LIVE
Verywarmwelcomeandgoodmorning,SebakafromthePassengerSeatPodcastandWomen'sDriversAssociationandvariousotherareasthatyoumightrecogniseherfrom.
Soyoudoinggoodmorning.
I'mgood,thankyou.
Yeah.
Sojustasaveryquickrecap,youdailya1968MorrisMinor.
Ido,yeah.
SoI'vehadPeggynowforcomingupforsixyears,anditwasboughtasacarthatIwasgoingtohaveasadaily.
Basically,Iwasmovingout,neededtostopbeingonmyparents'insurancejustasacartouse.
Ineededmyowncaranddecidedtogoforsomethingabitdifferent.
Iwasstrugglingtogetoninsurancewithmydad'sclassics.
Didyourdadhawhatdidyourdadhave?
Whatclassiccarshehad?
Somydad'sgota1935SingerLeMonfour-seater,a1931SingerJr.
Andhe'sgota1967SingerChamoisCoupeandaohIcan'tremembertheyearofit.
It'saHillmanImpSpress.
Sohelikesarootsrootcarthen.
Yes,yeah.
SomebuyingaMorrisMinor,IsaythatI'mtheblueMorrisMineroftheRootsfamilybecausemysisterhasgoneandboughtaHilmanImpaswell.
Okay.
SoI'mabitblacksheepkindofthing.
ButitwasacaseofwhenIwasspeakingtomydadaboutwhatcarIwasgonnabuy,andspeakingtomymumaboutwhatcarweweregonnabuy,itwaslookingforpartsavailability,lookingforsomethingthathadgoodsupportforyoungpeople.
AndI'msureIwworkalotwithrootsgroupcarsandstuffnow,andtheirclubsareamazing.
ButwhenIwasthinkingIwanttodailythiscarandIwanttoputalotofmilesonit,findingacarthatIcangetpartsdeliverednextdayandknowthattheywillfitandit'llallbegreatisalmostbetterthanmostmoderncars,andsotherewasnokindofqualmsaboutgettingsomething.
SoIwaslookingatlikeTriumph's,Minis,Morris's,anythingfromthatsortofstyleandjustsittinginlotsseeingwhatfeltcomfortable,seeingwhatfeltlikeIwouldwanttoputthemilesonit.
Ithinkaslongastheyarestructurallysoundandthey'vegotsensiblemodernupgradeslikebrakesormaybedynamoalternatorargumentandelectriclossandthatsortofthing.
Ithinkrunningthemregularlyandputtingthemilesonthemiswhatactuallykeepsthemrunningwell.
It'samazingbecauseI'vebeeninvolvedwiththeyoungmembersforsincetheygotthecarreallyfortheMorrisMinorOwnersClub.
Andtheamountofyoungmembersthatwillgetcommentsorwhateverfrompeopleabout,oh,you'reoverusingthatcar,you'restressingthatcarout,buttheircarsarethecarsthatwillturnupwithnohiccuptoeventsthattheyarefamiliarwith,okay,ifsomething'sgonnagowrong,I'veactuallyhadtodealwithitinasituationbecauseIneedtogettocollegeorIneedtogettoworkorwhatever.
Andsothey'requitehands-onandthey'reveryusable.
Theydolovebeingdriven.
AndI'veputfour45,000milesonmineinhowlongsixyears.
AndthatwaswithitbeingofftheroadforfourmonthswhileIhadafullbaremetalrestoration.
Soit'shadabitoftimeoffinallofthatandstillmanagedtoputafairamountofmileson.
Thereissomeconfusionoverputtingcarsunderstressorunderstrain.
It'sthewayyoudrivethemthatputsthemunderstress,nottheamountofmilesyoudoongoodpreventativemaintenanceandregularuseisprobablythebestwaytokeepplasticontheroad.
Ifyou'reputtingthemileson,you'reloggingthosemiles,andsoyourservicesandstufflikethat,likeIwilldothree,fourservicesayear.
Whereassomebodywhoisonlydoingmaybeathousandmilesayearwillgo,Oh,I'veonlydoneathousandmilesayear,Iprobablyonlyneedtodotheoneserviceayear,andthey'renotnecessarilyengagingwiththecarasfrequently,they'renotlookingitoverandandspottingthingsbeforethey'reabigproblem.
No,Icompletelyagree,andIthinkthatdoyouservicethemyourself?
Yeah,soIdomostofthethingmyself,buteverysooften.
So,forexample,thecarisactuallybookedinacoupleofweekstogotoaMorrisMinorspecialist,andIranghimupandIsaid,Look,nobodybutmehaslookedatthiscarsinceSeptember2025,Ithinkitwas.
2024,even,whichisafterhe'ddonealltheworkonit.
Isaid,Couldyoujustdoservicingofbrakes,oilchange,whatever,andjustdoaonceoverofeverything,justasanotherpairofeyes,andthenputitthroughanMOTagain,justsothatI'vegotabitofbackuponthefactthatit'sstilldoingokay.
BecauseoftheamountofmilesIputonit,Idon'twanttobeinasituationwheresomething'swornandIhaven'tspotteditbecausewhenIgotthecar,I'dneverdoneoilorwaterchangeonanything.
Ihadnokindofpriorexperienceotherthanhandingspannerstomyparentsinthegarage.
Whotaughtyou?
DidyoudowereyouwasitYouTubeordidyourdadgothroughitwithyouandshowyouhowtodoit?
Alotofitwasdad.
I'mmuchmoreofahands-onperson,Iwanttoknowhowthingsfeel,andIthinkYouTube'sgreatforgettinganideaofwhathappens,yeah,andwherethispartisandallofthat.
Butyeah,itwasacaseofmyfirstcoupleofservices.
Mydaddiditthefirsttime,showingmehowtodoit.
ThenexttimeIdidit,andhewasthesecondpairofeyes.
ThethirdtimeIdiditonmyown,madeamassivemessofit,andhecameandexplainedtomewhereithadallgonehome.
Thebestwaytolearnisthebestwaytolearn,isn'tit?
Yeah,andthenbuiltfromthere,butititispractice,andwithalotofthese,yeah,there'stalksettingsandthingsforcertainstuff,butforotherbits,it'sacaseofIknowhowtightitshouldfeeltodoupthesumpplugorthingslikethat.
Andyoucanonlygetthatfromactuallygettinghands-onratherthanjustwatchingaYouTubevideoandthingslikethat.
Andtheyoungmembershasbeengreatforthataswell,intermsofifyou'veifI'vegotaquestion,we'vegotaWhatsAppgroup,andsoIwillputaquestioninthere,andthere's60-70ofusinthere,andsomebodywillhavedonethesamesortofthingbecausewe'reallusingthecarssofrequently,andsothey'llbeabletosay,Oh,Ididthattwoweeksago,andthisishowitwentforme,andthisiswhatyou'relookingfor,andthisishowitfeels.
Yeah,no,Iagree.
So,oneofthemainreasonsIwantedtotalktoyou,obviously,Ithinkyourpodcastisbrilliant,bytheway.
Ireallyenjoylisteningtoit.
Thankyou.
ButInormallytalkabouttheoldendaysofmotoringonmypodcast,butIthinkthatwecan'tignorethefactthatwehavetokeepheartandeyeonthefuture,andthefutureoftheclassiccarindustryisnewpeoplecominginallthetime.
AndwhatI'mreallyinterested,specificallywithyou,aboutisIknowyougotintoitlikewealldidthroughourdads.
Youtookareallybraveandpracticaldecisiontodailyclassicbasedonfinancialdecisionsalotofthetime,likeinsuranceandpracticality.
Yeah,andit'salsoalotofyoungpeoplehavegotacaseofwecanonlyhave,especiallywhenIwasstartingout,Icouldonlyaffordonecar.
AndsoifIwantedtokeepgoingtotheshowsthatIwantedtogotowithmyparents,Icouldn'tdrivemydad'scarsbecausenowherewouldinsuremeonhiscarsunder25asanameddriver.
