A CAR enthusiast whose precious Ford Mondeo was written off by a concrete breezeblock during Halloween is appealing for somewhere to store the damaged vehicle over the winter.

Stuart Lucas, 50, who worked in the motor trade for many years until retiring to look after his disabled wife, had left his house in Kemble early on the morning after Halloween to help a friend with his car.

Later that morning he was sent a message by his wife, Brie, with pictures of the treasured Mondeo 2.5 Zetec, suggesting that he come home and inspect the damage.

“An 18-inch breezeblock had gone through the back window and unfortunately it had also damaged the door pillar behind the passenger seat,” Stuart told the Standard. “So the insurance company would probably write it off.”

Stuart, however, is determined to hang on to the rare car which is an unusual Colorado red, of which only 500 were ever made.

“There are only 38 left in the country and only 18 of those are on the road,” he said, adding that whatever the cost and however long it would take he would repair the vehicle himself.

Stuart and Brie are Mondeo-mad and members of several car clubs. The car damaged at Halloween was their show car that they used to take to shows all over the country.

“I am desperately looking for somewhere to store it over the winter,” said Stuart. “So that it stays dry until I can start work on it.”

He added that he did not thing the damage had been caused deliberately.

“I reckon it was probably a teenager showing off,” he said. “The breezeblock was lying there in the grass by the car and it was probably picked up and toppled over onto the car. I don’t think it was malicious.”

Anyone who has a spare garage or space in a barn where the Mondeo can be stored can contact Stuart through his Stuart Lucas Facebook page.