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Hi,andwelcomebacktotheWheelsandDealsPodcast.
I'mSamGrangeBailey,theoldcarlady,andtodayI'mjoinedbyTimGrigsby.
HerunstheVintageandClassicCarCompetitionwebsitewherehegivesawayincredibleclassiccarseveryweek.
He'sahistoricracer,herestoresclassicandvintagecars,andhe'ssomeonewhogrewupsurroundedbythekindofcarsandcharactersthatmostofusonlygettoreadabout.
Wetalkabouthisfamilyhistory,includingtheLondontoBrightonrun,whatitwasreallylikeinthemotortradebackintheday,andsomeofthebrilliantcarsthatTim'sgotcomingupasprizes.
It'safascinatingcarconversation,andIhopeyou'regoingtoloveit.
Oh,anddostickaroundtotheendbecausethere'salsoaspeciallistenerdiscountinitforyou.
Right,let'sgetintoit.
Howdidyoufindthecars?
Orhowdidthecarsfindyou?
Howdiditallstart?
Ididn'thaveachoice,Sam.
Iwasmyparentswerecarnuts,andthatwasthat.
Andinterestingly,myparentsththere'sanotherconnectionwithmeisboatsaswell.
Sothetwobigpassionsinmylifearecarsandboats.
Andtheywerealsothecommondenominatorswithmyparents.
Andmyparentsmetatthelocalyachtclub.
Mydadwasaboatbuilder.
Heusedtobuilduhracingboats.
IntheUK?
Yeah,yeah.
Backintheday,itwastheIliveontheEastCoast,theSouthEastCoast,andactuallythat'sthesortofepicentreofwhatitwasthen,notsomuchnow,butitwasthentheepicentreofboatbuildingandallthingsmarine,really.
Sowehadthisbigconnectionwithboats,butthenmydadstartedgettinginterestedincars,andhisfirstcarwasathree-litrelagonda.
Icamehomefromthehospitalinathree-litrelagonda.
Didyou?
Yeah,andthenthatledinintoapassionforRolls-Royce's.
Andafriendofhiswasalocalfarmer,andhesadlypassedawayacoupleofyearsago,andthatwasCharlesTabor.
NowCharleswaspresidentoftheHenryRoyceFoundationbecausehewasveryintopartoftheandtheRolls-RoyceClubbigwasactuallyfoundedwithhismoney.
HelentmoneytotheclubtobuytheHuntHouseofPaulersbury,whichistheirwastheirheadquarters.
It'snowtheHenryRoyceFoundationownedthat.
SotherewasatheoldRolls-Royceisreallywhereitstartedforhim.
AndthenonedayhejoinedtheVeteranCarClubandhecamehome.
Therewasthisscheme,itwascalledtheacquisitionscheme.
AndBeringham,obviouslycarsnowthatareworthloadsofmoneywereworthverylittlebackthen,comparatively.
Andtherewasaschemetobuyaveterancarthroughthisthroughtheclub,andhecamehomewiththis1904Cadillac,whichwasasinglecylinder,bigthumping,greatbig,powerfulveteran,1904.
Andherebuiltthat.
Andandthat'saapassionstartedfortheveterancars.
WhatmadeyourdadgetintoEdwardiancars?
WasitreallynoveteransandEdwardians?
ItwasjustIthinkIthinktheengineeringfascinatedhim.
AndhewasalsohebecameaverywellknownrestorerofRollsandBentley.
AndhewrotethetechnicalmanualsonthePhantoms,andhealsowrotethebookRolls-RoyceSmallHorsepowerEngines,whichistheMichaelGrigsby.
Okay.
AndmysodadwrotethebookwithaguycalledRonHaynes.
Actually,Rondiedbeforetheywrotethebooktogether,butmydadwantedhisnameonthetitlebecausehiswidowhadn'tgothewantedhertohavesomeoftheroyalties.
Okay.
Itwasniceofhim.
AndbutRonhadcontributed,don'tgetmewrong,butIthinkIwrotethathefinishedit,hehedidit.
Andit'sthebooknowthateverypre-warRolls-Royceamateurengineerorprofessorreferredto.
It'sthatliketheBibleforit'swhichisI'mimmenselyproudofhim.
Sadly,Ilostmydadbackin1991.
Hediedquiteyoung.
Hewasjustunder52.
Butinfactitwas35yearslastweekthathedied.
Butheleftthislegacyreally.
Thelegacyformewasthecarsandthepassion.
Andanditit'stranslated,I'minvolvedinthehistoricmotorsportasandweraceIraced1977Lola,slicksandwingscar.
Iusedtobackintheday,goingrightbackinthe80s,Iusedtoraceslicksandwingscars,whichwereaperiodinperiodatthattime.
ButI'veracedallsortsofstuffovertheyears.
Andit'salwaysbeeninterspersedwithperiodsofsailingandboatsbecauseI'vebeeninvolvedinracingboatsaswell.
