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Hi,I'mSam,theoldcarlady,andwelcomebacktoparttwoofDealersKeggseditiononmyinterviewwithMaxfromtheTireKickers.
Ifyouhaven'tlistenedtopartoneyet,pleasedogobackandgivethatonealistentoo.
Sothisweekwegetintohiscar'sproperty.
HetypesXJS,silvershadows,andPorsche.
AndforphotosofaveryyoungMaxinhisearlymotors,pleasedohavealookatmysocialmediaattheoldcarlady.
Wedoaquickfireround,haveaquickflipthroughoneofmydad'soriginalstockbooksfromJanuary84andfinishwithaspininMax'sOandOSummitdroneallthewayupfromGloucestershire.
SopleasedolookoutforthatoneonYouTube.
Dostaytotheend,we'vegotsomepromotionsanddiscounts.
Solet'sgetintoit.
Soyougoofftounitostudypolitics.
Yes.
Whatdidyoudoafterthat?
UhIjoinedtheBBC.
Ibecameajournalist,mainlybecauseIlikecarsandIstartedwritingaboutcarswhenIwasakid.
SowhenIwasnine,IhadanarticleintheWolseyHornetandRileyElfmagazinebecauseIboughtaWoolseyHornetforIthink12or15quid.
BecauseIlikethegrillonit.
SoIboughtoneofthosewhenIwasabouteightorninewithmypocketmoney.
Becausehewasverygood.
He'dsellmekindofcarsthatgotsomedrive.
He'slikeadealer.
He'slikeadealer.
Givingmethesekindofcarsandthinkhookingme.
IthinkIdon'tthinkhewantedmetobeacardealer,becausebythetimeitgottothenineties,whenIwas19,20,21,ithadchangedcompletelyfromwhatitwaslikeintheworld.
Mydaddidn'twantmetodoit.
Hetoldmeitwasnogainforabird.
Okay.
Thanksforthat.
Didhepatyouontheheadatthesametime?
Goodgirl.
No.
SoIIIyeah,I'dneverwantedtodoit.
AndalsoIwasrubbishbecauseI'dfallinlovewiththecarandI'djustsay,oh,whateveryouwant,assignonthedottedline.
I'dnevermademoneyonacarapartfromaHillmanLynx.
Butyeah,hedidn'twantmetodoitandIcouldn'tdoit.
Icouldn'tbethataffablewithpeoplebecauseIjustdidn'thavethepatiencewithcustomers.
BecauseIsawsomanyannoyingcustomers,andyoujustthink,justbuythecar.
Stopfaffingaroundbyit.
Andthere'salotofpeoplewereverynervousaboutspendingsmallamountsofmoney.
Andthisisbeforefinance.
Soyouactuallyhadtobuyacarwithrealmoneyoraveryexpensivebanknotes.
Sopeoplewerequitecarefulandtheywantedittolastforever.
Yeah.
Peoplewillbuyacarforandtheywouldhaveitfor15years.
Thewholeprideofownershipthing,whichwe'vetalkedaboutbefore,andwetalkaboutatgreatlengthonbothourpodcasts,isthat'sthebeautyoftheclassiccarworldnow,becauseowningyourcarandhavingthatprideofownershipisverymuchrestrictedtoourworldnow.
Idon'tthinkithappensinmoderncarsanymore.
AndIthinkcartraderstheyhadabadreputation,butdealit,thecustomers,theywerethepeoplewhoweredoingtheclocking.
Becauseregularlycarswouldcomebackthathehadsoldwithlessmileageonitfromaprivatecustomerbecausethey'dgotthedrilloutandputitonreverse,lockeditbackwards.
Soitwasthecustomers,Ithink,thedodgypeople,notthecardealers.
TrevorBurrus,Ithinktheproblemisifyou'resellingacarasadealer,youhavetoeitheryouhavetodeclareanyknownfaultsorputthemright.
Yeah.
Asaprivateseller,youjustsay,No,there'snothingwrongwithit.
It'sgreat,there'snocomeback.
Oh,lotsofpartexchangeswouldbecoastinginbecausetheywouldn'twork.
Sothey'dbecoastingintothedrive,andthenpeoplewouldparkthemandsay,Yeah,it'sfine,it'sgotacoupleoflittleproblems.
Ranonepart.
Exactly.
It'sliketheclassic,oh,theairconjustneedsweakacid.
It'sanentirenewairconsystem.
Oh,itcouldbeafuse.
Exactly.
Justafuse.
ButthesalesthroughtheMOT,whyhaveyoudoneitthen?
SoIthinkitwasactuallythecustomerswhoweredodgy,andhehadanamazingabilitytoputupwithpeopletalkingnonsense.
Andpeoplejustbeingreallydifficult.
Andhewasverypatientwithme.
See,thatbitmydadwasn'tgoodat.
Okay.
Andgotworse.
Yes.
SoheabsolutelyIjustthinkthathejustdidn'thavemuchtimeformesses.
Yes,whichtheretherewasalotofthem,wasn'tthere,let'sfaceit.
Yeah,Ithinkoncewesoldtheshowroomandwenttoweb-basedadvertising,sowehadastorageunitandadvertisedontheinternet,itwasbyappointment.
Yes.
Andthatsuitedmydadalotbetterbecausebythetimetheycametoseethecar,we'dqualifiedthem,we'dspentquitealotoftimeonthephonewiththem.
Yeah.
Andyou'renotwastingyourtime.
They'recomingtoseethecar,they'renotwastingtheirtimeoryours.
DidyouputthepriceontheadvertsorwasitPOA?
IIhatePOA.
SodoIhatePOA.
IhatePOA.
What'sthefuckingpoint?
Exactly.
Justtelluswhatyouwanttochargefor.
What'sitforsalefor,please?
POAandpeoplewhorefertothecarsandadvertsasmotorcars.
They'renotmotorcars,they'recars.
You'rejusttryingtobeposh.
You'rejusttryingtobeaposhcar.
Idon'tseeIhaveathingaboutsortofpre-warcars,Iwouldsortofmotorcars.
Idon'tIthinktherewasanerawhereititwasamotorcar.
Idon'tIdon'tI'veneverreallythoughtaboutthatone.
Okay,yeah.
It'sjustthatit'sthatdealeradvertspeak,isn'tit?
Doyounameyourcars?
No,Idon't.
Idon'teither.
AndIhaveabitit'slikewhatyoucallyourcar?
Thecar.
ButIjustdon'tunderstandit.
Idon'tdemonisethem.
UmIdotalktothem.
Idotalktothem.
Yeah.
DoyouIdothecomeondarling,don'tletmedownthismorning.
I'minabitofarush.
Yeah,notnow.
AndIdotheyeah,youlookaftermeandIlookafteryouconversationwiththem.
AndalsoI'mveryintunewithit.
Youhearaslightmisfar,youhearayousmellaslightdarkness.
Whippingburning.
Isaythat.
Youthink,doesthatsmellburninglikethat?
Canyousmellthat?
Canyousmellburning?
Theoldestthingwiththemanualsisdroptheclutchandcheckforthebluesmokecomingintheback.
Yeah.
Becausethatwasalwaysagiveaway,wasn'tit?
Yeah,oryoupopsomethingintoreverseandseeifitjumpsuhontheautos.
Butthere'salsoadeepjoytolookingataaclusteronyourdashboard,youcanseewhatyouroilpressureis.
Youcanseewhatyourtemperatureis,youcanseewhatyourampsarewhatyourampsare.
AndIyeahIthat'saverygoodearlywarningsignofthingsgoingwrong.
Ofcourseitis.
Thefuryouknow,we'vehadthisconversationbeforeaboutcompression.
Doyouwarmthemup,doyoudrivethemstraightoff?
ButIthinkthatoilpressureisareallygoodindicatorofenginehealth.
Andwejustdon'tgetthatanymore.
Andsomething'sgoingwrong.
Sothat'sthetimetostop.
Idon'tneedtostoplightflashingatmeatthatpoint.
