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MyguestthisweekisTimAshworthfromStockleyClassics.
TimisaminiandMetrospecialistanddealer.
He'sbeeninandaroundtheclassiccarworldforalongtime,andhe'soneofthosepeoplewhojustgetsit.
Hegetswhywelovethesecars,hegetswhythe70smatter,andhe'sgotalottosayaboutwherethemarketistodayaswell.
Wewentdeepongrowingupwiththecarsinthe70s.
Thecolours,thetrimlevels,theSundaymorningrituals,andwhythosewereallsoimportant.
Ifyougrewupinthe70sand80s,thisoneisgonnahitdifferentlyforyou.
Dostickaround.
Ihopeyouenjoyit.
Soyouareaclassiccarenthusiast,owner,dealer.
Yeah.
You'vebeenpartoftheclassiccaroptionworldforalongtime.
Didyoufindthecarsordidthecarsfindyou?
That'sagoodquestion.
Howdiditallstart?
EversincePussywasakitten,I'vebeenintomycars.
Howaboutthatforaline?
Solidstart.
Solidstart.
Solidstart,yeah.
IrememberwhenIwasalittlelad,hadmymatchboxtoysandIenjoyedbeinginmygo-kartandbeinginaroundcarseverySundaymorningintheUK.
Wasyourdad?
Mydadwasintocars,yeah.
Mydadwasintocars,mygranddadwasintocarsaswell.
Mydadwasintohiscars,butneverearnedenoughtobuyanythingspectacularlynice.
Sonothinglikeyourdad.
Formydad,itdidn't.
Itwasthebusiness.
Itwasthebusiness.
Absolutely.
Abitofnostalgiahere.
Sobackinthe70s,ourfamilycarroutewasVauxhallVictorEstate,Rover2000P6,AustinPrincess.
Allcarsthatwelovenow,allcars.
Allcarsthatwelovenow.
AndthenweboughtanEscortMarkIIIgearintheearly80s,whichisthebestcarweever.
Yeah,yeah,super.
Sowehadandasuccessionofministhatmymumranaroundinovertheyearsthatinvariablyeitherfellapartorendedupbeingrepairedonthedriveway,whichwascommon.
BythebyDigidadSpambohimself.
Butitwascommonpracticeinthe70s,Sam,youknow,thatBritainintheUKonaSundaymorningwasfullofcarsbeingeitherbeingrepairedonthedrivewaysbydads.
Orwashed.
Orbeingwashed.
Exactly.
AndIthinkthebiggestjobmydadtackledwasanenginechangeonaminiumonhisdrive.
AndhehadtohaveitdonebytheMondaymorningfromtogotowork.
Sohewasprettyconfidentthen,isn'tit?
Hewasconfident.
Hewasverycompetent.
Heneverwentanywherewithouthistoolbag.
Whenwasthelasttimehesawatoolbaginabeautifulcar?
Thatjustdoesn'thappenanymore.
Buthehadhisleathertoolbagwithallhistools,asocketset.
AndhetoldmeataleoncethathimandMum,beforeIwasborn,orjustafterIwasborn,wereheadinghomefromAbasokintheirAyetabubblecar.
Sothisisinthe1960s.
It'salongdriveinabubblecar.
Itisalongdrive.
It'saboutthreedays.
Anditbrokedown,andtherewasaproblemwiththelittlecarburetor,andtherewasalittleglassdoveontopofthecarburetor.
SoDadtookitoffandhedroppeditanditsmashed.
SowhereareyougoingtogetalittleglassstoveforacarburetoronaAisetabubblecarinNorthWalesnow?
Soluckily,Mumhadsome,Ican'trememberwhatitwas,somekindofdeodorantorwhateveritwas.
Anyway,theyendedupusingthecapfromthiscontainer,cellartapedinplace,andawaytheywent.
It'smadetohimin.
Doyourememberpeople,partofyourbootkitwasapairoftypesforastockingpitchfanbolt?
Absolutely.
AndIthinkpeople,bigsweepingstatementhere,viewgeneralization,areprettyhelplesswhentheybreakdownthesedays.
Youcanpickthephoneupandsomeonewillcomeandhelpyou.
Ortobefair,Icouldn'tgetamoderncargoingifitbrokedownanyway.
ButIcangettheoldonesgoingninetimesoutoften.
ButIthinkthatpartofmotoringbackinthosedayswasgettingyourselfbackontheroadyourselfifyoubrokedown.
Yeah,yeah.
Howoftendoyouseesomeoneatthesideoftheroadchangingtheirownflattyrenow?
Hardlyever.
YouyouseeanAAvanbehindthemoranRSCvanbehindthemchangingthesideforthem.
We'veprobablywaitedfourhoursforthemtocomeouttodoa20-minutewheelchange.
Absolutely.
Butyouknowwhat,Igetit.
Ifyoudon'tknowhowyou'redoing,you'renotconfident,it'snotsafetodoit.
SoIunderstandwhypeopledon't.
Andofcourse,wheelsthesedaysaremuchbiggerthantheyusedtobe.
Yeah.
Someaninghe'shad10-inchwheels.
Nowyou'retalking18,19,20-inchwheels.
Theyareheavy.
Bigheavycarstojackupaswell.
Ifyou'renotconfident,thenyoushouldn'tbedoingit.
AndIunderstandthat.
ButIthinkbecauseofthecarswedroveandthetimeswedrovein,wealllearnttospamaevenifitwasjustthebasicsandchangeawheel.
Andlikeyousay,ratherthanjustsay,Oh,Ineedapart,I'venotgotsolotofthecarsabandoned.
You'refine.
Yeah,youinnovate.
Yeah,youinnovateandtryandgetitbackontheroadsoyoucangethome.
Yeah.
Becauseweweren'trichenoughtobeabletoaffordourACorRAcover.
Oh,right.
Weneverhadthat.
Yeah.
Phoneboxandatowrope.
Yeah,yeah.
ButIrememberaswellinthe70s,youknow.
SoourAustinprincesswasquiteararethinginthedaybecausethiswasoneofthefirstlaunchprincesses,whichwerequiteradicalinthemid-70s.
Thewedge.
Thewedge,Harrisman,thewedge,TR7style,thatkindofawedgeylookmystery.
Youhadasignaturedesign.
Absolutely.
AndIthinktheAllegro,whichyoudesigned,shouldhavebeenabitedger,abitwedgieraswellthanitactuallywas.
Buttheprincess,itwasaveryearlyone,soitwasn'tactuallybadgerprincess.
ItwasanAustin1800HL,whichonlymadeforsixmonthsbeforetheymorphedtheMorrisbutdroppedWolseleyandMorphandAustintogethertomaketheprincess.
TherewasalwaysabigmovementbetweenBLandBMC,andsaythatit'sveryconfusing.
Anddependingontheyearofthecar,whatumbrellaitfellunder,wasn'tit?
Yeah,well,memory,IthinkitwasaBLMC.
Yeah.
IthinkIwasgonnasaythatwillhavebeenbanginthemiddle.
Slapbanginthemiddle,citronyellow.
Andwe'lltalkaboutcoloursinaminutebecauseIloveBLcoloursandfullcoloursinthe70s.
AndwewenttoNorthWalesonatripout,andthehydrograsssuspension,oneofthespheresbroke.
AndthephonemesofprincessesandtheAllegrosandcertainminions.
Istillhaveitnow.
There'sonegarage,there'stwogaragesonthere,one'sinBirminghamandone'sinKnoxfordthatstillhavetheequipmenttore-gasthespheres,metros.
I'vestillgotaI'vegotahydrogaspumpsomewhereformyown.
Idomean,yeah.
Soit'sslumpedontooneside,andtosavethesuspensionthatcouldbecompletelyknackeredonthewayhome.
Dadgotawoodenblockandputitatthetopofthesuspensionspheretoprovidesomekindofrelieftothesphereitself.
Thankfully,itwassoftwood.
Andthatgotitshome.
Thecarwasslightlyonthewonkallthewayhome.
Soyouallhavetositonthesameside.
Anditwon'tbegoingabove40milesanhour.
Again,madetoimmense.
Wegothome.
Limpitback.
Andthenitwouldlimpithome.
WealwaysusedtohaveasaywhenIwasyoungisthatifIphonedmydadtosaythatsomethinghadgoneon,thefirstquestionwas,canyoulimpitback?
Yes.
Becauseifitcouldbelimpedback,youlimpeditback,didn'tyou?
You'reokay.
Whichisacommonfeatureinthe70s,wasn'tit?
Limpingathome.
Thecarsweren'tthemostremarkable.
They'dgointolimpmode,butyouputthemintolimpmode.
Youdecidedthatyouweregoingtodriveitbackreallyslowly,reallygently.
Withyourhazardlights.
Underpowered,withyourhazardlightson,withyourarmoutthewindowlikethat.
Yeah,yeah.
