Liz Mayne isn’t a vintage car fan, but she was “a big, big fan” of Downton Abbey.

Three years ago she banked on the hope that others were just as enamoured with the PBS period drama.

She and her husband Allan and their friend Roberta Pachai imported a 1930 Ford Model A reproduction for hire.

It’s proven a real hit at weddings.

“When the brides call they usually mention Downton Abbey,” said Mrs Mayne. “The car looks like it came straight off the show.”

Bermudaful Moments Vintage Car Hire rents the Model A for $275 an hour; a black Jaguar is available for $175.

Mrs Mayne got the idea from a trip abroad.

“I was visiting Northern Ireland, where I am originally from,” she said. “My friend Roberta Pachai’s brother had these cars and was renting them out for different events.”

The wheels started turning.

“I didn’t know of anything like this in Bermuda,” she said. “I saw a niche market.”

Branford Motor Company in Liverpool built the Model A in four months.

The reproduction closely follows Henry Ford’s original Depression-era car but is longer for more passenger space. When there’s no bridal dress involved, the car can seat six thanks to a pop-down bench.

Bermudaful Moments supplies a driver in 1930s cap, and a bottle of prosecco.

“It’s usually the bride who rides in it because of the space for her dress,” said Mrs Mayne. “There’s room for maybe her mother or father to ride with her.

“It is automatic, fully air conditioned and has a BMW engine. I can tell you this, wherever we go in Bermuda, heads turn. People do a double-take when we drive by. You see the ‘wow’ on people’s faces. “It is something special to have on your special day and makes a statement.”

The businessman wouldn’t give away the cost of the car, except to say it was “a lot”.

“Anyone who thinks this might be a good idea needs to think about it carefully,” she said. “It’s classified as a limousine and the permit alone was more than $50,000. I spent two years trying to get it through TCD. The application passed from person to person and, at some point, all my papers were lost and I had to fill out another.

“Then I had to go before a board. I think they were concerned it would somehow interfere with the taxi trade. It doesn’t. We’re a limousine and you have to book us ahead of time.”

As much as Mrs Mayne loves the car, she doesn’t drive it; she’s scared she’ll have an accident.

“I do drive the Jaguar though,” she said.

Her husband drives the vintage car and they have a relief driver, Graham Watts.

Mr Mayne said the car drove like any other car, but the dimensions took some getting used to.

“The front is long and has fenders that stick out,” he said. “You can’t see the left fender at all. So you just have to get used to driving it.”

The Model A has featured in a number of bridal proposals.

“In one case, we picked the potential bride up from the airport,” said Mrs Mayne. “Her boyfriend had arranged for the car to take her on a scavenger hunt all over Bermuda.

“A lady met her and handed her the first clue. At the end of the hunt, she met her boyfriend at The Mid Ocean Club and he proposed.”

The only misadventure the car has had so far, is losing a hubcap.

“We were in the Cayman Islands earlier this year,” said Mrs Mayne. “My husband was getting surgery on his knee. We got a phone call from a lady in Bermuda asking if we’d lost a hubcap. We said no, not that we knew of. But later, someone went to check and the hubcap was gone. I placed an advertisement to try to reach the lady again, but to no avail. The hubcap was for the spare wheel which rides on the side of the car.”

After some searching, the Maynes found a company in England that would make one to match the others.

“We should have it soon,” said Mr Mayne. “Once we found someone to do it, it was six to eight weeks.”

The Model A’s popularity is such that Mrs Mayne recommended people book three to six months ahead of time to avoid disappointment.

“We’ve had people book as early as two years ahead,” she said. “Once in awhile, during the off-season, if you call and say we need it for next Saturday we can accommodate, but we can’t guarantee it.”

•Visit Bermudafulmoments.com or call 505-1419 or 333-5886.