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Hi,I'mSamuelCarLady.
WelcometotheWheelsandDealsPodcast.
Inthisepisode,I'mjoinedbyAndyfromMyDad'sCar,thepodcastthatexploreswhereourloveofcarsreallybegins.
Sowetalkaboutourdads,ourchildhoodmemories,andthecarsthathavestayedwithusandwhythingsassimpleasfamilyrunaboutsormagazinesoraneighbour'scarcansparkalifelongobsession.
SoitwasbrillianttositdownwithAndyandtalkaboutthecars,thepeople,andthememoriesthathavejustgotunderourskin.
Solet'scrackon.
Hi,AndyfromMyDad'sCarPodcast.
YouareresponsibleforstartingmeoffonthiswholepodcastthingbecauseyouverykindlyinvitedmetocomeonyourshowalittlewhileagoandIthoroughlyenjoyeditanditreallygotmeintopodcasts.
Soyouaretoblameforthat.
Soyou'retheco-podcasterofMyDad'sCarPodcast.
Andyouexplorewhatgotpeopleintocars,don'tyou?
Andwecanalmostallblameourdads.
SoIthinkthat'sobviouslyveryaptlynamed.
Howdiditallstart?
Yeah,it'sallconvoluted,really,italljoinstogether.
Thepodcastthingstartedduringlockdown,duringCOVID.
Iwasworkingathome,soIworkinmarketing,butforacarparts,classiccarpartscompany,wedoVWPorscheLandRoverParts.
Andyeah,obviouslynoonecouldworkintheoffice,sowewereallworkingathomewhileIwasoutonexercisingandthingslikethat,andwhileIwasdoingstuffintheofficeathome,Ihadstuffoninthebackground.
IbasicallylookedoutthewindowonedayandIwaslike,something'sgoingtocomeoutofthisthatnooneevenknowsexistsyet.
ButIwanttoworkoutwhatthatisanddoit.
SoIjustalmostwentsearchingforit.
AndIwaslisteningtoalotofbusinessytypepodcasts,thingsaboutmakingmoney,andyeah,justwentroundatrail,really.
AndthentherewasanappcalledClubhouse.
Idon'tknowifyouevercameacrossthat,whichIlookedearlieranditcit'sstillgoing.
Butitwasasocialmediathatwasbeingchampionedbyalotofpodcasters,andtheideawasyoucouldgoon,butitwasallaudio.
Peoplewouldcreateaclubhouseoraroom,andyou'dgoonthereandyoucouldtalktoalltheseotherpeopleinrealtime,andtherewouldbepeopleontherewhowouldjustbeanotherperson,thenyou'dgetpeoplewhoyou'dactuallyhadheardof,andtheymightbe.
TherewasaguyfromHooniganonthereatonepointwhowasking,andyeah,variousotherpeople,kindofbusinessownersandthings.
SoIgotintothat,andthenalsoduringlockdown,IwasdoingInstagramlivevideoswithkindofotherpeoplewithinourindustryforwork.
SoIstarteddoingthatinterviewingthingaswell.
Thosethingsallcametogether.
Addintothis,Ilostmydad,Ithinknineyearsago,whowasacarguy,andI'msurewe'lltouchonthatabit.
Also,Iwascomingup40in2023,andafriendofmine,andalsoacustomeratwork,hadrecentlypassedaway.
Hewasacarguy,hadloadsofcoolcars,leftbehindason.
AndIwaslike,somewherealongtheline,thissonwillwanttotalkabouthisdad,Iexpect.
InthesamewayIwantto,andthesamewayotherswantto.
Iwaslike,okay,maybeIcreatesomethingwhichisaplatformforpeopletochampiontheirparentsinaway.
So,yeah,allthosesortofthingscametogether.
Howdidyoupartnerup?
Howdidyouendupwithaco-presenter?
JohnandIusedtoworkatHowford'sbackintheearlynoughties.
Yeah,wegotonreallywellthere,hadasimilarsenseofhumour.
IknewJohnhadlosthisdad20yearsago,somethinglikethat.
Sowe'dmaintainedcontact,buthadn'tmeteachotheruntilwe'dsetthepodcastupforabout10years.
I'dsaid,basically,I'mlookingtodothis.
Issomethingyou'reinterestedindoing?
Andhewaslike,Yeah,I'mupforthat.
Sowedidanepisodewithagoodfriendofmine,actually,probablymybestmate,I'dknownforyears,andwejusthadtopracticeit,wehadtotryittoseewhatwouldhappen.
Wedidthat,andthenwedidacoupleofothers,andIjustobviouslyrecordingitanddoingtheconversation'sonething,andthenyou'vegottoworkouthowyouedititandhowyouthenturnitintoapodcast,anditwaslike,okay,yeah,we'reoff.
Didyouenjoyitrightfromthestart?
Didyoufinditstressfulgettingitofftheground,ordidyoujustloveitfromdayone?
Thehardestbitaboutitistheediting,andI'mreallypicky.
Sogobackmoreyears,earlynoughties,meandsomefriendsstartedamodifiedcarclubsbackintheMaxPowerera,andIwasonaradiostationtalkingaboutit,andtheyaskedmewhatmyfirstcarwas,andIsaiditwasaVauxhallpoloratherthanaVolkswagenpolo.
