A FLEET of Ferrari owners sped to the rescue to give a seriously ill Bolton man his birthday wish.

Paul Aungier cheated death three years ago when he suffered complete renal failure.

Although he's fought back, Paul still has to have dialysis three times a week and is waiting to have a kidney transplant.

But throughout his illness brave Paul, who still manages to run an estate agent's in Blackburn Road, Astley Bridge, has never lost his boyhood fascination with the top sports car.

So as he celebrated his 30th birthday on Sunday, his wife Joanne knew what would put the icing on Paul's cake - a spin in one of the famed motors.

And, not satisfied with just one of the super cars, Joanne arranged for two owners of the scarlet red racers to meet up with her and her shocked husband at the Volunteer Pub, on Turton Road, Bradshaw.

She said: "Paul is a complete Ferrari fan and has been from an early age. Despite all his illness he never complains, not even when he had a lung infection and pneumonia.

"I couldn't think of anything that would make his day more than a surprise ride in a Ferrari."

And the Ferrari fanatic, who lives in Turton Road, said he was completely "gob-smacked" when his wife told him about his Sunday afternoon drives.

His first spin in a £105,000 new model took a delighted Paul through Bury and Manchester before heading back to the pub.

Then two hours later he was in the passenger seat of a 1976 classic worth a cool £40,000.

Paul said: "It was a brilliant surprise, a dream come true. Joanne told me what she had planned on Sunday morning. I couldn't believe it, I was gob-smacked!

"The 1976 model only had 19,000 miles on the clock and the owner said he rarely takes it out so I feel very honoured. I can't thank everyone enough.

"The only problem is that Joanne is 30 next year and I've no idea how I can top that as a birthday treat!" A FLEET of Ferrari owners sped to the rescue to give a seriously ill Bolton man his birthday wish.

Paul Aungier cheated death three years ago when he suffered complete renal failure.

Although he's fought back, Paul still has to have dialysis three times a week and is waiting to have a kidney transplant.

But throughout his illness brave Paul, who still manages to run an estate agent's in Blackburn Road, Astley Bridge, has never lost his boyhood fascination with the top sports car.

So as he celebrated his 30th birthday on Sunday, his wife Joanne knew what would put the icing on Paul's cake - a spin in one of the famed motors.

And, not satisfied with just one of the super cars, Joanne arranged for two owners of the scarlet red racers to meet up with her and her shocked husband at the Volunteer Pub, on Turton Road, Bradshaw.

She said: "Paul is a complete Ferrari fan and has been from an early age. Despite all his illness he never complains, not even when he had a lung infection and pneumonia.

"I couldn't think of anything that would make his day more than a surprise ride in a Ferrari."

And the Ferrari fanatic, who lives in Turton Road, said he was completely "gob-smacked" when his wife told him about his Sunday afternoon drives. His first spin in a £105,000 new model took a delighted Paul through Bury and Manchester before heading back to the pub.

Then two hours later he was in the passenger seat of a 1976 classic worth a cool £40,000.

Paul said: "It was a dream come true. Joanne told me what she had planned on Sunday morning. I couldn't believe it, I was gob-smacked!

"The 1976 model only had 19,000 miles on the clock and the owner said he rarely takes it out so I feel very honoured. I can't thank everyone enough.

"The only problem is that Joanne is 30 next year and I've no idea how I can top that as a birthday treat!"

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.