It'slikelimpmodeisn'tanewthing,it'sjustitwasmanual.
Soyouwouldrealisesomething'swrongandyouwouldlimpithome.
Youwoulddrivehomeveryslowly,verycarefully,puttingyourhazardson.
Puttingyourengine.
Yeah.
Comebywithyourarmoutthewindowandallthatsortofthing.
Solimpmodeisn'tnew,it'sjustitwasmanual.
Andalsotheskilloftowing,becauseIremembertowingmybrake.
Towingonbeingtowed,yeah.
Andconstantlyyou'dalwayskeepthebrakeontokeeptheropetaut.
Yes.
Andthenyoucomehomeandthebrakeswerecookedonthecarthatwasbeingtowed,butitdidn'tmatter,justcooledthemdown.
SoItowedthemout,brokedowninloadsofplaces,towedtheminloadsofplaces.
Wehadapermanenton-towsign.
Sothere'dbeatradeplateandanon-towsign.
Yeah.
Andthepleasedpassenginerunninginside.
Rememberthose?
Yeah.
Youwouldn'tgoanywherewithoutyourtowropebecauseeitheryoumightneeditorsomebodymightphoneyouforarescuewhenyouhadyourtowropeintheback.
Andyeah,Iyeah,ontheontowIthinkthereisthere'slotsoffinethefineartofthebumpstartsdisappearing.
Yeah,absolutely.
Thefineartoftowing'sdisappearing.
Chokchokeout.
Manualtow.
Thatwasaskill.
Yeah.
Ihealwaysusedtotravelwithhistradeplates,asparetankoffuel,atowrope,jumpleads,andatleastthreepacketsoffacts.
Yeah.
Andhewouldjustsmokehiswaythrough60adaywithacollectionofjumpleads.
Butwewhenwedidyoustayatbonnetupbingoforajourney.
Howmanytimeswillthebonnetbeuponthewaytooverheatingwasalwaysabigthing,isn'tit?
Buthere'sthething,nononeedtopanic.
Yourengine'soverheated.
Soyoupullover,youpopyourbonnet,youletthesteamgo,youhaveyoutryandsusiteifthere'sanythingobviousastowhy.
Yeah.
Isthewateroryou'vejustbeenstuckintraffic?
Yeah.
Andtheengineisjustliterallyoverheated.
Butyouusedtoletitcooldown,getitgoingagain,limpithome.
Hewouldsayyou'realwaysgoingtogetthere.
Youmightnotgetthereintime,youmightnotgetthereonthesameday,butyouwillalwaysgetthere.
Yeah.
Usuallybeingtowedaroundthebackofarecoverytruck.
Butallthosecars,theywerequiterelativelysimpletofix.
Andyouprettymuchhewasn'tamechanic,butheknewwhatwaswrongwithhimbecausehe'dbeenaroundwithhimforsolong.
Yeah.
Andtheyalwayswhenacustomercameandcomplainedaboutsomethinggoing,Oh,it'sallrighttocomeandfaultonthose.
Itwasn't,theengine'sfallingout.
Thatwastheloyaltyofcustomers,particularlyinthesixtiesandseventies,thathewouldbeaBLdealerandpeoplewouldbuyabrandnewAllegro,andititwouldrustandtheenginewouldfalloutandthegearboxwouldcollapse,everythingwouldgowrong,andthey'dcomebackandthey'dsay,Thisengineisgone,thethecar'srusty,it'sayearold,oryourgearboxisgone.
CanIhaveanotherone,please?
Sotheyweresoloyal,theykeptonbuyingthesamecrapcars.
AndpartlyIthinkthat'swhatkeptBLgoing,becausetherewasastrangekindofBritishloyalty.
Therewasanacceptancethatthecarswereslightlyrubbishandwouldn'tlastverylongnecessarily,andyouwouldjustbringthemback.
Itoldastoryonceaboutacustomerthatkeptbringingacarbackbecausehesaid,Look,itjustit'sjustmakingareallyoddnoise,particularlyonthemotorwayatspeed.
Sothesalesmanhadtakenitroundtheblockandanditwouldbefine.
Hesaid,Look,we'llgetitonthemotorway.
Andhesaiditjusthowlsatthemotorwaylikeit'sjustreallystruggling.
Anditturnsoutthatitwasagearknob,afourskiuhfour-speedgearknobthat'dbeenputonafive-speedgearbox.
Wedidn'trealisethattheyhadtohavefifthgear.
Soit'dobviouslybeenslunginaworkshopatsomepoint.
Oh,okay,yeah.
Andthey'ddonesortofsomesortofquickrepair.
They'dhadsome.
Weshouldhavebeenabletotellnorevcounter.
Norevcanter.
Heboughtitauction,Idon'tthinkhelookedatthat.
Itwasthelowmileagethatgothimin.
IlookbackwithandIdon'tlookbackwithrosetintedspecks.
Ilookbackwithgenuinelyhappyfondmemories.
Oh,it'sgreat,childhood.
Andgratitudeforwhatit'sleftmewith.
Thisisthisworldthatweliveinisit'sIknowit'squiteniche,buttobepartoftheclassiccarworldisfabulous.
Forsomanyyears,particularlywhatIwhenIwasn'tworkingwithcars,Iwasn'tdoinganythingwithcars.
SoIhadthiskindofburdenofjustsuchpointlessknowledgeaboutandI'dthink,whyhaveIgotthisknowledge?
ButnowasIgotolder,it'scomeintoitselfbecauseyou'vegotbackintoitasanenthusiastbecausethere'sagoodculture.
Andamongstus,theknowledgeofthedifferencebetweenanLandaGLisquiteimportantnow,isn'tit?
Whichisforsomanyyearsitwasjustpointlessknowledgesittinginmybrain.
Murdery.
Ican'tIgetsoexcitedwhenIgetacartogothroughthefile.
Yeah.
AndI'vebeengoingthroughsomeoldRollsRoycebooksatthemomentforPhantomTwosandThreesand2025s,andtheygiveyoueverychassisnumber.
Oh,yes.
Andthedateitleft,whobodiedit,withwhatbody,anditgivesyouthenameofthefirstownerandthecountryitwentto.
SoitwasThatisgoldmine.
That'sexciting,isn'tit?
Mattalways,becauseonourpodcast,Mattisn'tquiteasmuchofanerdasIam.
Sowheneverhementionsacar,it'sjust,doyouknowanythingaboutthis?
AndthensuddenlyI'mlikeHesaidthisinlastweekwhenwerecordedit,whichisoutthisweek.
Hesaid,Oh,somethingaboutaJensenFF.
Hesaid,Yeah,firstproductioncarwithABSbreaks.
AnditwasdevelopedbytheFergusonFormulaRacingFood.
Intermsofengineering,areallysignificantcar.
Aheadofitstime.
Yeah.
AndIcouldhearhiminthebackoftheroom.
Andtheyonlyproducedinreallysmallnumbers.
Yeah.
They'reworthquitealotnow,aren'tthey?
Yeah.
Yeah,theyaretheonetohave.
Yes.
Butthey'reverycomplicated.
Thatfourwheelitwaslikeakindoftractorfour-wheeldrivesystem,wasn'tit?
Itwouldterrifyme.
Iwouldn'tI'mnotsureI'dwanttoownoneforfearofsomethinggoingwronghalfwaythrougheveryday.
There'salottogowrongonthat,isn'tit?
Butagreatcar.
It'soneofthecarsI'dlikesomebodyelsetohave,liketheMercedes300SEL6.3s.
Ilovethatotherpeoplehavethem.
SodoI,butIwouldn'twantonemyself.
No,Iwouldn't.
IandIfindthattheolderIget,mymychangeincarschangeswithmyageforthecarsIwant.
SotherewasatimewherelikeIloveda70s911.
Yes.
AndnowI'veslidintomy928years.
Yeah.
Becauseitit'sautomaticandit'sacruiseranditdoesn'tgivemebackache.
Yeah.