SobasicallyIfluffIfluffedmywords.
Allmyfriendshadthatresponse,andithauntedmeforages,soI'mreallypickyabouttheeditandmakesureitmightbebacktohauntingyounowyou'veadmitteditagain,tobehonestaswell.
Butbasically,makesurethatIcankindofdoeverythingIcantogetpeople'sstoriesasstraightastheyshouldbeandkindofgetridofmumblesandpeopletrippingoverwordsandstuff.
Soyeah,Icandoa40-minuteepisodeorsomething.
Imightspendeighthourseditingit.
Idon'tthinkpeoplerealisehowmuchworkgoesoninthebackgroundforpodcasts.
Ithinktheythinkwejustrecordthis,presssend,anduploadittoSpotifyandApplePodcastsandeverything.
Otherplatformsareavailable,butthere'sconsiderablymoreworkgoesintoproducingapodcastandrecordingit,Ithink.
Yeah.
Andyeah,IspentItwasoneofthosethingsthatIalsodiditforsomethingtodo.
Ihatejustdoingnothing.
AndduringlockdownIbuiltanInstagrampage,whichIendedupsellingactually.
AndthenSelling?
Selling,yeah.
Instagrampages.
Idon'tknowhowofficialyoucan,butIdid.
Okay.
Howmanyfollowersdidyouhave?
Askingforabrand.
Fift15,000.
Okay.
SoIbuiltapagewhichwasbasicallyitwascalledStuttgartSideShots.
Anditwasbasicallythesamephotooverandoveragain.
Ithadtobeadead-onsideprofileofaPorsche.
AndIwaspostingduringlockdown,Iwasdoingninepostsaday.
ThatwasmyIwanttosaymysnakethatsoundsterrible,butpeoplewereplayingCandyCrushandalltherestontheirphones.
Iwassatthereinthechair,basicallybuildingthisInstagrampage,builtthatup,andaguyhestartedSolyHoleSideshots,whichwasforLandRovers,andwegottalkingandhewaslike,ifyoueverwanttomoveiton,letmeknow.
Cool.
WeshookhandsandIdidn'tgetrichoutofit,butIdidalright.
ThedreamwassellittoPorsche.
Soyourpodcasthasgrownandgrownandgrown,andyou'vehadsomeprettybighittersonitguests.
You'vehadJohnnyCarpert,JohnnySmith,MikeBrewer,uh,MikeFernie,CharlotteBowden,thejournalists.
Soyou'vehadsomereallyinterestingguests,butwhatIloveisthatyoumixthesortofthewell-knownandtheordinarypeople.
Andstoriesareextraordinarilysimilar,regardlessofwhethertheyaremassive,bigsortofTV,YouTube,internetmotoringstars,orjustsomeonethatlivesdowntheroad.
We'veallprettymuchgotthesamestorytotell,haven'twe?
Andit'showwegotintocars.
AndIknowtheinterestingthingaswell,Iknowit'scalledmydad'scar,butit'smoreaboutwhichcarhookedyou,wasn'tit?
Wasityourneighbours?
Wasityournanas?
Wasitwasityourdads?
Wasityourteachers?
Anythinglikethat.
Andyouknow,mostofushavegotourdadstoblame.
Haven'tyougotVWmagazinetoblame?
PerformanceVW?
Isn'tthatwasn'tthatyourgatewaydrug?
Ithinkyoucalleditonarecentpost.
I'veIthere'sloadsofthingstoblame.
Somydadisprobablytoblame.
Sohewasacartrimmer.
Igrewupnotlivingwithhim,butI'dseehimeveryfewweeks.
AndeverytimeIwentupthere,itwouldbasicallybestraightininthedoor.
Hehadashop,hehadaflataboveit,andaworkshopkindofupthesideandattheback,straightintheworkshop.
Whatcarshaveyougotin?
Canwegooutonit?
Allofthosesortofthings.
Fromaveryyoungage,thatwasit.
FromaVolkswagenpointofview,yeah,PerformanceVolkswagenmagazine.
AndVolksworldaswell.
Iusedtogototheshopsage10,12,somethinglikethatwithmymum.
She'dgodotheshop.
I'dstandandreadallthemagazines,comehomewithacarmagazine.
Everyoneelseisbuyingabeano.
I'mreadingcarmechanics,carandcarconversions.
Ihadthatforyears.
IjustdungonbrochuresbecauseI'mpartialtoacarbrochure.
I'vegotafewkickingaround.
Didyoucollectthemasakidorwasitmostlymagazinesfromthenewsagent?
Yeah,mostmostlymagazines.
AnditwasonlywhenImovedthatIhadtogetridofquitealotofthem,butkeptsome.
There'ssomehavejustgotthesentiment.
Maybeit'safriend'scarthat'sinit.
Thatcarresonatedwithyou.
I'vewrittenI'vewrittensomearticlesforMags,soI'vetriedtokeepthose.
Butyeah,Ijustlikethat.
There'ssomethingreallyspecialasafromanowner'spointofview,andI'veneverhaditreally,havingyourcarfeaturedinamagazine.