Itwasmanuallimpmode,wasn'tit?
Itwas.
Itwas.
Andyes,sothatwasthatwasfairlyexcitingtime.
Justyouaskedmeaboutthe70sandwhatIremember.
Obviously,Iwasveryyoung.
ButfromwhenIveryfirstmetyou,asadealer,dealingwithadealer,youwerealwaysyouwerealwaysveryintominis.
IifIneededaquestionorsomeinformationorsomeextrahelpwithamini,you'rethepersonIphoned.
Sodidthisbigloveofminiscomefromyourmum's?
Well,itwasinitially,certainly,althoughitdidn'tdevelopuntilactuallyIstartedbuyingandsellingafewminismyself.
Right.
Whenwasthiswhenyouwereyoungorasagrown-up?
No,asagrown-up.
Absolutelyasagrown-up.
Yeah,exceptreally.
Usingthetermlooselynow,obviously.
Actually,Igotintometrosfirst.
Whichisastrangeway.
Normallypeopledominis,thentheygetintometros.
Yeah.
I'vebeentheotherwayaround.
Ididmetrosfirst.
I'dalwayshankeredafteranMGMetro.
Idon'tknowwhy.
IjustrealizedIwasgonnasayit'stheoriginationtomorrow.
AndIactuallyandIwantedtoscratchthathit.
SoIboughtthebestMGMetroIcouldfindbackin2016.
AndI'vestillgotitnow,andit'sactuallyhere.
Andthat'sagreatlittlecar.
AndthenthatmorphedintoanMGMetroTurbo,whichI'vestillgot,andafewothermetrosaswell.
AndthenIthought,let'srevisitminisbecausemumhadminisinthe1960s,1970s,asdidmostmumsintheUK.
Andsoyeah,Iboughtandsoldafewminis,reallygotintothem.
Wereyoudrivingthemandusingthemorjustbuyingandsellingthem?
Iwastendedtobuyandsellthem.
Yeah,theonesthatweretoofargone,weusethemtohelpotherminisliveagain.
Donut.
Yeah,donorcards.
Absolutely.
Becauseeventhen,miniswerequiteexpensivetorestore.
Now,Ithinkyou'relookingat20,25grandreallytotodoaproperjobonamini,whichishorrendouslyexpensive.
Butitiswhatitis.
Thecostshavedoubledormaybetripledsincepre-COVIDtodoacottodoaminion.
Andhowdoyoufeelaboutgettingyourmoneybackonrestorations?
Itdependswhatyou'redoingitfor.
Ifyou'redoingitforyourselfandlessforced,ifyou'redoingitasabusinessventure,that'sasurewaytoendupwithafailingbusiness.
Breakyourheartandyourbankaccount.
Yeah,absolutely.
Absolutely.
BecauseitIagree.
It'sabigpileofcashtherethat'scostingmorecashtodoup,andyoudon'trealisethecashuntilyousellit.
IthinktheproblemIgenerallyhavewithrestorations,justtakingabigroundfigureforeasymoney,ifyouspend20grandonaprojectcartogetanother20grandforit,you'vewastedyourtimeandyourmoney.
Youmayaswellhavetakenamodestprofittosellittosomebodyasaprojectcarwhowillgoonanddoitthemselvestotheirownuseandpleasureandwon'tmindifitprobablyowesthemexactlywhatit'sworth.
Correct.
SoIgenerallytaketheviewonprojectcars,andIlovebuyingandsellingprojectcars,isIliketogetthemrunningdriving,sopping,makesurethey'resafeandletsomebodyelsefinishthemoff.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
AndIthinkinourgame,ifyou'rebuyingandselling,you'vegottoknowwheretostopspendingonacar.
Yeah.
Andthat'sacommercialdecision.
Wehavetomakethosedecisionswithourheads,notourhearts.
Absolutely.
Becausewithmyowncars,Idogetcarriedaway.
Well,ofcourseyoudo.
LikeIdo.
Labourofloves.
Igetcarriedaway.
ButsometimeswithacarIbuyspecificallytodoupandsellon,Iletmyheartrulemyhead.
Andmyviewis,oh,it'sanotheronesaved.
Yes,butwhosecost?
Mine.
Becauseunfortunately,I'llnevergetthemoneyback.
Andthathappensoccasionally.
Itdoesn'thappenallthetime.
Butthetrickisknowingwhentostopspendingandsaying,well,okaythen,thisisgoodenoughnowtosell.
Soyou'vegonethroughit,it'sgotanMOT,you'vetiedupthepaintwork,youhaven'tdonewithafullrespray.
Youboughtsomesecond-handwheeltrimsthat'sthebrandnewwheeltrims.
You'vetimeduptheinterior.
Youhaven'tgonewithafullinteriorrefit.
Sheusedanimprove.
Absolutely.
Iloveausingimproved.
Absolutely.
SoIthinkalotofpeople,especiallywithclassiccars,theyarehobbycars,let'sfaceit.
Thatpartofthejoyofowningaclassiccarorahobbycaristhatyouputyourownstamponitandtherearestillthingstodo.
Yeah.
AndIthinkthatthere'sIthinkit'salmostIfinditmorepleasurablesellingcarswhereyou'resellingthemtopeoplewhoarebuyingthemtolovinglyfinishthemoff.
Yes.
Thantosomeonethat'sgoingtoputitinapairofsilkpajamasandstickinthecornerofthegarageandmedicinetarmacagain.
Youwillhaveyourexceptionsateitherend.
You'llhaveyourprojectcars,whichwillmaybestartandrunanddrive,maybedon'tevenstart,butyou'resellingthemasaproject.
Oryou'llhaveyouronesontheotherendthathavebeencompletelydoneanddusted,andyouwantdecentmoneyforit.
Inbetweenisthevawherethevastareaofmycarsgo.
Sothey'renotperfect.
Idon'tsellthemasbeingperfect,butthey'regood,usableclassicsthatyoucanuseandimprove.
AndIthinkwithaminiisaperfectexample.
Practicalclassics.
Amini,youcangetalltheparts,youcanindividualiseittoyourheart'scontent.
Andtheneventwelvemonthslater,ifyoudidn'tfancysomething,justchangeitforsomethingelse.
Idon'tthinkthatthere'sthere'sthereisn'tthestigmaaboutmodifyingminisbecauseit'ssoeasytoputthembacktooriginalifthenextpersondoesn'tlikewhatyou'vedonetoit.
Ithinkthatwithalotofclassiccars,thereisabitofastigmaaboutmods,puristdon'tlikeit.
Yeah.
Umitcanreallyadverselyaffectthevalueofacar.
ButIthinkwithamini,Idon'tworryaboutitsomuchbecauseit'sdeadeasytoputitbacktostandard.
Itis,absolutely.
Andyit'snotgettinganycheapertoindividuindividualisecars,butmini,youcandosomereallyindividualthingswiththemfornotahugeamountofmoney,justtomakethemmoreyourcar.
Anddoyoupersonally,foryouandorforstock,wouldyouratherseeonecompletelyoriginal?
IknowIdon'tmeanoriginalasinoriginalpaintandoriginalcondition,butoriginalintermsofspec,ordoyougetexcitedaboutseeingonethat'sbeenimprovedornotimprovedbutbeingmodified?
ItendtoerronthesideoforiginalityonlybecauseIthinkthatsellsbetter.
AndIthinkinamarketthatwherethere'salotofcarsatthemomentchasingfewerbuyers,Ithinktopickuponyourpoint,Ithinkoriginalityiscomingmoretothefore.
PlusthefactyouoverlaythatwithIactuallyquitelikeoriginalcars.
Andwetalkabouttheonethatgotaway.
Aboutthreeyearsago,Iboughtaone-ownerMorrisMiniThousand.
Wow.
Inblacktulip,whichismyfavouritecolour,andaredinterior,anditdone60,000milesanditwasagaragefind.
I'llneverfindanothercarlikethat.
Andyoucansellitbecauseoftherewasabigprofitinit.
Yeah.
TherewasabigAndwedohavebillstopay,wedohavealotofmoney.
AndthatcarprobablythatcarendedupinMexico.
Yeah,itwenttoMexico.
Yeah,yeah,buyanintermediary,butthesubstanceyoufoundoutit'sgonetoMexico.
Butthatisonecaryoualwaysthink,ohgod.
Andthatwasentirelyoriginal,absolutelyuntouched.
EvenSafaras,heevendidtheonlythingIevendidwhatmydadusedtodowasunderneaththecarpetwaspaynewspapersoftheday.
Yes,I'mnotsure.
Whichwerealldampbecauseitwasamini,andofcoursethey'redamp,andit'sfeltofoil.
Butwhywouldyouputnewspapersinbetweenthecarpetandthefloor?
Itjustabsorbsthem.
Absorbsthewaterandrock.
Ithinkthatwastheidea.
Youputthemintoabsorbthewater,butyouchangethemonceaweek.