Anditdoesn'tputmeinthehedge.
Anditalwaystendstofaceforwards,evenonawetbandandstufflikethat.
WhatusedtofIfindexcitingandwhatIusedtowantoutofmymotoringwithmymotorcars.
Candymotorcars.
POLEischangingandevolving.
AndIthinkthat'sthewonderfulthingabouttheclassiccarworldisthatit'saneverit'sarevolvingdoor,it'sanever-changingposition.
Andparticularlythewaywegrewupwithadifferentcareverynight,isthatI'mabitofatartwhenitcomestocars.
Iownoneforabout18months.
Withinthefirstsixmonths,Iwon'tlookatautotradeandthensuddenlyI'mintoautotrade.
Thehoneymoonperiod.
Whocomesnext?
SoI'veneverreallystuckwithone.
II'veneverunderstoodpeopleatcarshows.
IfI'dhadthiscarforlife,IboughtitnewandI'vehaditfor25years.
Ohyou'rebored.
Yeah.
It'ssomethingelse.
BecauseIthinkthat'sthefun.
It'sthetradingandthelookingandtheanticipationoftheauto.
Scratchingtheitch,though.
Scratchingtheitchaswell.
SoI'vealwaysfanciedone.
I'vealwaysfanciedoneofthose,liketheshadow.
You'vegottohaveone.
I'minchingthere.
I'mquitecautiouswhenitcomestoit.
Mattalwaysonthepodcast,healwaystakestheMickbecauseIhavetodotherethere'saresearchperiodforaboutayearandahalfwhereIlearneverythingIcanaboutthem.
JointhecthenIjointheclub,thenI'mlookingatchassisnumbers,andthenI'mactuallyannoyingdealersbyknockingonthedoorandseeonewilldrivepastmeandI'llthink,Bloodyhell,theylookwellquitefancyoneofthose.
Byhalftenandtwobottlesofwinelater,I'veI'vegotoneonthetrailercominginthemorning.
IIgotheotherway.
Okay.
Matt'slikethat.
He'sjustfiredinstantly.
Yeah.
Becauseafter18months,Idon'tIthinktheitchshouldbegone,Ithink.
Idon'tknow.
There'ssomeitchesthatdon'tgoaway.
DollySprint,AlphaSpiderDuetto,nottheCamtail.
Yeah,I'llgiveyouthat.
SilverShadows,XJ6s,XJ12s.
I'vehadacoupleofXJ6swhenIwasyoungerandlovedthose.
ManualXJS.
Series,earlyseriesmanualXJSs.
Ifelldeeplyinlovewithoneyearbeforelast.
Ihaditinhereforaboutsixmonths.
Ohthe3.6.
3.6
manual,thestraightsix.
SweetspotformewithanXJS.
IthinkitforthingslikeIIknowtheV12sarefabulouscarsandI'vehadone,I'vehadaconvertible,Ilovedit.
TherealityisifIwantanautomaticcruiser,I'dratherhaveashadowora928.
ButIthinkthatthe3.6
manuals,Idon'tseethepayoffofthe4litretobefair,abitofextraweight,bitofextrapower.
Ithinkthe360sarereallynimble.
Yeah.
Butmygod,theydrivewell.
Whenthey'regood,theyareamazing.
SpiritualsuccessortotheE-type,becausetheE-type,the4.2
manuals,thatwassuchagoodcar.
So3.6
isagreatXJS.
They'rebrilliant.
Justputamassivesmileonmyfaceandtheyaresolittlemoney.
Theyreallyare.
IthinkthatintermsofcarsIcouldhaveandkeepXJS's,shadowsalldaylong.
Ithinkthethingwiththeshadows,youknowwhat?
Ifyoucanfindoneforsalewithsomebodyyouknowwhoit'sbeentheircarforafewyears,youknowanyniggles,anyquirks,youknowwhatthey'vehaddone.
They'llbehonestaboutwhatneedsdoing.
Yeah.
Andthat'swhatyoucouldprobablydowithpickingoneupthatyouknowof.
It'sinteresting,isn'tit?
Becauselotsofprivatebuyersthinktheircar'sworthafortune.
Becausewell,one'sforsaleinfor£50,000.
Yeah,butit'sgotsevenmilesonit.
Soofcourseit'sgotfiftygrandinit.
Yeah.
Theydon'trealisehowbad,andthenyouoffendthem.
I'vealwaysbeenabitIquitelikegoingtocardealershipsbecauseIgetthem.
SoIalwaysquitelikedealingwithdealersratherthanthegeneralpublic.
Oh,it'saneasydeal.
Itreallyis.
Yeah,I'llhaveitwhenI'lldriveit.
I'llgiveyouthatforit.
Yayornay.
It'sbelowbook.
Yeah,it'sbelowbook.
It'sanothanks,noproblem.
Ifyouchangeyourmind,giveusashout.
I'llleavetheoffonthetable.
Andleaveitonthetable.
I'llleaveittheretorotonaFridayafternoon.
ByMonday,you'llbecallingme.
Particularlyattheendofthemonthortheendofthefinancial.
Walkaway.
Walkawayortheendofthequarter,anythinglikethat.
TheVatmancometh.
Oh.
OhtheVatman.
IsaidImentionedtheVatman.
BecauseDad'ssmokesandblokeswasentirelymale.
AndthenhalfwaythroughtheVatinspectorwasreplacedbyawoman.
Nogameforabird.
Shedidherkindoflikeregion.
SoshedidallthecartradersinWorcestershire.
AndMrs.
Vatmanwasfeared.
Andtheytriedshedidn'tsmoke,sotheytriedtodeterherfirstbyjustchainsmokingevenmorethannormal.
Soit'sjustafshewastryshecouldn'tevenseethereceipts,soitblockedouttheccigarettesmoke.
Buttheydidn'tdeterher,soshewasjustfeared.
Andtheyusedtotalkaboutherinhushtones,Mrs.
Vatman'scoming.
Passyouontherego,Max.
WeneedtoIgetitgoing.
IcanrememberIwasspeakingtoaVatmanonceandhesaidthattheyhecouldtellinsecondswhenhewalkedinsomewherewhetherornothewasgoingtohaveaproblem.
Andhesaidtheminuteyougetsomethinglike,nowwhatyouneedtoknow,son,it'sallupthere.
It'sliketheyifyoufindadealerthathadafilingsystemwithreceiptsinsomesortofanorder,youwouldspendverylittletimewiththem.
Youdidn'tneedtoworryaboutthem.
Itwastheonesthatdidn'thavereceipts.
Yeah.
Anditwasjustallupthere.
Ohno.
Mumusedtodotheaccountsforhim,andthenIusedtodosomeoftheaccountsforhim,buthedidtheVAThimselfanditneverquiteworkedout.
It'squitetelling,isn'tit?
AndnobodywasallowedtotouchVATapartfromhim.
SoIthinkthattheVATwasverydifficult.
IthinktheVATsteamcame7980onusedcars.
Yeah.
Funnilyenough,roundaboutthetimeweemigrated.
Werethetwolinked?
No,theywere.
No,theyweren't.
Yeah,IremembertheVATcomingin.
TheVATwasabigthing.
Yeah.
Andthatwouldtakeupalotthere'dbealotofsmoking,alotofreceiptseveryquarter.
Yeah.
Andhe'dbesquirreledawayinhisofficeforadayorsotryingtogettheVATtodoit.
Yeah,alotofbangingandsmashing.
Sowe'regoingtofastforwardafewyearsnow.
Okay.
HowdidtheTireKickerspodcastcomeabout?
TheTireKickerscamearoundbecauseMattandIhaveknowneachotherfor30years.
Weusedtoworktogether.
WewerebothnewsreadersandreportersonRadioOneNewsbeat,whichifyourememberthat.
Well,itstillgottobe.
It'sakindoflikebigRadioOnenewsshow.
Soweusedtodothattogether.
Andthenwe'djustswapcarsallthetime.