SoitwasacaseofifIbuymyowncar,Iwanttobeableto,yes,gotoworkinitonMonday,butIwanttobeabletogotoittotheshowonSundayinit.
Sohavingtheonecar,thatthatwastheoptionthatwehad.
Andforthecostofahandfulofmonthlyleasepayments,youoweyourcar,you'renotdistraughtthemonthlyoutgoes.
Ithinkit'sareallysensible,practicalthing.
Idothinkthatthereareissuestotakeintoconsiderationlikesafety.
Now,you'veobviouslygrownupinahousefullofclassiccars,soyouunderstandthatthecarinfrontofyouisgoingtobeabletostopconsiderablyquickerthanyoucan.
Yes.
Soyouadaptyourdrivingstyle.
Andonacoldwintermorning,youhavetostartit,chokeout,letitsitandwarmupalittlebit.
WhenIwasyounger,allcarshadmanualchokes,soyouhadtwosetsofkeysifyoudidn'thaveasafedriveway,andyou'dstartit,you'dlockit,you'dgobackinandhaveacupofteauntilyouwerereadytogodowntohalfchokes.
SoIthinkthatwhatyou'redoingnowisonlywhatwealldidroutinelyanyway.
It'sjustyourkindofyou'renotyou'renotdrivingthebrandnewcarsMondaytoFriday,whichalotofpeopledo.
SohowcouldyoujusttalkmethroughtheI'mreallyfascinatedbytheyoungerownersgroups.
Soifyoujoin,forexample,theMorrisMinersOwnersGroup,what'sthedifferencebetweentheyoungownersgroupandthemaingroup?
Forstarters,it'salotoftheoldermemberswillmeetupwithkindoftheirregularbranches,andtheyoungmembersareallkindofpartoftheirlocalbranchesaswell.
Buttheywillalsobepartofthisnationalgroup.
Sowewillputmilesonjustgettingtomeetupwitheachotherbecausesometimeswe'remeetingup.
WedidameetoneChristmasatBeamish,whichisupinNewcastle.
SopeopleweretravellingfromtheSouthCoastuptoBeamishininCountyJordan.
InthewinterintheMorrisMinor.
Inthewinter,intheMorrisMinor.
Soit'salotabouthavinganattitudeofwe'renotbeingsuperpreciousaboutonlygoingtothelocalshowsandthingslikethat.
Weacknowledgethatwe'regoingtodoalongtripandit'sgoingtotakeawhile,butwe'regoingtohaveafuntimegettingthere.
Soquiteoften,ifwe'reawarethatthere'sagroupofpeoplethatarecomingaprettybigdistance,wewillcongregateaservicestationandthencarryonuptogether,convoyuptogether.
Yeah.
SolikewedidabigNorthernIrelandandIrelandtriplastyearforaweekorso.
Andsogroupsofusweremeetingupabitbeforetheferry,gettingtotheferrytogetherandthengoingoverandtravellingup.
Umwhenyousaygroupsofyou,howmanyarehowmany,forexample,wouldgotoBeamishorwouldgotoNorthernIreland?
Howmanyofwemeet?
IthinkBeamishwehadmaybetwelveorsocars,Ithink.
AndNorthernIrelandwehadIthinkitwas10cars.
Andsomepeoplehadgone,ferrycostsareprettybig.
We'llbothjumpinso-and-socaracar.
Soitwasactuallytwoseparateyoungmembersthathadagreedthattheywerebothcominginthecartogether,kindofthing.
Butwhenwemeetupmorecentrally,wecangetanythingupto20cars.
Whenwe'reatNational,wemakeupquiteabigareaofthecampsite.
Andit'sabouthavingpeoplethataregoingthroughthesamestrugglesasyouasanowner,becausethere'salotofthere'salotofoldermembersthatwilljokethattheyaretheoriginalyoungmembersbecausetheywereourageandtheywerealsodailyingaMorrisMinor.
ButIthinkthere'sanelementofdailyingaMorrisMinorin1980or1990isquiteadifferentexperiencetodailyingaMorrisMinorin2024.
WhenthosepeopleweredailyaMorrisMinorinperiod,itwasearlierthanthat.
Itwas50s,60s,70s.
Butevenifyouwerebuyingitasit'sit'salmostinthe80sand90s,it'stheequivalentofbuyingyouroldFoxhallCorsaasyourfirstcar,orit'sthat20-year-oldcarthat'sstillgoingthatwas50quidfromthesavingsandthesnapyardkindofthing.
Therewasalotlesstrafficontheroadbackthen.
Iwouldimagineyourexperienceofdailyamoggynowisprobablyquitedifferenttodailyoneinthe50sand70sand80s.
Whatwelookbackwithfondmemoriesof,youprobablyliveday-to-daynow.
Sowealwaysusedtohaveanemergencytoolkitintheboot.
Youcouldchangeyourtyre.
Youalwayscarriedwaterjustincase.
Youhadafewkindofradiatorweldkitsandbitsandpieces,justbecauseyoucouldalways,youcouldalmostalwayswithanoldcarlimpithome.
Youknow,youcanpopthemonit,andifyou'vegotafewbitsandpiecesintheboot,there'sareallygoodchancethatyoucandiagnoseit,eithermenditattheroadsideorfigureoutawaytoputitintomanuallimpmodeandgetitbacksafely.
Ithinkthebigdifference,likeIsaid,nowisthevolumeoftrafficontheroadsthesedays,andalsothingslikeeverymoderncarhastoflyABS,stoppingdistancesarevastlydifferent.
SoIthinkit'sreallyIthinkit'sreallybravetodailyit.
Idodailyclassiccarsaswell,althoughItendnottodoitonthesaltyroads,Ihaveabitofafairweatherclassiccardaily,ifI'mhonest.
ButIthinkwhat'sreallyinterestingislikeIsay,howwegetyoungpeopleintoit.
Sowhat'sthecut-offfortheyoungownersinthemintheMorrisMonth?
Uhsoit'sabout35.
We'vebeenflexibleinthepastintermsofsoplayingfastandloosewiththetermyoungdrivers,then,becausealotofpeopleYeah.
Mypartnerhasatriumph,andwhenhewaslookingatgettingintosomeoftheyoungmembers'groupsforthose,yeah,alotofthemwerecuttingitoffat25.
Butwethinkthatthepeoplethatareinthatgapbetween25and35havegotalotofrelevantexperience.
Ifthey'rewillingtopassanswerthequestionsofa17-year-oldthat'saskingthequestionsthatmaybea60-year-oldonFacebookisgoingtothinkisabit,oh,howdoyounotknowthatkindofthing?
Anditdoeshappen.
Thenititdoes.
AndsotheWhatsAppgroup'sgreatforthatintermsofthose25to35-year-oldshavehadtheexperienceinrecentmemoryof,likeyousaid,beingonthebusierroads,breakingdownatthesideoftheroadandmakingaquickfixmendtogethome.
They'vegotthatrecentmemoryexperienceofitbeingonaroadthatislikewhatweareexperiencing,becauselikeyousaid,theroadsarequieterandyouweren'tdealingwithpotentiallyhavingtogoonasmartmotorwayforabriefperiodoraroadwhereeventhehardshoulderjustdisappearsabit,andyou'rethinking,okay,howcanIgettothatnextbitofhardshoulder?
Itit'sthatrecentmemorywherethey'vegotreallyvaluableexperiencethatthey'reabletopassontothoseyoungmembersandthey'rewillingtoputupwiththethequestionsandthenaivetyandtheoh,I'veboughtaseriestwoandit'snotgoingasfastasIthoughtitwould.
HowdoIgetusedtothefactthatI'mpootingalongat50milesanhourwhenI'veseenotherpeopleintheirmorusthousandshappilysittingat6570?
Allofthosesortsofthings,reallyvaluable.