Andthatwasacarboncopyofmyofmyfather'ssortoflifeaswell.
Hewasinvolvedinboatsaswellandcars.
ButthenIdidn'twantitto,ifthatmakessense.
ItriedeverythingIcouldinaway.
Don'tbiteit.
No,itjusthappens,doesn'tit?
MymumwasamakeupgirlattheBBCbackinthesixties,andsheusedtohangaroundwithuhJimClarkandGrahamHillandallthosebignameddriversbackinthedayaswell.
IthinkI'mright,andmumwillprobablyputmeright,she'llprobablybequicker.
Shemum'sstillgoing,she'sshe'squiteacharacter,mymother.
Indomitable,Ithink,isaword.
Andshe'sstillabitofapartygirlasitgoes.
Butshe'sIthinkshewroteoffJimClark'sACA's.
Oh,that'sabrilliantclaimtofame.
Yeah.
Howdidyourmumanddadmeet?
Theymetatthelocalyachtclubbecausemydadwasbuildingboats.
Mymygrandparents,mymymaternalgrandparentswereinvolvedwiththeyachtclub.
Andinfact,Istillliveaboutthreeminutes'walkfromtheyachtclub.
SoandI'mstillthere,I'mstillamember,andstillI'mstillactivelyinvolvedindinghysailingandstufflikethat.
IsaytheFinnthesedays,Olympicclassfin,whichIthinkhasbecomeanoldman'sboatinsomerespects.
NotcertainlythefitnesslevelthatI'dneedtocompeteatanygreatlevel,butwe'djusthavefun.
Sowhatsortoffilmswasyourmumworkingonthen?
SheworkedfortheBBC,butIthinkuhtherewasastoryabouttherewasaguycalledRegTavernerwhowasverywellknown,andhehewasaninstrumentalandfairlyactivememberintheVeteranCarClub,andhegotaskedtosourcecarsforthefilmThoseMagnificentMeninTheirFlyingMachines,whichwasfilmedduringthesummerof1964,andtheyitwasfilmedinaIthinkitwasapigfarm.
Anyway,itwasinnearHighWickhaminBuckinghamshire.
AnduhtheybuilttheBrooklyn'strackinthebackground,whichwaswheretheoldcarsomeofthemweredrivingroundthetrack.
Yeah,Irememberit.
Ohyeah,it'sgreat.
Ilovedthat.
ItwasoneofmyfavouritefilmswhenIwaslittle.
IthinkwithallthoselovelycharacterslikeTerryThomasandEricSykes.
It'sveryindicativeofitstime,isn'tit?
Ohdefinitely,yeah,yeah.
Infact,butIrememberoncewewerewalkinginI'mgonnadigresshere.
WewerewalkingoncewithmymuminthewestendofLondonsomewhere.
Andatthetime,doyourememberthereusedtobeasitcomcalledSykeswithHattieJakes?
Itwasoneverynight,Ithink,inthosedays.
Itwaslikeahalf-hoursitcom.
Formytimingatthatpoint,yeah,butIrememberIIwaswewerewalkingalongtheroadanduhthisvoiceshoutsoutSandraandwelookedroundandit'sEricSykes.
Iwasveryimpressed.
Iwasabouttosay,Gobyme,Mumknowsallthesepeoplebecauseshe'dlefttheBBConceshehadme.
Anyway,theywerefilmingthisthethosemagnificentmen,anduhmydadwasdrivinganItala,oneofthosegreatbigLeviathanEwardianraces,aroundthethisplywoodbanking,itwasmadeofplywood.
Andhesaidhethoughthewasgoingtogothroughitbecauseityoucanimagineit'sbanked,sohe'sdrivingaroundatsomepacetothatmustbewhereyougetyourbraverygenefrom,thenracing.
Thatmaybejustastupiditygeneactually,buttherewego.
Andumthewholethingwasbendingandbowing,andanyway,hewasdrivingnearTyler.
Mymumwasmoonlightingdoingsomeofthemakeupbecausethatthatthatwashowitwas.
AnduhandthentheRedLionHotelinHighWickhamhadalastnightpartyforthecrewofcast,andthatwaswhereIwasIwasaresultofthat,apparently.
Butyouwerethepartyfortheparty.
Iwasyeah,Iwasconceivedintheafterthelastnightparty.
Soyearslater,Iwasinconstructionforalotofmylife,andweweredoingajobinHighWickhamintheOptagonShoppingCentre.
IwalkedintotownandtheRedLionHotel,whichiswherethiswas,Iwasgoingtobedemolished.
AnduhIthoughtI'vegottogoandseeitbeforetheypullitdownbecauseIknewthisstory.
IwentintothebarandIorderedapintandIsatdownandIsaidtothebar,itwasoneofthitreallyrundown,itwasarealestate,really,nostickyfloorandIsaidtothebarmaid,Oh,somewhereandIjustcouldn'tresistsayingsomewhereupthere,oneofthoseroomsiswhereIwasconceived.