Sowe'dbuyuselesscarsandthink,ohlookatthis.
SoIthinkIhadanE9BMW3litreCSA,sotheautomaticone,whichwasgutless.
AndIcan'trememberhehadacamtailnowforspider.
Ohwow,okay.
Inthemid-90s.
SowehadagreattimeinLondon.
ThenIhadanE-typeinalockupinShepherd'sBush.
Andthelock-upwasreallydodgy,soIhadtoonlygothereatcertaintimeswherethereweren'tdrugdeals.
Ifyouwanteditatnight,youjustwouldn'tgo.
Iwasmuggedformywatchoncetryingtogetmye-type.
Watchis200quid.
Thee-typeisfivegrand.
Youtookthewatch,becauseobviouslyyoucouldn'tgetridofane-type.
Sowe'dknowneachotherforalongtime.
Wehaveahealthydisrespectforeachotherandeachother'slikecarchoices.
AndoverCOVID,becausewewerestuckathome,likeeverybody,wewerejustYeah,Iwasonautotradingforsixhoursaday.
Lookingforthingstodo.
Yeah.
Lookingforstufftodo.
Sowejustswapcaradvertsandthentalkaboutthem.
AndthenattheendofCOVID,wesaid,whydon'tweturnthisMatt'sidea,he'sfarmoretechnicallyablethanIam.
Hesaid,Whydon'twedoapodcast?
Sobasicallywe'vejustbecausewejustdoanaudiopodcast,we'vegotmicrophonesineachother'shomes,welinkthemupontheinternet,andthenwejustchat.
Andbecausewewereradiojournalists,weknowhowtoedit,sotheeditingsideofitisrelativelyeasy.
Andit'saloteasierthanTVtodoanaudiopodcast.
Sowejuststarteddoingthatandwestarteditwithoutaplan.
Andwejustchattedandchatted.
Andnowwe'reatwejustdidepisode53lastweek,whichisourSoyoustartedin2024,didyou?
Sothere'sabrilliantbackcataloguetodoup.
Isitreallylike?
YouandIchatting.
IthinktheCadillac,thecar'sthestar,becausewetookthe62CadillacCutedeVilla.
Iwassoclosetobuyingthat.
Oh.
Ihadtoplaymumonthat,sodon'tletherknowI'mgonnabuyit.
Don'tletherButactuallyyou'dsolditprettysoonafterIlookedatit.
ButanothertwoweeksIwouldhaveboughtit.
IreckonIcouldhaveplayedthegameandhadyouintothatwithintendays.
ButIdecidednotto.
Yeah,youcouldhavepushed.
Iwassoinlovewiththatcar.
It'sdoyouknowwhat?
AndIknowI'vementionedthistoyoubefore.
Theonethingwithalotofmycarsisifyoucangetsomeonebehindthewheel,you'vesoldit.
Yeah,youdon'tneedtodothejob.
Thecar'sdoingthejobforyou.
Sothepodcastisnowit'sgoing,we'vegot55,000downloads,whichisquitegood.
That'sincredible,yeah.
We'redoingitforfun,really.
We'renotdoingitforanyotherreason.
Anditisgoodfun,andwedojustgetonandbickerandmoanandbutIthinkthat'sthebeautyofit.
Likemeandyouwouldbeashitpodcastbecausewehaveverysimilartasteandweagreeonalotofthings.
Yeah,wejustgocarfullcarnerd.
Yeah.
ButIlovethefactthatyouandMatthavesuchopposingviews,andyouareandandyouobviouslyknoweachotherwellenoughtonotworryaboutoffendingeachotherwhenyouhavingthebaby.
It'simpossibletooffendeachother.
IthinkhethinksI'manidiot,andIknowhe'sanidiot.
Soitallworksoutthere.
SoIknowI'mnotanidiot,obviously.
Butwejusthaveagreatlaughdoingthat.
Andit'swestartedputtingtheouttakesinhalfwaythroughbecausejustthebickeringthatgoesonbehindthescenesisenormous.
IfilmedaveryshortbitwithyouattheNECinNovember.
Yes.
AnditwashilariousbecauseweweretalkingabouttheAspada.
I'mahugefan.
Loveit.
Yeah.
Umtherewasaconversationinourhousewhenwewhenwewerelittleaboutmymumhavingatwo-seaterandmybrothergettingabitbiggerinED4seats,andAspadaarrived.
SoI'vegotveryfondmemoriesofit.
Ithinkthey'rebeautiful.
Andyouobviouslyagreewithmebecauseyoualsohavegreattastingcars.
AndMattwassaying,Istandbackanditlooksabitugly.
Andthere'salittlebitwhereohyou'reinthebackgroundsaying,Hello,MarcelloGandini.
Anditwasjustbrilliant.
Shutup.
Shushnow.
Anditwasjust,itwasthedynamicsbetweenyouwasabsolutelyfantastic.
Weknoweachothersowell.
Soeverytimehementionshisstag,Imentionthefactit'snotthesamefactorycolour,becauseitwasresprayedandjustoverheating.
Soyeah,what'sthetemperaturegaugedoingtodayonthat?
BecauseIknowit'sgoingtooverheat,andhewasalwaystakingthemicout.
Ishenottemptedtochangethecoolingsystem?
Itseemstobeworking.
Ithinkhe'sgotthehe'sgotthekindofupgradeonit,whichhasgotaslightlybiggercoolingtank.
Okay.
Andhe'sgottheright.
YoucangetanAliradiatorforthose,can'tyou?
Yeah,andIthinkyoumighthaveto.
SimilartotheSeries1E-typeupgrades.
Yes,that'sright.
Andit'squiteeffectiveonthat.
BecauseSeries1E-typesusedtocookintraffic.
Theyjustcookthemselvesforfun.
Anduhbecauseuhthethethosebeautifullikebonnetleverstheyputonweretoavoidthebonnetbeingloanedoffwhenthey'regonnabe.
Remembere-types,butuhparticularlybeforetheseriesthree.
Sowehaveaseemtoescape.
Theyalwaysusedtobedifficulttorestartwhentheywerehotbecauseitgotfuelvaporization.
Itwassohotunderthere,justallvaporized.
I'mI'mahugefanofofaseriestwo.
Metoo.
Ithey'rethey'retheonesformetodrive.
I'vebeenveryluckythatI'vebeenabletodriveones,twos,threes,manuals,autos.
Yeah.
Andtheonethatputsabigsmileonmyfaceisaseriestwomanual.
That'sifIwasgonnahaveaneasylight.
Yeah,yeah.
Fantastic.
Yeah.
That'slight,nimble.
Andalsotheyhandlereallywell.
Yeah.
ThethingI'vegottobearinmindaswellisthatI'mfivefootthreeandslidingintomymylateryears.
IIdon'twanttowrestlebig,heavy,cumbersomecarsanymore.
Idon'twantacarthatfightsmealltheway.
AndI'vegotacustomerwho'slooking,I'mlookingoutforaC3Corvetteforhimatthemoment.
Okay,nice.
AndheboughtthatKamarisEtwentyeightoffmeandhimandhisdadaregonnagetone.
Andtheywantedabigblockmanual.
Andit'sdomeafavour,yeah,findonetodrivefirst,becauseIlikedrivingthesmallblockmanualsorI'dII'dratherdriveasmallblockautomatic.
Thosebigblockengines.
Yeah,justtooheavy.
It'snotIdon'tlikedrivingthem.
AndIthinkthat'sthething.
WiththeE-type,IthinktheSeries3justgotabitbigandheavyandwideencumbers.
Imean,theyweremadefortheAmericanmarkets,theyweremadeforbigstraightrace.
TheSeverySeries1I'veeverknownhasjustcookeditselfforfun.
ButtheSeries2s.
It'sasweetspot.
IhadaSeries2RVR9Jin1971,Series2,andIthinkthat'sprobablythelongestcarIhad.
IthinkIhaditforabouttwo,twoandahalfyears.
Becauseyouwerefronttogotothegaragetogetit.
