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Hi,I'mSamtheoldCarlad.
WelcometoWheelsandDealsPodcastandparttwowiththeinfamousJohnDixon.
He'stheSouthLondoncardealerandoncegangsterwhowentfromacoupleofstintsinside,ajailbreak,andalotofduckinganddivingtorunningnotjustanightclubbutasuccessfulcardealingbusinessaswell.
So,fromsuitcasesfullofready,shotgunsunderthedesk,andsortingoutthewrongguns,Johngivesusaverycandidaccountofthelifebackthen.
Butweareheretotalkaboutthemotortradeandthecars.
Soifyou'dliketoknowmoreaboutthedarkersideofSouthLondonandJohn'sverytoughbackground,thereisafascinatinginterviewonYouTube,andIhaveputthelinkintheshownotesbelow.
Thanksforcomingbackonforparttwo.
Lasttimewetalkedalotabouthowyougotintothemotortradeoriginallyandyourcareerthroughfromwashingcarsasakidtohavingashowroom.
ButtodayIwanttotalkmoreaboutthegeneralsceneandtheLondontradebecauseIhaven'treallylookedatLondoninthesameamountofdetailasIlookatManchester.
Soyouwerestuckinadivinginthe60sand70sinthemotortradeinSouthLondon.
Soyoumusthavecomeacrossalotofcharactersandcelebritiesandvillainsandgangsters.
Andyoumusthavemetalotofpeopleonyourtravelsthroughthemotortrade.
Yeah,evenJoeyPowell,whousedtobewithJoeyWilsoninPeckham.
JoeyPowellusedtobeintherequitehaveacupofcoffeewithhimandTonyRuther.
AndthebestcarsalesmantheyreckonapartfrommewasBobbyValentine.
Becausethefootballersgettingthemoneyfortransferfees,buteverybodywaspayingmoneytomakeBobbyValentineworkingforhim,mental,wasn'tit?
Inthemdays.
Becausehewasagoodsalesman,butIwashisteacher,andhe'lltellyouthat.
Buthecouldsell,Idon'tknow,inthemdayswecouldprobablysell20,30carsaweek.
Noproblem.
Bitdifferentaday.
You'vegottohaveayeah,you'vegottohaveabout,Idon'tknow,100to200vehiclesonyoursitetosell10cars,haven'tyou?
You'dgettheminandgetthemout.
Ilisten,Ithinktheproblemthatwellnottheproblem,butthedifferenceisyou'dyou'dwalkonapitchintheoldendaysandthatwasyourchoiceofcars.
Whereasnowyou'vegottheinternet,youcanbrowse200carsonAutoTraderandthengoandlookattheoneyouwant.
Soit'sadifferentgame.
ButIknowbackinthesortof50s,60sand70suphereinManchester,thecardealerswereliketherockstarsinthecitycentrebecauseofthemoneytheyearnandtheshoulderstheytheyrubbed,andjustthesortofthehugecharactersandthehugesortofpersonalitiesthatthattheywere.
Buttherewasatherewasquiteabiguhcrossoverhere,anditwasrife,thesortofblurredlinebetweenthegangstersandthemotortraders.
WasitthesameinSouthLondon?
SameinSouthLondon.
Everybodywantsanicecar,beitagangster,beitapoolsinthesedays,beitnotalotterywinner,becauseitdidn'thavealotterythen.
Itusedtobethefootballs.
Yeah,itusedtobethefootball,£75,000.
Can'tyouhaveaMcDonald'stoday,don'tyou?
Buttalkingbluntly.
Yeah,filmstars,judges.
Everybodywantedanicemotor.
Amotorrepresentedyou.
Ifyouwereinanoldlarderorsomething,thatputyouona,Idon'tknow,ABCD,itputyouinDbracket,ifhewasinaBentley.
Havingsaidthat,IrememberwewasinAdamandEveinPeckham,meandacoupleofothermotordeals,andwe'dsitroundthebarandallthat,andyou'dseeallthesegirlscomein,andwe'dallgo,Whatdoyoureckonthatonethen,John?
I'dgo,Idon'tknow,eatit.
No,Idon'treckonit'sane-type,I'llputthatdownasafullcartooner.
Ha!
Giveyoulikeyourlaugh.
Butyeah,weusedto.
Couldyoutellwhatsortofcarsthattheydrove,whattheyweregoingtowant?
Couldyoupigeonholesomebodybasedontheirappearance?
CouldyoutellwhowasajugdriverandhewasaRollsDriver?
There'salittlestorytothis.
Neverjudgeabookbike'scoverbecausewhentheXJ6firstcameoutinthe70s,nobodyinPeckhamorSouthLondonhadone.
Becausethatwasapremiummotor,anditwasonlyacoupleofthousandpounds,brandnew,anduh,Idon'tknow,aboutahundredgrandaday.
ButIwasintheuhIwasinthemotorgame,alsoIwasinuhthebuildinggameinabigway,anduhIalwaysusedtocarryalittlesuitcaseaboutwithme,withmymmymate,calledhimmylittleminder,uhLBBerryman,hewasacharacter,Godblesshissoulispassedonnow.
ButIwalkedintothisshowwithaHendonanduhwithmemedecoratingoverallsin.
Ohno,buthe'scomeup.
Notthepostoffice.
That'sadecoratingjob,bytheway,let'sgetthatright.
Notahangjob.
Well,you'renotthesafeman,John.
No.
Well,you'renotthesafeman.
That'sanotherstory.
Butkeepthatsafe.
Butanyway,backtouhtheHendenjob.
IseetheXJonthephone,andthegeezerwenttome.
Youcouldn'taffordthat.
AsIsee,don'tjudgeabookbyitscover.
SoLBlookedatmeandIlookedathim,Isaid,Who'sthischaracter?
Ican'taffordthat.
Hesaid,thegovernorwouldn'tsellit.
Isaid,howmuchdoyouwantforthat?
Hesaid,mate,thebestthingyou'ddo,IknowthisandIdon'teventhinkhe'sthat2,500quid.
2,500quidinthemdaysisthe0.5
million,talkingbluntly.
AndIsaid,I'lltellyouwhatI'lldowithyou.
I'llgiveyouthreegrand,Ruth,right?
BecauseIknewthevalueofit.
Andhenearlyfellover,comingandlaughedatme,right?
Isaid,Elby,comeoverhere,mate.
Andheopenedupthecaseandthereitwas.
Itwas50Ginthatcase,right?
BecauseIjustcashedinonajob.
Abuildingjob,let'sgetthatright.
Anduhsaid,Elby,Isaid,countthat30grand,mate.
Inthetennisandfibers,becauseitwaslikesohegotitout,bang,hesaid,John,there'sthreegrand,he'sayourdropped.
Anyway,I'llgoandhaveawordwithhim.
Anyway,thegovernorhimselfcameouttomeetme.
WiththeRuddiestomeethischaractersputforthreegrandonthetableinreddies,andactually,thethreegrandwasthewagesforallthestaff.
I'mgonnaspendtheirwages,butuhdon'tgetmewrong,butI'dhadtodrawitoutoutagain.
Butitwasalltheirwages,Iwasgonnapaywages.
That'swhyIhadallthatcashonme.
AndIshookmyhand,andhe'dgivemealittlecolour,believeitornot.
Heaskedhim,it'sthekeys.
SogivemethekeystotheXJ.
Hesaid,Wedon'tletussendyouabook.
Ican'trememberifitwasagreenlog,butwell,Ithinkitwasagreenoneintheminthe70s.
Ican'tremember.
Andanyway,endedup,IboughtthecarandIusedtoparkitinBellinghamRoad,outsidemymum'shouse.
Didn'thavegaragesinthemdays,didthey?
Theoldhouses.
Usedtohaveparkingvehicles,butdidn'thavecarsinthe20sandallthat,didthey?
SoIusedtoparkitoutthere,mate,andIusedtoputmybedovertothewindow,yeah.
Usedtokickevery10minutesI'dwakeupandlookoutthewindow,makesureit'sstillthere.
Ohgod,thatwasreallyfunny.
Butanyway,Itookaprofitonthatcar,Ikeptitaboutsix,sevenmonths,andIspunagrandoutofit.
SoIwasdrivingaboutinoneofthebestcarsintheworldatthetime,theXJ6,andititwasa2.8,
theyhada2.8
anda4.2,
right?
Some,soIchangedthebadgesfroma2.8
toa4.2
thatlookedabusiness.
Yeah,becausethe4.2
wasliketheone,notthe2.8,
butyoucouldn'tgeta4.2
anyway.
Soitwasinagleamingrigwith.
Buthowoldwereyou?
HowoldwereyouwhenyouweredrivingthatJohn?
Ohman,yougotmate,7080,82thisyear.
Yeah.
Itwasquiteafreshcarforayoungladinthosedays.
Butno,surelynot.
Iwasafleshitwillkidanyway.
Anyway,there'sbeenflesh,yeah,andthere'sbeensicklyflesh.
Iwasn'tsicklyflesh.
Iwasanatural.
Iwasanaturalperson,butuhIcouldcarryit,andpeoplewouldn'twantmeanyotherway.
Ithinkyoumightstillbedonelookingatwhatyou'rewearingtoday.
Oh,yeah,justthetopthatcomponents,andlikethatpinstripesuit,that'saChristian,andIboughtthat,butbelieveitornot,uhover50yearsago,Ithinkitwas,andit'sstilllikebrandnew.
AndmybroadfromSavileRow,butthey'relikestillbrandnew,andIthinkIgottheminthe80s.
Therewereveryfewindustriesotherthanthemotortradewhereyoucouldcomefromnothing,andbythetimeyouwereinyour20s,youweredrivingabrandnewjagandwearingaSavileRowsuit.
Itbrought,itgavealotofpeopletheopportunitytomakeahugeamountofmoney,themotortrade,andititmadealotofpeopletheirfortunes.
Idon'tknowwhetheryouhaditthereasasmuchaswedid,butitwasalsoagreatwaytomanagecash.
Sotherewerealotofpeoplewhocamefromperhapsothercareersthatendeduppartofthemotortradebecauseitwasjustrifewithcash.
Themotortradewasinmyblood.
Youdon'tgotocollegeorschooltolearnit,younevergotit.
Buttobecomeamotordealer,forgetmotorsforthesecond,you'vegottobeadealerinanything.
Ifyoucansellateacupwithoutanhandle,thenyou'readealer.
Motorsitithelpsasyougooninlife.
ButasIsaidinmyearly,it'snotthecar,it'syouasaperson.
Iftheylikeyou,thenyou'rehalfwaythere.
BeforewehearmoreofJohn'sinfamousLondonlife,Iwantedtogiveyousomefreeticketstowina2004ToyotaMR2Roadster,lowmileage,longMOT,andreadytogoforsummer.
Justgotowww.rafal.com,
that'sR-A-A-F-A-L.
LookforBringYourTrailerClassicswiththeoldcarlady.
SearchforitonGoogleorfollowthelinksintheshownotesbelowformoreinformation.
There'spromotionswithticketsstartingatATP,andI'mgivingtwofreeticketstolisteners.
ButthepromotionalcodeMR2POD.
Justpopthatinatcheckout,andtheyareyours.
Sothanksforlisteningandbacktotheshow.
It'sstillthesameintheclassiccargamenow,John.
Peopledealwithpeople.
Theonlyexceptionisifsomebody'sgotareallyrarecar,yousometimesdohavetodealwithpeopleyoudon'tlikebecauseyouwantthecar.
ButIthinkthattheclassiccargameisthelastbitofapersonalmotortradebecauseinthenewandused,it'sallonlineandautotraderandpeopleitpeoplebuycarswithoutevenseeingthem.
ButIthinkourendofthegameisthelastonewhereyouknowyougoandseeacarandyouspendtheafternoonwithsomebody.
Andifyoulikethem,you'relikelygonnahavethecar.
Ifyou'regoingoutthereandyou'vegot,say,likeafullcortinaonyourcarfront,andyou'vegotabentleynexttoit,andyou'vegotthemanontheColtina,andyouwalkoutthere,yougo,allright,mate,howyoudoing?
How'slifetreatingyou,myoldthing?
Bang,bang.
Thenyou'vegotyourmanonthebentley.
Isellboy.
Whatalovelyvehicle.
Yougotaknifefortest,myfriend.
Imustsay,whatregimentwasyouin,mygoing?
Oh,yeah,IwasintheNorfolk.
Yes,IwasintheRoyalArtilleries,myfriend.
I'minNorfolk.
Lyingkit,Iweren'tinnothing,wasI?
Yeah,andthenyougetacasewheretheysay,Yeah,Mum,dothething,thiscountry,youlookgoodinthatdeal.
Yeah,Mum,wehavethatcompri.
AndthenItellyou,Icomeinthiscountry.
Iknownothing.
John,Ithinkmaybeyoushouldhavebeeninfilms,notmotortrading.
SoIwanttohaveachatwithyouaboutthecrossoverbetweenthekindofthemoresalubriousworld,thegangstersandthevillainsandthemotortrade,becausethat'ssomethingthatItouchonquitealotonthispodcast.
Anditchangesfromcitytocity.
SoIobviouslygrewupintheManchestermotortrade.
SoI'mcurioustofindoutwhatthecrossoverwasininothercitiesaswell.
AndlikeIsay,becausethemotortradewassocash-rich,itwasareallyeasywaytodealyourmoneyinandoutofabusinessfromwhereveritcamefrom.
AndIthinkthatalotofpeopleassumedifyouwereadealer,youweredodgy,andassumedifyouweredodgy,youwereadealer.
Andtheredoesn'tseemtobethatIdon'tknowwhetheryouhadit,Dana,butwehaditalotofthetimewheretherewouldbesomequiet,uhthere'dbesomeoldgangstersandvillainsthatactuallyendedupgoingstraightinthemotortradebecausetheydidn'twanttoriskprisonanymore.
Theydidn'twanttogetthecollarfault,andtheyweremakingalotofmoneydealingcars.
Soitwasarouteforalotofpeopletoenduplegitimatebusinessmen.
Didyoufindthatwhereyouwere?
Yes,youcouldearnmoremoneybeingastraightmotordealerandgoingyoucanearnmore,andthatistodayaswell.
Youcanearnmoremoneyouttherewithoutrunpeople.
They'veallgrownupnowandrealizedthatyoudon'thavetobeshady,justbestraight.
That'sthebestpolicytoday.
Soyou'vedoneacoupleofstintsinside,youknow,youmakenosecretaboutthat,andyou'reveryNo,becauseIlovedit.
Ilovedit.
I'vemadeittomyadvantage.
Everyminuteinthere,Iusedthattimetostudy,read.
I'vebecomeagoodchess.
I'lluseittodisappearedwhenyou'dhadit.
Oh,yeah,ofcourseIdid.
Izoomedoutofthere,Iain'tgoingbacktherefornomatter.
No.
Ididn'tgoback.
There'savery 'causeaveryinterestinginterviewwithyouonYouTubeaswell,andI'monlygoingtotouchonthisreallybriefly.
Butyoudidgetyourcolourful,youdiddoyourstintinside,youbrokeoutacoupleoftimes,andthenyouvoluntarilywentbackinbecauseyoudidn'twanttolookafteryouoveryourshoulderfortherestofyourlife.
Soyousquareditalloff,movedonwiththemotortrading,likealotofpeopledidbecauseyoucouldgostraightandearnagreatdealofmoneyinthemotortrade.
Exactly.
See,ifyougiveathousandpoundsforavehicle,youcoulddoubleyourmoney,soit's100%profit.
Soyoucouldgoupattwo,youcouldgooutat£2,000.
AndthebestmotorinthedaywastheCourtinaMarkV.
Nowyoucouldbuythemintheauctionsbetweensevenandeighthundredpounds,butatamarkuponthecarfrontalwaysusedtobe£1995,whatever.
Itwasalwaysagrandinit.
Andyouhadplentyofmovement.
We'reallthesame.
Weallwanttoearnafewquid.
Itdon'tmatterwhattheManchestermotordealersortheLondonmotordealers.
Wedidquitealot.
Weshufflestuffround.
Sothere'dbecertaincarswheremydadhadfriendsinLondon.
Therewerecertaincarsthatwegotmoreforuphere,andviceversa.
SowedidalotofupanddowntheM1.
AndIcanrememberbeingasleepinthebackseatwiththeJVandapillowinthemiddleofthenightbecausehewasdownonthetrain,shufflingcarsaround,oneuptoGlasgow,onedowntoLondon.
SowedidalotofmovingcarsawayupanddownbetweentherewasatimewhereweweregettingalotmorefreetypesinManchesterthanyoucouldinLondonbecausethereweremoreofthemthere.
Andyoucouldgetalotmorefortherollersthanwecould.
Soweweretakingtheminuphere,droppingtherolleroff,pickinganewtypeup,bringingitup.
Dad'smatehadadealdownthere,andwehadadealuphere,andwesquaredthecarsawayinthebestplaceforthecars.
ButIdon'tthinkthatthere'sIdon'tthinkthere'sthesamecamaraderieinthemotortradeasthereusedtobe.
AlittlestoryabouteverymotordealerinSouthLondonalwayswantedanicemotorparkedoutinthecurbbecauseitrepresentedwhatkindofmotordealerhewas.
Now,Ialwaysusedtohaveabowlsvoiceparkedupinmyownpersonalmotorcar.
Ineverusedtotakecarsupthecarfrontbecauseforthesimplereasonifsomethingwentwrongwithit,Ihadtoputitright.
Now,I'mnotsayingthatIwantittohappentothecustomer,no.
Ijustwantedtomakesureitdidn'thappentome.
Yeah.
Becauseifithappenedtothecustomer,thenIcouldputit,Icouldputitforthem.
Sootherdealersusedtosay,whydoyouspendallthatmoneyonthebitwhenyou'vegotthreecarsthatyoucanuseanyone?
No,Iwantedmyownpersonalcar,andIalwaysloveafulltankofpetrol.
AndIlikethefullattacks,Ilikeitinsured.
Thecarsonthecarfrontweremuchthem,andtheyusedtorunaboutonfreshair,right?
WeusedtopushthemoffonYeah,weusedtopushthemupandtellthemthegeyser.
IboughtthisRollsRoyceandoneofthedigitsonthelogbookoronthecarwaswrongonthechassisnumber.
Itwasacomputererror,that'sallitwas.
SowhenIboughtitandIregisteredit,itflaggedupwithDVLAatthetimethatthechassisnumberwaswrong.
AndtheygotintouchwiththeFordSquadofthecar.
They'veallcomedownonme,mebeingJohnDixon,theythought,oh,isthatit?
He'sringingRollsvoicesallovertheplace.
Yeah.
Theythoughtthey'datthetipoftheiceberg.
AndthisguycalledDaveAkrinian,topmantoday,Ihopehewatchesthis,becausewebecomerealgoodfriends.
Andafterhe'ddonetheinvestigation,herealiseditwasn'tme,itwasanerrorwithaDVLAonanumber.
Yeah?
Hewasthatembarrassedthatheboughtmywifeatthetimeabigbunchofflowerstoapologize.
Andhesaid,I'veneverdonethisinmylife.
Atthattime,hewasjusthewasasergeant,detectivesergeant.
Todayhe'sachiefinspector,hebecomestheinspector,allthepipsandallthat.
Weshouldgetyoubothtogether,that'dbeareallyinterestingconversation.
Yeah,itwouldbe.
BecauseIwasinthenightclubbusiness,andhewasmybestcustomer.
Ididlovehim,man.
Helistenedhelovedme,hewantedtoleavethepoliceforceandjoinupwithmeinthemotortrainbecausehecouldsee.
Wewealwayshaditupherewherethetradersandthecoppersrubbedalongnicely.
Theylookedafterusandwelookedafterthem,anditallworkedout.
Yeah,wedid,yeah.
ItwasanotherincidentinBeringRoom.
Therewasthesefortunematensoutsidemycarfront.
Iknewtheywashappeningnogood,theyweregonnarobme.
Anduhtheywasoutofinaboutlikesilly,don'tsaywell.
ButIdidhaveashotguninmyoffice,whichyoucouldhavebeen,theycouldonlytakeitoff,yeah.
Today'sadifferentkettleoffish.
AnduhI'mwaitingforthemtocomein.
Igottheoldshotguntheredownthecenter.
Anyway,they'dcomein,threeofthem'scoming,one'sI'maboutoutside.
Andwhentheycomein,Isaid,Iknowwhatyouwant.
Iputtheshotgunonthetable,right,infrontofthem,andIsaid,Look,I'mgonnabetruthfulwithyou.
I'veonlygotonecartridge.
Ican'taffordto,butoneofyouisgonnastayherewithme.
Getonmytoes.
I'llnevereverseethreeropesrunoutofmyofficesoquick,itwasunbelievable.
IshouldhavebeenrunningfromEngland,butthatscaredthelivingdaylightsoutofthem.
Butitwasempty,therewerenocartridgesinit.
Doyoudoyouthinkworkingwithobviouslythethingwithbuyingandsellingcarsisyoudealwithalotofpeople,don'tyou?
Everyday,fromeverywalkoflife.
Doyouthinkthatyoucanyoucouldspotawronggame,youcouldspotagenuinepunter,didyougetarealradarforpeopleasyoumetthem?
Well,yeah,youcoulddo.
Thatthatcomesdowntoexperience.
Yousee,thethingaboutlyingawrongandit'shard,really,becausethekidscouldbesuitedupanduhthenyoucouldgetatrackcoming,andI'llalwaysrememberwhenIsaidtoyou,Iwalkedintothatcarfrontinmyoverallsandboughtthatthreegrandjag,anditalwaysstuckthere,neverjudgedabookbyitscars.
Andcouldyoutellwhatpeoplewereuptobywhattheyweredrivinginthosedays?
Ifyougoifyougobacktothesortof70sinyourarea,ifsomebodyhadaRollsoraJagoranE-type,couldyouhaveagoodguessatwhotheywereandwhattheyweredoingbasedonwhattheyweredriving?
ThegeyserdrivingtheRollsRoyceortheBentleyordered,etc.
etc.
10to10isonfinance.
It'sonstrap.
Thegeyserthatpullsupinalittleoldcourtainer,orCapri,whatever,weknowhe'spaidreadyforit.
That'shismotorcar.
Sowho'stherichestoutofthetwo?
Themanthatownshisvehicle,themanintheRollsRoyce.
IthinkumIthinkalotofpeoplethathadtherollersinthosedaysdidownthem.
IthinkIdon'tthinktherewasasmuchonthedrift.
That'sright,yeah.
Well,IIrememberonceaguycalledRayDuckhamfromYorkshireway,I'minmyoffice,andIhadthenightclubuptheroad,andII'dliketodrinkinthemdays.
AnduhRay,hewalkedinmyofficeandhesaidtome,John,youshouldbeattheclub.
Youshouldn'tbedownheredrinking.
SoIhadthisbottleofginatthetime,Ihadthisbottleofginthere.
Hesaid,No,look,I'lllookupforyouandsortitoutandI'llmeetyouupyourclub.
So,anyway,10,11o'clock,12o'clock,geezerscomeinmetoclub.
Hesaid,Yeah,there'sanolddrunkarddownyourcarfan.
Isaid,Whatareyouonaboutanolddrunkard?
I'vegonedownthereandit'satRay.
He'spissedoutofhisheadonthefloor,he'dfinishedmybottleoff,andhe'stoldmeoff.
Oh,thatwasreallymental.
Andinhisothertimes,hewaswellknowninthemdaysforclockingmotorcars.
ButwhatIusedtodo,Iusedtozerothem.
I'dneverknocked10,000,20,000,I'dzerothem.
Andthentheysaidtome,whatdoyoureckonthemileage?
I'dgo,well,IthinkI'llthinkI'mholdingthis.
Ithinkit'sonlydone30,000,buttheclockwentwrong,sotheyputanewonein.
Butyeah,buttheycouldn'tcheckanyMOTs,theyneverputthemileageonthem,didthey?
Andthentheoldmobilephonescameout.
AndI'dagendasentaninterceptinthattime,but.
Massivebricks.
Wasfullofbatteriesforthemobilephone.
Itwasabigbox.
Withthesamerental.
That'sit,yeah.
Andwethoughtdownthemoatboxandwithhisphonesandthat.
Andweonlyhadone.
Yeah,onewenthomeandthephonehadgottenit.
Likethewholebunchofupthestairsallday.
Hello?
Hello?
Hello?
Hello?
Oh,it'squitefunny,really.
Who'sthecleverestmotortraderyou'veeverknown?
You'rethesharpest.
He'sthesecondsharpest.
I'mthesharp,likeyoucutyourself.
Ifheblastsagainstme,youcutyourself.
Butmysons,Iboughtthemuptheretosellmotorcars,they'regood.
They'reputtingmetoshame,they'rethatgood.
Yeah.
Iwatchhim,Icouldseetheolddadcomingoutinthem.
ButChristopher,it'sinhisbloodaswell,cars.
He'sgonnabe,andhe'sgoodandmygrandson.
Icanseehimreally.
They'reonlybabiesattheminute,they'vestillgotalongwaytogo.
Yeah,Ithinkgivehimanother30minutes.
It'sgonnabe,tobefair,it'sgonnabeatoughgigin20,30yearsdealingcars,Ithink.
It'schanging.
It'schangingallthetime.
It'dbespaceships,won'tit?
Idon'tknow,John.
Ithinkthere'sthisbigpushtogodowntheEVroutefornewtackle.
Ithinkthatforpeoplewhogenuinelylikecarsandenjoydriving,it'sgonnagivetheclassiccarsabigboostbecausethat'stheonlywayyou'regonnagetinacarandenjoydrivingitanymore,Ithink.
SoIIdon'tknowwhetherIthinktheusedcargame'sgonnabetough,butIthinktheclassiccargamemighthaveabitofarenaissanceonthebackofallthisEVnonsense.
IgetI'llgetlambastedforthat.
SoIandI'mconsciousoftakingupalotofyourtime.
SoI'vegotafewquestionsforyouthatpeoplehaveaskedmetoaskyou.
SoIcan'tcounthowmanyI'vehadaskingthisquestion,butit'sit'sprobably20oddpeoplehaveasked,didyouknowthecraze?
Well,that'sanotherstory.
Let'sleaveitthere.
Okay.
We'llleaveitatthat.
Butagain,Ithinkthereareotherinterviewsthatpeoplecangototohearmoreaboutthatsideofit,aren'tthey?
See,thethecrayswerelovelyguys.
It'swhattheTabloidshavemadeofthem.
Iknoweverygangsteryoucouldcomeacross.
Now,thedifferentthingsaboutgangsters,that'sanotherstory.
There'sanunderworldwherethere'saclickofus.
Andwealwaysusedtomeetinplaces,butwenevertalked.
Wejusttalkednormaltalkanddrink.
Iwentupnorthoncetobringaboatbackinabootofacar.
Ihadacarrentalcompanyaswell.
Andhetookthecar,hewentupManchester,andhewasgivingitallthebiggin'onthephone.
Oh,comeandgetyourcarandallthat.
Iwasgonnagetthecarandtakethembackwithusinthebooth.
Anyway,aboutfourofuswentupthere.
ButIphonedManchesterpoliceandtoldthemwhatIwasgonnado.
Isaid,Look,I'mcomingupthere,wherevertownitwas,Isaid,I'mcomingupthereandI'mgonnabringoneofyourpeoplebacktoLondon.
I'monlygonnagivehimaliftbacktoLondonandI'mgonnalethimgo.
Ifyouhadn'thiswifescreamingoranythingcomingonthephone,I'mtellingyounow,youcantellher,don'tworry,he'scomingbacksafe.
IjustwanttogivehimalifttoLondon.
Right?
AndIrememberthatManchesterpolice,theyweregonnago.
Iwaslike,Thankyou,Mr.
Dixon.
That'sverykindofyoutoletusknowthat.
Yeah.
IalwaysusedtolethimknowwhatIwasupto.
SoI'llcomewithme,eveninSouthLondon,ifIwasgonnagetupforsomething,I'lllethimknow.
I'llsay,look,I'mgoingdownhere,soIdon'tneedallyourguys.
I'lltellyouagoodtrickIusedtodo.
Youcouldregistermycar,yeah?
Undercoversquadinthelogbook,right?
Sowhenweusedtogoaboutandparkthecaroutsidenightclubsandallthat,oldBillcomingon,andthat'sit.
Oh,well,genius.
Absolutelygenius.
That'sanundercovercar.
I'mjustthinkingthatnow,whatcorecouldIdothatwith?
Butuh,butno,IthinkitIthinkit'sreallyinteresting,likeyousay,thecoppersandthetradersrubbedalongquitenicely.
Iwasspeakingtoadealerandweweretalkingaboutthewaythatthingshavechangedandthewaythatpolicing'schangedandthewaythattheacceptablebehaviour'schanged.
Andtherewasatimewhereifyouwentontoadealer'sforecourtandtriedtohaveacaraway,andthedealerbattedyou,andyouphonedthatthepolicehadcomealongandgiveyougoodhidingaswell.
Youjustthatwouldyoudidn'tdothat.
Whereasnowitwouldbethedealerthat'dgetarrested,andwhoevertriedtonickhispartnerwouldprobablygetlikeafoilblanketandabitofacuddleorsomething.
Andit'sifyouweresortingtroubleoutthatneededtobesorted,thepoliceweretheretohelpyou,nottohinderyou.
Orthat'sinmyexperience.
That'sright,butIhaven'tsaidthatI'vegotapolicecaroutsidemyman.
AndI'mtellingyou,becauseIlivedowninKentarea,thepolicecardetersthepettycriminalheseesthatandheruns.
Andhe'sagoodone.
Right?
We'reeverthinkingstartingupabusiness,rentingthemoutfortofarmers,andpeople'sgotmansions.
You'veonlygotacoupleofpolicecarsintheirproperty,andpeoplewanttoseethemandtheygo,I'vesaidthat.
Idon'tthinkpeopleareasfrightenedofthecoppersastheyusedtobe,becausetheyyouyouknow,thecopperscan'tgivecan'tcan'tcan'tgiveanyoneagoodhydrogenanymore,youknow,they'renotallowedtotouchthem.
Theycan'tevenlookatyouwrongnow,canthey?
No,no.
Imean,God,whenIwaslucky,ifyougotintroduced,theycouldmarchyouhome,clickroundtheear,handyouovertoyourparents.
Yeah,I'vegottotellthisone.
I'mhavingadrinkintheWesternNightclubinSouthLondon,anduhallmotordealersusedtouseit,andwealwaysusedtohaveacoupleofdealsintheclub,youhadadrink,butIusedtoletthemthinkthatIwasI'dhadadrinkandIwasoverthetop,Iwassoberasajudge,right?
AndIwashavinggoodgames.
Anyway,Iboughtthismotorcarandithadbeenpaintedwithabrush.
Acanofpaintandpaintedwithabrush.
Ithought,ohGod,howcomesI'llgetcaptured.
BecauseIboughtthismotorinBrentleyCarAuctionsintherain.
Sowhenitcamethroughtheauctionsinthedaytime,itwasbeautiful.
Youcouldseewhereithadbeenpainted.
Asthetimewenton,lastcar'sallcomingthrough,itpisseddowntherain,andthatmotorcamethroughagain.
Anditwasglittery.
AndIboughtit.
Icouldn'tbelieveit,Iboughtit.
Anyway,Igotaphonecallthenextdayofmycleanerandsaid,Johnny,wasyoublindwhenyouboughtthiscar?
Isaid,Whatareyouonaboutblind?
Isthisbeenpaintedwithanhandbrush?
No,Ithinkhe'sabang.
Anyway,Iwentdown,Itookitdowntheclub,yeah.
Pissingdowntherain,underneaththestreetlight,yeah.
AndIsoldittothisdealer,andIcan'trememberhisname,buthewasacharacter.
AndIthought,hesaid,hegotanythingtoselllikeyoudo,itwon'tthemoney.
Now,hehadamotorcarthathewantedtoputintosomeone.
Sohethought,Isaid,I'vegotthisjagoutside,I'llI'llhavealittledeal.
NothingcouldbeworsethanthismotorI'mputtingintohim.
Idon'tcare,nothingcouldbeworse,right?
Becauseithadtobetakenbacktothemetaltome.
Anyway,I'dhadadeal,right,andheputamotorintome,thegearboxwasoutofit.
Yeah?
Butwhenshedealt,slapdang,youdon'treneg.
Anyway,Isoldinthecarnextday'sonthephone,swearing,givingitallthebigandwhathaveyoudonetome?
WhatIsaid,hangon,whatdoyoumeanwhathaveIdonetoyouapartfromyousellingmeamoatwithagearboxhangingoutofit?
AmIonthephone,Shane?
Hesaid,no,John,buthesaid,hangon,mate.
Hesaid,thatcaryousoldme,itwaspaintedwithanhandbrush.
Isaid,no,wasit?
I'lltellyouyouletyeah,Bruce'snamewasBruce.
Yeah,Bruce.
AndIsaid,Bruce,itwasnewstome,mate.
Ineverknewthat.
I'lltellyounow,I'llcomeupinitandIthoughtyoureadmeover.
Yeah,itwasreallyfunny,youknow.
I'vegotacouplemorequestionsthatpeoplehaveaskedmetoaskyou,ifyoudon'tmind.
Sothenextonewasifyouifyouhadyourtimeagain,wouldyoudothingsdifferently?
Notonebit.
No,Iwouldn'tchangemylife,allthemoneyintheworld.
That'samazing.
AndI'mgonnafinishonthelastquestion,andtwopeoplehaveaskedthesamequestion.
Um,whodoyouwanttoplayyouinthefilm?
I'dlikeoh,whatwashisname?
UmTomHarding.
Yeah,no,goodcall.
Icanseethat.
SoweneedtoweneedtogetontoTomHardy,tellhimyourstoryandseeifhewantstobealittlebitmorethanalittlebit.
Don'thaveadrinkwithmefirst.
No,I'lldon'tdrinksoMatt,stopdown.
I'lltellyouifTomHarding,popdownhere,mate.
Youwanttomoveinwithme?
Well,listen,onceIgetallmykidsthroughtheirexams,I'mgonnacomedownandseeyou.
ButI'vejustintheI'mrightinthemiddleofGCSE'sandAlevelswithtwoofmineatthemoment.
SoassoonasIcan,I'mgonnacomeuhcomedownandseeyou.
We'vegotlike60scareofthen,wecanputyouupin.
Thankyousomuch.
Thoroughlyenjoyeditagain.
ThankstoJohnforhisveryhonestaccountofwhatreallywentoninthemotortradeinhisSouthLondonpatchbackinthe60sand70s.
ReallylookingforwardtogoingdowntoKenttomeethimforpartthree.
AlthoughIammoreofafive-starhotelgirl,soI'llprobablybestayinguptheroad.
Pleasedon'tforgettohavealookatthecompetitionatrafal.com
toenterthedrawerandgrabyourfreeticketsforthe2004ToyotaMR2Roadsterjustintimeforsummer.
Allthelinksareintheshownotesbelow,aswellastheYouTubewalkroundofthecar.
SoI'llbebacknextweekwithmorefromTimAshworthatStockleyClassicsandhismarvellousMGMetros.
Sountilnexttime,happymotoring!
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