Andshesaid,quickasaflash,Ohgood,haveyoucometoclearupthemess?
BothmyparentswereIwouldsaywerecharacters.
Wellthatwell,mymumstillisacharacter,andtheytheycertainlyliketolivethereandenjoytheirlives.
Andthecarswereverymuchapartofthat.
AndIgrewupwiththetheLondontoBrightonrunbeingabigfeatureeveryyear.
Istilldothattoday.
I'vegotaBrightoncar.
IthinkalotofpeoplequiterightlyseetheLondon'sBrightRunasbeingaveryglamorousscene.
Buttherealityisitisoilyragterritory,isn'tit,LondontoBrighton?
Yeah,IthinkoneofthethingsthatIthinkisashameisthatthecarsatonetimewereveryaccessible.
Ifyouwereinthingsuhyoudidn'thavetomortgageahousetobuyone.
Butthesedays,ofcourse,thepriceshavegoneupexponentiallybecausetheyarewhattheyare,andandit'sashamethatsomecarsareinthevaultsofJapanesebanksorthey'resovaluablethey'redeemedtheyjuststayinmuseumasmuseumpieces.
ButIbelievecarsshouldbeused.
IknowthatalotofthetimeaccessibilitytoLondontoBrightonisdependentonhavinganeligiblecarhashadalottodowiththepriceschangingoverrecentyears.
Ithas,andthecarsareuptouhandincluding04,soanythingthat's05isworthconsiderablylessbecauseit'snotsomethingyou'duseparticularly.
Andandeverything04beforeisisskyrocketed.
Ithinkwhentherewerealotmoreenthusiastsdoingtherunthen.
Butthere'sthatsayingnostalgiaisn'twhatitusedtobe.
Lookingback,thatitwasdifferent,ofcourseit'sevolved.
Itneversandtheeventhasbecomeititsflavour,itsculturehaschangedcompletelyintoForthebetterorfortheworse.
Idon'tthinkIcouldcommentonthat.
Ithinkthereweresomebigcharacters.
Imean,thereweresomethatspringtomind.
MichaelBanfieldwasanamazingcharacter.
HewasIthinkhewasMickJagger'scousin.
I'mnotImightbewrong,buthewascertainlyheusedtotaketheRollingStonesaroundinavanintheirearlydays.
AndihewasanamazingbutIhadalotoftimeforpeoplelikethat.
TherewastheBendelfamilythatstilldotherun.
Paulineisafriendofmine.
Infact,Ishe'vesadlylostherhusbandrecently.
Andallthesepeoplearegettingolder.
Herdad,CecilBendel,wasanamazingcharacter,LieutenantColonel,Ibelieve,andhewasoneofthesepeopleIthinkthatthatledhistroopsintobattleatinD-Day.
Andththeywerejustoftheirtime,theseamazing,largerthanlifepeople.
AndIthinktodaymaybeuhit'slostonme,butitdoesn'tseemtobequitethesame.
Butthere'suhgoodnewsislotsofyoungpeoplearecomingintotheoldcars,andthatiswonderful.
Ithinkthattherewasaquestionmarkafewyearsagoaboutthekidsgettingintoit,whichareironicallyourage,whichalmostalwayssecondgenerationthroughourparentsorevenourgrandparents.
WhereasIthinktherearemorepeoplecomingintoitnowasnewstarters,notnecessarilykidsofpeoplethatthathavebeenininthetradeorintoracing.
Andit'swonderfultosee.
AndIthinkthattheIthinktheinternet'sgotalottoanswerforbecauseIthinkpeoplewatchthingsonYouTubeandthink,oh,thatlookscool,thatlooksgood,I'llgivethatago.
WhereasIthinkourgenerationdidn'thavethatviewintotheworld.
Soyoudidtendtogetintoitthroughsomebodyyouknewbecauseitwastheonlyrealroutetoit,wasn'tit?
That'sright,yeah.
AndIknowwewerechattingbeforeaboutcardealers,andthereweresomeamazingcharactersaroundmydad,andtheywereIthinkmydadwasdescribedonce,andhewon'tmindmesayingthisifhe'slookingdown,asabitofalovablerogue.
AndIrememberathisfuneral,Iwas26,IwasIwasquiteyoungwhenhedied,andthatmymygrandmotherandI,shewasholdingmyarms,wewalkedoutofthechurchyardandafterthefuneral,andshesaid,Doyouknow,shesaid,hewasamonkey,buteveryonelovedhim.
Ithinkthatdescribesthevastmajorityof70scardealers.
Becausetheyhadtobe.
Youcouldn'tmakeitworkifyoudidn'thaveatwinkleinyoureye.
Ityoujustcouldn'thaveyoucouldn'thaveearnedalivingdoingit.