Andyeah,andwewhenItooktheyoungmemberson,Iwasoftheopinionthatifyoudidn'tfeellikethemainclubfullyrepresentedyouyet,becauseyouwerepicturingitasitbeingmostlythose50-year-oldsplus,ifyoufeltthatcomingalongtoayoungmemberseventwasmorethesortofthingthatyouwantedtodo,thenitwasmoreimportantfortheclubtokeepholdofyouandhavesomethingthatyoufeltyoucouldcomealongtoandbepartof,thanthere'd
bethisperiodofmaybe20yearswhereyou'renotintheyoungmembers,butyoudon'tfeellikeyou'refullypartoftheoldercrewandtheclubdoesn'trepresentyouanymore.
Iagree.
Ithinkfrom25to55canbealittlebitofnoman'slandforalotofpeoplethataregettingintoclassiccarsintermsofclubmembership.
AndIthinkclubmembershipisreallyimportant.
Ithinkthatkindofinclusivity,Ithinkthesocialscene.
Imean,wehaveyouknow,Idon'tknowaboutwhereyouare,butwearewe'veseenarealincreaseandit'sbrilliantinPubMeeveryTuesdaynightinonebook.
Andit'snotMarkspecific,andIthinkthat'sbringingalotmoreyoungerpeoplein,butthatdoesn'tnecessarilyhelpthemwhenthey'vegottechnicalissues,forexample.
ButIdidjustintermsofhowmanymembershaveyougotnationallyfortheyoungowners?
Ithinkforthemostminoryoungmembers,it'ssittingatabout60,60intheWhatsAppgroup.
Yeah.
Iwouldsaythere'sacoregroupofabout30thatwillregularlyturnuptostir.
Someofthethere'saladintherethatIthinklivesinNorway.
Sohe'snotonlygotveryfewpeopleinhislocalareathatareownanoldcar,butIimagineowningaMorrisMinorundertheageof35inNorwayisparticularlyunusual.
Sowe'renationally,it'sinternationaltoanextent,butyeah,it'sit'sabout60to70inthegroup.
AndthenI'dsay,yeah,30peoplethatofthemmaybe20willturnuptomostthings.
Okay.
What'sthekindofmostcommonroutetoMorrisMinorownershipforsomebodyunder35?
Isitallbecauseofourparents,doyouthink?
It'sinterestingbecausethereisalotofusthathavegone,ohyeah,myparentsorwhateverhadoldcarsorwhatever.
Butactually,ifyouthinkaboutit,likepeoplewhoare25,theirparentsarewhat50,50to60.
TheymightnothaveownedMorrisMinersasaneverydaycar.
They'vetheywereprobablyowningmoreofthe80s,90sstuff,90s,early2000sstuffintermsofwhattheyweregetting.
Well,Ithinkiftherewasaiftherewasamuggyinthegarageforthem,itwouldhavebeenbecausetheirparentsalsohadasecondclassiccar.
Yeah,soitwasstillaclassiccartothem,yeah.
Butothershavecomeintoitbecausethey'rejustinterestedinengineering,andit'sagoodcartostartgettingtogripswithintermsofworkingyourwayaroundsomethingandworkingonfixingit.
There'sagoodcoupleofexamplesofpeoplethathavegottheircarsbeforebeingabletodriveorwhatever,andthey'vebeenjustahands-onprojectforthem,andtheyhadn'tevenreallythoughtbeyondthekindofdrivingtestandactuallydrivingit.
Itwasmuchmoreaboutthekindofmechanicalsimplicityandgettingtolearnabouttakingthingsapart,puttingthembacktogether,andhavingaanimprovedprojectattheendbecausethere'sanelementofyoubeingstillabletopickupaprojectMorrisMinorforrelativelyaffordable,butit'sgotthepartsavailabilityandthekindofothersupportandstuffofotherA-series-basedvehicles,butunlikeamini,isn't
gonnasetyoubacktwiceordouble.
HowdoyoufindIobviouslyI'vehadquiteafewMorrisMinersovertheyears,andtheonebigissuethatalwaysconcernsmeisthecorrosionunderneathandthechassis,andI'vereplacedmanyachassislike.
Butwheredoyoustandintermsofyoungpeoplecominginandthinking,wow,Icanbuyacarfor£1,500?
Icanserviceit,Icanspannerit,IcangetitontheroadandIcandriveit.
ButwheredoyoustandwithClassicCar?
Iknowtheydon'thavetobeMOT'd,butIandyou'vealreadymentionedMOT,I'mOTmineaswell,whethertheyneedthemortheydon't.
Andnotnecessarilyeveryyear,butIalwaysmakesureeverytwoyearsisfineforme.
Ihaven'tcheckedinbetween.
Butwheredoyoustandifanewmember'sjoiningandthey'rereallyexcitedthatthey'vegotthiscarthatthey'veinsuredfor£100ayearandthey'veserviceditthemselvesandthere'sallthissupportandit'sloadsoffun.
Howfardoyougowithmakingsurethattheclubispushingthatmessageonaboutstructuralsafetyandintegrity?
Wetryandstartearlierthaneventhemgettingthecar,ifwecan.
AlotofpeoplewilljoinFacebookgroupsorwhateverandsay,I'mlookingtobuyacar.
Whatisthereoutthere?
Andtheyoungmembersareverygoodatpouncingonthosesortsofpostsifthepersonlooksthecorrectsortofageandgoing,Oh,haveyouthoughtaboutjoiningtheyoungmembersgroup?
Andthenoncethey'reinthere,somebodylocaltothemwillmorethanhappilygooutwiththemlookingatcarsthattheywantto,oriftheycan'tgettothecarthattheywanttogoandview,theywillaskifsomeoneinthegroupisnearbyandcangoandhavealookandsharethatexperience.
There'salwayssomanypostsaboutpeoplefindingunexpectedrot,andit'sthatelementofencouragingthemtogetitdealtwithorlearntodealwithitthemselves.
It'snoteasy,butitisaanotherskillthatyoucanhaveinyourcollectionofskillsthatyou'vedone.
It'snotcheaptolearnandtohavethestatusyou'reinwelding,andandthatthatisunlessyouwanttoslugtoasahobby,wereallyenjoyit,that'snotreallyaneconomicallyviablepartofself-maintenance,Idon'tthink.
Butthere'splentyofpeopleouttherethatwilldoitforyou.
Yeah,yeah.
Andsowetryandencouragethemtoknowthespotstolookforbeforetheyevenbuythecar.
Butiftherehasbeenacouplethathavegotthecar,they'vedrivenitaroundforabit,they'vethengoneandhadsomeonelookoverit.
IdidIhadafriendthathadagarageandhetookitinaboutaweekafterIgotit,putitupontherampsandjustletushavealookatitandsay,look,thisisyourunderneath.
Ican'tseeanyproblemswithit,butobviouslyyou'vegotundersealonorwhatever,soit'saguess.
ButitisitweactivelyinthegroupencouragepeopletodoanMOT,likeyousaid,notnecessarilyonceayear,becausewepushthefactthatifaninsurancecompanycangetawaywithnotpayingout,they'reprobablynotgoingtopayout.
Andso,Godforbidanythinghappen,theworstthingyouwantisthatyourcar'snothadanMOTinsixorsevenyears,andtheycanclaimit'snotbeenmaintained,properlymaintained,it'sbeenit'scrumpledinthisareabecausetherewasnostructuralintegrityandallofthesethings.
That'sthebecausethenthecarthatyou'vefalleninlovewithandyou'rehopingtomakememoriesofisgone.
Andsowesay,look,ifyoucaneverysooftengetanMOT,getsomethingsignedoffbyaprofessional,yes,yougetthosepeoplethatwillsay,Oh,it'sonlyworththepaperit'swrittenontheday.
