Midwives were forced to turn a hospital car park into an impromptu maternity unit to deliver a baby.
Baby Christopher King, of Heybridge, near Maldon, was due on March 1 but could not wait.
Mum Carol, 26, went into labour on Tuesday in the front seat of dad Ian's Ford Granada in the car park of St Peter's Hospital, Maldon - just yards from the maternity unit.
He weighed in at just 4lbs 7oz just 20 minutes after labour started.
Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article