Oh,yeah,that'swhenthat'swhenitallwentwrong.
Theplanfellapart.
Butthenewspapersonthecarpetweredatedinthe70s.
Oh,that'sfabulous.
It'sjustsoitwasjust,andit'sit'sTim,whydidn'tyousellthattohim?
Veryexcitedaboutstufflikethat.
Anditwasabusiness.
ItwasabitIhadtolookatitasabusiness.
Commercialdecision.
Yeah.
I'mthesameasyou.
Iarethereanyoriginalones.
Thingslikeinteriors,Ilovetoseeaslightlytatty-wornbutoriginalinterior.
BecauseIthinkthethingIfindismetalworkandpaintworkandmechanicalworkarefairlyeasytotackle.
WhatIfindreallydifficultisreplacinginteriorpartswhenyouneedto,andthattendstobetheexpensivebitaswellonsomeofthecarsIdo.
Sojustgoingbacktothe70s,becausewebothsharealotofthe7070scars,don'twe?
Andweweretalkingbeforewehitrecordaboutthingsthatremindusofthe70sandthewholenostalgiaisareallypowerfulnotion,asweknow.
Butifyouthinkabout70scars,whatareyourhappymemories?
70scars,Ithinkaboutlotsandlotsofdifferentcolourcars,farmorethantoday.
Andaren'tseventiescarscoloursensitivewhenyou'resellingthem?
Theyare.
Moremuchmore.
Ithinkthe80scarsarequitecoloursensitiveaswell.
Yes.
ButIthinkonceyougetintothe90sand2000s,there'sthatpricesensitivitywhenitcomestocolourtoacertainextent.
Yeah,yeah.
Andyougooutontheroadthesedays,andthere'sloadsofsilvers,there'sloadsofblacks,there'sloadsofgreys,somequitestrangecoloursaswell.
Butthevibrancyofcolourstomeseemstohavegone.
Backinthe70s,whenyoulookyoujustlookatthecolourpaletteofBritishLandatthetime,andyouhadsomefantasticcoloursthere,likeinkyyellowandpageantblueandrussetbrown,allveryevocativeatthetime.
Andandtheotherthingaboutthe70saswellisdifferenttrimlevels.
Soit'sveryimportant,itwasdefinedyousocialdependingonwhatyoutrim.
Itwas.
Wellbetiedifyou'dboughtamaxiL.
Oh,you'dhaveaHLoranHLSeventoshowyoudoingwell.
Toshowyoudoingwell.
Oryoulookatfoursaswell.
Soyouhavethebase,youhadtheL,theGL,theGLX,thenthegear,youknow,andthegearcamein,thenthere'sthegearX,andyoujustthink,ohmygoodness,me,fullofyourboots.
IfoundthatmygotacortinainwithGLX,butthenwefoundtheLbadgeoneveryopeningchangedeither.
Andwehadwe'retalkingaboutbecausewewereexplainingtosomeoftheyoungerlads,Isaythekids,thenlikeinthe30s,abouthowyouwouldbadgeacar,forexample.
Andhewaslike,Whywouldyoudothat?
Andit'sbecausepeoplewereimpressedwithyou.
Andyouknowwhat?
AnduhIIthinkinthe70sand80s,Ithinkrepswhodidalotofdrivingtheirpositionofbusiness.
Youpeacocked,youwerepeacockingoveryourown.
Yeah,absolutely.
Soifyouhadanescorttwo-doorpop,mid-70sescortMarkIIpopinbeigewithplatplasticseats,oryouhadtheescortgear,youknewwhereyoustoodinthewhenyoustoodinthepeckingorder.
Mywifewouldbeveryproudifyouweretheonethatweregoinghome.
Absolutely,absolutely,absolutely.
Yeah,andbutitwasasignofdemotionandpromotionaswell,wasn'tit?
Itwasarealkickintheteeth,wasn'tit?
Yes,itwas.
Itwas.
Yeah,soprimlevels,definitelycolours.
Now,let'stalkaboutcarsfromthe17becauseumIthinkinthe70swewereluckyenoughtolivethroughanerawheretheanerawhenthereweresomeprettyseminalcarsthatthatwerelaunchedinthe70s.
Era-definingcars.
Yeah,forgetthough,Tim,therewereafarlesscarsontheroadforastart.
Therewerelessfamiliesthatautomaticallyhadacar,therewerecertainlylessfamiliesthathadmorethanonecar.
Yes.
Socarsandcarlaunches,theywereexciting.
Theywere,theywere.
Itwasabigdeal.
Itwas.
IninImean,onlyyourememberbackthetheChristofSunandPetulaClarkandlaunchedthat.
IrememberthatvividlyputtheChryslerSunbeaminyourlife.
Forthemarketandthewholethingaboutitwasthesame.
TheonewiththeMG,withthewomanwiththewiththewiththetissandlikethelauncher'sabitcold,anditwassomethinglikeyourmoyourmotherwouldn'tlikeitorsomethinglikethat.
Yeah,that'sabighabit,wasn'tit?
Maybenot,thenno,that'saMJ.
ThatwastheMGM,wasn'tit?
Yeah,itandbutyouthinkbacktothecarsandthelaunches,likeyousay,Motorfareasitwas,whichthenbecamethemotorshow,MotorfareatEarl'sCourt.
Andyouhadthethedolliesluxuriatingoverthesecarsthatweregoingaroundonaturntableuhtolaunchacar.
Different,completelydifferentworld.
Butyouthinkbacktothecarsthatwerelaunchedinthe70s.
SoIthinkIwasthinkingaboutwhatthetopfivewillbe.
It'sverydifficulttothinkaboutatopfiveinthe70s.
ButyouIthinkyou'vegottohavesomewhereintherethegolf,theVWGolf,thatwasreallyiconiclaunchychanging.
Yeah.
Yeah,howmanycarswerelaunchedinthe70sthatareeffectivelystilloneofthecountry'sbest-sellingcars?
Absolutely,absolutely.
Yeah,sothatwasareallyimportantcar.
Ithinkyou'reright.
CitronCX.
Youknow,tosucceedtheDSwithbeingaroundfor20years,thatwasabigass.
Yeah.
AndIthinkIrememberinthemidtolate70sseeingmyfirstCX.
Oh,andIwaslike,lastplace,weren'tI?
Ohmygod,Icouldnotbelieveit.
Whatacar!
Unbelievable.
Justlikeoneofthosemoments.
Ithinkaswell,somewhere,maybewhatdiditputdownhere?
Maybetheohyeah,theRayRustyone.
SothethreefiveS.
OneoftheprettiestBritishdesigncards.
Unfortunately,you'reruinedwiththebuildquality.
Andthequalityofthemetal.
Thequalityofthemetalthing.
Yeah,thequalityofthemetal.
Krakenengine,though.
Yeah,KrakenEngine,amazingcaroftheyear,Ithink77,Ithinkitwas.
AnddoyouknowwhoownsthenicestoneI'veeverseen?
Goon.
Yourfriendofmine,Mr.
AnthonyKersley.
No,hesaidastunning.
Yeah.
Sothefavouritecarsofthe70s.
Couldyounarrowitdowntofives?
Toohardortricky?
Tricky.
Ithinknumberonehastobethegolf,VWGolf,74.
Iconiccar.
HowmanycarsarestillontheroadthatareessentiallynotjustfromtheDNA,butthesamecar?
Yeah,absolutely.
Stilloneofthecountry'sbest.
Idon'tknow.
Idon'tknow.
That's50yearsworthofgolfsthateverybody'sfamiliarwith.
Andthey'resuchagamechanger,weren'tthey,forVWatthetime?
Yeah,andthenwhenIknowwhenIwasyoung,youwereeitheryouweregenerallyagolf,uh,aVWoraFord,andIwasalwaysagolfgirlandIlookatgolfs.
Istilldo,tobehonest.
Yeah,happilyjumpinonenow.
Butyeah,golf,I'llgiveyouthatone.
SoagolfroverSD1,3.5.
Yeah,fabulous.
Five-doorhat.
Comeontodifferentbodystylesaswell,becauseIalsowanttotalkaboutfive-doorhatch,whatacar.
Unfortunately,hitbystrikes,poorworkmanship,etc.
Rottensteel,literally.
Butthefundamentalwereweregreat.
AndIrememberthefirsttimeIwentout,the3-5SDone,mymate'sdadhadone.
Oh,I'msuperimpressed.
Iwassuperimpressed.
Fastandluxurious.
Fastandluxurious.
IthinktheCitroenCXhasthefeaturethereasbeinghavingtotakeoverthemantlefromtheDS,whichwas20yearsoldbythetimetheCXcamein.
Theylooklikeaspaceship.
Amazinglookingthings.
Thedashboardwiththerotarydialsandtheumindicatorsthatwerebuttons.
Indicatorsonbuttonsofthat.
Ithinktheradiowasdownhereinthecentreconsoleaswell.
