on the road in 1982. After starting my first full time job in 1984, I rebuilt it a second time throughout 1985, making the improvements needed now that I had some money. I drove the car very occasionally and took it to the odd car show where I won prizes at Hindhead in 1983 and at Stoneleigh.

In 1986, I realised my lifetime ambition and joined the RAF to become a pilot. Life suddenly became very hectic, officer training was followed immediately by flying training. Service life was intense and I had to leave the Nova under wraps in my Mum’s garage. I did manage to drive the car a little bit in 1986 and 1987 but was then posted miles from home and became fully immersed in my military flying career.  

The latest restoration really started in 1993 when I was in the process of becoming a flying instructor. I was posted to within 100 miles of my Mum’s house and was able to continue with limited work on the car.  Unfortunately, the Nova had suffered the effects of damp in the garage and had noticeably deteriorated. I had made the decision 2 years earlier to take the car to bits again such that it could be re-sprayed, I also arranged for the dash and seats to be reupholstered.  

During 1995 and 1996 I managed some further work on the car, refitting the restored fuel tank along with the new gearbox I had purchased from America. However, due to my continued military career, then my marriage, a house renovation, the birth of my two children, then a house build, together with a change of career to civilian aviation, my Nova restoration remained an aspiration and depressingly low on life’s priority list.  

Leaving the RAF to become a long-haul airline pilot in 2007 didn’t help the situation either, I was away from home more than ever.  My mum passed away in 2013 and, as I was in the middle of a house renovation, I really struggled to house the Nova. For 12 months it lived in an outdoor Carcoon in my elderly neighbours back garden. Finally, in 2014, the car was moved from the tent to our new garage but, with the unfinished house still requiring so much work, and with a young family, I still couldn’t get near the car.

When Covid hit in early 2020, and with the aviation industry on its knees, I was put on furlough and convinced I was about to lose the job I loved. I found myself walking around in circles at home not knowing what to do, but soon found the answer by going into the garage, and, in March 2020, I recommenced the third and final rebuild of the Nova. I achieved a lot in those first few weeks, and found all the items, many irreplaceable, that I had packed away 27 years before, I was pleasantly surprised how well they had survived. Working on the car again was such a tonic, I loved it and easily recalled from decades before how things went back together.  

Good progress was soon halted as I was recalled to work after four weeks to fly cargo flights for the airline to Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, mainly to collect PPE.  These were gruelling flights, not being allowed off the aircraft in China, we were forced to fly back immediately staying on the aircraft for over 30 hours. Despite this, I carried on with the Nova restoration at home, albeit at a much slower pace. I did suffer some issues with the roof hydraulics, and the electrics particularly took months to sort out. I must thank my great friend Trev Chesterton for re-wiring the car so brilliantly.

I had hoped to finish the car in 2022 in time for its 50th birthday but work and another house move got in the way. However, I continued slowly making progress when work allowed. Working on the car one sunny evening in September, I suddenly decided it was time to drive it and, with my daughter in the passenger seat, I took the Nova for a gentle test drive almost exactly 36 years after I last drove it. The car wasn’t perfect but all went pretty well, thank goodness, and nothing fell off! 

Ed with his brother Jonathan (left) and the original owner’s son, Conty, who came to the Classic Motor Show especially. Ed hadn’t seen him since 1986.

Do you have any other cars in your collection? 

Yes, I do have one other Classic Car the same age as the Nova, 1972. It is Red, Italian, and widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cars ever made, it is like owning a piece of art. The car is not driven much sadly but I do love it and the Nova looks great sat alongside it.

How did you end up flying the iconic Lancaster Bomber?

I joined the RAF in 1986 and after Initial Officer Training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell commenced pilot training. I flew Sea King helicopters in the ‘Search and Rescue’ role for several years before becoming a qualified Helicopter Instructor. Eventually, I achieved the fixed wing cross over I had long requested and, given a choice of posting, chose to fly the E3D AWACS aircraft at RAF Waddington. Why the AWACS? By being close by at Waddington I could be considered for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Lancaster Bomber at RAF Coningsby.

As a child of the sixties, and in common with many children of that generation, I had watched the Dambusters film with my Dad and was captivated. Likewise, I saw the Battle of Britain film in 1969 at the Cameo Cinema in Leicester and it made such an impression on me that I began reading about Bomber and Fighter Command and World War 2; my interest grew. In common with most other teenage boys of the 1970s, I did have posters of the ABBA girls on my wall, but I also had posters of Lancasters, Spitfires, Mosquitoes, and Hurricanes, and was reading widely about the heroic men of that generation.  

I first visited the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) at RAF Coningsby in 1983 and was allowed inside the Lancaster, it was magical and cemented my desire to one day fly this wonderful aircraft. When I fulfilled my ambition and joined the RAF to become a pilot, I was already plotting my route to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Lancaster Bomber. Inevitably, things didn’t quite go to plan, it took me 16 years, but I never lost sight of my goal and eventually made it and joined the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight to fly the Lancaster and Dakota. Like most things in life, it took a lot of determination, persistence, and a fair bit of luck.

Ed flying over Lincoln Cathedral, a famous landmark for returning bomber crews.

What is it like to fly in comparison to other planes?

The Lancaster is a beautiful aircraft to fly. Those four legendary Rolls Royce Merlin engines alert all the senses, it is exhilarating, and in no way does the aircraft feel 80 years old.  Once airborne the Lancaster is very easy to fly, the one noticeable characteristic being the need for plenty of rudder in the turn. Take off and landing can be challenging particularly with any sort of crosswind. The aircraft has a pronounced swing to port on take-off which has to be anticipated and countered with rudder, if you allow the swing to develop it is likely too late! Landing, it is important to be on speed at 90 knots, the correct power, and dead straight when the main wheels touch, the aircraft is very likely to be a handful to keep straight if not. All great fun which I wrote about in detail for the Haynes Workshop Manual on the Lancaster Bomber.

Amazing views from the pilot window of the Lancaster.

What’s better – flying a classic aircraft or driving a classic car?

The experience is similar in the sense that both old cars and old aeroplanes have characteristics and idiosyncrasies that give them ‘personality’. Learn and respect those characteristics and the Lancaster, like a classic car, will provide a wonderfully rewarding experience, possibly the ultimate flying experience in the case of the Lancaster.  I have always loved the unaided stick and rudder flying of old aeroplanes in the same way that I love driving my old cars. I currently fly one of the most advanced airliners in the world, the Boeing 787, but in terms of a challenge, fun, and especially reward, there is no comparison, I would choose to fly the Lancaster every time.

With thanks to Ed Straw.