It'sthatrecognition.
Yeah.
Moresothanjust,yeah,putapictureontheirInstagram.
Yeah,it'spersonal.
There'saconnection.
Yeah,yeah.
Whenyourdadhadacarinthetrimshopandyou'dsay,Canwegooutinit?
Didheevertakeyououtincustomers'cars?
Yeah.
Sodidhereally?
Yeah,soitwouldbegenerallyhe'dbeunderthethesortofguiseofweneedtoturnthisonearound,orwe'vegotit.
Basically,hisworkshopwasitwasnarrowtostartwith,soyoucouldgetthree,fourcarsnosetotail,anditwentoutintoaYshape.
Soitmightbeunderthatguise,buttherewouldbesomemovingaroundinvolved.
Wedidn'tdoitallthetime,butiftherewassomethingkindofhalfinteresting,there'dbeatheremightbesomethingandalsowemightgetthereandtheseatswouldbeoutofit,whichobviouslybeThatwouldmakesense.
You'renotdoingmuchinthat,butyeah,thenotherstuffwe'dwhizroundtheblock.
Andtheotherthinghedid,hehadafriendcalledPhilwhowasEnglish,buthelivedoverintheUSandusedtoimportcarsandbikesbacktotheUK.
AndDadusedtostorethemathisplace.
Basically,inreturnforstoringstuff,he'dpayhimwithacaroramotorbike,andwe'dalsotakethosethingstocarshows.
SowehadlikeTR3forasummer,wehadanAlphaSpider,wehadaGatsonFairlady.
DadhadanE-typeoffhimaspaymentonce,soheendeduprestoringthat.
Wow.
Soyeah,theseinterestingandthesedifferentcarswouldturnup,andyeah,we'dgodownandwedidBewleywithhimonce,andwe'dgotolocalkitcarshowsandclassicshowsandstuff.
Andyeah,withDadandI'dhaveadayoutandwe'djustputaforsalesigninit,andyeah,Ithinkifhesoldthecar,he'dgotadrinkoutofit,orhe'dbegivenatryofBonnevilleaspaymentorsomething.
Basketcasebea-thendays,ithappens.
Soifyouhadtopickonethatyouthatresonatedthemostwithyouthatreallyhookedyou,isthereonethatstandsoutforyou?
IguessthecarthatwasIsoChuffDadhadwasanE-type.
Hehadaseriesoneandahalf67PrimroseYellowRoadster.
Heboughtorhedidn'tbuythat,hegotgivenitbyPhil,basically,anditwaslikeaFlintstone.
4.2,
yeah.
ItwasaFlintstonecar,basically,whenhegotit,itwasapayment.
Threeofthemcameover,twoofthemgotsold,hegotgivenone,andyeah,hehadthatrestored.
Sadly,helostoutonthewaytheclassiccarswent,andhebasicallysolditforwhathecouldhavesolditforwhenhefirstgotitasawreck.
Butyeah,that'sacoolcartosayhehadanE-type.
Yeah.
HasitleftyouwithahandcreepforanE-type,orisitjustahappymemory?
Iwouldloveone,butthey'rebeyondmyreach,andI'venotgotspaceforone.
Sothat'sthat'sthething.
TheotherthingDaddid,hebuilthisowncar,hebuiltakitcar,hebuiltsomethingcalledaBeauford,whichislikeabigweddingcar,sortof1930s-ishrunningboards,massivebonnets,gotasix-cylinderdancingenginein,whichitwenttohiskindofbestfriend.
ButJohnandIhavethisdiscussionofkindof,yeah,shouldyoukeepthatcar?
Hisdadhadamercthattheysoldafterhisdadpassedaway.
Andthat'sIdon'tknowhowlongitis,butit'shuge.
It'slikeI'mgladinmanywaysIhaven'tgotitbecauseifyouhadit,youcouldn'tsellit.
It'sthenthat'sit.
Itcanbecomeanalbatrossbecauseyoudon'tyoumightitcostsyoutokeepit,butyoudon'tuseit,soit'ssortofitdoesbecomealittlebitofamillstone.
So,howmanyepisodeshaveyougot?
You'vegotquiteabackcataloguetogoatontheWearewe'reoverwe'reonabout103,104,Ithink,atthemoment.
Okay.
Ican'tpossiblyaskyouwhoyourfavouriteguestwas,canI?
Butofallyourgueststhatyou'vehadon,who'smaybetakenyoubysurprise,ororhavetherebeenanykindofshocksforyou,oruhhavetheyallbeenprettymuchwhatyou'reexpecting?
No,we'vehadsomereallyinterestingstuff.
Wehadoneguy,aguycalledGaryHander.
Asakid,heusedtotakehismum'sMercedesforadrive.
Buthewouldn'tjusttakeitforadrive,he'ddressupasifhewasanoldolderperson.
Sohe'dwearashirtandatieandaflathatandthentakehismum'scarforadrive.
Well,intheinbetweenisgoingfieldlicense.
Yeah,Iguessso.
Andsothatwasprettycool.
WehadaladycalledSarah,herdadwaseffectivelyQ,heworkedforkindofSecretService,insomesense,makingkindofspecialstuffforatScotlandYard,andthatwasprettyinteresting,really.