Exactly,yeah.
ButItookthatallroundIreland,andIwillgiveyouaSeries2eat-upgoingfromsecondtothird,flatout,isathingofbeautybecauseyou'vegotthenoise,you'vegotthatthatthatflexibility,thattorquetogofromsortof1200revsallthewaydowntofourandahalf.
It'saveryresponsiveengine,though.
Singlesteelexhaustonthose,theysoundamazing.
Yeah,underrated,Ithinkthey4.2
series2s.
Yeah,Ihaveanotheroneoftheshot.
Whatdoweknow?
EverybodywantsabigSeries3Vtwiles,don'tthey?
OrtheSeries1flatfloor,blah,blah,blah.
Oh,they'redifferent,they'recollectorsnow.
Idon'twanttodropthevalue.
Forme,theE-typeisaboutbeingdrivenflatout.
AndwhenIseeonecomingintheoppositedirection,thatisahighlightofmyday.
Ifyouseeane-typebeingdrivenproperlyflatout,Iliketoseethemcomingpastme.
Somethinginbluewithaheadlightsonsaying,getoutofmyway,I'minahurryinanytime.
Yeah.
ThatisprobablyAndyouthink,doyouknowwhat?
Youdeservetoownthatcar.
Yeah.
Andyouwereteachingittherightwaytogo.
Yeah.
It'sgottobeflatoutonanytype,isn'tit?
Ithinkthey'rereallyunderrated.
Fullchat,asthechildrensaynow.
Bancingoffthelimiter.
Yeah,absolutely.
Onthedoorhandlesaroundeverybendandallthatkindofthing.
ButbutIloveyourpodcast.
IrememberthefirstoneIlistenedto,andIdidactuallyputacommentonyoumademeyoumadeallmychildrenlateforschool,becauseIwasjustflickingthroughinthekitchenandyoucameupforsomereasonandIgotsoengrossedIliterallyhalfanhourdisappeared.
Wedon'thavethepicturesofthem.
SoitreliesonMatt,becauseIgetstraightintothedetailandgetlostonitbecauseit'sgotthewronghubcaps.
He'sliketheMC,isn'tit?
He'sverygoodatsaying,hangonaminute,andI'mgoingtoexplainthepictureinfrontofus.
Sohe'sgoodatgivingthekindofwiderpicture,thenI'lldisappearoffdownarabbithole.
Butitisjust,Ithinkit'saboutthechatbetweenusbecausewe'vegotthatrelationship,we'vegotthatfriendshipthatwecanjustabsolutelyripintoeachother.
Andyoubothhavetheknowledgeaswell.
Youbothhavetheknowledge.
Therearealotofpeoplewhoalotofcarpodcastsaboutnewcarsandmoderncarsandthecurrentmarket,butthethere'snotalotofusthatdoitalmostexclusivelyorspecifically.
IdoalittlebitwhereIcompareitthemoderndealingtoclassicdealing,butIdon'treallytouchmoderncars.
Ithinkthewholemoderncarexperienceisprettymiserablenow.
BuyingamoderncarIdon'treallybuymoderncarsanymorebecausethey'resoboring,butmoderncarshowrooms,Ihatethem.
Modernsalesmen.
Whenyougofromourfatherswhowerefriendsofyours,tothemodernexperiencewhencanIsellyougapinsurance?
Canyousellyoutowerinsurance?
Cantheysellyouanextendedwarranty?
CanIsellyouceramiccoating?
CanIsellyouliketheinteriorcoating?
You'rewayaheadofme.
I'venotbeeninashowroomthatdoesanyofthosethingsforawhile.
WebothrockeduptodayinoldMerkconvertibles,abitofanedgegapbetweenthem.
Nohairdressingequipmentiskeptinmycarovernight.
Butbutyeah,Ithinkthere'stherethereisadeepjoytorunningandowningclassiccars.
Ireallyunderstandingacaragain,likethemechanicalsympathy,lookingattheI'malwayslookingattheheating,justincaseitoverheatsit.
SoMaxpulledupinhisR107thismorning.
Fabulousarrival,bytheway.
Thankyou.
FirstthingIsaidis,how'sitrunning?
Itsoundsgreat.
Yousaidbrilliant.
Wehadthediscussionaboutwillitdonetheworldofgoodalongtrip,alltherestofit.
TrickuptheM6.
FollowedshortlybyIthoughtIcouldsmellburningatonepoint.
IthinkIdid,butIthinkit'sanothercar,butitwasjustlingeringtherebecauseIcouldsandyou'reonalertwiththeclassiccars.
Youarethenoisesandthesmells.
Butthevibrations.
Youcanbedrivingbehindsomethingthat'sbillowingblacksmoke,smelltheburning,andyoustillpanicthatit'syourcar.
Yeah.
Ithinkit'sgreatfun,andIjusteverytimeIdriveamoderncar,Ijusthateit.
AndeverytimeIgetintoaclassic,it'sjustasighofreliefbecauseyouunderstanditandyou'vegotarelationshipwithit.
AndthisiswhyIlikeoldercarswithhistories,becauseIcanstarttounderstandthehistorywhereit'sbeen.
Andasilvershadowwithahistory.
I'mjustasuckerforit.
I'lljustfalloverandthewonderfulthingisthattheRRECtheRollsRoyceEnthusiastClub,forasmallfeeandit'swellworthit,theywillsendyouyouroriginalbuildsheetforyou.
Ifitisn'talreadyinthefile.
IwasonthewebsitelastnightlookingatShastanumbers.
You'vegottherebeforeme.
Yeah.
AndwecantracebackwithRolls-Royce'sbecausetherecordsarewonderful.
Everycarwritebacktoitsbuildsheets,deliverydate,whosignedoff,allthesnagginglists,ifitdidbouncebackforanyreason,howtheydealtwithit.
Andit'sjustitiswonderful.
IjustI'masuchasuckerforhistory.
ImissedoutonaFerrari308GTBthathadbeenownedbyColonelRonnieHaw,whowastheownerofMarinelloConcessions.
Yeah.
AndIdidn'tIwasn'tquickenoughtobuyit.
Andthatwashisfirstcar.
ItwasinFerrariBlue.
Ican'trememberthenameofit,andIjustwasn'tquickenough.
Andthat'soneoftheoneofthemanythatgotaway.
IwishI'dhadthat.
SoI'vegotanideaI'mgonnado,andI'mdoingitmoreformebecauseIknowthey'llprobablygetzeroviews,butI'mgonnadoitonYouTubebecauseit'dbeslightlylonger.
ThosebooksI'vegotontherollerswork.
SoI'vegonethroughandI'vefoundalreadyErnestHemingway.
Ohwow.
AcoupleofAnderbiltsshippedtotheUSA.
Okay.
HRHPrinceofWales.
AfucktonofMaharajas.
IthinkhalftheRollsRoycestheysoldendedupinIndia.
TheKingofSiam,andthisisjustfromaquickglance.
SoIcantellwhereitwent,andthenI'vegotlaterbookswheretheypopupindifferentplaces,andthenyousuddenlytheywentsoldinbonhomsin2006.
Andbecausethechassisnumbersareattachedtothecar,obviouslyeverycarhasachassisnumberattached,butRollsRoycestendtoretaintheirthreeorfourdigitchassisnumberallthewaythroughtheirlife.
They'vegotthegrinderout.
Ithappens.
AndIcanprobablytracethecarsthatbelongtotheMaharajaofIndiafromyoutoexactlywhereitistoday.
AndIthinkthat'sfascinating.
Idon'tknowwhetherI'mintheminority.
ThisroomIt'sareallyexcitinghobbyforme.
AndIthinkandI'mgonnadoitalittlebitlikehaveyoueverwatchedWhoDoYouThinkYouAre?
Yes.
I'mgonnadoI'mgonnavideomyselfgoingthroughtheGoogleandStarDetective.
I'mgonnadoCSI.
No,that'snotCSI,soI'mnotkillinganycars.