No,Iagree,anditwasaveryintelligentman,mydad,andveryclever,verycapable.
Butthatwasalwaystingedwithmaybetryingtotakeashortcutortwo.
UmyouknowwhatI'mtalkingabout.
Andit'sandsomeofthecharactersthatwereinhislifewereathisfuneral.
Andthey'reallwellIthinktheworld'saworseplaceforthemnotbeingaround.
Iagreewithyou,yeah.
AndIknowwhatsomeoftheIthinksomeofthethemagicalthingaboutonlyfools,onlyfoolsandhorses,wasyouhadcharacterslikeBoise.
TheythethingisthatIrememberpeoplelikethat.
Iknowthatit'soveralargerthanlifeandhislaughandthecigar.
Butit'snotJohnSullivan,IthinkwasitJohnSullivanorRichardSullivan?
Ican'trememberwhoeverwroteit.
Hehadarealhandleonthattimeandwhatitwaslike.
AndandIthat'swhatitwaslike.
Ifyoutalktoanybodyouragethatgrewupinthemotortrade,you'vegotArthurDalyandDelboy,andyouveryaffectionatelylookbackonthemasclearlybasedontruecharacters.
Therewerepeoplearoundlikethat,andtheydiddobusinesslikethat.
Andit'sveryeasytowatchitnowandthinkit'sallfiction.
Anditit'sprettyclosetofact,Ithink.
Itisprettyclosetofact,anduhIthinkitwasatimewherethecarsweremoreinterestingaswell.
Iwaslookingthismorning,I'mnotreallyabigfanofe-typeJags,butIwaslookingatonethismorningforaguyweknow.
Anduhtheyjustdon'tamodernJaguarandthatthey'rejustchalkandcheese,they'rejustcompletelydifferent.
It'snightandday.
Backinthosedays,firstofall,noteverybodywasluckyenoughtoownacar.
Mostfamiliescertainlydidn'thavemorethanone.
AndIthinkthatifyouwantedtoownane-type,youhadtohavethemoneytobuyane-type.
Whereasnowit'severybodyhasacar,it'smonthlypayments.
Thesoulhasgoneoutofbuyingacar,Ithink,toacertainextent.
AndIdon'tthinkpeoplehavetoappealtothecustomersinthesamewaythattheyusedtohavetodointhosedays.
Forsomebodytoputthemoneydownthatane-typecost,theyhadtoreallywantitandtheyhadtohavethemoney.
AndIdon'tthinkthat'sthecaseanymore.
No,you'reright.
Andthewaythatmoderncarsareforme,they'resoulless.
Icouldn'ttellyouwhatenginewasinmycar,really.
IsometimesIgetasked,oristhattheV6?
OrwasthatthedoyouknowwhatI'mreallysorryIdon'tknow?
AndIwasdrivingaLandRoverDiscovery5untilabouttwoweeksago,andI'vejustchangeditforsomethingelse.
ButIwasbeingaskedthatquestionallthetime.
Orisitthewhatevercombinationoranacronymofletters?
AndIsaid,I'vegotIhaven'tgotaclue.
AndpeopleusedtolookatmeverysurprisedbecauseIthought,well,Ithoughtyouwereacarman.
Yeah,butnotNotthatkindofcar.
Yeah,notthatkindofcar.
It'sjustityouputthekeyinit,youdriveit.
Andit'sandit'stransportandit'scomfortableandthenitit'sgreatforturningthetrailerandthenButithasn'tgotwhateverthatXfactoris.
Here'sthethinginyourmoderncar,doyouevergetinitandaskitnicelytostart?
No,exactly.
Butwetalktoouroldcars,don'twe?
OrIdoanyway.
Wewecommunicatewiththem,wetalktothem,wehaverelationshipswiththem.
AndIdon'tdothatwithmymoderncar.
Evenmymoderncar'selevenyearsold.
Evenmydailyisn'tamodernaanewcar,butyeah,IjustthinkthatIthinkthatwe'vefallenoutoflovewithbuyingcarsasourdailydrive.
Theyjustbecomeaasomethingonthecreditsheet,don'tthey?
Everything'sontick.
IIIdon'tactuallybuycarsfromcredit,that'soneofthethingsItendtowaittillthey'renotworthasmuchandthenjustpay.
AndthenIneverseemtolosethatmuch,really.
Drivingthe11-year-oldMerck,youcan'tbeatthemforwhatyou'relowmileageforwhatyoucanpickthemupfor.
They'reincredible.
Theygoonandon,don'tthey?
IhaveoneandIhadane-classestate,andIwishIhadn'tsolditactually.
TheguyIsoldittoisinaworkshop,andthatwasfouryearsago.
He'sstilldrivingaroundinit.
Allhe'severdoneisservechangetheoilandputdieselinit.
I'vegotaneI'vegotanE350,youcan'tbeatit.