Butit'sthatthereisthatelementofyes,butit'salegalpieceofpaperthatyoucanpresenttoaninsurancecompanyandsay,Look,I'mdoingmybestwiththisvehicle.
Icareaboutit,I'minvestingmoneyinit,Idon'tseeitasacheaprunabout.
AndIthinktherealotoftheseyoungmembersarebeingdoneinbytheinsurancehardenough.
Likeit'snotacheapcarforalotofthemtoinsure.
Ifthey'reunder25,manyofthemarestrugglingtogetinsurancebecausealotofWellweonlyknowofthemastheirclassiccarpolicy,whichisabout80pounds.
Yeah,whatareyoupayingassortofsayunder25,under30foramock?
So,under25,yourfirstbattleisalotoftheinsurancecompaniesarenowinsistingthatyouownanothercarorthatyouareregistered.
Todriveonanothercar.
Sothatideaofyouonlybeingabletoaffordonecarwerealreadyblockingyoungpeoplefromgettingintothehobbythatway.
Oryou'vegottothenaskyourparentsreallynicely,canIbeanameddriveronyourcarsothatIcangetinsuranceonmycarandbumpingtheirpolicyup.
Iftheycangetclassicinsurance,it'ssittingattwograndalotofthetime.
Okay.
Ifthey'reunder25.
It'samazingthedropthatwillhappenafterunder25.
Someofthem,ifthey'vegotmodsandstuffdeclaredonthem,modsthatyouandIknowareactuallymakingthecarsafer.
Ifthosearedeclared,thenthey'rebumpinguptothreegrandinsomecases,whichmaywellbemorethanthey'vepaidforthecarinthefirstplace.
It'snotnecessarilythecheaperinsuranceoptionthen.
Iassumeditwouldbethat'sreallyinteresting.
Evensomeofthemhavegone.
Sotherewasabigperiodwheresomeofthemwerestrugglingtogetclassicinsurance.
Sowewerelookingat,okay,wherecanwegetinsuredjustanywherewiththecars?
Andthereareacoupleofinsurancemoderninsurancecompanies,butthenyou'reobviouslymissingoutonsomeofthebenefitsofclassicinsurance.
Itdoessometimesbringthepremiumdownabit.
Sosomeofthosewerelookingatkindof£1,000to£2,000ratherthanthe£2,000to£3,000withtheclassicinsurance.
They'regainingnoclaimsbonus,whichissomethingthatasanewdriveryou'rewantingtodo.
Butityetit'snotnecessarilythecheaperoption.
Clubsaren'trealizingit.
That'sraisedanewworrythatIwasn'tawareofintermsofgettingyoungerpeopleintoclassiccars.
Ididn'tbecauseobviouslyclassiccarinsuranceforpeoplemyageislike80quid,82,150probably,includingyour12monthsbreakdown.
Mileagerestricted,obviously,anddependswhereyoukeepitandthatsortofthing.
ButIdidn'trealise.
Sothatisarealbarriertoownership.
Yeah,it'samassivebattle.
Andeveryandthat'sabattlethat'shappeningalotofthetimeeveryyearfortheseyoungpeople,intermsoftheywillthinkthey'vefoundaninsurancethatdoeswhattheywant,thatwillletthemdriveittocollegeortotheirjob,thatwillletthemdothemileagethattheywanttodoonit,andtheymightthinktheyfoundit,butthenbythetimethattheirrenewalcomesupnextyear,thepolicy'schangedandtheynowexpectyoutohavesomethingelsealongsideit,ortheyexpectyoutogarageit,ortheyexpectyoutonothavebusiness
orcommutingonit,orwhateveritmightbe.
Okay.
Andsoit'sitbutevenbeforethat,evenbeforepeoplehavegottheirownclassic,iftheyjustwanttogiveitago,theycan'tgetontomumanddad'spoliciesbefore25alotofthetime.
Sothiskindofbarrierstoownership,thattheabigrestriction,becauseweallhavelet'ssaythisbigworryaboutwhere'sthenextwhere'sthenextwaveofclassiccarenthusiastsandownersgoingtocomefrom,andhowdowemakeclassiccarssexyandhowdowemakepeoplewanttobepartofthescene,that'sarealpracticalbarrier,evenifsomebodywantstotothemgettingintoit.
Yeah.
Andsowhatwe'reseeing,andIthinkyouyou'reprobablyawareofthis,isthatpeoplearebuyingthose80sand90sthataren'tclassicclassics,butbecausetheycangetinsuranceonthem,becausethey'realittlebitlessworriedaboutthem,andthengoingalongtothosepubmeetsorwhatever,andthosecarsareagreatentrypointinthefactthattheygettogoalongandparknexttoaMorrisMinorora1930ssingerandtalktotheownerofthat,andthen
theycango,okay,inafewyears'time,ifI'vegotabitofextramoneyandIwanttohaveanothercar,Icouldtryoneofthese.
Andsoyouwantthosepubmeetsandthosemixedupmeetstobereallywelcomingbecauseyou'renotgonnagetpeopleturningupnecessarilyinyour60sand70sclassics.
Yeah,Imean,Ithinkwe'regonnahavetoagreetodisagreeonwhatwecallaclassicbecauseIdothinkparticularlythe80scarsareverymuchpracticalclassicsnow,absolutely.
AndIthinkthatparticularlyintermsofthingswe'vetalkedabout,wherethingslikecopingwellinmoderntrafficandreliabilityandjumpinginandgoingtoworkonaMondaymorning,theyareamucheasierclassiccarthana50sor60scar,andtheydotakealittle,theyarestillrelativelyeasytospanner.
SoIthinkthatifweIthinkwe'vegotmorechanceofgettingpeopleintothosecarsandlikeyousay,butthat'swhatwewantthatbreedstheinterestinthe50sand60sstuff.
It'salmostlikeviewingthemasagatewaydrug,iswhatIforlackofabetterterm,ifthatgetspeoplecomingalongtoevents,becausewhatyou'llfindisthatthepeoplethatareunder35now,forthemostpart,arenotgonnahavenostalgiaforthe50sand60sstuffunlessthey'relikemyselfandgrewupparentswithitorwhatever,butthey'realmostcertainlynotgonnahavenostalgiaforthe30sstuff.
Andthat'sthestuffaswellthat'sstrugglingwithit.
Thethingthatwehaveintheindustry,andwealwayshavedone,isthatnostalgia,weareveryanostalgia-driventrade,andnostalgiahasasell-bydate.
ButifyoucanmanufacturesomeofthatnostalgiabygivingsomeoneareallyonaTuesdaynightatapub,they'vehadareallylovelyconversationwithsomeonewho'stoldthemaboutthereallybrilliantthingsthatthey'vedonewiththeirpre-warcar.
LikeIknowpeoplewiththeirpre-warcarsthatwillgoonholidaytoSpainasagroupofthemandhaveafantastictime.
Butthedrivedriveispartoftheholiday.
Thejourneyispartoftheexperience,it'snotthemeanstotheend.
It'stotellingthemaboutthefactthatyoucandothesethings.
Haveasitinthecar,haveafeelofthecar,gettoknowthatcaronthatTuesdaynightatthepubwithyour80scarsothatyou'vemanufacturedthatlittleseedofnostalgiaof,oh,thatwasareallynicestorythattheyweretelling.
Andit'snotnecessarilytheirownnostalgia,butitisinterest.
Afewyearsago,IsoIworkobviouslywiththeSeniorOwnersClubbecausethat'swhatI'vegrownupwith.
Andtheysaidtome,We'vegotarealproblemwithgettingyoungerpeopleinterestedinourpre-warstuff,whatcanwedo?
AndIsaid,DoyouwantmetobringalongagroupofMorrisMinoryoungmembers?
They'vegotanon-singerclassattheirevent.
Ifwetellthemtobringtheircarsalong,theycandisplayalongsideeverybodyelse.
Theyhaveatrophyforthatcategoryaswell,sothey'vegotachanceofwinningsomethingforthatcategory.
