One Life, Many Cars

For the lover of cars and motoring, or those who just enjoy a good read, this is a rich collection of memories, humour and motoring experiences.

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Hardcover, 144 Large format pages, 227 photos and illustrations.

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The Story behind the Ellel Story! This is the remarkable and previously untold account of how God nurtured Peter’s passion for classic cars which eventually gave birth to the vision for the work of Ellel Ministries!

One Life, Many Cars tells how Peter’s childhood love of cars grew into an adult passion for Alvis cars – in particular, a classic sports car of the early nineteen thirties, the Alvis Speed 20. This became the car of Peter’s dreams.

But when he eventually acquired a wrecked Speed 20 for just £50, Peter’s dream turned into a nightmare! The nightmare, however, became the turning point in Peter’s life, giving focus to a vision for the restoration of broken lives.

The book is packed with over 220 photos – most in colour and most previously unpublished – and includes many amazing motoring adventures with cars bearing legendary names such as MG, E-Type Jaguar, Riley, Alvis, Lagonda and many more.

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After five years as a College and University Lecturer in Oxford and Manchester, PETER HORROBIN left the academic environment and spent fifteen years in the world of business. Always a passionate car enthusiast, he wrote the best-selling Complete Catalogue of British Cars in 1974 and it was while restoring a 1934 Alvis Speed 20 that a life-transforming vision changed his life for ever. In 1986 he became founder of Ellel Ministries, a charitable work of Christian healing and training that is now established in over 35 different countries.

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BOOK COMMENDATIONS:

Rev Dr Robert Ward
Lately Vicar of St.Lukes, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
"This ‘motoring memoir’ is a treasure trove of suspense, adventure and breath-taking escapades! Including roaring down the newly opened, speed limit-free, M6, in his cousin’s brand-new E-Type Jaguar and simultaneously driving, not one, but two classic cars on a mind-boggling 600-mile journey! But the ‘Pearl in the Oyster’ is the story of the divinely-ordained rescue of the bent and twisted remains of a 1934 Alvis Speed 20, winched out of the River Mersey in Liverpool. God’s Spirit whispered to Peter “You could restore this broken car, but I can restore broken lives and I will use you to restore the broken hearts of those I love around the world”. This sublime sentence inspired, led and equipped Peter for the next fifty years. This wonderful book will encourage all who read it to see the Father’s hand on Peter’s life and his passion for his Alvis Speed 20, now happily well on the way to complete restoration. I wholeheartedly commend it to you!"

David Cross
Executive Leader of Ellel Ministries
I have so enjoyed reading this remarkable book – a fascinating insight into the life and character of Peter himself. He takes us through an extraordinary catalogue of motoring experiences – sometimes humorous, occasionally bizarre, and often so seemingly coincidental that it’s hard not to see something of God’s hand on the whole process, drawing Peter towards the pivotal moment with his Alvis Speed 20 in his garage. So many aspects of the story are like a modern-day parable. Without doubt, God used Peter’s love of classic cars, together with his enterprising experiences in the business world, to exactly shape him for the task of establishing a ministry for the repair of broken lives. I highly recommend this book.

‘Sarah’ - Author of Sarah
‘I so identify with that car!’ was my instant response to the story in this book of the wrecked Alvis Speed 20, that was rescued from the River Mersey. My personal ‘River Mersey’ was St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital in Dorset, where I spent a long time after a serious overdose at the age of thirty-six. Like the wrecked Alvis, I was completely broken inside. It was the lowest point of my life – I just wanted to die. The psychiatrist could do nothing to help me and against all his professional instincts he released me from hospital, with a carer, to attend a Healing Retreat at Ellel Grange. I arrived trembling in fear, unable to look anyone in the face. But God’s love broke down all the barriers of hatred and evil in my life. He has healed and restored me to His original blueprint for my life – just like the Alvis chassis was restored with the aid of a blueprint from the makers. Against every medical prediction I have now been free to live a normal and fulfilled life for more than twenty years, free of all psychiatric labels, drugs and clinical care. I am so thankful for the life-changing vision that was birthed through Peter’s Alvis Speed 20. The story in this book saved my life!