A CAR which dominated the estate market for a decade has been donated to the Lakeland Motor Museum, having been locked away undisturbed for 37 years.

The latest acquisition by the heritage attraction at Backbarrrow is an estate version of the Humber Hawk, which hit the market in 1957, 12 years after Humber’s first Hawk saloon model went on sale.

Despite the success of the model, finding one today is rare.

It has been given to the Lakeland Motor Museum by a woman in her 90s, who lives south of Scotch Corner.

She had kept it hidden away, preserving it by completely sealing the garage in which it was stored.

Chris Lowe, operations manager at the Lakeland Motor Museum, said: “This vehicle appears to have been in a time warp – looking more like a four-year-old car, not 56 years old."

He said it had been bought by the lady's father, who ran a hardware store in Bedale, as a two-year-old car in 1965. Even then it had had a replacement engine, details of which are on a hand-written sheet also given to the museum.

"It has only done 45,000 miles," said Mr Lowe. "It appears her father used it to tow a caravan.

"It went into her garage in 1981 and she covered it up with layers of cotton sheets and blankets.

"She wanted to protect it so when it was cold in the winter she went in and put a heater under it to stop it from freezing.

"We have spent an inordinate amount of time cleaning it. It's taken about 16 or 17 days. We painted the wheels and cleaner the rest of the car to within an inch of its life."

Mr Lowe said the Humber Hawk was built near Coventry. Humber was part of the Rootes group - the Hillman Imp was from the same stable.

"The Humber Hawk was one of the few estate cars you could buy in the 1970s," said Mr Lowe.

It is now inside the museum. Cars are kept in chronological order so it stands next to an Austin A35 on one side and a Citroen 2CV on the other.

"It makes a fantastic addition to our collection," said Mr Lowe.

l Since opening its doors at its initial Holker site on April 1, 1978, the museum has welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors, making it one of the North’s leading heritage attractions. It is the home of a unique collection of 30,000 exhibits, including more than 150 classic cars and motorbikes.