IthinkIsupposeasanindustry,asanation,whateveryouwanttocallit,ourrelationshipwithcarshaschanged,andIthinknowit'salmostagiventhateverybodyhasacar,andthat'sahugestepfromthe70swhenitwasn'tagiven.
Andfamilieswouldbuyacarandkeepitfortenyears.
Iknow,andthey'ddotherepairsthemselves,wouldn'tthey?
Andyyouhadohtheheadgasket'sgone.
I'mgonnadotheheadoh,I'mgonnagetitskinned,andthenI'mgonnadothevalves,andyouboughtthegrindingpaste,thelittlethelittlethingonstick,andyougrindit,lapyourvalvesinandgetgraduallythecoarseandthenthefineandthenandallthoseskills,butyoucan'tworkonthemnow.
AnduhthelastoneIsoldwasI'vehadaLandRover,I'vehadafewLandRoversrecently.
I'mneverhavinganotherone.
They'rejusttoostressful.
Youneverknowwhetheryou'regonnaarrive.
Ihavealove-haterelationshipwithRangeRovers.
We'vegotmyhusbanddrivesthem,andIlovethemwhenthey'reworking,butyou'rejustalwayswaitingforthatnextlighttocomeon,aren'tyou?
Iknow.
I'vebeenluckywithRangeRovers.
I'vehadoneortwo,andthey'rebutthenmyluckranout.
AndthelastonewehadwasaDiscovery4.
Yeah,FridayIbelieve.
Yeah,andandthenthislastone,theDiscovery5,whichisuhabsolutelylovelytodrive.
ItisquiteliterallyoneofthenicestcarsI'veeverbeeninforallsortsofreasons.
Butyou'rejustgoingdowntheroad,exactlywaitingforthelighttocomeonandyouplugitin,itsays,Oh,it'sanO2sensor.
Thelastonewasburiedintheengine,anditcostmeabout1700quidtochangethe20poundpart.
Andthenit'sfineagain.
Umanyway,it'sgone.
Theproblemwe'vealwayshadwithRangeRoversiswhateverit'stellingyouiswrong,it'salmostneverthat'swrong.
It'sthesensorthat'swrong.
Butit'sgettingit'sestablishingthatandthengettingtoit.
Andit'sa30psensor,butityouendupspendingtwoandahalfgramssortingitout.
Iknowjusttofindit,Iknow.
Sowe'renotdoingLandRoversanymore.
They'reownedbyTataanyway,aren'tthey?
TheInking.
Yeah.
Andwehadagearselectionmodulewhichpoppedupthatthenwouldn'tpopbackdownagain,sothatwasthat.
Anditwasstuckintherampininmyworkshop.
Andwecouldn'tusetherampfortwoweeksbecausewecouldn'tgetthepartbecausethey'dbeenhacked.
Doyourememberthatcomputerhack?
Sowecouldn'tgetapart.
Anyway,IdespairofDoyourememberwhenweallusedtodrivearoundandwe'dhaveakitintheboot?
Soyou'dobviouslyhaveyou'dhavewhateverythingyouneededtochangeyourtyreandyourspareifyougotaflat.
You'dhaveabottleofwaterincaseyouoverheated.
Howmanytoifyouthetemperaturegaugewasgettingabithigh,youhadtopullover,letitcooldown.
Youhadwaterinit.
Butyoucoulddobasicmaintenanceatthesideofit.
Apairoftiresincaseyourcambeltwent.
ItwasjustpeoplecouldandIknowweyouwejokedabouttheeggintheradiatorandthesawdustinthegearboxandallthatkindofthing.
ButIthinkmostpeople,iftheydidoverheattheircar,theywouldn'twaitfivehoursforsomebodyinadvancetocomeandhelpthem.
They'drollover,they'dletitcooldown,they'dgettheradiatorcapoff,they'dseewhatwasgoingon.
AndIthinkevenyeah,evenyourbasicmotoristwouldn'thavethatsamesenseofhelplessnesswhentheybrokedownintheoldendays.
No,indeednot.
AndIwaslookingatmylatestcar,IwentIwasdrivingitforacoupleofweeks,soit'snotnew,it'sabouteightyearsold.
Andandtheadbluelightcameon.
Adblue.
Ihadtoputadblueatthethelanddrive.
Imean,whatisthat?
Apparentlyit'spig'swhee,isn'tit,orsomething?
Isit?
I'mgonnahavetoGoogleit.
Yeah,andthecapIhadtogetoffandIneededthetool,butthetoolwasintheboot,andIhadtogothroughthemanual,ittookmetwentyminutes.
Iknownow.
AndthenIrealizedduringthisprocess,becauseI'dneverbotheredchecking,ithasn'tgotasparewheel.
It'sgotoneofthoseuhrepairkits,effectively,whichiscanconsistsofacompressorthatyouplugintothecigaretteYeah,andatireandagreatbigbottleoftirewheel.