AndI'mgonnagodowntoCrewandseeifthey'llbecauseIreckonifIputareallynicefirstfewminutestogetherofwhatI'mdoingandhowI'mdoingit,Crewmightletmegointhearchives.
Yes.
I'msurethey'dbeinterested.
Probablyyeah.
Poshvoice.
NotgreenwithmyCheshireaccent.
Whatwasthenumberagain?
Whatnumberofwhat?
Yourhomenumberwhenyouhadtoanswerthephone.
OhMinewasHillary,morethanfiveseventwoninenineone.
Nowbeforethatwasmorethantwoninenineone.
Fivetwosevenninesixeight.
Hamforthfivetwosevenninesixeight.
Ohboy.
ButwedidliveinwelivedinHamforthHall.
Oh.
Sowewerearealeasynumbertoarealeasynumbertogether.
Butit'sfunny,isn'tit,howyouhadtobeposhasacardealer?
Becausethatwastheideayouweretrytryingtoproject,isn'tit?
Yeah.
Soyouwalkedatightropebecauseifpeoplethoughtyouweredoingtoowell,they'dbegridyou.
Butthennobodywantedtobuyacaroffacardealerthatwasn'tdoingreallywell.
Exactly.
Andyoucouldn'tturnupinaflashcarbecauseitwasabittooflash.
Particularlyaroundthetrain.
Youweredoingtoowell.
Youweredoingtoowell.
Soyouhadtodrive.
WewereslightlydifferentinManchesterbecausethedealerswereYouhadtobeseentobedoingIdon'tIjustIthinktheygenuinelywere.
Theywereliketherockstarsofthedayandtheyhungoutwiththerockstarsoftheday.
AndIthinkthatwasjustthewayitwas.
That'swhatyousaidbefore,andyou'reexactlyrightonthis.
Itwasaveryglamorousoccupation.
Andparticularlyinthe60s,70sand80s,wheretherewasn'tahugeamountofmoneyaround.
Ifyouwereacardealerandyoutrturnedupinflashcars,that'showyoushowedyoursuccesstopeople,wasn'tit?
Andthat'showyouenjoyedyoursuccess.
Thethingis,ifyouturnedupforamealinarestaurantinManchesteronaSaturdaynightinaflashcar,there'sagoodchancebytheendofthemealyouweregettingataxihomeandyoucouldtheywereallthey'dmymumanddadwouldgooutfordinnerandtheringsontheirfingersandthefurcoatsontheirbackwouldchangehandsduringthemeal.
Okay.
Therewasalwaysdeals,therewasalwaysdealstobeunderstood.
Theyneverofferedit.
Ifyouwereinyourstock,youwereadvertising.
Thatwasthatwasyouradvertisingboardaswell.
Butitwasallthingslikehavingtodrivethemdownthecountrybecausethemortgagewasdue.
AndwelivedinHanforthHall,butmydadboughtinapubinadealandcamehomewiththisironkeylikethatbigtoshowmymumthenthenewhouse.
Anditwasderelict.
Whenwemovedin,weallhadtosleepinthekitchen.
Althoughitwasactuallytheservants'kitchenatthetime.
Okay.
Notthatwehadservants,butfromwhenitwasservants,becauseitwastheonlyroomwitharoofanditwasraining.
Itlookedflash.
Lookedflash.
HanforthHall528928orwhateveritwas.
Therealityisthatweweredoingupaderelictoldhall.
Yes.
Ithinkthat'swhatImeanthat'swhatbeingself-employedandthat'swhatcartradingwasaround,wasn'tit?
Agooddealwouldmakeyourwicked.
Itwasn'tjustcarsthere,wegothedidjewellery,paintings,art.
Hewoulddoanything.
Wetookagaragefullofofplumbingpipesatonestageonsomething.
I'vegotifyoulookdowntherebehindyou,canyouseethatpictureofitatBaleriaoraHaviland?
Ohyeah.
Ninety-sixofthefuckingthingsI'vestillgot.
BecausewehetooktheminNotintheframes,butI'vegotthemallwiththepatchoffabricfromtheSmithsonianInstitute.
Wewerealwaysadealer'sadealer.
Yeah.
Andifsomebodywouldofferhimsomethingagainstacar,afurcoatandawatchorahouseor 'causedadwasverycautious,sowestuckwiththecolour.
Oh,mydadwasno.
See,mydadHedidn'tlikemovinghousebecausehethoughtitwastooexpensive.
Mydadwouldpuntonanything.
Andhewasreallywellknownforbeingsomeonewhowouldpuntonthewildandthewonderfulcarsaswell.
Hewouldbuyhehadthatthere'sabumforeveryseatmentality.
Hewouldbuycarsthateveryoneelsewouldbeterrifiedofbuying.
I'vedIwasahugedisappointmenttodadwhenIstartedbuyingnewPorschesbecausehejusthatedtheideaofthedepreciation.
Yeah.
AndI'drockupinoneandhe'dphalfofhimwouldlikeitbecauseitthecardsideofhimwouldlovethefactthatitwasaoneofthenewboxesoroneofthenewCaymansoranew9-11.
Butthekindofliketradersideofhimwouldjustthinkofthemoneyyou'regoingtoloseonthat.
Mycousin'sabarristerandheboughtabrandnewMert,Ithink,intheeightiesorninetiesorsomethinglikethat.
AndmydadwasjustNo,whywouldyoudothat?
Yeah.
WhatdoyouwanttodothatforWhatdoyouwanttodothatfor?
Becausetheminuteyou'vesbeforeyou'veevensatinit,you'velostmoney.
Theminuteyousignonthedottedline,you'velostmoney.
WhenIusedtobuyclassiccars,Iusedtotakehimalong.
Istoppeddoingthatbecausehewassomiserablegoingtootherpeople'scardealershipsandhejustaccusedthemofbeingunprofessional.
Bearinginmindthatheworkedfromhome,wewenttoanE-typedealeronceininHerefordshire,andhehadtwobarnsofglasswalls,allalongthelineofwase-typesthere,allalongthelineofE-type,seriesones,flatfloors,reallyrarecars.
Wewandereduptohimandwentunprofessional.
Dad,you'vearrivedinaminivan.
He'sgotaloadofE-typesandhe'sunprofessional.
Inwhatway?
Hejustdecidedhedidn'tlikehim,sohejustdidn'tlikehim.
ItookhimalongtolookatthatseriestwoE-typeandhejustsaid,Oh,it'saboxofbolts.
Whatdoyouwantonthat?
Drivewhatwashisphrase?
Isitdriveslikeacamel?
Oh,IcanhearitIcanhearthespannersrunrattlingaroundintheengine.
Whatdoyouwantoneofthosefor?
Oryou'llhateit.
ButthenassoonasIboughtit,helovedit.
IcanrememberIIhadarealhankeringafteraTL7.
SonotlongafterIpassedmytest.
Thereisamedicineforthat.
It'scalledowningone.
Mydadsaidno.
Okay.
Quiterightly.
AndsuggestedIwentforaFiatX19instead.
Okay.
Yeah,nice.
Yeah,butequallyhardtofind.
Yes,andtheywouldspinbecausetheyhadsuchashortwheelbow.
SospinninganX19.
I'vehadonesince.
Okay.
AndIlovethem,thebabyFerrari.
Suchunderratedcars.
Ifyou'vegotsix,seven,eight,uptotengrandtospendonsomething,andyouliketoreallydrive,properlydrive,andyoucanproperlydrive.
Yeah,notintheway.
That'syeah,butifyoucandrive,they'refun.
Yeah,theyarefun.
IIspamoneinWorcesterCityCentreandwasonadualcarriagewayonacornerandspanitandendedupfacingthetrafficcomingtowardsme,anditwasembarrassing.
Iwastryingtogetinreverseanddoit.
ButImeanthey'relovelycars.
Ithinkthishadveryoldtiresonit,becauseobviouslyitwasn'tmyfault.
Errorinchair.
It'sNICfault.
Errorinchair.