Theygettogoaround,talktothepeoplethataredrivingthepre-warcars,andsomebodyverykindlysaid,Look,we'vegotthisspaceoverhere.
Iftheyoungpeoplewanttolearntodriveoneofthese,we'reoffpublicroads,it'ssafeawayfromeverybodyelsethat'sattheevent.
Theycanhaveagoatmovingthroughthegears,drivingitround,seeingwhatit'slike.
AndIthinkaboutfourofthemfromthegroupofsixthatwentjoinedtheclub.
Yeah.
Andthey'renowthinking,okay,Ireallywantapre-warcartogoalongsidemyMorrisMinor.
Andsoifwecankeepdoingthat,getthe80scarsthinkingaboutthe60scarsandthe30scars,andthe90scarsthinkingaboutthe70sandthe50scars,you'vegottoit'sreallyeasytogo,well,that'snotthatmuchofaclassicbecauseIrememberthecarparkatSainsbury'sbeingfullofthemwhenIwas30.
Oneoftheissueswe'vealwayshad,andpre-war'saslightlydifferentcategory,Ithink,becausetraditionallythere'sbeenveryfewpre-warcarsthatarefinanciallyaccessibletoyoungpeople,topeoplewithoutquitealotofmoneytospend,ortopeoplethatwantamodernclassicthatcangetleftintherainifitneedstobe,forexample.
ButIdothinkthatthesortof50sand60sclassics,IthinkIIthinktheyaretheyareaworryintermsofhowwemaintainthepopularity.
AndlikeIsay,nostalgia'sgotasalebyday.
Ipersonallylovealow-sideddoorsoIloveanMGA,IloveaIloveaTR3,Ithinkthey'reabsolutelywonderfultodrive.
ButtherewasatimewhereTR3swereverydesirableandyoucouldn'tgiveaTR6away,andthat'scompletelyflippedroundnow.
TheTR6priceshavesoftenedoffconsiderably.
TR6sareachievingreallybuoyantprices,andtheirfollowingisgatheringtraction,andIdon'tseeitgoinganywhere.
Andthat'shadaknock-oneffectsonthefivesandthesevensaswell,butnotthethrees.
SoIthinkthatthere'sacoupleofpoints.
Firstofall,thatifyou'veeverhankeredaftercars,andthisevengoestothingslikee-types,andtheywerebeyondyoufinancially,theyarebecomingmoreaccessible.
SoIthinkthatwhatwecandoissaythatsomeoftheearliercarsthatwerepeopleassumedweren'tfinanciallyaccessiblebecausethemarket'ssofteningoffforthem.
Andsometimesthatgivesthingsaboost.
Theyhavetogodownthediptocomebackuptheotherside,andthatisusuallyprice-driven.
Sotherearealotofpeoplethatmaybewouldn'twanttospend40grandonapre-warcar,butfor20theywilldo.
Andnowthosepricesaresofteningofftomeettheirtomeettheirbudget.
Wemayseearesurgence.
Wemaynot,weoftendo,andthat'showthecurvenormallyworks.
ButIthinkthebitinthemiddle,the50s,60scarsarethebitsI'mconcernedabout,thecarslikethecarthatyoudrive,forexample,whereit'slikehowdowemakethemcool,financiallyaccessible,andenjoyable.
Andthat'sthething.
Andit'sreallydifficultbecauseandevenJeff,wejustgobacktoyourpointthatyoumadeabouttheMOT,alotofpeoplearefrightenedofputtingthroughanMOTbecausetheydon'twantanMOTtofail.
Soifyougotoanydecentclassiccargarageandsay,Idon'tneedaIdon'tneedanofficialMOT,butcouldyourunitthroughthesamestructuraltestyouwouldinanMOTandthenwritemeareport?
You'vedoneeverythingthat'sreasonableandpractical.
So,likemyMorrisMinorspecialistthatIgoto,he'sinavillagewherethereisavillagegarage.
Andsohewillgo,ThiscarwantsanMOT.
Canyourunitthroughfirst?
Letmeknowifthere'sanythingitneeds,andthenI'llbringitinforatestonFridayafterI'vedonegoesinonMonday,takesthecardown.
Aninspection.
Justaninspection.
Yeah.
Yeah,andthengoesbackandgetstheofficialcertificateorwhateverontheFridayoncehe'sdone.
Yeah.
Whateveritmightbethatcouldcausethefail.
Butit'seither'sgreat.
It'sjusthavingsomething,isn'tit?
Yeah.
It'snot,it'saboutthepeaceofmind.
Idrivearoundwithmykidsinthem.
Ineedtoknowthey'resafe.
Whetherthat'sanofficialMOTcertificateorsomebody'soldboythat'sprobablyvastlymoreexperiencedwiththesecars,that'scheckeditformevisuallyonhisramp.
Idon'tmindaslongassomebodythatknowswhatthey'redoinghadtoldmeit'ssafe.
AndwhatwhatIwouldsay,particularlyonsomeoftheoldercarsthatIhave,IdoalotofAmericanYanktanks,50s,60s,Americanstuff,thattheveryexperiencedAmericanclassicspecialistswillgiveitamorethoroughcheckontheirrampthantheyoungladatQuickFitwillrunningitthroughanMOT.
SosometimesIthinkit'salsoit'snotacaseoffindingasympatheticgarage.
It'sabouttherightgaragethat'sgonnaworkwithitforwhatitisandgiveyouthelastthingthelastthingyouwantonaonanoldcarisastructurallysympatheticsafetycheck.
Ifanything,youneedsomebodywho'sgonnabeparticularlyhappy.
Andespeciallygiveitareallygoodgoingover.
Withthe50sand60sstuff,alotofwhattheyoungmembersarefindingisthatobviouslytheywentthroughthatperiodwheretheywereandthepre-warstuffdidn'tnecessarilygothroughitbecauseitwasalwaysthatitdidn'texistinthequantitiesthatsayaMorrisminerdid,soitnevergotviewedasacheaprunaboutthatasecondcarthatjustneededlittlebitshere.
Andsotherewasthisperiodinkindofthelate70sand80swherepeopleweredoingalltheseinterestingbodgesontheirMorrisminers,andnowthosebodgescomingbacktobuyintheowner,yeah,intheownershipof25-year-oldswhoaregoing,ohno.
Umbutthey'rereallykeentohavethemdoneproperly.
Becausewehadafewexperiencesaswell,sorrytointerrupt,wheresomebody,forexample,you'llgetanMOTadvisoryjustsay,basically,there'saloadofunderseal,Ican'treallysee.
Yeah.
Whereastheoldboyswillgetthescrewdriveroutandseewhat'sunderneathyourunderseal.
SosometimesIthinkit'swellworth,ratherthanworryingsomuchaboutanofficialMOT,whatyouwantisareallystringentsafetycheckinwhateverformthattakeswithawrittenreportafterwards.
AndIthinkthatthat'ssomethingpeopleareworriedabout.
Oh,Idon'twanttoputinSRanMOTbecauseitmightbeafailandit'sgonnaaffectthevalue.
Andit'slikeyoudon'tactuallyneedtheMOT.
Whatyouneedisthestructuralonsafetyinspectioninwhateverformthattakes.
AndIknowmoderncars,thelegalrequirementistheMOT,butIthinkthatifanything,withtheoldercars,IwouldIpreferaharsherchecktomakesurethey'resavedratherthananMOT.
Yeah,absolutely.
ButandI'mgonnamoveI'mgonnamoveswiftlyontosomeofyourotherinvolvementsandmembership.
Isawyou,Ididwanttopassyou,butyouwerereallybusyattheNEC.
YouwereontheWomenDriversSocialClubstand.
Yeah.
Sowhat'sthat?
What'sthatallabout?
Sobasically,Ihadownedthecarfortwo,threeyears.