Well,ifyou'dseensomeoftheblowoutswe'vehadovertheyearuhththere'snowayyouuhsoithasn'tgotaspare.
I'mconfoundedbythat.
Butyouknowwhat?
Youcankeepthemall,butyou'reright.
JusttocarryonwiththeoldLadyRams,soyoudon'thaveaspareandyou'reonamotorwaythat'sasmartmotorway,youalsodon'thaveahardshoulder.
No,that'sright.
Doyouknowwhat?
Tomyshame,IranoutofpetrolinweputanoldVolvoestatewhichdoesn'trefuseitjustrefusestodie.
Andwehaveitasabackupcar,andIusedittheotherdaytotowmyracecardowntowherewefixit.
AndIwascomingbackwiththeM23andIneversawthefuellightcomeon.
SoIranoutofpetrolontheFtwentyfiveandyou'reright,there'snowheretopullover.
Imanagedtocoastintotheemergencystopthingthattheyhaveeverymileorso,theorangebitoftarma.
AndImanagedtoringthebreakdownpeopleandtheyboughtacanoffuelwhichIpaidalotofmoneyfor,whichisfine,Idon'thaveanyproblemwiththat,it'smyownstupidfault.
Thentheuhhighwaypatrolpeoplethataren'treallythepolice,becausetheydon'tgetasmuchmoney,buttheydothesamejob.
Sotheypulledoverandtheysaid,Youcan'trejointhemotorwayuntilwecloseit.
Isaid,Youwhat?
AndtheyclosedtwolanesofthemotorwayandcausedcarnageandIfeltsobadbecausehowmanytimeshaveyoubeensoIsaid,No,it'sfine.
I'vejustputnoyoucan't.
Ifyoupullout,wewillprosecuteyou.
Ithoughtthere'snothingcoming.
Therewasnothingthere.
It'sjustmadness.
Doyouyeah,doyouevermissthedayswhereyoujusthadtotrudgealongthehardshouldertillyoufoundalittleorangephoneboxandsomeonewouldcomeoutwithajerrycan?
Orevenworse,youhadtowalkofftheslitroadwithyourjerrycanandgofindthepetrolstation.
Yeah.
Iknow.
UmsoI'mI'mreallyinterestedinyouractualcarhistory.
IknowyouwereluckyenoughtodotheLondonSpriteandyourdadhadtheEdwardiancars,butwhatwasyourfirstcar?
MyveryfirstcarwasaTriumphDonnemite.
ButbeforethatwaswhenIwas17andactuallyhadthedrivinglicense.
Butbeforethat,I'dactuallyhadasplitscreenMorrisMinor,whichI'drestoredanostastandardeight,Irememberthose.
1952orthree,Ithinkthatwas.
Thatwasbeautiful,thatwasatimewalkthing.
That'dbesimilartothesplitty,thenwon'tit?
Earlyfifties.
Yeah,itwouldbe,yeah,thatwasfiftythree.
Yeah.
ThathadandthenIremembertheregistrationnumber,whichwasTPPfive,andthewholepointthatweget.
IthinkitMOTwassothatIcouldactuallyselltheregistrationnumberwhichI'vegot.
Withtheregisteroff.
Yeah,whichithappensallthetime.
Ordidthat.
There'snothingworthhavingnowthat'sthere'sthey'veallgone,haven'tthey?
Soyes,wewhichIdid,andthenIsoldthecaron.
ThatregistrationnumberIseefromtimetotimeandit'sonanoldit'sonarolls.
Soit'sstillknockingaroundTPP5.
Andthestandardeight,Iagain,Irebuilttheengine,halftheenginehadgone,Ithink,andIputthatbacktogether.
Soit'sbecausemydadwasinthecarbusiness,thatwehadtheworkshopandIcouldusethattodostuff.
SoIlearnedtoIlearnttotorepaircarsandmotorbmotorbikesandwinterbikesaswell.
Sohow'dyougettotheracing?
Theracing,Istartedcartracingatareasonablyyoungage,andandthenImovedintogearboxcarts,whichalwaysfascinatedmemorebecausetheproblemis,Sam,I'mbuiltlikearugbyplayer,notaracingdriver.
Soitwasalwaysaboutapoundtoweight.
AndandIwasnevergoingtowinanythinginahundrednational,whichwastheclassthen,becauseIweighedtooIwassupposedtoplayrugbyaswell,soitwas14.5
stoneandandracingagainstfivestonekidsthatthatwerefive-stonestokeingwork,frankly,andtheywerealwaysgoingtobequickerthanme.
Thegearboxcartsbecamemoreinterestingtome,andIracedto250Nationaland250FormulaE,itwascalledatthetime,which250International,whichwerebackinthedayquickerthanFormulaOne.
Theyweresuperfastandtheystillare.
What'salittlemoment?
ItwasaroundoftheFrenchHillClimbChampionships.
Andmycarwassuperquick.