Anditlookedlikeahatchback,butitwasn't.
It'slikesomethingoftheJetsonsamazing.
Andandthatandthepalacehadthefullchromediscsonthewheel,andthenyougotthePrestige,whichwasextendedlengthwithlittlefootrestsintheback.
Thatwasmoreforthechauffeur.
Itwasnottheself-drive.
Butagreatcar,greatlookingcar.
Notmanyofthoseleftnow,Idon'tthink,Series1CXisIthinkaswell,IthinktheBMW3series,theE21,thesuccessortotheold2002,IjustthinkthatstartedthewholethingasregardsBMWandtheirhugepopularityinthelate70sand80s,whicharecontinuedtothisday.
Ijustthinkthatwasasportycompactcarthatreallygotpeople'sdutiesflowing,asitwere.
Yeah,IsupposeItendtothinkoftheE30asbeingthatoneforme.
Butyeah,Ithinkyou'reright.
ThatIthinkthat'sa323i.
Yeah,veryclear.
Unbelievable.
Yeah.
Unbelievable.
Inlate70s,the323.
Thenwe'vegottotalkabouttheR107sthen,haven'twe?
Isupposeso.
Yeah,yeah.
R107.
Yeah,theLinux.
Yeah,lovely.
Again,theyare.
AndIknowIthinkthatthefactthattherearestillsomanyreallygoodexamplesontheroadistestamenttohowwellbuilttheyare.
Yeah,yeah,yeah.
AndIthinkyoutook2010sout.
Ithinkforme,theRangeRoverhastofeatureaswell.
Yeah.
Becausethatwasjustgamechanging,wasn'tit?
Aswell.
AndtocomefromaBritishcompany,that'ssomethingforustodoreally.
BecauseaLandRoverbeautifulLandRoverofallplaces.
I'lltellyouwhatwe'lldo.
We'llspwe'llmakeasportyLandRoverwithaV8engineinit.
Yeah.
Well,yeah,ofcourse.
Well,yeah,let'sdothat.
Yeah.
Wellmaybeonefortheroad,butwe'llgiveitallzerofuelconsumption.
Yes.
Yes.
Oh,Iknowallaboutthat.
Yeah.
I'vebeenrunningaroundinaXGSV12recently.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Straight.
That'swhereIrunthestraightsixes.
Yeah,thatthatthat'sabitplusjuicy,touchjuicy.
Andagain,theRangeRoverisit'sgonefromstroketostrength.
It'sisitthebiggestsellingcarintheStates?
Again,orimportedcar.
IthinkRelsonBentleyhadtobealittlebitmorethanafewyears.
Evenafterthetariff.
Ithinktheywerealreadyitwasthepre-tariffrestrictionswhentheydidwhentheydidtheirnumbers.
I'mreallysurprisedthatyouhaven'tgonemoreBLonyourlist.
Iwastopfivetopfiveisabigass.
Ithinkitwouldbetopten,youcouldwecouldprobablychuckinafewofBLs.
YoucouldarguetheMaxiwouldbeinthere,butthat'sa69.
ButtheMaxiwasafirstinsomanyways.
Firstfive,four.
Ifwe'vetakenitbackto69,endof68,thenwe'vegotSilverShadowaswell,right?
Ohyeah.
AndtheCorditiasandallthat.
Andthenattheotherendofthe70s,thebestfriend.
Yeah.
ThatwasthatreallysavedBLsingle-handed,thatcar.
Sopopulartothink.
Inallthedifferentderivations,theysoldovertwomillionofit.
Doyouthinkwewerejustgoingintoatimewheremorepeoplewereowningacar,runningacar,anditjusthitthespotofbeingaffordabletobuy,affordabletorun,easytorun,easytolookafter.
Asamatteroffact.
Yeah.
Yeah,Ithinkso.
AndIthink,well,there'selementsofpatronismthere.
PeoplewantedBritishLeidentosucceed,buttheyjustdidn'thavetheproductrangetobackthatup.
Okay.
TheyweretheMarinawasattheendofitslifemorphingintotheItal.
TheAllegrowasattheendofitslife.
ThatwasmorphingintotheMaestro.
TheMaxiwasattheendofitslifemorphingintothemaestroaswell.
TheMetrowasthefirstbrandnewcarthatBiazlaunchedforawhile.
Andithadtobegood.
Anditwasagoodlittlecar.
Doyouthink,intermsofabitofasocialdocumentaryaswell,wewereslidingthetimeswheremorewomenwerehavingtheirowncarratherthanweweremorewomenwereworking,morewomenwererunningtheirowncars,morekidspassingtheirtestscouldhaveacarintheirlateteensandtwenties.
Anditjustslidreallyneatlyintothatbike.
Ithinkso.
Goodtiming.
Butgreattiming.
Ican'tbelievetheyeventhoughtofthatatthetime.
Allinthetiming.
Allinthetiming.
Whatdidyoulearntodrivethen?
Ilearnedtodrive.
SomydrivinginstructorhadaDatsonCherry,whichwasincrediblyeasytodrive.
Yeah.
Mymumhadatwo-footasthoughtGLinGL.
Instardustsilvermetallic,severalshadesthereof,becauseIrespectthewingsandtherearquarter.
It'shardtogetamatchonsilver.
It'sveryhardtogetamatchonsilver.
Iknowthatnow.
Absolutely.
Ohno,I'veI'vethoughtofthedubhandwitharattlecanformotorcycle.
Blowinginthewearing.
Butitdidhaveavinylroof.
Anditithadsomeseveralgearupgrades.
IthadtheratherlargeGLbadgeontheback.
Andthenlaterlatterly,Ibasicallyitblewuptheendat1.3N.
Andmydad'smatehadthisCapri1600sthathewasscrapping.
Sowewhippedtheengineoutofthatandputthatintotheescort,whichmadeitfartooquickforme.
Didyoudoanyotherupgradestothebrakesorboxorsomethinglikethat?
Iwasjustinstraightlineaccelerationtoit.
Becauseacapriceonlydidit.
Iwouldimaginethatwasquitethequitethedrugratepart,butyou'dsurpriseafewpeopleatthelights.
Butyeah,itwasayouknowitserveduswell.
Ilearneddrivingnow.
Somostkidsloadthefamilycarupandtheygetabullock,andyou'vegotanewupgradeengine.
Igotaretiresecondhandtopre-engine.
Absolutely.
SoIthinkthatwhatwe'vereallylostisasenseofagain,bigsweepingstatement.
Idon'tthinkthereisthesamesenseofownershipofcarsanymore.
There'snosortofbutwhenwewerekids,earlymid-80s,withyourfirst,second,thirdcar,itwasyourprideandjoy.
Andit'snewanditwasimportanttome.
AndI'mnotsurethatsortofloveofcarsisstillthere.
Andwhenwetalkaboutwhenwegetthenextgenerationcomingthroughtotheclassiccarscene,Ithinkit'sgonnabeverydifficultbecauseweallgrewupwitheight-wheel,alotofusgrewupwitharealsenseofownershipofourowncars.
Soaswe'vegotolder,wewanttobuythecarsthatwewantedbackthenbutcouldn'thaveorthehighertrimorthehigherspecorthebiggeranything.
Butbecausepeopledon'tseemtogetparticularlyemotionallyattachedtotheircarsanymore,I'mnotsurewhethertheywillwhatareyougonnado,hankerovertheTeslayournextdoorneighbourhadintwoyears.
It'shighlyunlikely,isn'tit?
Notreally.
No,Ican'tseemedoingit.
Iwon'tbeherein30years'time,butIcan'tseemedoingthat.
No,Icertainlywon'tbehankeringafteraTesla,that'sforsure.
Ithinktopickuponyourpointthere,anditmightbealittlebitcontentious,this.
Butwelikecontentious.
Ithinkbuyingacarisjustabittooeasythesedays.
Wedon'tdoit.
Andit'saleaseandit'samultipleandit'samonthlypaymentthatcomesoutofyourbank.
WellIyousavedupforacar,Isavedupforacar,andIboughtacarwithmyown.
IknewtothepennyhowmuchacarIhadboughthadcostme.
Peoplenow,Ithink,aremoreawareoftheirmonthlypayment.
Ithinkifyousaidtothem,sohowmuchdidyougiveforit?
they'llsay,I'llputsomuchdownit,somuchpayment,andI'vegotaballoonattheendofit.
Butifyouactuallytriedtotiethemdowntoyes,buthowmuchinitsentirety,presumingyoudidpaytheballoonattheend,what'sitcostyou?
Yeah.
Iwouldwagerthere'squiteahighpercentageofpeoplethatcouldn'tputthatfigureonit.
Andthatfigurewillbequitefrightening.
ItwillbebecauseIthinkthesopeoplegoforabigballoontokeepthedepositandthemonthlypaymentsdown.