Itwas2023,andIwasfriendswithlotsofwomenthatownedcars,butnoneofthemhadtheopportunitytomeetcrossmark,crosswhateveritis,andjustshareexperiencesbecauseitdoesn'tmatterhowconfidentyouare,howmuchyouknowaboutyourcars.
Asawoman,youwillhavehadsomesortofexperienceatashowwheresomebodysaidsomethingtoyou,orsomebody'snotsaidsomethingtoyou,andthey'vesaidittoyourpartneraboutyourcarorwhatever.
Becca,I'macardealer'salsoandacardealer,andtheamountofpeoplethatwalkinmygaragetomakeanappointment,anditdoesn'thelpthatmylife.
Yeah,yourhusband,yourdad,yourbrother,yourson,yournephew,theygothrougheverypossiblesortofmalecontactsthatyoumighthavebeforetheyrealisethatit'sactuallyyouthecross.
It'syou.
AndI'vegrownupwiththat,andI'veactually,Iknowthissoundsalittlebitbizarre,andI'llgetstonedtodeathforsayingit.
IactuallyfinditquiteendearingbecauseI'mnotoffendedbyitbecauseIunderstand,especiallywithalotofthegentlemenofacertainagethatcometomygaragetolookatacar,thatthey'renotbeingoffensive,it'sjustit'stheworld.
Absolutely.
AndIpersonallydon'ttakeoffence,butitisIitisindicativeoftheworld.
NowI'vegrownupinthatIwasneverexpected.
Andit'snotnecessarilyaboutoffense,it'saboutfeelingthatthere'saspacethat'sexpectingyou,Ithink,intermsofyou'renotnecessarilyoffendedthattheythinkit'syourdad'scarorwhatever,butit'sacaseof,oh,wereyounotexpectingwomentobethere?
It'ssimplethingslikeforyears,there'sbeencareventsorwhatever,orclubweekendsorwhatever,whereI'veseenthemadvertisethatthemenaredoingthisandthewomenaredoingthis.
Andit'sokay.
Butregardlessofallofthat,Isaid,Well,Iwasworkinginsocialsciencesandthingslikethat.
SoweweredoinglotsofstufftodowithInternationalWomen'sDayandthingsanyway.
AndIwaslike,wherearetheInternationalWomen'sDaycarevents?
Wherearethey?
Whyaretheynothappening?
Whyistherenotthisopportunity?
Andaftertherenotbeingonein2021thatIcouldfindandnotandyes,wewereinvariousstagesoflockdown,but2022thingshadmostlyopenedupandtherewastheopportunitiestohavesociallydistancedcarmeetsandstuff.
Andtherewasnothinghappening,nothingthatIcouldseeadvertisedandfine.
SoIIsaidtoafewofmyfriends,Isaid,wouldyoubeinterestedifIputonaneventforInternationalWomen'sDay?
Andtheywerelike,Ohmygod,yes,please.
Becauseitissomethingthatthey'dclockedaswellwasn'thappening,buttheydidn'thavethecapacityorwhatevertodoanythingabout.
So2023putonaneventatSywellAerodromeinthemiddleofNorthamptonascentral,asIcouldputitinthecountry,andtappedintoafewofmyfriendsthathadgotbiggerfollowingsthanmeandwhatever,andsaid,Look,canyousharethisaboutandseeifanybodywantstocomealong,bepartofit?
Andwehad,Ithink,23carsandabout30womenturnup.
AnditwasabsolutelyBaltic.
ItwasminusthreewithWinchill,Ithink,becausewewonanairfeed.
Oh,thatwouldhaveputmerightoffgoing,I'mgonnabehonestwithyou.
Ihadtherbalsonunderneathabigjumpsuitandthenabigcoaton.
Andthebizarrethingwasthattherewasaperfectlywarm,welcomingplacethattheycouldgoinandgethotdrinks,sitinandstufflikethat.
That'swhereI'mnobodynobodywasgoingin.
Thatwasthething.
Theyweregoingin,grabbingahotdrinkandcomingbackoutbecausepeoplewerejusttalkingtoeachothernon-stop.
Therewasno,again,notnecessarilysomethingthateverywomanhadexperienced,butalotofthemweresayingit'sthefirsttimewhereI'vepersonallyfeltI'venothadtoprovethatIknoweverythingIknowaboutmycar,orI'venotfeltthatIneededtoknowmoreagainstthequestioningorwhatever.
Noone'sassumedit'ssomebodyelse'scar.
They'veallcometome,they'vetalkedtome.
AndifI'vesaidIdon'tknow,Idon'tfeellikeit'sashamethatIdon'tknow,orwhatever.
Andsothey'veallIthinkit'sarealshamethatwomenfeellikethatanyway,tobeobvious.
Yeah.
Itis.
Andhavingaspacewhereyoucansay,actually,Idon'tknow,andifI'dreallylovetoknow.
ButIthinkforalotofthem,they'dhadexperiencesofthey'dgonetoyourlittlelocalshoworwhateverandsaid,gotthiscar,talkingtosomebodysomesomebodyaboutit,andthey'dsay,Oh,doyouknowtheenginecapacityofitorwhatever?
Andtheymighthaveonlyhaditamonthorwhatever,andthey'vejustbeenenjoyingitandgettingtogripswithit,andit'snottopoftheirmindorwhatever.
Andthey'vegone,no,Idon'tknow.
Andthey'vegone,oh,butwhyareyoudrivingitthen?
Whydoyounotknowthesethings?
I'mnotcomfortablewithanybodyfeelinguncomfortableatacarmeet,whetherit'sbecausethey'refemale,young,inexperienced,yeah,gay,forgetful,itmakesnodifference.
WhatIdon'tlikeisforanyreasonsomebodybeingmadetofeelfoolish.
Absolutely.
Andthatwaswhatsomeofthemhadexperienced,andtheywerelike,it'sbeenamazingthatI'venothadtofeelbecausetheymighthavehadthatexperiencejustoncewherethey'vebeenmadetofeelfoolish,it'sthenimpactedthemalittlebit.
It'schippedawayalittlebitattheirconfidenceorwhatever.
Andfastforwardafewmonthsorwhatever,wewereattheNECintheNovemberbecausebasicallythewomenatthateventhadgone,Thisisthishasbeenreallyniceforme.
Pleasecanwedomoreofthis?
AndI'dsaid,Oh,yeah,we'lldoanotheronenextyear.
Andtheywerelike,No,canwedomoreofthis?
Andsowesettheclubupoffthebackofit,andwithinkindoftwo,threemonths,we'dgot300plusmembers.
Sotherewasdefinitelyaninterestinwhatweweredoing.
Isthereaisthereathreadwiththecarsthey'vegot?
Aretheymodernclassics,olderclassics,affordableclassics,flashclassics?
Isthatorisitjustacompletelybroadbrush?
Anything.
Evenatthatveryfirstmeet,Isaidtheimportantthingisthatyouwerethereandyouarehavingagoodtime.
Ifyougotogetinyourclassiconthedayandit'snotplayingball,turnupinyourdaily,turnupinwhateveryou'vegot,comeandhaveanicetime.
IwantedtheformeetsinmydailybecauseIjustsaidyeah.
Iwasstruggling,couldn'tgetitgoing,gaveupthewhale,wentontheparty.
Yeah.
Yeah,goandhaveafuntime,catchupwiththepeoplethatyouwanttomeetnewpeople.
Yeah.
Thereshouldn'tbethatbarriertoentry.
Becausealso,evenwithawhatevershow,peopleturningupandnotinthemclassicandjusthavinganinterest,thatmightwellbethattheyhaven'tgotoneandthey'retryingtoscoutoutthecity.
Well,Iwasgonnasay,ifanybodyifanybodyisconsideringit,Iwouldurgeyoutogoalongtooneofthepubmeetsintheeveninginthesummerjusttogetanideaofthesceneandthevibeandthepeople.