Butyeah,itdoesn'treallymatterwhetheryou'rebornwithasilverspoonoryou'vecomefromacouncillorstateorwhatever.
Thesealltheselittlestories.
We'vehadseveralcarsthathavebeenstolenandinvolvedinbankrobberies.
We'vehadhaveanyofthemsurprisedyouwiththecarthatstartedit?
Haveyouhadanylaughfieldonesthattookyoubysurprise?
I'mtryingtothink.
I'mtryingtothink.
We'vedonetheyblendintoloads.
Yeah,yoursyoursweregreat,tobehonest.
Obviously,yourswe'verecordedyours.
Youhavetosaythatthough,becauseI'msathere,don'tyou?
Werecordedyoursprettyearlyon,andtherewassomethereweresomecoolcarsinthere,wasn'tthere?
LiketheRolls-RoycethatwentthroughthegarageintotheMercedesGoldwing.
No,itjustmessed.
No,itwentintothegaragedoorandtheMerkGoldwingwasontheotherside.
Wewereplayingbingoforkindoficoniccarsmentionedinanepisode.
LikeYeah.
ThatwasandwehaveRodStewartinthereaswell.
OhStewart'sMura.
Heyeah,hewashewasn'tinthecar.
Itwasn'thisfault.
Yeah,loadsandloadsofgoodones.
AndbecauseIknowJohnnySmith,forexample,hestillownshisfirstcar.
HestillownstheBeetle.
Yeah.
Thatwashisfirstcar.
Soyoumustcomeacrosssomeincrediblestoriesaboutpeoplewhohadthisbugforsuchalongtime,thiscarthingthat,likeyousay,mostofourdadshavegivenus.
IIjustIwonderhowmanypeopleendupwiththatnotthatexactcar.
TheygrewupwiththeBeetlewasthefirstcar,likeyousay,theystillgottheexactsame,justanotherBeetle.
YourdadwiththeE-type.
Iwonderhowmanypeopleactuallywentontotobuyanotheroneofthosecarsbecauseofthememoriestheyhadwhentheirdadwasyoung.
Anddiditdisappointwhenyougotyourhandsbackonitasagrown-up?
Wedogetthatwherepeopleit'sgoneforsoandIthinkthat'sthesamewithalotofstuff,probablywithregardstomusic,especiallyyoulistentostuffreminiscingofwhatyoulistentowithyourparents.
Soyeah,ifpeopledogobacktothat,yeah,thereisalittlebitwherethere'sdon'tmeetyourheroestoacertainextent.
Yeah,Ilisten,Ithinkhavingwonderfulmemoriesofbeingdrivenaroundinacarcanbeverydifferenttoactuallydrivingathing30,40yearslater.
AndIhaveahorriblefeelingthatsomepeople'sdreamsaredestroyedwhentheygoandbuyane-typeoranoldLambooraRollsorevensomethinglikeMiniMetrothattheyhavereallyfondmemoriesofandthey'vealwayswanted,andthentheygetinoneandit'snotquitebecausetheywon'thavedrivenit,willthey,asakid?
Experienceofowningonedoesn'talwaysstackuptothedesireforone.
WedidonewithaguycalledAidBrannon,who'saphotographer.
Yeah,no,he'sdoneaphotoshootwithmeonthe968Ihadafewyearsago.
Andhe'sgotaIthinkit'saSunbeamHorizon,he'sgotaMarkIIIescortinyellow,andoh,he'sgotaSierraSapphire.
Ithinkit'saCosworthactually,SapphireCosworth,buthisdadhadasapphireaswell.
Sohe'sgotallthesedifferentcarsthathisparentsowned,likealmostkindoftotheregistration.
They'renot,butandthosearekindofIguessveryregularcar.
Cosworthmaybeexceptional,buttheSunbeamorthewhateveritwouldhavebeenTool,butandtheEscortMarkIII,verysortofrunningthemill,buthe'ssearchedthemoutbecausetheymeantthatmuchtohimatthattime.
Ithinkit'sverydifficulttoexplaintopeoplewhoaren'tintocarsthewaywearethatthereisasentimentalattachmenttothem.
Thereisthatkindoftheydogetyou.
AndIthinkeitheryouunderstandthatoryoudon't.
AndIdon'tthinkthatit'ssomethingthatIthinkIcansay,Ithinkthecarbuggyissomethingeitheryouthatyoueithergotoryouhaven't.
AndIIlovethepremiseofyourpodcastaboutwherethatcomesfrom.
Anditisalmostalways,likeyousay,aparticularcarthatwastherewhenyouwereyoung,that'ssortofallyourthroughyourformativeyears,thathasshapedyourcarhobby.
Yeah.
Forsomepeoplethatcomesreallyyoung,three,four,andthenotherpeoplethat'swellintotheirteens.
Andit'sonlywhentheyseesomethinginthestreetthat,like,actually,allofasudden,allofasudden,Iwanttogetintothat.
IjustwantedtointerruptHandyforamomentandsaythankssomuchtoeveryonethatboughtaraffleticketforStellar'sRover.
It'sbeendeliveredthisweektoadelightednewownerthathaswonitfor50p.