Theyarefast,thethirtiesRiley'sthey'reverywelldeveloped,andthey'reatwincamengineaswell,sotheytheywerewayinfrontoftheirtime.
Andweadjustedthebrakebiasslightly.
AndhetheonlythingwasInevercheckedit,anditwasadjustedtothebackinsteadofthefront,soitwasallthewrongway.
Anditwasjustliterallyyoujustturnedayoujustalteredthecam.
Anyway,itwasIhitthefirstbendanditwasalefthandbend,straightonwasabarrierbehindwhichwasagreatbigdroptotheclidownthecliffswheretheseaiswashingagainsttherocks.
It'sthatkindofproperscene,ifyoucanimagine.
Andthatwasaterrifyingbendonahillclimblikethatgoingofftotheright.
AndthenyouwentonupandbuttheyoucantellwheretheEtritachillclimbisbecausetheroadisinsuchgoodcondition.
ObviouslyinFrancetheyclosetheroadsforwhattheycallcourse,Idon'tthinkbuttheydon'ttheyknowthey'renotgonnadothathere.
Butit'sbeautifullysmooth,soit'spreppedlikearacecircuitwouldbe.
AndIthinkweusedtogoupthehillinabout42secondsorsomethinglikethat.
AndIrememberdrivingupitinaroadcarthinking,howonearthdidIgoupthisin42seconds?
Butuhanyway,Ihitthebench,hitthebrakes,andlockedthebackup.
Iactuallyheardthebecauseitwasquitealotofpeoplewatching,andthatmycarwasincrediblyloud,itmadethegroundvibrate,itwasthatloud.
AndIrememberevenoverthatandthenoiseoftheenginehearingthecrowdgoandcollectedgas.
Yes,Icollectedgas.
AndIjusthadtocounterintuitivelyputsomepowerontogetroundthebend,atwhichpointIjustsloweddown,anduhwehavethatadrenalineshockandyou'rejustshaking.
Andtobehonest,thatwasmylastlittlemomentintheride.
IthoughtthatwasprobablyasignthatIshouldn'teverdriveoneoftheseagain.
ButI'veobviouslygotaashortmemorybecauseI'vejustboughta12-4specialwhichIhaven'tpickedupyet,andI'llberacingthatasilverstoneontheeleventhofApril.
Areyougonnahillclimbit?
Iwillhillclimbthat,yeah.
Yeah.
WithaBSCstuff.
Andyou'reatShellsley.
Iwillbe.
Thisifitallworksout,thenyeah,shouldbethisyear.
Yeah,shouldbetherethisyear.
Ihaven'tIhaven'thillclimbedorracedanythinglikethatsincethen,andthat'stwenty-fiveyearsago,Ithink.
Sowe'regonnasellabitofsilverstoneontheeleventhofApril,andthenonthetwentyfifth,twenty-sixthwe'reracingtheLolaatYeah,I'mfascinatedbytheLola.
Howdidthatcomeabout?
AfriendofmineisRobinLackford,Robin'sverywellknowninhistoricmotorsportcircles,andthiscarwasbuiltbysonNigeloverlockdownforhisdad.
ButRobincouldn'tfitinit.
Hejustititjustdidn'tfitithim.
It'slikeanergonomicthing.
Andyoucouldn'tmovethepedalbox.
Itjustwasn'tpossible,that'showitwas.
Soafterallthatwork,itturnedoutthatititcouldn'tbemoved.
Itwasit'schassisnumbertwo,theybuilteight,Ithink,orwasiteleven?
I'mnotsurenow.
UmSotherewillbesomebodythatwillcorrectyoubecausethat'swhathappens.
Butit'soneoftheearlyIthinkit'schassisnumbertwothatIhave.
It'sa77car.
Andsoit'seligibleforclassB,whichsuitsmebecausenotbeingfunny,I'mIwas61lastweek,sothere'snowayI'mgonnakeepupwiththe25-year-oldswhohaven'tlearntthatifyoucomeoffithurts.
WithagecomesthewisdomofnotwantingtoendupinAandE.
Yeah,exactly.
Yeah.
There'sabitofsomethinghappensinthere,doesn'tit?
Somethingflexible.
Butthecarsarequick,asthecorneringspeedsarehigh,thedownforcesarethere,you'rerunningonaeroanduhI'veneverdrivenone,butIknowsomeonewhohasandhesaidthattheyarewonderfullybalanced.
ThereasonhelovedaLolawasjusthefeltthattheywereoneofthemostbalancedcarshe'draced.
Yes,certainly.
IthinkoneofthethingsIhadtogetusedtoisjusthowwellitturnedin.
Soifyouandyouhavetohaveabitofconfidenceinthatbecauseit'sifyou'renotgoingfastenough,thenthebrakesaren'tuptotemperature,thetiresaren'tworking,theaero'snotworking.