Soyeah,theytheydidusedtospin.
Andwhatelseusedtospin?
IrememberSubaruinpracticeovercookingoneofthoseonaroundabout,thinkingit'sfour-wheeldriveandgettingthatterriblywrong.
Obviously9-11s.
9-1-2sless,soIfindthemmucheasiertomanage.
Why'sthearmcooverthere?
Itshouldbeoverthere.
Ahyeah,I'vegotHancuefora912aswell.
Okay,letmecureyouofthat.
Becausetheyaretheenginesaregreat,buttheydoneedalotofattention.
IcalledminetheQueenoftheHardShoulder.
Butyourshadamildcamonit,didn'tit?
Itdid.
Ithadabadcamonit.
ButitithadbeeninterferedwithsomanytimesthatGodknowswhatthatenginewas.
BecauseItookittoaspecial.
Doyouthinkifyoudroppedanewengineinyouwouldhavebeenokaywiththecar?
No,becausethenitwouldn'tbematchingnumbersandthenI'dhateit.
No,butyou'dsellitasmatchingnumbers.
Youcouldthatyoucouldswapitbackhere.
Idon'tknow.
Idon'tthinkitwastheengine.
Butsoreallyokay,shouldwedoapoll?
Wouldyouratherhaveamatchingnumbersbutunreliablecarorare-engineednumbers?
Orare-enginedcarthatwouldneverletyoudown?
Mattlaughsatme.
It'sgottobefactoryspec.
Everything'sgottobeasitcameoutofthefactory.
Justbangtheenginenumbersintheblock.
Anditwaslikesetadoubtwhetheritwas.
IthadbeenwhenItookthecarpetsoutandfoundtheboltholesfortheharnesses,Irealisedithadbeenraced.
Yeah.
ThenItracedthehistorytoanownerinNorwaywhodidn'twanttospeaktome,whichisalwaysagoodsign.
Becausehewastooembarrassedaboutwhathedidwithit.
Ifoundaloadofsandinitsandblasted.
UmanditjustIlovedit.
Itjustwasn'tright.
Itwasaverymaintenancethirstycar.
Andthat'swhyafterthatIwenttheotherway.
IwenttothatR107Mercassalthat'sparkedoutside.
Becauseyoujustgetinitandstartsandgoes.
Joyouslyeasy.
Joyouslyeasytoring.
Wouldyouhavebought912upheretoday?
No.
No.
Soitwouldbeahardshoulderringingorsayingthatotherthanthat.
Ibrokedownthreetimesinthat.
Theonlycarthat'sbeatenthatforbreakdownsismymodernLandRoverDefender,whichhasbrokendownfivetimes.
Butthe912istheQueenoftheHardShoulder.
Andbecauseitwasleft-handdrive,there'sasectionofsmartmotorway,whichistheM4,andIdriveintoLondon.
Andifithadbrokendown,Iwouldhavebeennexttothearmcoeandnotabletogetoutwithatruckcomingdown.
SoIlostconfidenceinthatwhenitbrokedownacoupleoftimes.
Iobjectoneverysingleleveltosmartmotorways.
Hardshoulders.
That'swhatclassiccarsthat'swherewepark.
Yeah.
That'swherewecoasted.
That'swherewelimpto.
Hazardson.
Yeah,exactly.
Buthere'sthethingthough,evenonthesmartmotorway,wehavegothalfchanceoflimpingtoaasafespace.
Idon'tknoworasliproad.
No,Idon't.
Ithinkthey'rehighlydangerous.
Ithinkthey'reanaccidentwaitingtohappen.
AndIthinkthathavingspentyearswaitinginroadworksforthemtoconverteverythingtosmartmotorways,atsomepointwe'regoingtospendthenexttenyearswaitinginwaitinginroadworksforthemtobuildhardshoulders.
Yeah.
Hardshouldersarejustsensible,isn'tit?
AndI'vespentafairbitoftimeonthem,soIshouldknow.
It'sthequickfireround.
Areyouready?
Yeah,youlookquite.
Itlookslikeabutterfly.
AndI'lltellyouafterwardswhatitmeans.
Ready'soronlinebanking.
Oh,cash.
Yeah,cashisking.
Auctionhouseorprivatesale?
IthinkauctionhouseIthinkyougetbetterprotectionatauctionhousesthesedaysthanyoudoatprivatesales.
Iagree.
Andthisiswe'llbeveryquick,otherwiseI'llgodowntherabbitholewiththis.
Peopleseemtohavethisthingaboutfeelingassuredbybuyingoffaprivatepersononthedriveway.
SomeofthebiggestcrooksI'veeverboughtoffhavebeenprivatebuyers.
Orpretendingtobe.
Privatesellers,yeah.
Orpretendingtobe.
Ithinkifyougotoadealeroranauctionhouse,youaregoingtohaveamuchyou'regoingtohaveaproperprocessbehindthesaleforastart,andyou'regoingtohavepropermediationifanythinggoeswrong.
Andalsohowmanytimeshaveyouseenanadvertsayingwe'llsellthroughitsMOTfromaprivateseller?
Whydidn'tyouitthen?
Exactly.
Becauseyouweldedtwohalvesofacartogether.
Okay,sobatteredoriginalpaintorfreshresprayed.
Ohoriginalpaint.
Idon'tlikeresprays.
No.
Idon'tlikerespraysaslongasthey'reoldresprays.
I'mawarewehaveafreshrespray.
Youdon'tknowwhatit'sgoingtolooklikeinsixmonths,doyou?
Yeah,andIliketheoriginalstorybehindthem.
TheMerckismostlyoriginalpaint,Ithink.
I'vegotmylittlegaydrometerhereifyouwantmetocheckit.
Ohno,maybenot.
Calforwhatyouwishfor.
ButIcanconfirmifyouwantmeto.
Okay,manualorautomaticgearbox?
Manual.
Yes.
Fromsecondtothirdonanytypegearboxisprobablymynirvana.
Ithinkit'shorsesforcourses.
Iwouldn'twantanR107withamanualgearbox.
AndIdon'tlikeit,Idon'tandIdon'tlikeaJHSwithamanualbox.
Goodmanualgearboxorthere'slots,plentyofrubbishmanualgearboxesaround,butyeah,butuhgoodmanualgearboxcan'tbeatit.
Iagree.
911'sgottobemanual,ninetoeight'sgottabeauto.
Okay.
Yeah,Ithinkit'shorsesforcourses.
Yeah.
Also,ateighto'clockinthemorning,stuckintraffic,takingthekidstoschool,automaticeveryday.
Yes,that'strue,yeah.
Okay,somostexcitingtoseeabalmfindoraconcoursecar.
Oh,balmfind.
Becauseit'sgotagoodstorybehindit,yeah.
I'mnotreallyinterestedinconcourse.
UhbecauseIdidsomuchpolishingasakid,I'mnotreallyinterestedinpolishingandcleaningcars.
Yeah.
Overanddonewiththat.
Yeah.
Soyouhavetopickonefortherestofyourlife.
Ohno.
British,AmericanorEuropeanclassic.
Uhrestofmylife.
UhitwouldhavetobeaFerrari,Ithink.
YougoEuropean.
EuropeanEuropeancoversallsortsofbases,doesn'tit?
Yeah.
Fullcourtbrowsing,liketheoldendays,orappointmentonlyoffthetinterweb.
Oh,fullcourtbrowsing.
Appointmentonlyisthere'stheadditionalpressureofhavingtobuysomething.
Whereasfullcourtbrowsing,youcanjustmakeamakegoodyearescapeonfoot,asthepoliceusedtosay.
ButJumbousedtobeableto,yeah,you'dgointothreeorfourdifferentpitchesinanafternoon.
Yeah,absolutely.
Andpeopleknewyouweregoingtoallofthem.
Yeah,leavebidsbehindwhichwererottingontheirdeskbecausetheyweresolow.
Andthenanddon'tgetmeaskedonthePOAnonsense.
No.