AndnowyoucanbuyraffleticketstowinaToyotaMR2Roadster.
There'stwofreeticketsforlistenersatcheckoutwiththecodeMR2POD.
That'sMR2Pod.
Thecar'sonlydone51,000miles,it'sgot11monthsMOT.
I'vedoneabout300milesinit,andproceedsfromeveryticketwillgototheDogsTrust.
Soit'safabulouscauseaswellasafabulousprize.
Now,backtoAndy'sinterview.
Iwhenwespokeaboutitonyourshow,it'sreallydifficultformebecauseIdon'thaveacar.
IjustandIonlyrealiseasagrown-uphowmuchItookitforgranted.
Theywerejustalwaysthere.
Yeah.
Yeah,itwasn'taparticularcar,itwasjustcars.
Theywerejustpartofthefamilyandthey'realwaysthere.
Butyou'vegota944now,haven'tyou?
Yeah.
Andwasthereasignificantportionofyourchildhoodthatwecanblame,oristhatjustsomethingthatyou'vedevelopedonyourown?
No,that'stooit'stwo-pronged.
SoIusedtowalktherewasacouplewhereIlived.
Sothehousethatbackedontoours,theyhadagoldone,944.
SoI'dwalkpastthatonmywaytoschooleveryday.
Thegoingtheotherway,therewasuh968,amint.
It'snotaclubsport,Idon'tthink.
Theystillgotitamint968,likepeppermintcolour.
SotheTransaxalPorschewasalwaystheintheonethatinterestsmeofPorsche.
WestarteddoingPorschepartsatHeritagein2018,soIboughtoneatthesametime,coincided.
Igooutandgotoeventsandthings,Iwantedtoturnupintherightcar.
Postercars,Iguess,onthewall,F40,LamborghiniKuntash,probably,werethethingswhichwereturningmyhead.
Butminis,beetles,thenintogolfs,itjustwasanythingreally.
Wehadcarpostersonourbedroomwall.
Whataboutnow?
Whataboutthekidstoday?
Ican'tseeanybodygrowingupwithalifelongloveandhankeringfornextdoorneighbourscryus.
OrPolestarorsomething.
Youjoke,thekidnextdoorreallylikesTeslas.
EverytimeaTeslagoespast,hegoeswildforaTesla.
OhthenmaybeI'mwrong.
Andthenotherchildrenactuallyonthescore,becauseI'vegottwodaughters.
They'dspotnewminis.
That'stheirthingtolookoutfor.
ButhaveyoubrokenthenewstothemyetthattheyareBMWs?
Butyeah,I'venotdonethatactually,tobefair.
ButIdon'tthinkBMWwouldmeanalottothem.
We'regenerallyVAGinthehousehold.
SoAudi,Volkswagen,andobviouslyPorsche.
Okay.
Sodoyouthinkthecarsthatareontheroadnow,andIguessthepostercarsnowarethecarsonsocialmediathattheywatchandseeanddevelopalifelonglovefor?
Whatcarsaretheygoingtobe?
Doyouthinklikewewere,itwasalwaystheexoticstuffthatwasonyourbedroomwhileIhadaJagexG220,acontactandaDiablo.
What'sitgoingtobenow?
Isitstillgoingtobelikethe9-11,theGT3s,andthenewtheFerrariandstufflikethat?
OrdoyouthinkthattheordinarystuffisgoingtobebecauseIknowquiteafewpeoplethatenduptreatingthemselvestouhMantaGTE,mintlovelyMantaGTEtodriveanddotheshowsinhighdaysandholidays.
Whentheywerekids,thatwastheonetheywanted.
Thefast-forwardscene,youknow,that'sallthat'sallcomefromprettyordinarycarsintermsofcarsthatareontheroad,nottheexoticstuff.
Whatdoyouthink'sontheroadnowthatyouseedailyontheschoolrunthatmightendupbeingcarsthatpeopleintocarpeople?
That'syeah,suchagoodquestion.
I'dIdon'tknow.
Ithinkobviouslythesportystuffalwaysseemstostickaround,doesn'tit?
Asifyougobackintime,somethingI'mfamiliarwith,likegolfGTIs,forexample,thelessermodelsgetscrappedoffandeveryonewantsaGTI.
Iguessthesportystufftendstostay.
Butthen,yeah,obviouslythosesortofthingsarebecomingeithermoreextreme,soyou'venowgot400horsepowerhothatches,oryeah,youcan'tactuallyusethosevehiclesanyway.
Youknow,I'mabigfanofareallyrawanaloguedrivingexperience.
Idon'twanttogetinthemoderngolfRbecauseitittellsmeI'minthewronggearanditchangesitforme.
That'snotmyideaofadrivingexperience.
AndIwonderwhetherthekidsthatarepassingtheirtestsnoworinthenextsortof10or15yearsorsowilleverenjoydrivingquitetheway.
Youhadtomasteracarwhenwewerekids,didn'tyou?
Youhadtobattlewithitandit'dfightback.
YouseeallthevideosonInstagramofthemsortofkickingitoutontheroundaboutordriftingdownthebypass.
Youseethemmakeamistakeandyoucanactuallyseethecarcorrectingtheirmistake.