Sowhenitcomestoballoontimewhenthey'vedonetheoldappforthree,four,fiveyearsorwhatever,thatisthenanissue.
Sotheythenhavetoeithergetaaloanfromsomewhereelsetopaytheballoontokeepthecar.
Ortheydowhatmostpeopledo,whichisthedealermakesitallniceandeasyandveryattractedtojusthandyourkeysback,signanotherform,getanotherone,getanotherone.
Whichismypoint,it'stooeasy.
Yeah.
Ithinkgenerallyspeaking,Ithinkmaybetheartofsavinghasescapedpeople.
AndIIdon'tknow,uhwhenIwas18,19,andsavingupfrommyhadmyjobofsavingupformyfirstcar,thesenseofprideinbeingabletopayforthatcarandbuyit,havingworkedwasgreat.
Andasaconsequence,Ilookedatit.
Iwasjustabouttosay,didthatsenseofpriceifyouweregoingtomeetyourmatesonaSaturday,youweregoingforadrivesomewhere,youcleanedit.
Youhooveredityourself,ofcourse.
Wouldyouhavedrivenwouldyouhavedrivensomewhereandsatinyourcarwhilesomeoneelsewasheditforyou?
Likeno.
Uhno,Iactuallygotit,Iandstillgetittoo.
Yeah.
Upfromwashingadrive.
Ilovemintingacarupreallydo.
UmandIjustthinkthatwehadthat,itwasaritual.
Soyouwerelike,Saturdaymorning,Sundaymorning,cleanyourcar,yeah,fillitup.
DoyourememberwhenitwaslikeuhIdidn'twaittillInecessarilytherewasatimeIwassurewhenI'dgoandputweusedtogotoManchesterwiththegirls,they'dbelike,weusedtotaketurnsdriving.
Yes.
I'dsaythere'dbefourofus,50peach,twopoundsofpetrolmoneytomycitrontwoCVtogetustoManchesterandbackforaniTunes.
Butyeah,IdoonceIstartedworkingandcoulddidIactuallyhaveenoughtoputafulltankin.
IguessIputtheweekends.
Maybehowexcitingwasanewairfreshener.
Oh,sedinout.
Fauxorange.
I'vestillgotoneofthose.
Yeah.
Yeah,andyouandyourstereoisveryimportant.
Yourstereowasimportant.
It'scrucial.
Yeah,mymum'sasked,Iwastalkingaboutthesortofsilvermetallicone.
Sheonlyhadaradiointhecentreconsole.
SoIhadatape.
FM.
Oh,wereyoujustmediawavelongwave?
JustFMstuff.
IthinkitwasFM,yeah.
AndwehaduhsoIhadabattery-poweredtapeplayerbeforeCDs,battery-poweredtapeplayeronthebackseat,whereIhavemyweusedtotapethetop40ontheSundayevening.
Youpausethatpauserecordingblackboards,butitcamein.
IhadthatonthebackseatbeforeIthoughtofthat.
Andyeah,that'syou,asyouasyousaythebitohyeah,you'reprogressinglikeblahdeblahdeblah.
YoutalkedbeforeabouttheaspirationalgoingthroughLG,LG,andalltherestofit.
AndmorefromabasicFiestathroughtoFiestagear,andthengotmeXR2,andthenIgotmeXR2i.
Andyoufeelasenseofachievement.
ButImean,Iboughtthatcar.
Ithinkthere'ssomethingdeeplysatisfyingininendingupwithsomethingyou'vehankeredafterbecauseyouworkedforit.
Ireallydo.
AndIthinkthatwhenwegobacktostufflikerituals,andit'salmostIlookbacknowwithreallyfondmemoriesaboutwhatIsupposeatthetimewerereallysimplepleasures,whereifwewere,sayweweregoingtoI'dsomefriendsthatwerelikeSheffieldJr.,
forexample.
Sosaywewerealldrivingoverandpilingoverinmycar.
I'dmakeamixtapeforthejourney.
Also,andthenwheneverwewent,thatwhateverwasonthattapewouldalwaysremindus.
Andevennowwhenwestillseethem,we'dstillbelike,there'scertainmusicandcertainsongsthatremindusofthattime.
Yeah.
Andit'slargelydowntoourbecauseyouputthoughtandefforttoamixtape.
Absolutely.
Andrememberthedoubletapetotapedeck.
Soyoudidn'tjusttapeofftheradio,youcouldactually.
AndsomebodywenttoWooliesandboughtacassetteandyou'dgivethemablank.
Yeah.
Yousay,CanyoumakeCanyoumakeyourwelcometothePleasureDeck?
AndIandIAndandyouwriteandyou'dwriteyourlabelandyou'dputitonthecassetteandthenyou'dputitonthebox.
Yeah.
Andthenyouwritethesongsonthecardinthebox,intheplasticbox.
Simplepleasure.
Sonowyou'renotallowedtolike,oh,don'ttouchyourmobilephone,you'reinbigtrouble.
Butweusedto,Icoulddrivewithafaginmyhand,andI'dbelikeundertheseatreachingforacassetteintheglovebox.
Getthecassettebox,I'dbegoingthroughthemonmyknee.
Nowtheroad'sdefinitelyall.
Therewasalotlesstrafficontheroadforastart,anditwasterriblyirresponsible,buteverybodydidit.
Andit'sstillheretotellthetale.
I'msolatetotellthetale,butIjustIthinkthatit'dbeIthinkthatthosedaysmadeyouuhIthinktheymadeyouabetterdriver,theymadeyouamoreawaredriver,anddespitethefactyoucouldstillfindyourfirebecausethenthey'dgoneundertheseatforthesimplereasonthatifyoucrash,itwasgonnareallyfuckinghurt.
UmandB,youdidn'twanttocrashyourcar,itwasyourproductenjoy.
Absolutely.
WhereasandIthinkthatwehadtheconversationwithSimonHoge,andwejusttalkedaboutthissoeasynow,andyoudon'tevenhavetofocusonwhereyou'regoingbecausethecarwilltellyoutoturnlanding450yardsorwhateveritis.
WhereasIthinkbackinthosedaysyouhadtheuhacarjourneywasfun,itwasanevent.
Ifyouweregoingsomewherewithyourmatesinyourcar,yeah,yeah.
It'soneofthoseIIstillenjoydrivingtheclassic.
IamI'mprettyconsciousofallthetraffic.
Iwon'tgoonthemotorwaysgenerallyintheclassics,especiallywithsmartmotorways.
I'mjustveryconsciousthatyouarealittlebitIdo.
I'vegotPorsche928,I'mfineonthemotorwayinthat.
Idon'twithsomeshoddystufflikethat.
Idon'tmind,XJS,Idon'tmind.
Butwhatdoesbutdoyouknowwhatthough?
Ifwebreakdownonasmartmotorway,nowwecanpushourselvesoutthewayifweneedtobe.
Wecanbetoe-damnedsick.
Electriccarscometoastandstill.
Butyou'vehadit.
You'vehadit,yeah.
Atleastifsomethingofoursconks,wecanputourhazardsonandtryandcoastit.
Butyeah,Ithinkunlikeyou,Idodrivethem.
Idailythemingoodwealth.
Theymakemesmile,doyounotgetanything?
Theydo,absolutely.
Andyoudrivealongsmiling,andIknowIknowthecarinfrontofmecanstopalotquickerthanIcan,andyoujusthavetoadjustyourdrivingsideofsighting.
Andthere'sthatjeopardyaswellofnotentirelyknowingwhetheryou'reyou'regonnagetthereornot.
UmJasonHallmentionedthis.
Heusedtogodowntothesouthcoastwithhispiratesforafamilyholiday,anditwasalwaysamarkofajourneyashowmanytimesthebonnetwasup.
ButIIstillsetoffnow,andit'sjustsensibleprecaution.
Ialwayshaveadumppack,acoupleoftoolsintheboot,bottleofwaterjustincaseyouneverknow.
UmandthatusedtobeDoyourememberchompingalongthehardshoulderlookingfortheorangebox?
BecausetotallymyownfaultbecauseI'drunoutofpetrolorsomethingridiculousthatcouldhavebeenprevented.
Butrunningonfuelisjustabitofathing.
Youdidn'thaveathingsayingyou'vegottenmilesleft,nine,eight,seven,six,five,four.
Youhadalight.
Yeah.
Sometimesyoudidn'tevengetalight.
Youjustgotagauge.
Wastemperamentalatbest.
Itwaslikecoastingintotheforecourtofthepetrolfield.
Yes,yeah,yeah.
AndnowI'mreallyfunny,IwillnotIanythinginthecultureofatankcouldgoandputfuelinbecauseA,IIdon'tknowwhetherthecalltureofatankisactuallythat.
AndB,Idon'twanttosuckaloadofshitsomethingonthebottomofthetankthroughwhat'snormallycarbsinmycase.
Yes.
Butyeah,butIthinkthesimplepleasuresareadyingart.