Priceandapplications.
I'mtryingtobuyacar.
IfIdon'tknowhowmuchit'scosts,whyhowamIgoingtobuyit?
Ijustbypassthemcompletely.
Okay,soshortbutbrutallyhonestdescriptionorafullwhistlesandbellscatalog.
Idon'treadthedescriptionsbecauseit'sgoingtobenonsense.
Ijustwanttomakeitalittlebitmore.
IttellsmewhentheywerelaunchedattheGenevaMotorShowtopaditoutandstufflikethat.
Yeah,yeah,whocares?
Justtelljustletthemshowmethecar.
Okay.
Doyoulikeavideowalkaroundoraphotogallery?
Photogallery.
Plasticcarshowordrivingevent?
Iwouldgotoadrivingevent.
Yeah,lesslessmeetingotherpeopleandtalkingtothem.
SomebodytalkedtomeabouttheotherdayaboutRolls-Roycegrillsandhehadreallybadbreath,and30minuteslaterIwasvirtuallypassedout.
Godhewentoff.
Reachingforthemints.
Yeah.
CanIinterestyouintheTikTok?
Iwasreachingthemintsforhim,tryingtothrowtheminhismouth.
Okay,sowouldyouratherbuyarestorationprojectorsomethingthat'sonthekeyandreadytogo?
Restorationproject.
Forme,that'sthefunbecauseyou'redoingitandyou'reinvolvedwiththecarandyou'rethinkingaboutit.
BecauseIneedsomethingtofillmyhead.
AndsoIneedtothink,oh,insixmonthsIcangetthatsprayed,Icangetthatfixed.
AndIlikegoingaroundtalkingtomechanicsandpeoplewhospraycarsandpeoplewhodotheinteriors.
Becausethat'sthat'swhereI'mhappy.
I'mhappyingaragestalkingtopeople.
Doyouhhitaboredomthresholdoncethey'redone?
Oncesomething'sdoneandneedsomethingdoing.
Yeah.
Onceit'sdone,I'mthinking,whathaveIgottodo?
Yeah.
AndifyoulistentotheTyKickerspodcast,orifyoudon'tlisten,youshouldlistentofindoutwhatMaxislookingatnext.
Yeah.
Butnotifyou'reasilvershadowdealer.
Idon'twanttogiveyouapriorwarning.
Completelyoriginalorsympatheticmodifications.
Completelyoriginal.
I'mnotreallyintomodifications,soIthinkit'sgottobehowitwas,howitcameoutofthefactory.
Becausethat'stheexperienceforme.
Matt'salwaysintothepodcastonputtingnewenginesinandchanginggearboxes.
Ilikeittobehowitcameoutofthefactory.
It'sgottobeatimecapsuleformetobeinteresting.
Ithinkthere'sagoodargumentforsympatheticmodificationssometimeslikealternateddynamosituation,electronicstarters.
Yes.
Yeah,Idoseediscbrakes,butIwouldn'tputretrospectivelyfitdiscbrakesonanything,Ithink.
I'djusthavetoIwouldn'tbuyaprobablyadrumbrakecaranyway.
See,Ibuythedrumbrakecarsanyway,andthenWhatwouldyoubuywithdrumsthatyou'dupgrade?
Iumdiscs.
Letmethinkofanexample.
Okay,Ihada1959F1Fordpickupthatwasdrumsallroundandstoppingdistancethreeandahalfweeks.
Yeah.
Sojustforsafety'ssaketohaveitonthemainroadthatneededadiscupgrade.
That'salifesaver,notparticularly.
Itdid,it'sasafetyissue.
Yeah.
Yeah.
ButIthinksympatheticupgradesincertainsituationsIamI'mabsolutelyokaywith.
Yeah,Igetuhformeit'sallaboutthestoryofthecar.
Iwanttoseethestoryofthecar,Iwanttofeelit,Iwanttobreatheit.
It'slikeapieceofhistory.
Ilikeinteractingwiththehistory,Ilikethinkingit'shadastoryandwherehasthiscarbeenbefore?
SoIalwaysliketoknowpreviousownersandpreviousstories.
Andwhenyougotoamoderncarandtheysay,Oh,I'velostallthehistory,forgetit.
It'snotinterestingtomethen.
Iloveahistoryfile.
AndI'vetorturedmyfamilymanytimestotheloungefloorcompletelycoveredwithinsoIcangetstuffinchronologicalorderandthenfileitandalltherestofit.
ButIdoalsoIlikegettingmyteethintoasparsefileandfillinginthegaps.
I'vegotreferencebooksandphoningpeoplethatIknowarereallygoodwiththatparticularcarthatmightrememberit.
GoingdowntheGooglerabbitholeofyouseeanameonaninvoiceandyouthink,Iwonderwhetherthat'ssomebody'ssignificant.
AndIquitelikebuildingafile.
Ilikegettinganamazingfile,butIquitelikebuildingoneaswell.
DecodingchassisnumbersonPorscheistoseewhattheywerespentwithoriginally.
Oh,Iloveallthat.
WhenIoriginallyboughtthePorsche912,Ifoundtheoriginalownerbackin1966,whichwasinapartofOrangeCounty,California,andthentracedallhishistorybackandthengotintouchwithhisfamilytoseeiftheyhadanyphotographs.
Andtheywerereallynice,buttheywantedtobefriends,andIjustwantedtotalkaboutthecar.
VeryAmerican,isn'tit?
Ohgreat,wecankeepintouch.
Yeah.
Haveyougotanypictures?
No.
Okay,bye.
Inthatcase,wewon'tbekeepingintouch.
Bye-bye.
Butheuhthethefirstownerofmy1966Porsche,hehadafantasticuhSecondWorldWarrecord.
HewasappsychiatristinCaliforniaandheboughthimselfaPorschein66justwhenheretired.
Soitwasagreatstorybucket.
Yeah.
Ilovethestory.
IloveIthinkitandIthinkthatthereisalwaysavaluetoagoodhistoryfile.
SoIthinkjustintermsoffromacommercialpointofview,tohaveaninterestinghistoryfile.
You'resellingapieceofhistory,aren'tyou,thesedaysnow,andIthinkyouneedtobeabletorelatetoit.
They'reantiques.
Yeah.
IfonlyIcouldconvincetheBatmanthatI'msellingantiquesandnotcars.
Worthatry.
Idid.
Itriedtoopenthebankaccountone.
Youknowtheseonlinebankaccountsthatdoeverythingforyou,sotheydon'tdocartraders.
Theydon'tdocartraders,soIIopenedoneasanantiquedealer.
Oh,okay.
Technically,justsaying.
Exactly.
It'soldstuff,andIbuyitandsellit.
Antiquesonwheels,they'reeasytomovearound.
Antiquesonwheels.
Thankyousomuch.
Mypleasure.
I'vehadagreattime.
SotheonlythinglefttodoisaskyouifwecangoforaspininyourbeautifulR1Asubject.
Absolutely.
Yeah,let'sgettheroofdownandgetoutinit.
TheManchesterRainwillstopforfiveminutes.
Itdoesn'tmatter.
We'lljustdrivefast,itwillgooverahead.
IreallyhopeyouenjoyedthatasmuchasIdid.
Pleasedon'tforgettolike,subscribe,andreview.
Itreallyhelpsindependentpodcastslikeminetogrow.
Thankssomuch.
AgaintoMaxfromtheTireKickers.
AlwaysahugepleasuretochatanddogivetheTireKickerspodcastandlistenaswell.
Forthechancetowinasuperbclassiccar,justusecodeSAL15for15%offatvintageandclassiccarcompetitions.
AndusecodeSAL10for10%offD'sCarCareproducts.
Allthelinksareintheshownotesbelow.
Pleasedon'tforgettosubscribe.
IfyougivemeafollowonFacebook,Instagram,TikTok,andYouTubeattheoldcarlady,youcankeepuptodatewithwhatI'mdoingonadaytodaybasis.
Sountilnextweek,happymotoring.
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