Now,whenwewereyoung,thatwillputyouinthehedge.
Yeah.
SoIjustwonderwhetherthatkindofthatdidyoudohandbraketonepracticinginBigCarPark?
Yeah,didyouthelastgenerationthatdidthatkindofmaxpowereditalittlebit,maybe?
Wewenttoanairfieldlocallyactually.
TheyusedtorunlikeaSundaymarketthere,andwesetupsomeconesandusedtodriveeachother'scarsaround,andwegottoldinuncertaintermsofwhenwecamebackthatsomeonewouldkillus.
Theguymayaswellhavehadashotgun,hewasveryscary,andwedidn'tgoback.
Butnowthere'sverylittletomasterintermsofmoderncarsbecausetheyoverrideyouandtheygetyououtofalotoftrouble.
Don'tgetmewrong,I'msurewiththesortofridiculousbrakehorsepower,theygetyouintoalotoftroubleaswell.
Butfrommyperspective,Lookingbacktothingslike205GTIs,GolfGTIs,Red05swiththoseridiculous,youneverknewquitewhentheturbowasgoingtokickin.
Doyouthinktheskillofit'salsotheskillofdefensivedrivingareyouA,youdidn'twanttocrushyourcarbecauseitbecauseyoulovedyourcar,B,it'dreallyfuckinghurtifyoudid.
AndC,thecarwoulddoabsolutelynothingtohelpyououtorgetyououtoftroubleifyouputitinawetbendwrong.
Oryouyouunderstood,oryouoversteed,oryoubreathedatthewrongmoment.
Thejoysometimes,Ithink,ofgettingacartobehaveitselfwhileyou'redrivingitandmasteringitispartoftheadrenalineandpartofthechallenge.
AndIdon'tknowwhethermoderncarswillgivethekidsthesamesortofrawanaloguedrivingexperience.
Ithinkwhatwe'vekindofgottoalsorealisethough,ontheflipside,isthatespeciallytheguyswhoarepassingtheirtestsnow,they'vegrownupbeingabletodoallofthedrivingsimulatortypethings.
LikeIwas,Idon'tknow,what,10,12orwhateverwhenGrandTurismocameout.
Butespeciallylikethelastfiveyears,youcouldbuildasimrigathomeanddriveanythingaroundanycircuit.
Andy,IwasontheToritenniswhenIwasakid.
SoI'myounger,Ihadtoactuallydrivetodrive.
Ohyeah,exactly.
Itwasn'tuntillikeIwentgo-kartingasaIguessearlyteen,oryoudriveyoursitonyourdad'slapanddrivearoundafieldthatthat'swhenyoustarteddoingthat.
Soalotoftheseguysarenow,ifthey'redoingthatandracingsimulatorsandstuff,potentiallytheyarethengoing,Idon'twantanewuporwhateveritmightbe.
I'mgonnadoandespeciallyaroundhere,there'salotofkindofteens,early20sdrivingMX5s,earlyBMs,likethatsortofdriftculture'squitebig.
Yeah,it'shishereaswell,andthatthatkindofleadsme,neatlytoo,isthatkindofthelastoftheanaloguedrivers'carsgoingtohavearenaissancebecauseforthekidsthatdowanttochangeagearthemselvesandmanageacarandmasteracar,aretheygoingtowantuhanMX5andMR2,earliergolfs,earlierpolos,thatsortofthing?
Saxos,they'realotoffun,HondaCivics.
There'slotsofcarsthatIconsidertobemaybe,andit'sprobablythe90sandearly2000s,thecutofftomymark.
Well,isthisournextclassiccarscene?
Becausethekidsdon'thaveaccesstocarsthatareasmuchfuntodriveasuhastheanaloguecars.
Theotherthingwhichisandamusinglyisalotofthosecarsareactuallycheaptoinsure.
Peoplewhoare18arebuyingPorscheboxstersforthree,fourgrand,becausestatisticallytheinsurancenoonehasanaccident,18inaPorscheboxer,becausenoone'sdrivingone.
Thepremiumswillprobablygoup,butactually,theycaninsureoneofthoseforthesamepricetheycanaonelitrepoloiftheycanaffordtogetintoitorandorrunit.
Butandbutthenweendupinweweendupinthegreyareaofcarsthataren'tmaintainedproperly.
Becausetheycan'taffordthetwograndservice,canthey?
Ifthat'swhatyournextbigserviceends.
Yeah.
It'sverytrue.
ButIthinkit'sareallyinterestingquestionthatsoweknowlargelytolistentoyourpodcast,thekindofcarsthatgotpeopleyourageandmyageintothem.
Ithinkit'sreallyit'sareallyinterestingquestionintermsofwhatthekidsin10or20yearswillbehankeringafterwhentheyhit40withabitdisposableandcominglikesomegaragespace,whatthey'regonnawanttofillthatgapwith.
AndIdon'tthinkit'saTesla.
Ohno,itwon'tbe.
Ithinkthesadthingwillbeiswhatwillwebeallowedtohaveitaswell.
Sothere'llbeayeah,willtheyhavetaxedthosevehiclesofftheroadorbecauseIthinktherewillbeawesawitwiththescrappagescheme,didn'twe?