Thesimplepleasurejustenjoyingdriving.
Yeah,absolutely.
AndIworriedandIworrythatbecauseofthat,wemightbethelastgenerationthatenjoyclassiccarsinthesameway.
MaybeIhopenot.
Ithinkno,doyouknowwhat?
Itherewillbekidswhogetitandenjoyit,butIthinkit'llbemuchsmallernumbers.
Yeah,Ihadn'tdoneanageprofileofmycustomersoverthelastsixyears.
ButIthinkthemajorityofthemwereprobablyunder40.
Whichisgoodinaway.
Isellminisandmetrostoguysintheirtwenties.
Uhmineisgettingyoungerwiththeyoungtanks,believeitornot.
SotheuhmorethingslikecallvatelikeStingrays,C3s,thelastoneofthoseIsoldwastoaladinhisearly30s,andIIIIcan'trememberthelasttimeIsoldaclassicAmericancartosomeoneintheirearly30s,andIhadamadcomeouttwoweeksagotolookattheCamaroZ28whowas20.
Wow.
SoIthinkIdon'tknowwhetherthatwiththey'llhavearenaissanceofwheretheybecomecool,butIdothinkitwillbeamuchsmallernumbersbecauseIthinkthatnostalgiaofIwantedonewhenIwasyoung,Ithinkthecarsthatthekidshandcraftinnow,Idon'tthinkthey'regonnahandcraftthethingsthewaywedid.
No,Iagree.
Tobehonest,becauseIdon'tthinktheirparentsaregonnadriveacarthattheyaregonnadesperatelywantwhenthey'reforwardtoit.
Iunderstandandrespectmoderndaycarsbecausetheyjustmaketravellingfareasierandsafer.
I'vewe'vegotauhanewishKeonera,whichisaplug-inhybridasadaily,doeseverythingyouwantitto,andandyougetinthat,you'regonnagettowhereyouwantto,andyou'regonnagettherewithheatedseatsanduhconditioningandanicestereoandmorninglights.
Butyou'vealsogotlaneassistsandyou'vegotadaptedcrews,you'vegotthisother,andIturnallofthoseoffbecauseIdon'tlikethose.
Iliketodrivethecar,Idon'twanttobedriven,andthatIthinkthat'sadifference.
Whereasyourfriendthatmentioned,wasitJason,whosaidcarssupplementdon'tdrivethemselves.
Theydo,theydo,butthat'snotforme.
Iprefertodriveacarandwhenyou'remanhandlinganMGBGTroundacornerat50milesanhour,becausethere'snopowerassistantsteering,andandit'sabigoldtrunkysteeringwheel,andyou'retryingtogetitroundthecorner.
Youdon'tdoturn,youneedtogofaster.
You'vegottogofaster,lighter,thefasteryoudon't.
Butyou'vegottoputyourshoulderintoit.
That'sallpartofthefun.
Ilovethat.
Thatisallpartofthefloor.
That'swhatmakesmesmilethough.
That'sthebit.
That'samassivegreatsmileonmyface.
Andyougethomedrippinginsweatandgladtobealive,butyou'vehadapopularsmile.
Now,don'tgetmewrong,atsortofeighto'clockwheneveryone'slatefortheschoolrunonafreezingcoldNovembermorning,Idon'twanttohavetosittherewithmychokeoutwaitingforthecartowarmupsoIcandriveoff.
SoIhugelyseetheadvantageofhavingI'mhopingthattheviewersknowwhatachokeis.
Becausetherewillbesomepeopleouttherethatarechokingthekidsbecausethey'relateforschool.
Differentdifferentkindofchoke.
Idoadifferentchokethesedaysinthat.
IthinkwelookbackwithroastedbacksalotofthetimebecausewhilstIlovemyclassicsandIdousethemandIdodailythem.
Yes.
TherearesomemorningswhenI'minarushandI'msatonthepaththinking,ohcomeon,becauseIwon'tdragthemoffuntilI'muptotemperature.
ThatIthink,yeah,andmyhusbandjustjumpsinherenexttomeandbacksoffthedriveanymore.
Buthiscardoesn'tmakehimsmile.
ImentionedtheKeeneirobefore,right?
Greatcar,verycompetent.
Butthere'shundredsofthousandsofKeoneroandcarsthatlooklikeKeoneroonthoseraysfromtherails.
Itissoulless.
Itissoulless.
Backinthe70s,therewasnothinglikethat.
Nothinglikethatatall.
Butwhatyoudidgetistwo-doorcoupés,three-doorhatches.
Thebodystyling.
Thebodystyling.
Five-doorhatches.
Yes.
Convertibles.
Yeah.
States.
Yeah.
Avastvariety,whichmadelookingatcarsandgettinginvolvedincarsfarmoreinterestingthanitisnow.
Yeah.
Andthenyouoverlaythatwiththemadrushthatwasthe1stofAugustforthenewredflakecomingout.
Oh,it'sexciting.
Thebuildbookwasexciting.
Ineedweight.
Thedealersmusthaveabsolutelyhated,whichIthinkisthereasononeofthereasonsIwanttochangeit.
Becausetherewasjustitsbuild-uptillthe1stofAugust.
Itwaslikethismomentinthecarnivalatmosphere,though.
Wouldyourememberyoudrivepastthemaindealeronthe31standthey'dbeputtingtheballoonsandallthebuntingandstuffgotreadyforthecustomers?
Wealsousedtotimeourholidaystogodown,normallythefirstweekofAugust,whichiswhenthedumber'soff.
AndsoIhaveaflipchartthingonmylap.
AndIalwaysusedtositinthefrontofthecarbecauseIalwaysusedtogetcars.
SoDadsitmeinthefront.
Youhaveaflipchart.
Itwaslikeapad.
Itwaslikeapad,70spad.
Youareawhiskerawayfromaclipboard,Dad.
Oh,I'mawhiskerawayfromaclipboard.
SoandIusedtotickoffthemakeandmodelofthebrandnewcarsIseeonasix-hourjourneydowntoSandbank.
Right.
BecauseIusedtosay,oh,there'sanRedsitfromGSoranR-Red.
IsayanRedge,itcouldbeS,itcouldbeT,itcouldbeP,whatevertheyearitwas.
Butthatwasoneofthehighlightsoftravellingdownsouth.
Becausethatwasanannualpilgrimage.
Oh,there'satwo-door,there'safour-door,there'stouchflatresinsteps.
Butdoyounotfindinourgamenowbodystylescanreallyaffectvalue?
Andyou'lldothingslikeCstagejustforexampleinagolfchiefsidelikethatthree-door.
Becausethevalueisinthethree-door.
OrevenlikeIseeitonethirdday.
Coupe.
Coupe.
Anditdoesmakeabigitmakesitdoublethepricebasedbasedonthebodyshell.
Andevendowntothemoremundanestyle,weweretalkingaboutmetrosbefore.
Generallyspeaking,againthree-door,five-door,yeah.
Eventhoughthefive-doortop-of-the-rangeVandomPlusisaverynicecar.
AnMGMetrothree-doorwillsellbetterandquicker,andit'sprobablyworthmorethananequivalentofVandalPlusMetro.
Yeah,absolutely.
EventhoughtheVandamPlusisactuallyabitbusher.
ButIthinkyouwouldtherewasgoingintoaagain,Ineverwentintoanewcarshowroominthosedaysandorderedacar.
Butgoingintousedcarpitchandhavingalookround,youhadsuchachoiceof,likeyousay,makesmodels,colours,andwhilstwe'vegotthesemassivecarsupermarketsnow,andIknowit'sallgoingverymuchdowntheonlineroute.
Youdon'thavethesamesortofvisceralexperienceofcarshoppinganymore.
Soyoudrive,forexample,attheA6inStockportandyou'dbepitchafterpitchafterpitch.
Andyou'dgointhemorningandhavealookroundandyounarrowitdownandthenyougoforatestdrive.
AnditwasareallikeIsay,itwasaveryitwasaverytileexperience.
WhereasIthinknowyougotoagarageforyougotoaBWgarageoryougotoaLandovergarageoryougotoaKiagarageorsomethinglikethat.
AndIthinkifyouwanttogotoabigout-of-towncarsupermarketoronline,butIthinkwhatwewhatwedon'thaveanymoreiskindofusedcartouches.
No.
SoIdon'tIthinkpeoplearedistancedfromthebuyingexperiencebecausethey'renotgoingsittinginhalfadozencarsunderthebunting.
Absolutely.
They'vedecidedwhattheywantandthentheyjustpressthebutton,theyfindthecolourtheywantandthespenttheywant.
Andit'squitetransactionalbecauseIthinkitusedtobeemotionalpurchase.
Itwasemotional,anditstartedwithsecuringthebrochureforthecarsyourentedit.
Carbrochures.
Sothethemotorshowstheyusedtogointobagsfullofbrochures.
AnditwaspartofthereasonwhyIwent.
Iremembergoingdownonthecoachtomyfirstmotorshowin1978withmydadontheEarthCourt.
No,thatwasthefirstoneattheNECinSeven.
Okay.
Andmygoodnesssweet,whatanamazingdaythatwas.
Andtheycamebackwithbagsofbrochures.
ButthetwothatstandoutformeweretheBritishLeylandbrochures,youyougettheAustinMorrisbrochure,yougettheJaguarRoverTriumphbrochure,andthenyougetwhatelsewasoneortwoofusanyway?
Ofthegroup,asitwere.
Andthenyougetfourthathadonebrochure,butwitheverythinginit.
Yeah.
Anditwaslikeabook.
They'dhaveallthetrimlevelsandallthetrimlevels.
Becauseyougitwaslikeaitwasyouitwaslikeamatrixdiagram,wasn'tit?
ItwassoOkay,that'sbutI'mjustsayingthelogisticsofputtingthattogetherinthatinthosedays.
Therewaskindofcomputertohelpyouwiththat.
Butyouwouldhaveit'sallverymanual,I'msure.
Butyouwouldgoinandyouwouldbesattalkingtosomebodywhowouldadviseyouwhatdoyouwantthecarfor?
Whatwillyoubedoingwithit?
Yeah.
Whatshouldyoubudget?
Ifyou'dratherhaveelectricwindows,butyou'renotworriedaboutastereo,thenwecanandyoucouldfigureitbasedonaconversationwithsomebodywhoknewwhattheyweretalkingabout.
AndIdon'tthinkthatthatisdon'tgetmewrong,wealsohavethestickyreputationofbeingusedcardealerbackinthe70sand80s.
Absolutely.
Butagain,thiscomesbacktonostalgiaandhonestly,reallyfondmemoriesforalotofusthatwereinthetradeatthetime.
Absolutely.
Iwasn'tluckyenoughtobeinthetradeatthetime,butcertainlythe70sheldveryfondmemoriesforme.
Yeah.
Mymotoringkindofexperience.
Soasaclassiccardealernow,lookingbackatthesortofdecades,the70s,80s,90s,noughties,allthatsortofthing.
What'syourwhatdoyouthinkisthebesteraforcardesignandmanufacture?
Ohgosh,that'sagoodone.
IIthinkpurelybecauseofallthethingswetalkedabout,plustheadvancementsinsafety,Ithinkprobablythe80s.
Okay.
Becausethe80s,that'swhenyoufirststartedtoseeanti-lockbrakes,iswhenyoufirststartedtoseeairbags.
It'saverysensiblegrainofpantsatthattime.
I'mjustthinkingmoreBjorasandIknowI'mthinkingholistically.
Right.
Youknow,andIthinkthatIthinktherewasaseatchangethenfromthe70stothe80s.
Andthe80sisuhworthyofawholediscussionitself,butthatlikeyou,itholdsveryfondmemoriesforme.
Maybemoresofromthe70s,becausethey'rerememberablewhatwentoninthe80s,it'sabitmorepresentthanitwasbackinthe70s.
Iagreewithyou,especiallywiththecars.
Iwasdrivingthaninthe80s,whereasinthe70sIwasapassenger.
ButIthinkthatasajustasakindofasocialdocumentary,Ithinkthatthe80ssawthebiggestshiftintermsofmotoring.
Ithinkthat'swhentherewasalotmoreaccessibilitytoowningyourowncar.
Thatwasmultiplecarsinahousehold.
Absolutely.
Theabilitytosaveupandownyourowncarquiteyoung,orforyourparentstomaybebuyyoualittlerunner,ororforyoutostannerityourselfandgetitgoing.
AndIknowthathappenedinthe70s,butIthinkinthe80swestartedtoseeabigincreaseofvolumeofcarsontheroad.
AndIthinkalotofitwasIthinkI'mprobablythefirstgenerationofwomenwhereitwasokaytonotgetmarriedandhavekidsat21.
Icouldbe,Iboughtmyownhouseinmyearly20s,Ididn'tgetmarriedtillIwasinmyearly30s.
IIreallyenjoyedquiteasuccessfulcareeratthetime.
Andmymumcouldn'thavedonethat.
Thatwouldhavebeenreallyunusualforhergeneration.
SoIthinkweIthinkthe80swasarealasitIthinkitwasabigsocialshiftinthe80s,andIthinkthatputalotmorepeopleintocars.
Yes,yeah,yeah,right.
AndIthinkitjustgavethemalotmorechoiceaswell.
Therewaswomeninthe80s,itwasprobablynotthefirsttime,butthefirsttimeenmassethatyoupickedyourowncar,youpaidforyourowncar.
Yeah.
Andyouwereresponsibleforrunningyourowncar.
AndIthinkthatformeiswhyIthinkthe80swasbecauseifyouthinkabouttheXR3i,theydidthespeciallimitedcolours.
ItwasCfoam,amethysts,andtheotherone,Ican'tremember,it'sthreecolours.
Andtheyweredesigned,thecoloursweredesigned,anditwasmarketedatwomen.
Sothebrochure,itbasicallysaidthatit'swe'vepickedsomecoloursforyou,hairgirls,anditwasallaboutanditwasthebigshoulderpad.
AnditIthinkitwasrecognizingthatpeople,notjustwomen,butpeoplewerestartingtoearnalotmoremoney.
Therewasmoreaccessibilitytocareersforpeoplefrommaybelesseducatedbackgrounds.
AndIjustthinkthatkindofasawholesocialdocumentary,cars,thewaveofcarsthatcameontotheroadandthetypeofcarsthatcameontotheroadandthetypeofownershipwasarealmarkerofofmaybethesocialcommentary.
Thatwasabitdeepandheavy,wasn'tit?
Itwasabitdeepandheavy,butyou'recorrect.
Ithinkyou'rerightaswell,becausewhatyoualsosawtherewasmorewomenwhoweretheprimaryfeatureinthecaradvert.
Yes,yeah,yeah.
Sotheywereactuallymarketingcarsatorforwomenbuyers,andthatwastheinthe70s.
Alotofthemarketingisimpressyourwoman,youcanletherdriveit,she'llbealrightinit,it'sdeadeasytodrive.
Oryeah,chickswilldigit,thatkindofthing,chipmagnetandallthat.
Buttheywerewithwell,whereasinthe80sitwasliterallythetargetedthatyoucangetshoppingintheboot,youcangetthekidsinthebank,youcangotoworkonit.
AndIthinkit,yeah,Ithinkit'sarealcarsarealwaysareallyinterestingmarkerofsocialcommentary,Ithink,nowit'sallverykidsallwantabrandnewMerquetclasswhentheypassthetest.
Halfofthemareinautomatics.
Theypassthetestinthemanual,buthalfofthemareinautomaticsbecauseit'sverydifficulttoarguewiththemwhenyouknowthat'sprobablywhatthey'regoingtobedrivingfortherestoftheirlivesanyway.
Absolutely.
AndIthinkthatthethereisadetachmentfromtheI'vegotI'vebeenquitesentimentallyattachedtocarsovertheyears,andIjustdon'tmeboththinkthathappensanymore.
No,becausethey'refunctionalandtheydoajob.
Yeah.
Icannevergethighlyinvolvedinthecity.
Somecarshaveasoul,soit'saffected.
Yeah.
Idon'twanttojumpinitandgoforadriveandhaveafantastictime.
Whenyougetinit,doyouaskitnicelytostartandthenthankitwhenitdoes?
Yeah.
Comeon,darling.
Comeon.
Comeon,darling.
Comeon.
Goodgirl.
Let'splayball.
Playful,comeon.
That'shavingatoday,notabitmoreabitlesschoke,maybe,andohyeah,justwe'llletyouallthrough.
Ido.
Ihaveconversationswiththem.
It'slike,right,comeon,nottoday,I'minarush.
Yeah,yeah.
Don'tmessmeabouttoday.
Playball.
Playball.
AndIcan'timaginegettinginanewcar.
Anddespitethefactthatnewcarswillactuallyansweryoubackandprobablywouldhaveaconversationwithyou.
Idon'tfeelthat.
Idon'tfeelthatemotionalconnection.
No.
IIIwonderwhethermoddaycars,theyaretryingtouhbringinthatemotionalimpact.
OnlybecauseIsawanadvertlastnightfortheEmoda7.
Andit'sgotoptionalfragrancesettings.
Iwasthinkingaboutjustsoyoucangetaonefreeororwhatdidthe.
Doyouknowit'dbeexcitingtofindamagictreat?
They'regonnashowyouwithsomethingelse.
Itwaslikeacombinationofbleach,disinfectant,freshpie.
It'snotthesameastoiletcleaner.
Andpieandpie.
ItwastheycameupwithanotheroneonceIcouldn'tgetitinthecarquickenough.
Justagain,justforachangefromfreshpie.
You'reright.
