From New Zealand to Orkney: Why we brought this classic car half way round the world

Cathleen Hourie has long coveted an Austin 3-Litre - a classic car that she was introduced to by her first boyfriend.

When she spotted a 1970 model for sale online last summer, she was disappointed to learn that it was part of a collection in New Zealand.

But distance was no barrier to seller Hans Compter, who travelled half way round the world to personally deliver the vehicle to Cathleen in Orkney.

The 86-year-old Dutchman had the car shipped to the Netherlands before making the epic journey to the Northern Isles with it on the back on his vintage Opel Blitz truck.

"It was bought for me by my boyfriend at the time who had lost his licence, so I could drive him around.

"I got over the boyfriend but I never got over the car.

"I've been the death of three of them over the years and now I'm the kind of sad person who spends her spare time searching for 'Austin 3 litre for sale' on the internet."

The mulberry-coloured Austin which caught Cathleen's eye was part of a large collection Hans has assembled in the Bay of Islands in the north of New Zealand.

He describes himself as a "car idiot" who has spent a lifetime restoring classic cars.

When Cathleen inquired about the Austin on Hans' website PreWarCar, he got right back in touch.

"I thought it was too good to be true and it must be fake," Cathleen said.

"And then when I saw it was in New Zealand, I thought that was the end of it."

Hans splits his time between New Zealand and the Netherlands.

He sent the Austin by container to Rotterdam, and then spent some time fixing it up in his workshop before loading it on to his equally vintage 1970 Opel Blitz truck which has been converted into a car transporter.

"I had never been to the north of Scotland and I wanted to see it," said Hans.

"Once I got off the ferry in Newcastle I thought it was just a day's drive to the Orkney Islands but that was a big mistake."

In fact, it took two days for Hans to travel about 400 miles from Newcastle to the ferry port at Scrabster in the far north of Scotland which connects Orkney to the mainland.

Hans' journey was not plain sailing and almost came to an end in the infamously steep Berriedale Braes in Caithness.

With a queue of up to 20 vehicles backed up behind him, Hans pulled into what he thought was a lay-by to let traffic pass.

He quickly realised it was a soft escape bed designed to catch vehicles whose brakes have failed on the descent.

The Opel Blitz was stuck fast in the deep gravel bed, almost up to its axles. Hans was there for an hour unsure he would ever get out.

"I want to thank the driver who saw me and came back to pull me out. I thought the Opel might have been damaged but she's fine."

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"I've been grinning since Hans arrived," says Cathleen, who paid a four-figure sum for the Austin - including delivery.

"Austin made fewer than 10,000 of these cars. They had a top speed of 110mph. Now there are only around 30 of them left on the road.

"It's 55 years old and it is in much better condition than I hoped. It's just lovely. I'm really pleased with it."

Hans believes Cathleen will get many more years of motoring pleasure out of the Austin.

"I don't see why you couldn't use it for the next 50 years easily," he said.