Obviously,there'sareductioninthosekindofninetiesclassics.
Well,canyoubelieveit?
Herewegoagainwithascrappagescheme.
Ohreally?
Theybroughtitback?
UptofivegrandtochopyourcarinforanEV.
Wow.
Havewelearntnothing?
Andthefactis,ifeveryoneinthiscountryhadanEV,wewouldn'tbeabletochargeitanyway.
Thenationalgridwouldcollapse.
Mostpeoplethatthatgotthemstrugglenow.
Thatwedon'thavetheinfrastructureforthem.
AndIknowI'vementionedittoyoubefore.
I'veusedonethatwe'vewe'vegotasparrowonthepath.
It'sitwastaxeffectivetobuyone,butneitherofusactuallyreallydriveit,orneitherofusreallydriveit.
It'sasparecar.
MyhusbanddrivesaRangeRover,soyoualwaysneedasparecar.
Ididtakeitoutandit'sIhadtogo50milesandtherangewas80.
It'slike,ohbrilliant,I'dbefine.
AndIendedupcomingbackwithmybigcoatoninsilencebecauseeverytimeIturnedsomethingon,therangejustdroppedoffacliff.
Ithinktherangeanxietywasabsolutelyreal.
AndIcomefromthedayswhereyouwalkdownthehardshoulderfortheotherphoneboxtomaketheembarrassingcallaboutcanyoucomeoutwithajerrycampplease?
Orevenworse,walkdownthesliplanetogettothegarageyourself.
I'mnotnewtorunningoutofjuice.
Buttheproblemwiththeseisyoucan'tpushthemouttheway.
Youcan'tyouthey'vegotnolightsononcetheydie,andthesmartmotorwaythingscarestheshitoutofmeanyway.
Whathappensifyourelectriccarstopsonasmartmotorway?
Yeah,it'slethal,isn'tit?
It'shorrible,it'sterrifying.
It'sfrighteningenoughinanycaronasmartmotorway,Ithink.
Butbutyeah,IjustIthinkit'sreallyinterestingaboutwhetherornotthecarsnowthatweseeontheroadasbeingsortofmodernclassicsaregonnahavearealrenaissancein10or20yearsbecausethey'regonnabethelastofthecarswhereyoucantunethemround,golanebashingonaSundayafternoon,spannerthemyourself.
Wedon'twantpeoplespanneringelectriccars,dowe?
Let'sfaceit.
Wedon'twantanyonefecklingthemselvesathomewiththose.
Yeah,theastheworldkindofevolvesandpeoplearefurtherremovedfromthings.
Peopledowantexperiences,theywanttogobacktoCoveMusic,theywanttogotothetheatre,theywanttoseepeopleinperson,theywanttodrivesomethingthatmakesthemfeellikethey'redriving.
So,yeah,thequestionobviouslybeingwhetherornotsomeonewantstodothateveryday,butIamseeingalotofpeoplethroughwork,youngerpeople,especiallygirlsaswell,actually,inLandRovers,yeah,Beatles,andjustwantingtogetoutandaboutinthecountryside,escape.
Driveacarlikethatat50,60milesanhour,feellikeyourhair'sonfireandnotloseyourlicence.
Ialsothinkaswell,we'vegotarealcultureatthemomentofleasingcarsandalmostlikedisposablecars.
AndI'mnotsurewhethertheprideofownershipthattherewaswithyourfirstcaroryoursecondcaroryourthirdcarwhenIwasyoung,butwasyourprideandjoy.
AndlikeIsaid,youprobablydroveabitmoredefensivelybecauseyoureallydidn'twanttowrapitaroundatreeforloveforvariousreasons.
ButIyeah,I'mnotconvincedthatpeoplegointocarsthesedayswiththesamesortofbuyingmentalityofImighthaveitforfiveortenyears,doIenjoydrivingit?
Becausetheyalldrivethesame.
WhenIthinkitcostsofrunningbecauseifyou'repluggingitin,you'renotputtingfuelinit.
Iknowthere'sacosttochargingit,butit'sknowinghowmuchyou'repayingpergallon,isitthething,orhowmuchyou'regettingpergallon.
SoIdon'tknow.
Ithinkit'sIthinkit'sreallyinterestinglisteningtoyourpodcastbecauseit'salmostlikeitmakesmesmileenormouslylisteningtopeople'stripsdownmemorylanetowhatbroughtthemintothecarworld.
Soitraisesthequestionofwhataboutthenextlot?
Whataboutthenextgeneration?
What'sinspiringthemnoworwhat'sreallygettingthemtherethatthey'regonnagrowuphankeringafterandworkinghardtoendupwithoneinthegarage.
Ithinkthere'llalwaysbeaninterestforpeopleinthepast,andaslongasthere'speoplelikemyselfandlikeyou,etc.,
whoaredoingthatinapublicspace,thenyeah,inthesamewaypeoplegotoasteamrailway,noone'sgonnaownoneofthose,likeasteamtrain,butpeoplegetexcitedbythat,andpeoplewillstillwanttogotoavillagefatewithclassiccarsandthings,andthenpotentiallyaspiretoownsomethingthat'sgotsomepersonality.