Umbutyeah,IdIdon'tknow.
IjustIthinkthatkindoftalkingtoyourcarsgeneration,Ithinkwemightbethelast.
Theythinkthecarstalktoyounow,don'tthey?
Yeah,whichtakesforthat.
Doyounotmissthekindofforme?
IthisisprobablywhyIstillreallyenjoyclassiccars.
Ithinkthere'sacertainthrilltohavingtokeepyoureyeonthepressure.
Asifit'sworking,sir.
Youdoyou'reassumingit'sworking.
Itdoesn'tmatter.
It'llbeasensor.
It'llbeasensor.
Uhbutyeah,Ithinkthereisarealthrilltogettinggoingonajourney,gettingonthenailroad,orgettinguptotemperaturegoingandhavingalookdown,andeverythingisasitshouldbe.
Oilpressure,whenit'sholdingthecorrectoilpressure,yourtemperature'sexactlywhereitshouldbe.
Absolutely.
You'reabsolutelyandIjustthinkthere'ssimplepleasures.
Simplepleasuresofhavingadashboardwithsomeclocksinthere.
Thereliefofarriving.
Yeah.
Andthereliefofarriving,butinsteadofadigitalreadout,andthenyou'vegottogointoscrolldownsomemenutofindoutwhatyourevenifitsayswhatitsoilpressureis,orwhatitstemperatureis,orwhatitsampageis.
Youjustdon'tgetthat.
See,I'vegottogotoGloucestertomorrow.
SoI'mgoingtobedrivingforsixtosevenhourstomorrow.
AndI'vegotacarthat2011,soitshouldtellmewhenmywheelsarein,itshouldtellmewhenmytirepressuresarethere.
ButIstillcheckitbeforeIsetoffonthejob.
BecauseIjustdon'tIjusthavethismentalthingofI'mresponsibleformycarnotrunningoutofoil.
Yeah.
Andwhat'sthesensorgone?
Whatifthebulb'sgone?
ButwouldyouswapandbeyoungagainorifIknownowwhatIcoulddobackthen,asitwere.
SoifIwasyoungerandIhavetheknowledgeIhavenow,thatwouldbewonderful.
Butbutthat'saperfectworldthatwouldneverexist.
Ithinkthereisanappealaboutgoingbackpurelybecauseofthenaivetyofitall,andthefactthatyoudon'tknoweverythingandthefactthatyou'restilllearning.
Whereasnow,yes,Ieveryday'salearningday,andIstillIstillthinkthatholdstrue.
ButI'vegotthebenefitofexperiencenow.
Whereasyoudidn'thavethatwhenIwas18.
Justtofinish,yes.
I'mgonnaflashforwardtopresentday.
Obviously,youownStockswithPlastic.
Ido.
Classiccardealer.
Whatdoyouthinkabouttheclassiccarmarketatthemoment?
Ithinkit'stough.
Ithinkthere'salotofcarschasingtoofewbuyers.
Andthere'salotofmonthsleftattheendofthemoneysometimes,isn'tthere?
Yeah,absolutely.
AndIthinkIthinktherightcars,thegoodcarswillalwayssell.
ButIthinkpricepricesarepeoplefocusfarmoreonpricesthanperhapstheyusedto.
Sothey'relookingatmorevalue.
Whataretheygettingforthemoney?
AndIthinkiftheycanspendtwo,three,four,fivethousandpoundsonaclassicratherthantwenty,andtheyget80%ofthejob,asitwere,80%ofthefeel,thenthey'llprobablydoit.
Becausethereareotherprioritiesinpeople'slives.
Andmaybeit'snotaclassiccar,maybeit'sactuallymakingsurethatyoucanheatthehouseandpayfortheelectricandgetthecarryonrunningthedailycar,asitwere.
AndIIjustthinkit'sawholemixtureofthings,it'salmostlikeaperfectstormofstuff,andyouthrowinwhat'shappeningintheMiddleEastatthemoment.
Notwithstandingthat,andit'sveryeasytobenegativeaboutitall.
IthinkfromwhatIsee,theclubsceneforclassiccarsisgreat,thriving.
Ithinkthattheclubscene,thesocialscene,yeah,thecommunityiswhatwillkeeptheclassiccarindustryalivefortheforeseeablefuture.
100%.
Andyou'veonlyseenyoucanonlyseeoverthelaoverthelastthree,four,fiveyears.
AndIamtalkingthesub20grandcars.
I'mnottalkingabout.
Yeah,we'llbeokay.
AndIthinktheyou'veseenthegrowthincarsandcoffees.
You'veseenthemainthinghubswhichhaverungupoverthelastfiveyears.
Yeah,ImeanacoupleoffriendssetthePlanFaircarmeetupafewyearsago.
Andthattheuptakewasfantasticbecausepeoplejustreallyenjoygettingtogetherandtalkandtalkingaboutcars.
It'sanexcusetotaketheircaroutfordrives.
Yeah.
AndIthinkthatlook,Ithinkforalotofpeople,tome,it'smyhobby.
It'scheaperthanagolfclubmembership,whateverIspendondieselandservicingandwhatnotformyowncars.
That'smyhobby,notwhatIchoosetospendonmoneyon.
ButIdothinkthatwe'veseenanupliftingprice.
Ithinkthatpeople,likeyousay,they'rebecomingalittlebitmorecondition-sensitiveaswell.
IthinkIthinkthemoney'salwaysthereforthegoodcars,iswhatIwouldsay.
Ithinkthatcarsthatmaybearenotthebestneedtobepricedaccordingly.
Yeah,yeah.
AndIdon'tthinkthere'sanythingwrongwiththosecarsbecauseitgivespeoplethechanceaccessintothatcar,andthentheycanimproveitslowlyovertimeastheywantto.
SoI'mactuallyprettyoptimistic.
Ithinkwehadarealsofteningofflastyearandarealreconciliation.
Idothinkthere'sstillsomereconciliationtobedoneintermsofpricingandmarketvalue.
Istillthinksomepeoplearestilloverestimatingorovervaluingwherethebuyersareforthem.
AndIthinkbecauseofthat,wewillmaybejustgothroughafewadjustmentsthisyear.
ButI'mIfeelreallypositive.
Doyougointoaclassiccarandbuyaclassiccartoenjoyit,ordoyougointoittomakemoneyonit?
Ithinksomepeopledoone,somepeopledotheother.
Somepeoplewanttodoboth.
ButyouhavetoyouIthinkyou'vegottobeclear,Sam,onwhenyougoinjusttoavoiddisappointment,effectively.
Yeah,absolutely.
AndmyviewisIdothisbecauseIenjoyit.
IfImakemoneyontheside,that'sgreat.
ButI'vegotanacceptance.
UhIwon'tmakemoneyoneverycardthat'sout.
It'simpossible.
Thatjustdoesnothappen.
Becauseyoubuyitwrongandyoupaytoomuchforit.
Andor,likeIsaidbefore,Ispenttoomuchmoneyonit.
Yeah,andlet'snotforget,andyoustillgottopayaboutonthegrowth.
I'vegot,yeah,I'vegotto,yeah.
Soit'sthedieissuckedagainstyoutosomeextent.
Butaslongasthebusinessisheadingintherightdirectionoverall,I'mokay.
Anditpaysmeawage,I'mokaywiththat.
Okay.
Sowhathaveyougotforsaleatthemoment?
I'vegota4KA,whichisagreatclassicstarter.
I'vegotalittleRoverMetrointhere,whichiscomingtomarketverysoon.
I'vegottwoprojectcars,aone-on-arover214SI,andaoneownerFordEscalls.
Soitreallyisaccessibleclipsink.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
There'stwoprojectsoutthere.
I'vegot,theystartrunningdrive,I'msellingthoseaproject.
Iwant450quidfortherover,andIwant950quidfortheescort.
They'reoneownercarswithhistory,andthenthey'dbecommissioning.
ButIthere'sjustnotenoughmoneyinthemformetodothemforthecolour.
There'snopointyousendingaground.
There'snopointyousendingagroundtogetanotherground.
Butforsomebodywhobuysthatcarandwantstodoabitofworkofthemselvesoverthesummer,fantastic.
Theyhavethefoundation,theyeachhavethefoundationofagoodcar.
Bigglowownerswithhistory,youknow,andtheclassic.
Andyou'vesavedthemfromthebangertrack.
Yeah,thereisthat.
Absolutely.
Ifanybodywantstofindyouonline,maybegotwebsitesforthewebsite.
Yeah,stockleyclassics.com,
havealookonthere,havealookatourlatestofferings.
Anyquestions,givemearing.
AndthatisTimAshworthfromStockleyClassics.
IfyouwanttoseewhatTim'sgotonhisforecourtrightnow,headovertohiswebsite,stockleyclassics.com.
Hedoesspecialiseinminis,metros,andaccessibleBritishclassics.
They'rewellworthalook.
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