One distinctive car has been a familiar, eye-catching sight on Kent’s roads for 50 years.

Because that’s how long Alva Williams has proudly owned his beloved bright blue convertible Chevrolet Camaro.

And despite being aged 80, he has no intentions of giving up getting behind the wheel of his American muscle car.

The retired grandad from Sittingbourne bought the rare classic in 1974 and it has remained a constant companion during his life, through raising his children, divorce and personal loss.

“I was a bit of a silly bugger back then but couldn’t resist,” he tells the Adrian Flux Insurance blog, Forever Cars.

“It was just wonderful – the looks you got, roof down, arm on the side.”

Alva got married in 1962 and acquired his first motor the following year, an Isetta bubble car.

Then came an Austin A35 van for work and a series of Vauxhall Crestas and Ford Zodiacs, followed by a Vauxhall VX490.

“I had so many cars – I chopped and changed all the time,” says Alva. “You could in those days because they weren’t expensive.”

But all that was to change when he fell in love with American cars and bought his forever Chevy in 1974.

He bought it from a fish and chip shop owner, paying £625, but admits it came with a distinctive odour that he has fortunately long since banished.

Originally Nantucket blue, Alva had the car resprayed primrose yellow many years ago to match his friend’s yellow E-Type.

But in 2021, with the paintwork showing signs of wear, it was time for another change.

“It had a couple of little scuffs on it so I thought I’d bite the bullet and while I was on holiday in Spain my mate sprayed it for me,” he says.

He opted for a Mini blue which was the closest he could find to the original colour.

Alva says that when he bumps into old friends he hasn’t seen for a few years, the first thing they ask if is he still has the car.

“I’ve never, ever considered selling it,” he says.

“I had some tough times with money back in the ‘80s, but you get through and keep pushing on. I could have sold it then but it was never an option and I’m glad I kept it.”

The Camaro has been used purely for pleasure, including ferrying his children, Donna and John, to the seaside.

“They absolutely loved it,” he says. “We used to go down to Margate and, in those days, I could leave it with the roof down all day with no worries about anyone touching it. If you did that now it would probably be gone, on the back of a lorry.

“On Sundays, I used to take John to play football in it. I’d pick his mates up just to take them out in the car – you can imagine, John sitting there, saying ‘go on dad, go on dad’. I was probably the most popular football dad.”

Alva was also a biker in his younger days and has owned about 30 motorcycles during his lifetime.

“Sadly, all the lads, the ton-up boys, they’re all gone, so I’m out on my own now,” he says.

“But the attention you get in the Chevy gives you a lift. If I take it to Asda, which I don’t do very often in case it gets dinged with a trolley, when I come out, it’s swamped with people.”

The Camaro was launched in 1966 and the SS like Alva’s was the performance model fitted with a thumping 5.7-litre V8, producing 295bhp.

Wherever he goes, people are attracted to his car with some asking if it’s for sale.

“Everyone knows me for the car, it’s like I’m part of it….”

Now only reserved for special occasions like car shows and fine days out, Alva’s daily drive is a Jaguar.

But he says he will never part with the Camaro which he plans to pass down to John when he goes.

“It means the absolute world to me,” he says. “Everyone knows me for the car, it’s like I’m part of it.”

* Have you had your own same car for even longer than Alva? Email gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk.