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Hi,I'mDanielCarladyandwelcometoRealsandDealsPodcast.
Inthisepisode,I'mbackwithMartinBotanicLeadingMotorGentlistandauthor.
Andthistimewe'regoingtogothroughsomeofhisoldphotosandtalkaboutthecars,theplaces,themoments,andthememoriesthathavestayedwithin.
Sowithallthemoderntechnology,wejusttakeitforgrantedthateverymomentiscaptured.
Butintheoldendays,wehadcameraswith35mmfilmthathadtobepostedofftobedeveloped.
Andthesejustremindedusofatimewhenwehadtohavepatience.
Andmaybethat'swhatmakesusappreciatepreservingthesecarmemoriesjustalittlebitmore.
Solet'scrackon.
So,Martin,I'vebeengoingthroughaloadofmyDadilphotosfromthe60sand70s,andI'vegonedownabitofarabbitholeofpeoplelikemeandyouthatkeepallthesebagsandboxesofphotosofoldcars.
Andit'snotjustthecars,it'sthewholehistoryofwheretheywere,whytheywerethere.
Whatthesituationwas.
Yeah.
Whoyouwerewhenyouwereyoudidthat.
Yeah,andit'sfascinating.
IusedtowalkroundthestreetsofnotjustStockport,anywhereIwasinManchester.
OrevenwhattheWestWherewereyoumeanttobewhenyouwereworking?
WellIwasmeantIwasmeanttobeinDentonorOrdenshaw.
College.
BollyCollegeorAshton.
AshtonTechnicalCollege.
AndweusedtogotoStockport.
ButIthinksomehowStockporthadafewmoreinterestingcarssomehow.
StillareinStockport.
TheA6inStockportrunsfromthebottomofStockportuptoheadingtowardsaboutBuxtonandbeyond,butthemainstretchwasjustcarpitchaftercarpitch.
Soifyouweregoingcarshoppingbeforetheinternet,youwenttoseedealers,youwentoncarpitches,didn'tyou?
Hadalookroundandhadachat.
SogoinguptheA6wasabitofaritualifyouwerelookingforacarwithyou.
Somehow,yeah,Ithinkthatprobablywas.
AndIthinkbecauseofthat,ifyougooneroadbehindtheA6,yougetPillgateandthenGreatUnderbank,andthatwayyou'dgetallthebodyshops.
Yeah.
AndthemechanicsandTherewasalotgoingonwithcars,withusedcars,newcars.
Ifyouwantedtolookatbuydroolover,whatever.
Itwasdefinitely.
ButIusedtolikefindingthingsindustycorners.
Icouldsniffacaroutevenasakidsomehow.
AndumandIwasalwayslookingforthese.
MartinshowedmeuhanoldpictureofaTheat130inwhatlookslikeapubcarpark.
TheFiatWeendeduplivingquitenearwherethiswas.
ThisisapubinOrdenshawcalledtheBluePig,whichIusedtogoindrinkingwhenIfirststarteddrinking,andwithmymates,andweusedtowalkbackdownKing'sRoad,whichisleadstoDebdalePark,whichisnownearwheremymumlives.
Butinthiscarpark.
NowIlookatthiscarnow,itactuallylooksbetterthantheoneI'vegotnow.
Butitespeciallyatthemoment.
Sowhatyearisthatphoto?
Thatphotowouldbe82,83.
Andyou'veandyou'vestillgotthefiatbugnow.
Ohyeah,Ihadit.
Mydadhadoneprobablyatthesametimeas,orjustalittlebitbeforethiswastaken.
Okay.
Andhesoldit,whichtomydabsolutedistress.
Itwasquiteararesight.
Itwasquiteararesight,butitwastherewasararecar,buttheywereaboutifyoulookandfollowthem.
Yeah,they'restillsolidatthatpoint.
TherewasaChevettebehindit,andthisisthecarparkoftheBluePig.
Itwasalwaysthere.
Itprobablybrokedown.
Iremembergoinginandaskingthelandlord,it'sallrightOh,soitwasn'talwaysthereasinthecold.
Itwasn'tjustsomesortofdrinkdrivinglocal.
Itwasjustthere,itwasjustthereallthetime.
Formonths.
Whichiswhatyougotthensomehow.
Yeah.
Landlordsofpubshadflashcarstheycouldn'treallyafford,andtheyendeduplingeringincarparts.
Itwasalsofreestorage.
Itwasfreestorage.
Alotofpeopleusedthepubcarparts.
Alotofpubs,yeah,justleftittherewhentheygotpissedandwhatever.
Butitwasthereanyway,andIremembergoingandaskingaboutit.
Doyouseetheregplateonit?
It'sanS-reg,soit'salateone.
Ithinkitwasblue.
The130badgeontheback'smissing.
Buteverythingelseisthere.
That'sokay.
Yeah,exactly.
ThoseS-Reds,that'sthelastregyoucouldgetthemon.
Yeah.
Couldn'tgetanythingnewinthecar.
Sothatwasanimportantfind,buthewouldn'tsellittome.
Andthere'sapicturehere,twoLamboaSpadas,bothred,um,andonewithavinylroof.
Andthiswasthisguy.
Nicepark.
SouthEastCheshire.
Hehewasacar,itwasaitwasliketheearlydaysandwhenpeopletalkedaboutclassiccarsandcases,andtherewasthisfeelingthatyoucouldmakemoneyoutofthem,sotherewaslikepeoplewerepoppingupsayingtheywereclassiccarspecialists.
Thegoldrush.
Itwasabitofagoldrush,earlygoldrushtime.
AndthingslikeAspadaswerestillabout,unrestored,limpingalong,andtheywerecheaprelatively.
Affordable.
Theywereaffordableuntiltheywentwrongandtheygotthentheygotsuddenlyveryunaffordable.
Irememberthisguytakingmeout.
Ican'trememberifitwastheonewiththevinylroof.
VinylRoofAspada.
Fuck'ssake.
It'sprobablyjustcoveringtherustup.
Itwasacheappicture,yeah.
Hehadtwoofthemanyway.
HehadthisthingaboutAspadabecausetheywereaboutrelatively.
Stillquiteexoticthoughatthemoment.
Oh,massively.
I'dnever.
Sowhatyearisthisone?
Thiswasaboutthesametime,early80s.
Still,Italianexotica.
Italianexotica.
Irememberthisguybackwhenitmusthavebeenabout86,soalittlebitlater.
IremembertherewasoneChristmaswherehewashepromisedmehe'dgivemeanE-typetouseoverChristmas,andheneverdid.
AndIwaswaitingforthisphonecall.
Well,hewasonlinetwice.
Hewasanawfulguy.
Buthewasdodgyaswell.
Hewasreallydodgy.
Hedidn'teventryandhideit.
ButhehadthisEspadathingandhehadheknewthisblokewhoreckonedhewasaracingdriverorsomething.
HetookusoutontheM6initandheandheactuallywentthroughthesortoftheroad,whatdotheycallthem?
Theroadsthatfeedontothemotorway.
Sliproad.
Sliproadsflatout,doingoh,welloverahundredonasliproad.
Anditdidit.
Itwasnobloodyproblem.
I'veneverbeeninanythinglikeit.
Soyeah,Iwasdeeplyimpressed.
IthinkIwassatinthebackofitaswell.
Soyeah,itwasgreattodothat.
Butno,I'mnotsorryIWouldyouhaveanaspood?
Istillwould,butIwould.
Ilovethose.
It'soneofthefewcarsofthatilkI'mnotquitecuredof.
Haveyouownedone?
Yes,Ihad.
Becausenormallythatcuresyouofthecolours.
Itdoescureyou.
Itdoes,yeah.
Ihadanautomaticone,itwasanabsolutedisaster.
ButIquitelikeditbecausehehadaphoneonthedashboard.
Wellabigphoneonthedashboard.
Yes,that'sworthbuyingacarforit.
AndIdIrememberonceIdid120initandtheyhadgasketswent.
Havingjustspenteightgrandontheengine.
Andthathasn'tcuredyou.
No,ithasn'tcuredme.
No,that'sthetrouble.
Imeanforpunishment.
They'rejustagrenadewaitingtogooffnowasfarasI'mconcerned.
There'ssomethingthat'sgoingtogowrong.
JourneyofJapan.
Andit'sgoingtocostyoualotofmoney.
Yeah.
Andthey'renotevenit'snotasevenasthatfast,really.
Ithinkyoucanonlyreallyrelaxandenjoyifyou'vegotalotofmoneyinthebank.
You'vegottohavethemoneyinthebankthattheequivalenttowhatthecarcostingyou.
Andifyouhaven't,andthatmeantyou'reafuckingmillionaire,basically.
Justincasefunny.
Justincasefunds.
Welltheotherthingisaswellwiththose,it'sfindingsomebodywhowillactuallywork.
Actuallywillyeah,theymightbeableto,buttheyprobablydon'twantto.
Anotherphotointhepubcarpark.
Thistimeit'saredFordGalaxyconvertible.
Yeah,there'sapubcalledtheCarousel.
It'sstillthere.
JustjustpastMcDonald's.
IsshecomethroughStockportintoReddish?
Yeah.
Thatwasthatthatwasinthat'saFordGalaxy7litre,sothat'sgotthesameenginethatwasintheAC48.
ItshoulditshouldcomefromStockporttoReddish.
Yeah,thatwasinthecarparkthereforalongtime.
Again,anotherpub-termstorage.
Long-termstorage.
There'sprobablysomethingwrongwithit,oryoujustrunoutofpetrol,probably.
AndIrememberithadthisamazinggearleverastheAC428,whichwaslikeabigsortofthing.
Likeaviolet.
Yeah,that'sright,yeah.
AndIwasjustlike,God,imaginehavingthat.
Imagine.
Sohowwhenwasthat?
Andhowoldwereyouthen?
IthinkIwasstillatcollegethen,sothatwasabitearlierthanthat.
Butyes,Irememberjustgoingroundgameoneaboutpicture-takingthings.
Inlookingbackconditionnow.
Yeah,justgoingbacktotheproperold-fashionedcamerawiththe35mmfilm.
Yeah.
Wereyoupostingthemofftogetthemdeveloped,ordidyougointheshop?
Ijustwenttotheshopandthenwentbacktogetthem.
Aweeklater.
IthinkitwasthesameshopIgotthecamerafrom.
Itwasallaverysortofponderousprocess,you'refairtoknow.
Youhadtobesopatientabouteverythingthen,didn'tyou?
Butyoucouldgetthemback,andtheymightnothaveturnedout.
Butyeah,thisiswhatitwas.
Oh,thisisnotthisisn'tquiteonthesamesubject.
It'sCarlton.
No,it'sOpal.
It'sanOpalSenator3litre.
Now,asateenager.
RareCarlatan.
Yeah,itisacarecar.
Ihadaccesstothat.
Whichwasridiculous,really,becauseitwasreallyfast.
Yeah.
Idon'tknowwhymydadmydadwaslikeHetrustedyou.
Ononehandhewaslike,Well,you'renotgoingtoofast.
Ontheotherhand,he'dsay,Well,there'sthekeytotheFallenHourcar,justgetonwiththisone.
Soisthatyourdad'sdailydrive?
Mymum'scar.
Mydadwasn't.
Hewasabitofafunnyonewithcars.
Hewouldn'tlookatthingsproperly.
Hejusthoped.
Youknow.
Usingtheforce.
Theforce,yes,Iknowthatone'sright.
Ifyou'dhaveopenedthebonnetonthat,he'dhaveseenthatthefrontstrutwererustingaway.
Andeventuallythewheelsstartedgoinglikethis.
Youwanttoputyourmissusintotheroomsaferthanthat.
Hewasn'thedidthatwithalltheBMWcoupéeswehad.
Hejusthejusthopedwhensomehowitwasn'tenough.
Butitwasalovelycarwhenitwasrunning.
Heneverbrokedownactually.
Idon'tevenknowwhatwedidwithitintheend.
Andallthecarsinthatpictureyourfleet.
Iknow.
That'smydad'sAudiHundredccrevance,whichwasverygoodcar,eventhoughitwasonlya1.8.
It'sonlyafourcylinder,yeah.
Soitwasabitgutless,really.
Althoughitwounduptoanenormousspeedbecauseitwassoumthat'sGeorgie'sDatson.
Theyhaveohshitcars.
AnXR3Icab.
XR3cab,yeah.
That'syours.
Therewasahairdresserlivingthere,yeah.
Sorry,onlyjoking.
Sowhatitwaswasuhitwasafarm.
Wehadthefarmhouse,I'vestillgotthefarmhouse,andtherestofthemreallydevelopedBarnsandShareCarPark.
ShareCarPark,andit'sjustitjustlookslikeabuddycarparknow.
Justshiteverywhere,anyway.
That'sanotherstory.
Yeah,that'suhstartedgettingintoBristols,yeah.
I'vedIsawit,butyouneversawoneanyway.
ButIseemedtofindthemeveninManchester.
Andsothat'sa411seriesoneortwo,whichisoneofthegoodones.
Ithinkthat'stheplasticcarshow.
Whereaboutthat?
WhenitwasaGMEXorsomethinglikethat.
OrBellMean,therewasamillonthefactoryinthebackoftheroom.
Everythingwasdoneinmills,wasn'tit?
Thatwerenotquitenobodyquiteknewwhattodowiththem.
Ithinkthatwasanewminisinthebackgroundorsomething.
Isthatacavalieraswell?
Cavalier,anearlyBMW,youknow,Mark13series.
Yeah.
Yeah,thatwasjustaBristolthatwassomebodywhowasjustusing.
Ithinkitwasataclassiccarstream.
Mightjusthavebeeninacarpark.
Solookingattheothercars,thatmusthavebeenearly80s.
Early80s.
Early80sagain.
SoBristolBristolswerehavealwaysbeenararespot,Ithink.
AndIthinkthatmaybemoresoupnorththandownsouth.
Yeah,theyweren'treallyanortherncar.
No,theywerealltheLondoncarreally.
Mr.
Crockallowedustobuyacarofhim.
Therewerelikeloadsofpeopledrivingthem.
Yeah,butitwaslike,oh,wewon'twecan'tbothertobebotheredtogoanywhereelse.
Justgotothecarshopandgetapistol.
Yeah,butoneofthetherewasahugefeelingofexclusivityaroundthem.
Yeah,andhedidplayablinderintermsofestablishingtheexclusivity.
Hedid,hewasaclevermarketingman.
Thereweren'talotthatmadethewayuphere.
No.
TheywereAndmydadprobablyboughtmostofthemaswell.
Wellyourdadprobablyhadallofthem,yeah,that'sright.
Buttheyweren'tandtheyweren'teverybody'scupofteabecausetheywereabitfunnylooking,really.
IthebeautyofaBristolformeisthedrivingthem.
Ithinkyouhavetodrivethemtounderstandthem.
Andwhenyoudo,youlovethem.
Youlovethem,yeah.
Idolovethem.
ButIdon'tIBecauseIdidhaveasix-cylinder.
Yeah,wehadafew406,veryclassy.
Yeah.
I'vehadIhaveactuallyhadtwo.
I'veneverhadasix-cylinderone.
I'vehada407,whichisthefirstoftheV8s,whichIpaidtwograndfor,butitwasabitofafightoverthenumberplatebecausehehadareallygoodplateonit,like407MP8.
Andyouthoughtitwasgoingwiththecar?
No,Ididn't,butsomehowsomebodyelsegotinvolvedanditanyway.
Oh,butitwasacheapcar.
AndthenIrememberhavingafantasticdrive.
IsthereanysuchthingasacheapBristolthough?
Wasitdiditendupbeingcheap?
Itwasn'tcheapforthenextbloat.
SoIrememberdriving,itwaslikeoneofthosethingsthatwaslikesomethingoutofafilm,becauseIdroveitfromStroudtoLondonfairlylateatnight,or100milesanhour.
AndIdroveitstraightintothemiddleofLondonandparkeditanywhereatPalma.
AndIfoundaparkingspace.
Ithought,thisisit,Iamthatkidnow.
Iwasn'treally,butitwasthescenarioactuallyworked.
Ididn'tactuallygetinvolvedinatrafficjammeroverhere.
Sothatwaslike.
Soyoujustgotluckyallaroundthen,includingtheparkingspace.
Exactly,yeah.
IsupposeItherewasnoBristolthingthatwasevergoingtotopthat.
Remembermydadcominghomeinabowfighterandwecouldhearhimlikethatwasaturboone,right?
Theywerefluthose.
Yeah,buttheymadesuchagorgeousnoise.
Buttheyarenicewhenthey'rerunning.
Well,iftheydorun,they'requitereliable,really.
Ithinkaswithanykindofslightlyoddballcar,ornotoddball,that'sreallyunfair.
Anycarthatwasproducedinsmallnumbers,ifyoucanfindsomeonethatknowshowtolookafteritandlookafteritproperly,you'vegothalfachancetogetitandusethem.
Theyjustdon'tliketobesat.
Ithinkusingthemregularlyis.
IthinkonethingaboutBristol'sisbecausetheywerefairlypractical.
Youdofindthemwithquitereasonablemailingsonthembecausepeopledidusethem.
Buttheycangettheycanstillgetexpensive.
There'sloadsofthingsonthemthatareabitweird.
Thebatteriesandthebacksuspension'sveryweird.
Andtheydorot.
Itmighthavebeenanaluminiumbody,buttherestofitrot.
Nowthisone,IrememberBristol.
Irememberthiswell.
Itwasa406thatwasjustlingering,anda406wasthesortoftheforalot,notsomuchnow,butitwasthebottomofthefoodchain.
It'snowmyfavourite.
It'snowmyfavouriteisnowmyfavourite.
IthinkitwasIthinkitwasthepeak.
Itmightbothbewrong.
No,exactly.
ThatwaspeakBristolasfarasI'mconcerned,butitstillhadthetheslightlyunderpoweredsix-cylinderengine,butthebuildqualityonitwasamazing.
Andthenafterthatitwentabitdownhill.
Ithoughttheywerereallynicelyproportioned.
Ithoughttheywerereallynicelybalancedtodriveaswell.
Yeah,muchnicerhandlingthantheearlyV8s.
Yeah.
Becausetheengine'snotsoheavy.
AndIalsorememberonthesethattheyhadthisflip-upthingontheseat,likeaheadrestthatflippeduplikeonaplane.
Andwhichtheithadbitsonitthatthe407didn'thaveasiftheywerelikecheapeningitalittlebit.
Yeah.
Ilovedtheoverdrivetoggleswitch.
Withnoideawhichwasonoroff.
Noindication.
Didn'tmatter.
Itwasjustlikeanold-fashionedtoggleswitchanduntilyougottountilyoudroveitafewtimesandthenyouhadtorememberwhichone.
Whichoneitwas.
Thethingaboutthesewasthesehada2.2
engine,whichanditwastheonlycarthathadthat2.2
engine,theACsandtheandeverythingneverhadit.
Umsointheprobablyfromthe60sonwards,alotofthese406s,whentheybecamecheapsecondhandthings,hadtheenginesrobbedoutofthem.
Soyou'dfindthemwithnoenginesin.
Oryou'dfindthemwithanenginethathadaproblem.
Didyoufindthatonewithanengine?
Idon'tthinkinmyminditneverhadanengineinit.
ButI'mlookingatit,perhapsitdoes,becauseit'snotlowhigherthanit'snot.
Youmusthavehadaproperlookunderneathallthetime.
ItrItriedto,Ican'tremembernow,butIwentbacktoittwice.
Icaninfact,oneofthesepictureswastakenonanightoutinStockport.
IIinsistedtomymatesthatwewenttothisclubwhereverweweregoing,viathisbristle.
Iwanttoshowyouthis,andtheycouldn'tmustwait.
Lookatthatfor.
NowonderI'dneverhadthebigdifference.
Yeah.
Idon'tknowwhy.
Didyoueverfindoutwhoitbelongedtoorwhyitwasthat?
Therewasaworkshopandtheywereworkingonit.
Itappearedrecently.
Anotherdepressingmillinthebackground.
Yeah,andIwentbacktoittwice.
One'sblackandwhite,one'scolour.
IrememberforyearsandyearsonthewaytoBuxtononthatroad,shovedintoahedge,therewasa406,andmydadIremembermydadsayingtome,hesaid,Iknowthatcar.
Hesaid,WhenIwasinthe60s,therewasafarmerwhowouldn'tpayhisbill.
Becausewhensomebodywouldn'tpaythebill,mydadusedtogooutandgetthemoneyoffhim.
Andhehatedfarmersbecausetheywerealwayspleadingpoverty.
Yeah.
Andhewentaroundandhesaid,IcanrememberthatBristolbeinginthegarageandthekittygotthemoneyoff.
Hesaid,Oh,that'sdaddy'scar,theengine'sbroke.
Anditendedupjustbeingshovedinhishedge,yeah.
I'mjustgoingtointerruptMartinforaminutetoseeifyou'dlikeacoupleoffreeticketstowina2004ToyotaMR2Roadster.
TicketsstartfromStateTP,andthere'stwofreeticketsforeveryonetocheckoutwithpromocodeMR2POD.
That'sMR2Pod.
It'sdone51,000miles,superhistory,11monthsMOT,andintheinterestofprofessionalresearch,ofcourse,I'vedoneabout300milesinthiscardjusttocheckitbehavingitself.
Mostlythetopdownthisweek.
SoI'vetuneditwithRafaelandadonatorfromeveryticketisgoingtogostraighttotheDoctorS.
I'llputthelinkandthepromocodeinthedonator.
Andifyoudofancyhavingago,bestofluck.
Right.
BacktoMartinforsomemoreoldphotos,cars,andthosenorthernmillbackdrops.
Andthenheshowedmeuhanotheroldphoto,blackandwhite,ofaroverP4.
ThatroverwasinAshton,andIthinkhewasamemberofthetherewaslikeaclassiccarclubthatwassomethingtheDaneBankpub.
Andtheyallusedtositinaroomaboveanditwasreallyboring.
It'sgotanicebadgebar.
Itlookslikeit'samemberofclubsbylooksofthat.
That'dbeaniceround.
Didyoujustcarryacamerawithyou?
IthinkImusthavedone.
IthinkImusthavedone.
Usedtogototownwithmycamera.
Soliketheearlycarspotter,youwereoneoftheoriginalcarspotters.
Yeah,Iwaslike,Yeah,liketheseonesthathangaboutinLondonStandontheroundaboutoutsidemyhouse.
Supercarspot,yeah.
Iwasinashitcars.
Butyoucouldhavebeenhundredsofthousandsofpoundsonsocialmediaifyouweredoingitnow.
Exactly,yeah.
AndalsolikeaquitequiteatidyoldP4something.
Satreallynicely,thatisn'tit?
Itis,yeah.
ButiftherewasaoneoftheoneofthewhenIwenttoAshtonCollege,technicalcollege,oneofthetutorshadone.
AndIrememberIreferredtoitasaP4.
Andhewent,Howdoyouknowthat?
HowdoI?
Well,itmeanspost-warfour,butIwasn'tallowedtoknowofthesethings.
OhatleastIwasyeah,exactly.
Atleastyeah,atleastIturnedup.
Yeah.
Yeah,thatwasthatwasarover,anearly3500.
Ilovethemwhentheyputthesparewheelontheboot.
Idon'tknowwhy.
Yeah,thatandalsoIlikethemwiththechromegrille,notthelaterone.
Yeah,buttheymusthaveplayedlikeuhonpaperitshouldplayhaveitwiththelookofthecar,justslappingawheelintheroom.
Butit'ssomethingaboutit,isn'tthere?
Yeah.
Therereallyis.
It'sabitlikethatLincolnthingabouthavingitintheumYeah,yeah,withtherover.
There'snoroomforitinthebooth,butjustmakethebootmakethebootwheelshapethen.
Ifyouwanttogoonholiday,youdon'thavetobothertheroof.
Infact,whenwehadone,weactuallyhadonewhenIwasakid,oneofthose.
Irememberwehadtodothatthingontheboot.
Tomakethebookasanoption.
Youdidn'tnecessarilygetit,youhadtoorderit.
Wedidn'tseemanywiththemonline,becauseIthinktherewasatimewhereititwasititwasdeemedunfashionabletohaveitthere.
Soit'snotexactlyaerodynamic,isit?
Andplayhabitwiththeaerodynamicsoundlikethat,wouldn'tit?
Yeah.
Soyeah,thatwasjusttheonethatmydadrestoredinadepressinguhthemillunit.
Butitmydad'smillwasabitlikeyourememberPrimeSuspect.
Itwasliketheplacewheretheyfailedatfindthedeadprostituteinthewheeliebin.
That'swhyIwasexpectedtofindthat.
Don'tworryaboutthat.
You'reparkingyourbristleonPalMall,didn'tyou?
ProstitutesinWheelieBins.
Thatthat'snothatthat'safunnyone.
OrPolaroid.
I'venotseenthePolaroidRoadPolaroid,yeah.
No,theyweregettingabitthinonthegroundeventhen.
Butwewenttointhethisismid-80s,inAutoTrader,AustrianAtlantic.
NowmydadhadAustrianAtlanticinthe60s,early60swhenhewasakid.
Andhealwaystalkedaboutthem.
Sowewenttowewenttowhereyoulive?
Alderley.
AlderleyNutsford,somewherelikethat.
Andtherewasanoldboy,andhehadthisstillIthinkhemighthavebeenthefirstorsecondowner,andhewasreallyoriginal.
Andwehadit,andyetmydadactuallypaidalittlebitmoreforit.
Andthatwastheonlytimeheever.
Hewasn't.
Didhecheckthatoneproperly?
Ordidhejustgetlucky?
Itwascheap.
IevenIknewitwascheap.
Itwashundreds,notthousands.
Ithinkthey'relovelycars.
Lovelythings,yeah.
Anyway,heneverdidanythingwithit.
Itwasjustacar.
HewasrestoringtheCSLandhewasdoingthis,that,andtheother.
SoIbettersellit,son.
SoheadvertiseditinAutoTrader.
SoisthattheAutoTraderPolaroidthen?
Itcouldhavebeen,yeah.
Butitis,yeah.
Itis,yeah,you'reright,yeah.
Cracking,crackingphotoforanadvert,that,isn'tit?
Showingitasit'sbest.
Yeah,that'sright,yeah.
Alotofdetailthere.
Itwasreallyclean.
Therewasnoruleyouwouldn'thavewantedyouwantedthebumpersforyourchromeinandawash.
Andtheengineseized.
Icouldactuallypictureoneofthoseinyourcollectionnow.
Icouldseeyouwithnothingatonce.
Ireallywantone.
Doyou?
Ireallywantone.
Really,that'snottrue.
No,Ithinkthey'vecomedownabit,actually.
Ithinkifyouwantone,now'sthetime.
Becausethere'sallthepeoplethatmostpeopleareinterestedinmucholderthanevenme,really.
Ithinkthey'regonnaobviouslysomecarsthatbecomedeeplyunfashionablebecomehardertofindingoodnickbecausethey'renolongerworthputtingthemoneyintorestoringthem.
Orormaintainingthemproperly.
Sotheironyisthatnowtofindareallygoodoneisgonnacostyoualotmorethanmaybeithasdoneinthepast,butIthinkthey'regonnabecomereallyhardto.
Ithinktheywereaveryinterestingmoment.
Alittlebitmisunderstood.
Theywereactuallypeoplereallytakethepissoutofthem,buttheywereamuchbettercarthantheylooks,andIactuallydon'tthinktheylook.
Thefront'sabitmad,butthebackendofit'sbeautiful,it'sabeautifulshape.
Andtheywereitwasactuallyoneofthefastestcarsontheroadatthetime.
I'dratherbeI'vegotI'vegotthere'sacertaingroupofcars,butI'dratherbeinitdrivingitthanoutsidelookingatit.
It'sabitabitlikeoneofthem,yeah.
IdidacomparisonwiththeBristol.
Whichone?
The400,theearlyone.
Mighthavebeena40201.
Andyes,theBristolwasabettercar,butitwasn'tthatmuchbetter.
Becausethepricedifferenceatthetimewouldhavebeensignificant.
Massive,massive.
Theywerelike900quidisthat.
AndtheBristolwasliketwoandahalfgrand,itwaslikeapoundandahalf.
Yeah.
Wedotheunderdogsinthedisasters,though,don'twe?
Yeah,it'soneofthem.
It'sbecausemydadhadoneandhehadsuchgoodmemoriesofit.
Anyway,whenheadvertisedthis,headvertiseditforfourandahalfgrand,whichischeeky.
Andhegotloadsofphonecalls.
Andhekeptonsellingitonthephone.
Andthensomebodyringhimupandbidhimanotherfivehundredquid.
Sopeopleareliketurningupforthecarandhe'dbegoingfromWalesandhe'dbegoing,Oh,it'ssold,mate.
Andeventually.
Hegotashedloadofmoneyforit.
Itwasabitofapainfulprocess,buthewashappyattheendofit.
Oneofthetimeswhenhedidn'tthinkit'sabit,yeah.
Moneythat.
Oh,thishasgotaninterestingstory.
ThisismymateAdam's.
Sojustbecausewe'redoingaudio,justgiveusanintrointowhatitis.
It'satwo-doorMG1300.
Okay.
J.
Reg.
NowmymateAdamAshmore,hisdad,wasagoodmechanic,mustbedeadnowbecausehewasquiteoldthen.
Andhehadhisowngarageatthebullshead.
Butheendedupworkingfromhome.
Inthatgaragethere,perhapsevennowisaroverP5Bonitssidewherehe'sbeendoingthesillandheneverquitefinishedit.
Stillonaspit.
Stillonaspit.
Itwasn'taspit,itwasjustaxlestance.
ButheusedtogetAdamcarsfromthescrapyard.
SotheywerelikeMLTfailures,it'swherehe'steacuttingit,isn'tit?
Oh,okay.
Yeah.
Sotheywereallabitmarginal,shallwesay.
Amarginalcar.
Marginalcars,yeah.
ButthisMG1300,itwasreallyfun.
SothisisabitofumBL,BMC,whateveryouwanttocallthem,badgeengineering.
Yeah.
IsitanAustin?
IsitanMG?
Isitexactlythesamecar?
It'sgotthistheMGtheMGversionwithanMGgrilleandMGdashboard.
It'stwo-dooronlyatthisstage.
SobecausetheAustin1300wasasuperdeluxetwo-doorsandrare.
Yeah,theywererareanyway.
IsaythatbecauseI'msellingoneofthose.
It'sreally,reallyrare.
Veryrare.
Thesearequitepopular,anditwasitwasn'tquiteaMiniCooperengine,butitwasnearenough.
Itwasatwincarbaseseries.
The1300senginesnowgo.
Butloadsofmoneyanyway,probably.
Yeah.
It'sgrandforanengineandboxnow.
Yeah,exactly.
I'msureitis.
Yeah.
Thisone.
Itwasquitetidyonthesurface.
AndIrememberIdidn'thaveareallygoodcaratthetime,buthehadeventuallyIhadanS-typejackandhejusthadaroverthatwasterrifterribleRover2000.
Butanyway,whenhehisfirstcar,whenhepassedhistest,DadgothisMG1300two-dooranditwentquitewell.
Andweusedtogoup,weusedtogouptheSnakePass.
PasttheBristolandtheHedge.
PasttheBristolandtheHedgeandthenandoutintotheitwasalmostlikeyou'reinGermanyorsomething,likethetalltreesandwhenIhadbeautifuldrive.
Itisabeautifuldrive,it'snotsnowy.
Butthiswasalovelylikemidsummerday.
Andhe'sI'llI'llletAdamgoinfrontbecauseIhadanAstra1600estate.
Itwasmuchfasterthanthis.
AndbecauseitwasthatwaswhatIhadforwork.
AndhewasgoingdownthishillandIthought,it'snotbloodystopping.
Raillightsaren'tcomingout,brakespackedin.
It'sonlysinglelinebrakes.
Becausehisdaddidn'tcheckthat.
Oh,what'shedoing?
Andanyway,thethingendsup,insteadofgoingintothisgulfthatwasinfront,heheheveeredleftandhitathere'slikepostsatthesideoftheroad,anditflippedhimonhisroof,andhewentdowntheroadonhisrooflikethat.
Ohfuckinghell,he'sdead.
Tobehonest,he'sluckybecausethere'ssomeprettythere'ssomesheerdropsalongthatroad.
Yeah,yeah.
Anyway,gothimoutofit.
Imeanyoucouldseeunderneathhowrustyitwasunderneathwhenitwaslike.
YoucouldseehimthroughtheItwasn'tquitethatbad.
Buthegotout,hedidn'tlookgreat.
Umshaky.
Hewasyeah,itwashewasshaky.
Yeah,God,thatwasabitgrimanyway.
Sothatwastheendofthat.
Thatwastheendofthat.
Itwasashamebecauseitwasanicelittlecar,butandheneverreallyhehadNo,actuallyhehadsomegreatcarsafterthat.
Hehadhewentintoreallythirsty,everythinghehadwasthirsty.
V12,straightsix,XJsixeswithheusedtospecialiseinXJ6swheretheybutsomebodyputablastsunroofinandwhenitstartedleaking,theyjustputavinylroofoverthetop.
ThatwasanAdamcar.
Solution.
Don'tbringmeproblems,bringmesolutions.
Right.
Ohyeah,that'sJohnHewitt,soyeah,we'llmaybego.
Yeah,soI'vegotaquickquestion.
SoJohnC.
HewittwasareallywellknowninManchesterMGGarage.
MGGarage,yeah.
AndIthinktheydostillrunaraceteam.
I'mgonnahaveto.
ButIthenameChrisHewittringsabellwithme.
AndI'mwonderingwhethertherewasaIthinkIthinkthatpictureofthetwoofthemtogether,theshtheyoungeroneismaybeChris.
Okay,maybethat'swhatI'msaying.
Twoofthem.
Irememberthat.
They'vehelpedandtheyhelpedmewiththeMGbookthatIdid.
Allthesortofpicturesofrustycarsandthingswithuhyeah.
Sothat'stherewiththeirMGmetroturbovan.
Rathmetroturbovanararethingnow.
Yeah,itwaslookslikeandthenabeebehindit.
Abeebehindit,anditwasallyeah,yeah,reallywell-knownshowrooms.
Ican'trememberwhereitIthinkitmightbenearthatsortofcanalstreetorsomething,somewherelikethat.
Ithinkit'sifyouwentifyougottothetopofDean'sGateandturnedleftthroughDanbytheArches,Ithinkit'sDanB.
Remembertherewasarchesinvolved.
Yeah.
ThatwasmyUnclePaul's,mymum'sbrother,youngerbrother.
Helivednextdoorbutoneatthetime.
Andhehadavarietyofcartina,helaterhadatwoeightyZXtwoseater,whichisapictureofithere.
Yeah,that'squiteleftfield.
Yeah,hedidafewthings.
Hewasn'treallyintocars,buthewasjustabitflash,really.
Andoneofhiscarswasthis1275GTMiniClubman,whichoneyearhemmadethemistakeofaskingmetostripthepaintonit.
No,Ididn'treallyknowwhatthatmeant,soIjuststartedchippingawayatitwiththeyouknow,rightfuckingIdidn'trubitdown,Ijustchippeditoff.
Absolutelyfuckedit.
AndthenandWow,howdidthatworkout?
Notverywell.
Andanyway,heneveraskedmetodoitagain.
Hewasoneofthesepeople,hethoughtifhe'ssatathomedoingnothing,I'mgonnamakehimdoit.
ImeanwhatIwasactuallytryingtodowaswritearticles,buthedidtheydidn'tseeitasajob.
No.
It'snotwhenyou'regonnagetaproperjob,youcan'tjustdothat.
Yeah,yeah.
Andtherestofit.
Hewasalwaystryingtogetmetodosomethismyuhearlyobsessionwithausteinthreelitres.
Iwonderifthatthemtwoarestillabout.
TheyweretheywereWesoonfindout.
Sowhatwasthestorywiththose?
IthinkthatwasjustonesomeIthinkthatonewasjustone.
Spottedinthecarpark.
JustusuallyinManchester,Ithinkitwasjustacarthen.
Soyouthinkaboutit,JReg,hewasonlyaboutjustovertenyearsold.
Yeah.
AndtheGReg.
TheGReg.
Thatmighthavebeenatacarshow.
Buttherewasalsoone,IrememberhowIdorememberthis.
TherewasapubinGordonwheresomebodyhadabandonedone.
Andweusedtolookatit.
There'sarealthemeofcarsabandonedincarparts.
Thereis,therewasloadsofthem.
Therewasloads,andtheywereofteninteresting.
Soyeah,IIgotanearlyIknewitwascrap,butIwasfascinatedwithit.
Itwaslikewhythehelldidtheyevermakethatcar?
Underdogsanddisastersagain.
ThisistheOsteoAtlantictheory,isn'tit?
There'sanotheroneofthose,youknow,yankYankthingsthathasstretched.
Butmydad'stacklethat,isn'tit?
ButIdon'tthinkitlastsaslongastheotherone,isit?
No.
No.
SomydadhadaOldsmobileToronto,Ican'trememberthenameofthecompanythatmadethemASQorsomethinglikethat,orsomething.
Somethingcoachbuilt.
I'llputapictureon.
AndMartinwasuminamuseumintheIsleofManrecently.
Yeah.
Anditwasthere.
ThesameonebecauseI'vegotpicturesofit.
It'sdefinitelythesame.
Yeah,I'vegotpicturesofitonourdriveinthe70s,andthenMartinwaswithitattheend.
It'sprobablytheonlyoneintheUKthat.
Yeah,it'snotasbigasthat.
That'saBuick,butthisisaBuickandit'sgotaQplateonit.
Don'tseethatMoffinberryanymore,doyou?
No,sothat'sbeenuhre-registered.
Itmightbebecauseofmodification,it'dbeenwidelymodified.
Itmaybeitwasbeenstretchedoverher.
IthinkthatisattheBellevueClassiccarshow,whichisareallyagain,primesuspectcrimescene.
Classiccarshow.
Heactuallylookslikehe'sabouttoslipintosomeoveralls,doesn'the?
ItlookslikesomeA6murdererorsomething.
That'sgoingbacktothat.
Thisisanincrediblyblurrypicture.
Isthatthesameone?
It'sthesit'sthecar,it'sthat'stheredone.
No.
Oh.
ThisistheP6B,thebrownone,thatmymate,again,mymateAdamenrolledtheMtoT1300.
Itdidn'thavemuchluck,Adam,didhe?
Hedidn'tknow,buthewasprettybraveinwhathebought.
Ishestillaround?
He'sinhewenttoAustralia.
Ithinkhemighthavecomeback.
Idon'tknow,butI'mnotpursuingit.
Sohehadahesawanadvert,itwaslikehundredsofpounds,itwas350quid.
Hehadajob,whichIdidn't.
Andhewentandboughtthisfromcheapcarsfortheworkingman.
Soisthatwhatcolourarethedoorsandwhatcolour'stherestofthecar?
It'shighlightedthatitwasbrown,itwasitwasOh,isthatjusttheflash?
Diarrheabrownwithavinylroof.
Ithinkithadbrownorblackseats,andIonethingIdorememberonit,hehadalock,hehadacombinationlockonthehandbrakeasadeterrent.
BecauseonetimeIdroveitandforgottotakeitoffandImadeallthebackbrakessmoke.
Butbecauseheleftitwithme,whichistheolddayimmobiliser.
Youdidthehandbrakewhereyoujusttooktherotorarmoutwhenyouownedit.
Thatwouldhavebeeneasier.
Yeah,butheboughtthatfromcheapcarsfortheworkingman,andthatwastheonewhereSothat'sapitchingstopputontheA6,isn'tit?
Itcouldbe.
Ithinkyeah.
I'mgonnaaskJuliJulianfromthefacejustonaprobablyinapulledcarpark.
Yeah.
Itwasn'tit.
Itwasprobablyquiteanicecar,actually.
ButthatwastheonewhereAdamsaidtohim,asitgotapowersteering,hesaidsemi.
Doyouneedittohavepowersteering?
Yeah,it'sgotit,butit'sonlysemi.
Can'trememberwhathappenedtothatguy.
Nowthatthisisprobablyoneoftheclassiconesinaway.
NiceJensen.
NiceJensen.
Ilikethewayit'sacompletelyunoriginalcolourwithablackroof.
Andinsteadofre-chromingthebumpers,that'sjustpaintingblack.
Yeah,sure,whynot?
Yeah,whynot?
Yeah.
Doesn'treallydoalotforit.
It'squitealotofmoney.
It'snearlythreegrand.
Whenwillthathavebeen?
ThatwouldhavebeenIdon'tknow,earlymideighties.
Ican'tquiterememberwhenit'sSowhatjustforcontext,canyouseethepriceon?
Can'tquiteseeit,butit'sprobablylookslikethesamesortofmoneyactually.
Yeah,seeifIcanmakeitout.
Andthere'saSCXbehinditandyouknow.
Idon'tIcan'trememberwhenthisIthinkitwaswhenIwasworkingatthebetweenthefirtreepubandthebull'sheadontheleftifyouweregoingtowardsthebull'shead.
Wheneveryougivedirectionsoralocation,it'salwaysbasedonpubs.
No,notthatIwentinthemthenthough.
Thatwasjustthewayeverybodyelsedidit.
Butwestilldoitnow,sodiifyou'regivingsomeonedirections,it'slikethatleftatthebull'shead,straightdowntothedogridge.
Butthatwasthewayitwas,wasn'tit?
Itwasapubeverycorner,yeah.
Andtherewasthefirtree.
Andthentheoneandthebull'sheadwascalledthebull'sheadbecauseofthebull'sheadpub,notbecauseoftheSoitwasanareathatwascalled.
It'sanareaafterapub,yeah.
Andthistherewasacat,itusedtobeaIthinkitusedtohavepetrolpumps,butitjustgotturnedintoacar.
Idon'tknowwhat'stherenow.
Butyeah,thatwastheyoftenhadinterestingcarsonthere.
Anduhthiswasprobablythemostinteresting,whichisprobablyit'sprobablynotabadcar,butitjusthasaterriblepaint.
Itjustlooksoddbecauseofthebumpersatthefront.
Funnilyenough,IhadaLagondaRapidewithaPPnumberplate,anditwasfromaparticulararea.
IthinkitwasfromMiltonKeane'sPP.
MiltonKeynesisnotfarfromwhereourSteveMartinwas.
Thisis6807PP.
Idon'tknowwhatyearofinterCV8thatis,becausethereweredifferenttherewerethreedifferentmodels.
Anyway,yeah.
NeverI'vealwayswantedoneofthose.
Neverhadone?
Neverhadone.
I'vehadI'vehadaninterceptorconvertibleDidyourateit?
No,it'sjustawayofusingsparepetrol.
Gotanysparepetrolstickinginthere?
You'llsoongetyouridofit.
Ithoughtyou'dlikethatbig,bigAmericanVAbumpatthefront.
Itwasgreat,butitwasn'tlikethereturnforthefuelconsumptionwasn'tininDidnjustifyit.
Didn'tjustifytheperformance.
Itreallywasn'tthatfast.
Itwasalovelything,butI'dratherhaveaCarnishconvertible.
Muchnice.
I'monyourteamforthatone.
Yeah,thiswasJustforthebetterfootofthetape,whatwe'relookingat.
Betterfitofthetape.
Backtothemill.
Thelonelymill.
ThisisAnsonRoadwhereIlived.
Anduptowardstheshops,oneyear,IwasthisisinwhenIwasintomyblackandwhiteperiod.
SomebodyturnedupIsthistheArtie?
TheArttheArtyfilm.
TheArtyfilm.
HadyourunoutofcolourfilminSkype.
No,itwasactuallyquitehardtogetblackandwhitefilm.
IthoughtIwasIthoughtitwaslikesurvivingaFrancoisTrifot.
Orcontinental.
Itwasallabitcontinental.
Okay.
Andandyeah,somebodyjustturneduptoonaSunday,Irememberitwas,Iturnedupinthereandroverthreeleadscoupetogoandseesomebody.
Yeah,Idon'tknow.
That'sthatroveragain.
That'stheroverinsomewhere.
ThatlookslikeAshton.
It'sgotthatsortofdepressingwalltrees.
Amillwall.
Amillwall.
There'samillinvolved.
That'sthat'swhenmydadhadRoverSD1.
RoverSD1,manualV8,whichwasagreatcar.
Abitofarocketatthetime,then.
Itwasarocketshipofathing.
AndIdon'tthinkitwasunreliable,butIdon'tknowwhywe'vewhywegotridofitnow.
ButSoyouyoutheIhavetosaythebigthemerunningthroughallthesephotosseemstoberover.
You'vegotalotofpeoplethere'salotofrovers,yeah.
There'salothavebeenalotofrovers.
WhenIwasalittlekid,myIcanremembermymumwaslearningtodriveandmydadwantedtohaveasafecarbecauseIwasgoingtobeinit,blahblahblah.
AndsowewenttoCulver'sCarMart,whichisthatit'sbeenpartofbutit'slikeselfbagging.
Ithinkit'sCulver'sCar.
Itwasonaitwasquiteaposh,itwaslikeanoldfashionedcardealer'swherethemenalmostalmostsomethingyougetinLondonwhereablokecameoutinatime.
I'llfindapictureofit.
Itwaswellknown,yourdadwouldhavedefinitelyrememberedit.
Andhewentandwewerelookingather,westartedlookingatherbecauseshewantedanautomatic,andwewerelookingataRover2000automatic,whichwasanotoriouslyslowcar.
Yeah.
Andandthedealersaid,don'tbuythat,mate,itwon'tpullasquidifIrice.
Putittomydad.
Andwe'vecalledheroverhismouthsortofthing.
Andhetookhimaroundthebatandtheroom.
SlottedhimintoanSD1inthere.
Sowegotapieceofsorovers,andthenshehadanotherrover.
Andthenyeah,somehowroverswere.
Whenwasthelasttimeyouhadarover?
IsitOhIhadaIhadaIhadohI'vegotI'vegotIownhalfarover2000atthemoment.
I'vehadOhgod,ImusthavehadsixorsevenP5Bs.
ThatPthatredP6Bwasmine,really.
ButwouldyouratherhaveaP5oraP6?
ErmIthinktheP6isthemostsignificantcar.
IfeelIshouldhaveIshouldwanttheP6more,butI'mverydrawntoP5sbecauseeventhoughthey'reabitofadaftcar,reallyheavy,thirsty,Ijustlikethem.
There'sjustsomethingaboutthem.
Ilikethosefriendly,cuddlythings.
Comforting.
There'ssomethingcomfort,there'scomfortdriving.
Thisone.
AnotherroverP5.
IwasintothisthingbecauseIwasveryenamouredofthere'sacoupleofdealersinLondoncalleditwasIstillare,calledRobertHughesandHurstParkAutomobiles.
AndtheyusedtosomehowfindtheselovelyoriginalrobeP5coupesandsaloonsandstickthemonatcrazypricesandsellthem.
Crazyprice,youknow,probablytengrandofacrazypricethere.
AndIthoughtI'mgonnahaveabitofthat.
SoIstartedlookingforoneandsomebodytoldmeaboutone,thisolddeerIhadinCheltenham,Tewkesbury.
AnditwastheonlyitwasoneofthecarswhereIboughtitonthepaperwork,notthecar.
AndIboughtitbecauseofthepersonbecauseshewasaveryshewasthewifeofajudge,andshewasverycountylady.
Soshe'snotgonnahaveyouover,she'snotgonnahavemeover.
Sheshedidn'treallyhavemeover.
Wellwhenwasthis?
Whatsortofthing?
Ifthiswasearlynineties.
Okay.
AndsoIwentandboughtit,ithadbeautifulpaperworkwithit.
Alltheeverybitofpetrolputallthatshit.
Firstowners.
Wellhewasrusty.
Ididn'twanttoknow.
IwasdoingaKenBookleythen.
Ididn'twanttoknow.
Didn'twanttoknowaboutthat.
Anditendedup,mydadendeduprestoringit,butIsee.
Sothat'smydadrestoringit.
Sothat'syourdad'sgarret,right?
That'smydad'sthat'smydad'sprimesuspect,Gary.
Withhim,he'sgotit,andhedidaproperjob.
Hedidallthewelding,paintedit,haditpainted,hetooktheseatsout.
Ididgettengrandforit,butImusthavetwentygrand'sworthofworkdoneonit.
IthinkifIgavehimagrandfordoingitorsomething.
Itkepthim.
Butyeah,itwasalovelycatchwhereI'vekeptitexactly.
Butitwasn'teventhetroublewasitwasn'tevenlowmileage.
Itwaslikeaithaddoneitsmiles.
Itactually,itwasquiteoldandit'ddoneitsjob.
Honestly,thefileonitwouldneverbeabetterone.
Butthey'realovelyoldone.
Theyarelovelythings,yeah.
Itwasn'tjitwaseventhoughitwasrusty,itwasstillaproperone.
Yeah,Imeanithadn'tbeenbodged.
Justneededtidyingup.
Justneededtidyingup.
Seriouslytidyingup.
Yeah,thatwasmeandmymum'sLotusElite504automatic.
Yourmum'shadarightcollection.
Shehadwell,shehadalltheflashcars.
Didshehaveasaleordidyourdadbringstuffhomeforher?
Hejustbroughtstuffhomeandifitifshelikeddrivingitanditwasflash,she'dhaveit.
Itstayedawhile.
Untilitstartedusingalotoffueloruntilitbroke.
Andthenhe'dbelike,thatbloodycatch.
Didthathappen?
Prettyregular,yeah.
Becausetheywerenevertheywerealwaysmarginal.
Youknow,theywereneverlikeIlovethat.
Theywerelikeforthetrees.
Marginalcard.
SowhatyearistheLotus?
TheLotusisitwasanearlyone.
ItwaslikeaPveg.
Itwasthefirstoftheautomaticones.
Sohowoldareyouthere?
I'mprobablyjustaboutoldenoughtodrive,17,18,whateveritis.
Quiteaflashcartobeletloose.
Ididn'tdriveit.
Ineverdrove.
Neverdroveit.
WhatIusedtodoisI'ddowheelspinsonthedriveinitwhentheywentandholdit.
Didwe?
Andmydadnoticedone.
Whatdoyoumeanbloodydoinginthere?
Notthatitwoulddobigwheelspinsbecauseitwasautomatic.
IwasjustabouttosayIhadtorevitandslamitintodriving.
Justoutofcuriosity,howmuchdamagedidyoudotothedrivehere?
Itwasneverthebestpointinthemanyway.
AndI'vehadonesince,andtheyarejustIlovethem,butgodtheIboughtoneofthem,afive.
Ithought,thisistheanswer.
Thisisthepoorman'sEspada.
ItwouldactuallybeeasiertohaveanEspada.
Yeah.
AndlivewiththeEspada'sproblemsontheloader.
Becauseitwasjust,Ithinkitwasthebeginningoftheend.
Ijustnevergotoverit.
Diditcureyou?
Itfuckingseriouslycould.
IfeverifsomebodyifIevergetthemoneytospendlike20grandor30grandonaperfectone,andIwasfeelingcrazyenoughtodoit,ohyes,Iprobablywould,butthere'snopointintryingtorestoreoneonanykindofshoestringbecauseit'snevergoingtohappen.
Breakyourheartandemptyyourbankaccount.
Exactly.
Wellyoudid.
ThatwasjustaDB5thatIsaw.
JustaDjustaDBfive.
JustaDBfive.
JustanLD.
JustanL-Dasker,andsimilarlyaJensenliketheoneIhave.
Oh,that'srare.
Jensenconvertible,2DK46andBurkina.
IsawthatinsomewherejustoffDeansgateorsomething.
Yeah,soyou'vemovedfromStopporttoManchesternice.
It'sabetterclassofmillinthebackground.
It'sabetterclassofmill,actually.
Reallyprettycar.
Itis.
I'veprobablygonetoManchestertogotothebookshop.
Okay.
Justtochangethepricesonthebookstogetthemcheaper.
Again,thisisthe80s,isn'tit?
The80s,yeah.
SothatwouldhavebeenquiteasightparkedupinDeansgate.
Yeah,becauseitwasstillwasn'tthatold.
It'sonlytenyearsold.
Canyouimaginethenoisetherewhenyoustarted?
Itwasanamazingthing,yeah.
IneverthoughtI'deverhaveone.
TheoneIhadwasreallylowmileageandIgotitfromthedrophead.
Yeah.
Itwasabeautifulblueone,butIIwasgladtogetridofit.
Itwasjusthonestlythethirstofit.
It'dhavebeenquick,itwouldhavegone,yeah.
IlikeIjustlikethenormalone.
Idon'tneedaconvertible.
Yeah.
Thatwasa300S300SRrolls,soIjustsawinsomehalfbackofamilk.
Veryrare.
IbetthenMaxinexttoit'srarernow.
Probablyisn'tatealblueorTrafalgarBlueMaxiinthebackground.
IsthataRenaultbehindit?
Renault4,yeah.
Yeah,itwasjustthere.
Idon'tknowwhatitwastherefor.
It'spropercarnurserywhenyoucanactuallylookataphotograph.
Whenyoustartlookingatstuffinthebackground.
Exactly.
Blockwithnoshirtondoingabitofabigthing.
Healthandsafetygonemadthere.
Thedaysbeforehealthandsafety.
Thedaysbeforehealthandsafety.
Yeah,well,thisiswhenIthinkyouknowhim.
TheguywhosetupthatMarksomething,hesetuptheMarkHamilton.
MarkHamilton.
Hehadithehehedealtcars,didn'the?
Yeah,becauseJeffhadtheunitinNorth,whichisIusedtogotoandhe'dlendmecars.
SoisthatMark?
No,that'smydad.
SoMarkHamiltonwouldlendyou.
He'dlendmecars,soI'doncehe'dlentmeaBentleyS3,helentmethatfortodotheNorwichUnionrun.
AndItookithomeandIwasflashedgoingflirtingaboutinit.
Yeah.
Andthenmydadlovedit,sohecameandgaveitawash.
Yeah,R10728TSL.
Yeah,it'sred'squitealateone.
That'sthat200again.
Thatwasjusta250SE.
250CEthat'sthrowingsomederelictbackground.
We'renotsellingitforit,notbeingroom,butthat'swhereeverywherewasless.
EverywhereIwent,itwaslikethat.
Itwaslikehavingbeenonabombsite.
Thatwouldhavebeenaflashcaratthetime.
Yeah,ohyeah,itwasn'tthatold.
Sothat'swhatanote280CE,SCE.
Hubcapstellsmeit'sa250CE,butIcouldbewrong.
Butyeah,rarecar.
Buttheywereabout,theywereaboutthatforthattypeofcar,theywerefairlycommon,youknow,comparedtoaCS,B,andW,becausetheywerecheapanyway.
Butyeah,Itookitbecauseitwasaninterestingcar,youknow.
Yeah,rarecar.
Coolspot.
Coolspot,yeah.
Butthat'sonholidayinMallorca.
220SECADreally.
Whatsortofyearwouldthatbe?
Sixtysixtyseven,somethinglikethat?
No,Ithinkitmightbeabitearlier.
Whitesteeringwheel.
62,63.
Itcouldbeyeah,pre-65even,yeah.
I'mnotsure,butItookapictureyoujustdidn'tseethoseanywhere.
No,notreally,no.
Thatwasjustanoldweddingcar.
Tome,it'sgottobeacloudonebecauseit'saweddingcar.
Yeah.
That'salldoingitsomewheresomewherenearDimadalePark.
Ican'trememberthecircumstances,buttookapictureofit.
