Once when she was young, she saw someone drive past in a crazy-looking car, and since then, Eva Myers wanted to have a car that was unique, fun and crazy too.

The Evita’s signature auto is a replica of an old Mercedes-Benz model. Eva purchased the car in 1982 from a dear friend, Basil de Cusak, who at the time was the entertainment manager at Sandals Montego Bay. He wanted to sell it and felt Eva was the perfect candidate to buy. She said, “If you fix it up and give it the personality of Evita’s, you can name your price.”

So said, so done, and when she got her first glimpse, it was “Mama Mia! I’m taking it!”

Topolino (Mickey Mouse in Italian), as it’s affectionately called, has been used to serve food, as the bon voyage vehicle for many a wedding, as well as transport for festival queens and other popular personalities. And today people look out for the telltale logo on the back, not to mention the licence plate, which clearly reads Evita-01.

“A lot of people want to buy it, but I started off my business in Montego Bay in this car, I drove in the rain with an umbrella in this car because it has no roof. I did everything in that car.” From Montego Bay to Tryall and back; to Negril and now their current home in Ocho Rios, there’s obvious sentimental attachment to Topolino, her ‘Mickey Mouse’ car.

Everything about it is synonymous with Evita’s, and there’s rarely a person who visits the restaurant who doesn’t make flattering comments or want to stop to take a photo.

It’s definitely safe to say that the ever-smiling restaurateur and Ocho Rios native has no plans to get rid of her trademark piece anytime soon, after all, “you don’t really need air conditioning when you’re in this car. All you do is get a suntan.”