Andyouthethingwithanyclassiccarisifitdoesn'tputamassivesmileonyourfacetodriveit,it'snotforyou.
Andifyoudon'tthoroughlyenjoyowningit,what'sthepoint?
AndIthinkabigpartofthatformeisthedrive-outsandtheclubmeetsandthesocialscene,andthebeingwithlikemindedpeople.
Thatyeah,it'sfindingyourtribe.
AndIthinkforalotofthewomenthatwe'vegotintheclubnow,they'vegone,thisiswhatIfeelI'vebeenmissingintermsoffindingmygroupofpeople,mylike-mindeduhpeople.
Andso,yeah,wehadIthinkwehadonemoresingle-dayeventthatyear,andthenwedidacampingweekendforeveryoneintheCotsWorldwhereweweretogetherforkindofthreedayscamping,goingaround,drivingthecars,andthensataroundthecampfireintheevening,talking,sharingstories,whateveritmightbe.
Whatwasthesortofagegroupthatyouhaveintermsofmaps?
Sobroad.
Okay.
Ourlastcampingweekend,wehadtwomumsandtheirdaughter,andthedaughterwasshe's15,butouroldestattendeeismidtolate60s,andshe'ssomeonethathadworkedatFord,workedatNissan,workedatLotusinliketheengineeringdepartment.
SoshedrivesMorrisMinors,BMWZ3s,andiscurrentlytryingtolikedoatotalcustombuildofaMorrisMinorpickup.
Butshe'dhadthatexperienceofevenher,shegotintoMorrisMinorsthroughherdadbecausethat'swhatherdadhad,andalotofherexperienceattheshowsandwhateverasayoungwomaninthe80shadbeenverysimilartotheexperiencesshewashavingatworkasanengineer,asawomaninsomeoftheseareas.
Andsoshe'sshejustallofthemsaythatthey'vetheyleavetheweekendswiththebiggestsmileontheirface,theirfacehurtsfromsmiling.
Andthat'stheimportantthing,isn'tit?
Whatevershowyougoto,youwanttoleavefeelinglikeyou'vehadaAreallygoodtimewiththerightsortofpeople.
Doyouthinkthathasgiventhemmoreconfidencetogototheothermainstreamevents,ordoyouthinkit'sputthemoffingandnowtheyjustexclusivelygotowomen'sonlymeets?
It'samix.
Iknowthattherehasbeensomethathavegone,I'llstillgotomylocalclubmeetthatithappensatthepuborwhatever.
Butthenationaleventsforclubs,someofthemarelikeit'snotgotthesamefeelanymore,andIjustwanttocometothewomendriversweekends.
That'sfine.
Ifitkeepstheminthescene,theremightbeatimewhentheyfeeltheywanttogoback.
Equally,wehadthatveryfirstNEC,wehadawomancomeuptouswhohadactuallybeensenttousbySarahCrabtree,whowastherewithherauctionhouse.
Evokeandclassics.
Evoke,yes.
Andshehadthisladycomeuptohimandsaythatshe'dinheritedherdad'sMGandshe'dgonealongtoacoupleofotherMGeventswithit,andhadfeltalittlebitawkward,hadn'tfeltlikesheknewwhatshewasdoing,shedidn'tknowwheretoaskquestions,thatshefeltconfidentenoughbecauseshehadn'tsheunfortunatelyhadn'thadtheopportunitywhileherdadwasalivetolearnfromhimandthingslikethat.
Soshewasgoingintothiscompletelynewandshejustshe'sIdon'tthinkit'sforme.
Shesays,Idon'tthinkit'sforme.
AndsoSarahhadsaidtoherinhall,Ithinkwewereinhallfour,thewomendriversocialclubsarethere,gojointhem,beamemberoftheirs,becauseit'sfreetojoin,justaFacebookgroup.
GospendsometimeintheirFacebookgroup,askthequestionsthatyou'reworriedaboutaskingelsewhereintheirFacebookgroup,goalongtooneevent,sendmeapictureofit,andifinayear'stimeyoustillwanttosellthecar,Iwillwaivemycommission.
Andshedidn'tsellthecar.
Shecamealongtooneofourevents,shemetpeoplethatownedMGsthatweregoingalongtotheMGevents.
Andwhenyou'reinafieldoraneventwherethereishundredsandhundredsofcars,andeverywhereyouseeotherpeoplethatdon'tlooklikeyou,bethatthatthey'remucholderthanyou,orthey'remenandyou'reawoman,orwhateveritis,itcanbealittlebitdaunting.
Andyoujustsomepeoplethey'relike,no,itdoesn'tbotherme.
I'mgonnahaveagreattime,I'mgonnatalktoeveryone.
Butifyouturnupandit'syourfirsttimeandyou'rejustoverwhelmedbyit,itcanbeabitmuch.
Butbybeinginthegroup,she'dfoundotherwomenwhoweregoingtothoseeventswithMGs,andtheysaid,Oh,I'mgoingtothateventnextyear.
We'llmeetupwhenwe'rethere,we'llgoaroundtheshowtogether.
Andthenthatgavehertheconfidencetokeepthecar.
Acarthatherdadhadthatshe'dgrownuparoundthatshewasconsideringselling,shethenkeptbecauseshe'dbeenabletofindsomepeoplethatgavehertheconfidence.
Anaccessibleroutetothescene.
Ilisten,I'mallforwhatwhatevergetspeopleinvolvedandkeepstheminvolved.
Allfor,tobehonestwithyou.
Ithinkthemainthingisthat,likeIsay,peoplethatareinitcontinuetoenjoyit.
AndIthinkthatwedohavetoattractmorepeopletothesceneinwhateverformthattakes.
Andwecanhelp.
Ifanybody'srunninganowner'sgrouporaclassiccarclub,forexample,andthey'reconcernedthattheirfemalenumbersaredownorthatthey'renotattractingfemalemembers,theycancontactyouandyou'llworkwiththemtohelpbuildthatup.
Yeah,yeah.
I'mconsciousI'vekeptyoualongtime,andIhavejustgotafewquestionsIwanttoaskyou.
Absolutely.
Backtothecar.
Quickfireround.
Ihavetwohatswhenitcomestoclassiccars,adealerandanowner.
Soforme,asanownerformycars,ifIcanmakesympatheticupgradesthataren'tvisuallyapparentthatmakethecarssafertodrive,Iwillalwaysdothat.
Asadealer,it'sgottobeasoriginalaspossiblebecausethat'swherethevalueis.
Soasanownerwhorunsthemdaily,I'mcuriouswhereyousitintermsofevenjustsimplethingslikeradialsorcrossplies.
Surelyyougoforthesame.
WhowantstohitawetbandinaMorrisMinoronperiodcorrectirons?
So,aswe'vetalkedabout,myfamilydidn'treallyhavewehadaMorrisMinor,Ithink,formaybethreemonthsbeforeweswappedthelogbookswithsomebodyelse,andbecausemymumdidn'tgetonwithit.
AndsowhenweweregoingaroundlookingatMorrisMinors,IfellinlovewithPeggy,buthadnoideathatwhenIwaslookingintheenginebase,somebodyhadalreadydoneloadsofupgrades.
Iwasawarethattherewasafive-speedgearboxinthere,whichsomepeoplewillsayissacrilege.
Butifyou'regonnadailyit,ifyou'regoingtodailyit.
Imean,IuhIhaven'tdrivennowbecausewhenPeggywentaway,theMostManaOwnersClubwasreallykindandtheywerelike,Wouldyou,forthepodcastsandstuff,liketoborrowtheclubvanforacoupleofweekstotideyouoversothatyoudon'tgetwithdrawalsandagain,wonderfulcommunity.
Absolutely,andthatcaristotallystandard,totallystandardgearbox,totallystandardengine.
IdroveitfromCambridgeshiredowntoBrooklyn'sandbackagain,hadawonderfultimeinit,andIcouldtotallyseebeingabletodriveitwithafour-speedgearbox,butsomebodyhadputthatinyearsandyearsago,andIthoughtatthetime,great,awesome.