Ihopeso.
IthinkthatIseeareallystrongscenewithclassiccarmeets,andI'mhopingthatwillbeoneofthethingsthatbringspeopleintoit,notwhatyournextdoorneighbourdrives,likeitperhapsusedtobe,butmoreyouendupgettingitthroughafriendofafriend,orjustbecauseyouseealoadofcarsatyourlocalpubanditcamps.
AndIthinkthatweneedtohavealookasanindustryaboutinsuranceforunder25sforyoungerdriversaswell,becauseit'snotalwayseasytoaccessclassiccarinsurancewhenyou'reyoung.
ButIthinkthatmaybethewholekindofclassiccarownershipculturewillprobablybeadriverasopposedtowhatsomeoneinyourfamilyorwhatsomeoneinyourimmediateenvironmentdrives.
OrIhopesoanyway.
Yeah,Ithinkthatthecommunityisjustasgoodastheownership.
Andthat'swheresocialmediathat'swheresocialmediahelphelps.
Ithinkalotofpeoplemaystumbleintoitbecausetheywatchcoolvideosandtheywanttogetinvolvedandtheywanttodoit.
Andandalotofpeoplearegettingintoitspecificallytodevelopandcultivateasocialmediachannel.
IcanhonestlysayhandonheartthatwhenIwasyoung,therewasnowhereneartheamountof18-year-oldgirlsinminiskirtsdrivingSeries1Landiesastherearenow.
SoIcanonlyassumethatwehavethesocialmediachannelstothankforthat.
Butwhatever,ifitkeepspeopleinterestedinSeriesOneLandies,anditcertainlyseemstobedoingthat,great,it'sgoodforus,it'sgoodfortheindustry,itkeepsitbuoyantanditkeepsnewpeoplecomingthrough.
Ifyoungladsaregonnastartgoingtocarmeetsbecausetheythinkshe'sgonnabethere.
Yeah,yeah.
Doingajob,isn'tit?
Yeah,verytrue.
AndIthinkthatinthedayasAIbecomesmoreprominentineverydaylife,Ithinkthatthatkindofveryrawgrassrootsindustry-likeclassiccarsisgonnabealoteasiertonavigatebecauseit'snotreallysomethingyoucaneasilydowithAI,isit?
No,youdon'tgetanyofthatattachmentfromit.
Andyeah,youcanplayacomputergameallyoulike,butit'snotthesmell,it'snotthefeel,it'snottheheartinyourmouth.
Whenyougoyeah,goaroundthecorner,oh,it'sgonnathisisgonnahurt.
Youseetheheadscreen,orallofasuddenyou'relookingatthecarthatwasbehindyouaminuteago.
Italkaboutitlikeitlikeit'ssomethingthrillingthatyoushouldallbedoing.
Yeah,nobodywantstodothatever.
Buttherealitywasthatwewedrovecarsthatdidthattous.
Andwedrovetheminawaythatwedidittoourselves,probably.
Atsomepoint,though,inthesamewaythatwhenyoulearntowalk,youfallover,thesooneryoudothatinthesafertheplace,thebetterthedriveryouare.
Youthenknowwhatyourlimitsare.
Yeah,andIwasalludingtothisbeforethatyoudrovewithintheparametersofyourability.
WhereasnowIthinkthecartakesthatawaytoacertainextent.
LikeIsay,ifyouundersteeroroversteer,thecarwillcorrectyou.
Ifitthinksyou'reinthewronggear,itwillcorrectyou.
Ifitthinksyoushouldhavebrakedandyoudidn't,it'lldoitforyou.
Ithinkthatwhilstthesomeofthosedraggingskillswilldisappear,Ithinkalotofumalotofbacktofrontcarswillandcarsstickingoutofhedges.
Youjustdon'tseecarsinditchesanymore,doyou?
Thewayyouusedto.
Goodthing,obviously.
It'sbeenwonderfultochattoyou,Andy.
Can'tthankyouenoughforcomingonandIlookforwardtouhtospeakingtoyouagainsoon.
Notaproblematall,Sam.
Yeah,goodluckwithitall.
Yeah,thankyouverymuch.
Andyouseeyousoon.
Bye-bye.
Seeyoulater.
Bye-bye.
HugethankstoAndyforjoiningmeandsharingthestorybehindMyDad'sCarpodcast.
Itwasalovelyreminderthatcarsarerarelyjustcarstosomanyofus.
Theirmemories,theirpeople,theirplaces,theirweekends,eventhingslikethemagazinesandthegaragesandourneighbours'carsfromwhenwewerekidsaremomentsthatwecarrywithus.
AndmaybeeveninaworldofEVsandleasesanddriver'saids,thenextgenerationwillstillfindtheirowncarstoriestotell.
Ireallyhopeyouenjoyedthisweek'sepisode.
Ifyoudid,pleasedogivemealike.
Ifyou'vegottime,leavemeareviewandpleasesubscribesoyou'llgetautomaticdownloadseveryweek.
Ifyouknowanybodyelsewholikesabitofclassiccarnostalgia,pleaseshareitwiththemtoo.
Untilnextweek,happymotoring.
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