That'swhattheyallthendoup,won'tthey?
Yeah.
BettyWhite.
Youseeitinadvertnowwhenyouseethemadvertise,um,it'llsayI'veneverseenconfetti.
Neverseenconfetti,yeah.
Thatone'sseenplentyofconfetti.
Onceonconfetti.
Thatwasjustalookatthatmoonapartwall,twodollarsshadow.
IsitacarnicheoraIthinkit'sacornish,isit?
Oh,it'soncornishhoodcaps.
Butthenagain,peopleusedtoputthemontomakethewordcornic.
NowthatIsawthatinBreadbury,it'sa275GTS.
SoFerrari,275GTS.
Incrediblyexotic.
Rareashand'steethfromtheoff,weren'tthey?
Yes,ofcourse,yeah,absolutely.
ThatwasjusttherewasatherewasanautoelectricianinBradburywhomusthavebeengoodbecauseyousawthatgearoutthere.
Coulditbeyourdaddoingitdroppingitoff?
Anditwouldn'thavebeenthatfarforhim,wouldit?
Autoelectricianshavealwaysbeenincrediblyhardtofind.
Especiallyonesthatdon'tmakeitworse.
Theymakeitworse,yousetthecaralight.
Yeah,buttheydolikenotonlydotheymendit,theytheytheytheydon'tmakeitwork.
Becausenobodyunderstandsit,dothey?
It'snotIdon'tit'saIsupposeit'saweirdtradetogointo.
It'swhywouldyouwanttoeverybodyelse?
Somepeopledolikeit,whichI'veneverunderstood.
Butyeah,thatwasIthinkIrememberseeingitdrivinginthere.
Youmusthavehearditdrivinginthere.
Youknow,IjustIthinkIjustfollowedit.
Haveyouscratchedthatitchy?
Haveyoueverhadaexotic?
Yeah.
I'vehadaI'vehadoneofthose.
400.
I'vehada400uh.
Ihada412manualuhthatIflippedveryquickly.
Whichisarareitwasararecar.
Itwassupposedtobethebestoneinthecountry,andIjusthaditbecauseIjustthoughtit'scheap.
AndIsoldittoJK.
YouknowtheDidyoureally?
Ohthat'scool.
Whatwheelsisthatonthat?
Butthatisthisismydad'sone.
Hehada400i.
Ithinkitwasa400i.
OritmighthavebeenafhehadareallynicehisexJohnBonhamoutofuhwhat'sthatgroupcalled?
JohnBonham.
Oh,he'safamousdrummeranyway.
HehadloadsofFerraris,he'sdead.
Butitwasreallynice,itwasthenicestcarrydadever.
Hewasadrummer,he'sadeadfamousdrummer.
Literallyadeadfamousdrummer.
Mydadhaditandheusedit,helovedit.
Iusedtotakethepissoutofhimbecauseitwasred.
Isaid,Youdon'twantaredone,butno,it'sgottabereadytogo.
It'saredFerrari.
RedFerrari,no,Ithoughtitwasabitmuch,butdoyouknowwhatIlikethoseinblue?
Liketheminblue,it'sanythingbutred.
Blueorsilver.
Yeah.
Butitwasnice.
AndithadbeeninJeremyClarkson'sFerraribookorsomething.
Butitwasactuallygenuinely.
Ihadaitwasabitofashame,really.
BecauseIhadascruffy400automaticthatI'dgivehimfivegrandfor.
Andhehadthat.
Sowebothhadoneatthesametime.
Hiswasreallynice.
Minewasashed.
Butmineworked,stroveitaround.
Neverbrokedown,really.
Probablybecauseyouusedit.
BecauseIusedit.
Ithoughtthealternatorwentonitonce,butthatwasbecausethewirecameoff.
Hehadit,hesoldit,hetookitupthemotorwayat140.
Sothatgotthatonescratchedthatitch.
Hewasabitlikethat.
Oncehescratchedtheitch,hewaslike,next.
Didyourmumgetthatone?
No.
Withdivorcebynow.
Therewasafewfunnythingshappened.
Hethoughtthisisfunny,really,buthedroveittohisworkshopinAshton.
Idon'tknow.
Itwasn'tamill,butititwasalittlebitprimesuspect.
It'slikeaunitwherehewasrestoringcarsandumrestoringhisLancians.
AndhepartoftheFerrarioutsideandanditwasquitealowcar,andhewasobviouslyquiteoldbythistime.
Sohecouldn'thopintoitlikeheusedtobeout.
Therewasablockitwasabitofarougharea,andacrosstheotherwaytherewasablokecameoutofabackentrywitharockvialerthatgotofftheleadandhecameshootingacrossfromhisdad.
Hecouldn'tgetinthecarquickenough.
Soasanalternative,hesaidandthedogjustcametohimandrolledover.
Well,Iwasbasically,Imean,I'vebeenworriedaboutJackRussellwitharotviolencebecauseheswallowsustobeonthis.
Theblokethoughthewasgonnariphisthroatout.
He'sjustcomingovertoseeifhe'sgotanygoodfood.
Wehadarotviolencelikeit'sjustafunnything.
AndheYeah,thatwastheotherthing.
Hewasitwassonicethatcar.
IhehadIhadascruffyone,hehadthisbeautifulone,andaandaFerrariUKwantedtosell,getridofaloadofbits,andhesaid,ifyoubringyourcarin,we'lldoeverythingonit,andyoucanusethebitsandyouwriteastoryonit.
Whatever'swrongwithit.
Now,mythoughtmyworkhadplentywrongwithit,butIsoldit.
Soyoutookyourdad?
Sohetookmydad,andthere'sbloodynothingwrongwithit.
Wecan'tfindanythingwrongwiththiscar,anditwasn'tasifitwasthatnews.
Becauseyourdadhadalreadybeenthroughit.
Well,probably,yeah,therewasnothingwrongwithit.
Itwassoannoying.
Butanyway,yeah,andgotridofit.
Sobutatleasthehadit.
ItwaslikehealwayswantedLamborghiniEspada,andhethatwasitafterthathejustboughtabloodyHyundaiorsomething.
Yeah,thiswasuhinmymind,thiswasoutsideyourmate.
BarryMaran'sBarryMoranz,yeah.
Butjustincaseyou'renotsurewhatitis,ithasgotLamborghini.
Yeah,exactly.
Yeah,areyouhandilywrittendownthesides?
Evenatthetime,Ithought,doesitreallyneedthat?
No,itdoesn't.
Icananswerthatforyou.
No,itdoesn't.
Imeanitwasroughthen.
Itwasverybadlymade.
SoLamboUraco,isitaroom?
Uraco,yeah,it'sanactualIraqothreelitreorsomething,presumably.
Sothatwouldhavebeenamid-70scar,maybe73,74?
Earlymid-70s.
Itcameout71,butIdon'tthinktherewasmanyaround.
NotmanyinAshton.
NotmanyinAshton,buttherewasthatday.
AndthatisouroldphotospecialwithMartinBuckley.
IhavelovedgoingthroughsomeofMartin'soldphotos,andIhopemaybeinspiredyoutodigyoursouttoo.
Ifyou'dliketoseemoreofmineandmydad'scollection,pleasefollowmeonsocialmedia.
Youcanfindmeattheoldcarladyeveryweek.
I'mgonnapickoutoneoftheoldphotos.
Irememberthecardsofmychildhoodthatacoupleonsofar,liketheveryredbrickbigandtheDino246.
Sogreatcardsthatmydadwouldalwaystakeapantsoninthe70sandeightit.
Ifyou'veenjoyedthisepisode,pleasedosubscribesoyounevermissthenextone.
Andplease,ifyou'vegottimeandyoucouldgivemeareview,I'dbeverygrateful.
Dosharethiswithsomeonewhowouldgetexcitedabouttheclassiccarswetalkabout,theoldphotos,andjustagoodchatabouttheolddatacarsandmotortradeandmotoring.
Youknowtheones.
PleasedocomeandjoinusonFacebookattheoldcarladyclassiccarcommunity.
It'sgrowinglikemad.
You'dbereallywelcometogetinvolved.
Sountilnextweek,happymotoring.
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