WouldI,ifIboughtaMorrisminornow,havingdrivenboth,bedesperatelychompingatthebittoputafive-speedgearboxinatthepricethatthey'reatnow?
No,Idon'tthinkthey'reworththat,butIlovehavingitinPeggyforwhatitis.
Imean,alotofthecarsIhave,it'snotsomuchfivegears,it'soverdrive.
AndIthinkthatoverdriveonmostoftheclassiccarsonafour-speedbox,itiswe'vegotthatonmypartner'sscimitar,andit'ssonice.
Completelytransformsthem.
Justintermsofusabilityanddrivability.
AndlikeIsay,Ithinkthatintermsoftyresafety,ofcourse,youshouldhavethesafesttiresyoucanpossiblyhaveinthecar.
Butthevalueofputtingmilesonit.
ButthevaluewhenI'mselling,ifI'vealowmileageoriginalMoggy,theyneedtobeperiod.
IwillIhavetospendaconsiderableamountofmoneyputtingperiodcorrecttyresonitbecausethevalueforthatcar-Ithinkontheindividualcar.
Iknownow,havingactuallymetandspoketothreeofPeggy'spreviousowners,thatshehasneverbeenpurelyashowcar.
Shehasspentherentirelifeaspeople'sdailydriver.
Andsothemodificationsthathavebeenmadetoherareareflectionofthelifethatshe'sadaptedforeverydayliving.
Yeah.
Whereasifyoucomeacrossalow-mineageMorrisMinorthatisareallyrareseriestwothatisuntouchedorhashadaninterestinglifebutisrelativelyunusualforwhatitis,thenyoucanseewhypeoplearegoingtogo,actually,Ithinkyoushouldhavelefttheoriginalenginein,youshouldn'thavelefttheoriginalgearboxin.
AndsowhenIseepeopledothat,Ialwayshopethatthey'vekeptthem.
Becausethetemptationtosellthegearboxandenginethatyou'vetakenoutofacarbecauseyouwanttodailyitandyouwanttofasterengine.
Butalsothecar'sstory,liketheamountofpeopleI'veseenthatwillsellanumberplatebecauseit'sahighvaluenumberplate.
ButmynumberplateishowI'vebeenabletoIcannameallbaroneofPeggy'spreviousowners,andI'vebeenabletospeaktoandcommunicatewithsomanyofthembecausethenumberplateissointrinsicallylinkedtothecar.
Ithinkthatthewholeuseanon-transferablenumberplate,orshouldtheybenon-transferable,isaitthat'squiteadivisiveargument.
Alotofpeoplebeingableatsomestagetowhiptheplateoffandsellitismeanttheycouldkeepthecar.
SoIdocompletelyunderstandsometimeshowthathappens.
Butit'stheothersit'stheotherwayaroundwherepeoplekeepthenumberplateandsellthecar,andyou'rejustlikeyou'dpayyourmortgageandthat'sthewayyoudoit.
Yeah.
It'sjustpro-andIthinkovertheyearswhenthecarswerehadhadverylittleintrinsicvalue,andweseeitalotthroughdeceasedestates.
Ifthevalueisinthenumberplatesandpeoplehavegotbillstopay,it'sadecisionthattheyhavehadto.
AndIknowforalotofpeople,andmyselfincluded,alotofthetime,Iliketoseetheoriginalplatewiththecars.
Idounderstandsometimesthatperson'scircumstancesmeanthattheyhavebeen,theyhavepartycompany,andsometimesthosecircumstancesarejustnothingmorethanfinancialgain.
Butforthewhoeverownsthatcar,thatistheirchoice.
AndIthinkafterthat.
Andthat'swhatYuicansayaboutanyofthemodifications.
Butifwe'relookingat,oh,whatdowethinkaboutit,it'sareflectionofineachindividualcar,isn'tit?
Uhhavinggrownuparoundrootster,Iwasveryawarethatthenumbersweren'treallythereforsomeofthesemarksandmodels.
Sodoingreallycrazymodificationsorwhatevertosomeofthatstuff,Iwouldn'tdreamofit.
Imean,stufflikeHillmanImpsandSingerGazelles,ifyoudon'tsortouttheheadgasket,they'regoingtooverheatifyoudon'twiththerightoil.
Andthatwastheproblem.
Alotofpeopledidn'tusetherightoilatthetime.
Theyweretheyhadtobemaintainedinaveryspecificway,ortheyjustoverheatedforfunintheheadgaskets.
AndwiththeHillmanImps,peopleweren'tusedtoanaluminiumblock,werethey?
Theydidn'tknowhowtolookup.
Ifyou'vetakenittoagaragethathadbeenworkingonacastironblockforthelastXamountofyears,andthat'swherethefaultswerefalling.
ButandIthinkthatandthat'swhyalotofthem,becausetheyarebeautifullybalancedcarstodrive,they'realotoffun,endedupgoingracing.
Youknow,andIIdon'tnecessarilyIdon'tliketoseeanythingonthebangertrack,buttherearesomereallywell-builthistoricracingcarsthatstartedofflifeasaBogStandardHillmanImporasinkingcar.
AndIthinkthat'swonderfultoseebecauseagain,that'sahobbyandascene,andit'snotkeepingthemontheroadinthetraditionalsense,butit'skeepingthemaliveandit'skeepingsomebody'sprideandjoy.
Andforme,uhtheturningpointcamewhenIjoinedtheyoungmembersandIrealisedjusthowmanyofushadalateTrafalgarBluetwo-door,whichiswhatPeggyis,becausethereweresomany,justhadclearlyhadasurplusofTrafalgarBlueattheendofproduction,andtheywerejustpumpingouttheTrafalgarBlueonesbetween68and70.
AndandIwent,Oh,Icanhaveabitoffunwiththis,andit'snotgoingtoupseteveryone.
Yeah.
Nobody'sgonnathinkI'mansoIpaintedpartofthewheelredandwhite,andthenwhenIhadtherestorationworkdone,haditprofessionallydone,IputinIkeptasmuchofheroriginalinteriorasIcould,butthefrontseatswereabsolutelyruinedbecauseshe'dbeenadailycarfor50,60years.
AndsoIkeptthebackseatsandthedoorcardsaswasbecausetheyhadn'ttakenmuchofthedamage.
Justhadthenewfrontseatsreupholsteredandhadthatdonecustom.
Doyouwearonehatoraretheygottogotoadifferentplace?
SoInolongerruntheyoungmembers,buttheyhaveareallygoodteamthatarerunningthatnow.
AndsoyoucancontactthemthroughtheirInstagrampageortheirFacebookpage.
They'reexcellent.
Ipassedthathaton.
CanyourememberwhattheYoungFriendsare?
Canyourememberwhatthesocialmediapageis?
Uhyeah,it'sMMOCYM,isthehandleforthat.
Mylikeumbrellacontactplaceisprobablythepassengerseatpodcast.
That'sthepodcastthatIrecordfromPeggyinterviewingpeoplethatI'vecomeacrossinmytimeatthecar,butalsosharingmyexperiencesofowninganddailyingthecar.
Soallofthatisloggedonthere,andthat'sonSpotifyandallthoseplacesandonYouTube.
Andthenthere'stheWomenDriverSocialClub.
Butifyoucan'trememberallofthat,justfindmeonthepassengerseatpodcastandI'lldirectyoutotherightplace.
OrIwillputitallintheshownotessoyoucangettothat.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Ithinkthat'sallmyhats.
Perfect.
Listen,ifIdon'tbumpintoyoubefore,IwillseeyouattheNECinNovember.
Absolutely.
Yes.
We'llbebackagain.
Fantastic.
Allright.
Thankyousomuchforyourtime.
I'llspeaktoyousoon.
Thankyou.
Bye.
Bye.
0:00
59:06