SoyouhavetofindthatplacewhereityoucangeteverythinginthatperfectsortofSowe'rebacktothebraverygeneagainthen,aren'twe?
Ithinkyouhavetohaveacertainamountofbottletoknowthatyouhavetogofastertobesafer.
Thestupiditygene,yes,that'sright.
Iitiscounterintuitivesometimes.
ButIthinkmostracecircuits,ifyoulookatthem,IIdon'tthinkeveryoneappreciatesthisunlessyou'rearacebutunlessyou'readriver.
Turnoneisalwaysafastcornernormally,becauseyifyou'recomingoffthegridandyou'regoingintoturnone,itit'snevergoingtobeahairpinorsomethingthatyou'regoingtobuncheverybodyupbecauseyou'regoingtogetcollisions.
SoYeah,soifyou'reracing,saythenationalcircuitatSilverstoneCopseisyourfirstcorner.
Wetakethatflatoutinthelower.
That'squiteaspeed.
Whichisyourfavouritecircuitforhistoricracing?
Oh,doyouknow,spaprobably,butifyouhadtosayUK,IreallylikeCabwellPark.
AndIalsolikeCastleCoombs.
CastleCoombsareaveryfastcircuit.
There'sit'sbasicallyasquare,isn'tit?
Unlesstheyshovedacoupleofumchicanesin.
Fancybits.
Fancybits,yeah,toslowreallydown.
ButIloveCoombe,butIreallylikeCadwellPark,Ithink.
It'sliketheminiNurbergering,andit'salongdrive.
It'salwaysabitofanexpeditiontogetthere,becauseyyyouthinkyou'renearlythere,anditseemslikeit'sanotherthreehourstogo.
Butonceyou'rethere,it'sit'sabeautifullyquiet,peacefulplace.
AndinLincolnshire,whichisveryflat,isn'tit?
AndthenyougettoCadwell,andameteoritemusthavehititorsomething,becauseit'sveryhilly.
AnduhthefirstbendIthinkisCharlie's,it'saleft-handoroffthestart-finishline.
Ifyouandagain,it'sgettingthatcornerright,sothat'saleft-handbend.
Ialwaysusedasamarshallspostjustontheright.
IturninthereandIjustkeepmyfootfootin.
Andandifyoucanlearntodothat,whichisthesecretwithSlicksandWingspowers,ifaslongasyou'vegotacarthatwoulddoit,obviously,that'stheotherthing.
Yeah.
Thenthatsetsyouupandthatjustbuildsthatmomentumandcarriesyouspeedthrough.
You'vegottohaveagreatdealoffaith,you'vegottohavearelationshipwithacartoknowexactlywhatyoucandowithitonthetrack.
Justforcontext,whatsortofspeedsshouldyougetuptoonastraight?
Itdependsonthecircuitagain,becauseyou'regearinglikethecircuit,you'rechangingit'sahumangearbox,youchangealltheratiosup.
It'sait'sbasicallyhistoricFormulaFord2000,sothey'renotterriblyquick,butyou'reprobablylookingatabout145,140milesanhour,Ithink,somethinglikethat.
Idon'treallythinkaboutittoomuch,tobehonest.
That'sblisteringspeedina71loader,Ithink,tobehonest.
Idon'tthinkyoureallythinkaboutittoomuch.
Wedon'thavespeedos,wehavearevcounter.
Andsometimesyougothroughthespeedtrap.
IthinkthespeedtrapatSnetsonwe'rewe'rehittingabout127,sosomethinglikethat.
Sothat'snotquitesofast.
Butyeah,itdependsonthecircuitalittlebit.
AreyoucomingatFrontPopfortheGoldCup?
Well,IamdoingtheGoldCupthisyear.
Yeah,we'redoingalotofracingthisyear.
Myson'sracingthisyear,he'sracingwiththeownersclub,he'sracingthisSundayatDonnington.
IshouldhavebeenracingMGBthisSundaywithhimonthesamegrid,butnotinthesameclass,crucially.
BecauseIthinkthatthatcouldbeDoesitgetcompetitiveroundthedinnertablewithyoubothracing?
Well,yeah,itwoulddo,yeah.
Who'sthebetterdriver?
Thewhatdotheysay?
Youthandenthusiasmisnosubstituteforageandcunning.
No,notatall.
Sothat'smyopinion.
Buthe'she'sonajourneywithmotorsport,whichisgreat.
Andit'salovelyfamilyaswell,becauseeveryonelooksout.
Uhit'sgenerallyfriendly,Ithink,that'sthething.
Historicmotorsport.
Notlikesomeoftheotherstuff,tobefair,wherenobody'sgoingtohelpyou.
IremIrememberusracinginAustinHeidiSpritewiththemidgetthethemidgetandspritesclubandsomethingwouldn'thappenbeforetheraceIcouldn'titwouldn'tstart.
Andeverybodygotouttheircars.
Andwe'reonourwaytopartfortotheassemblyarea.
Andeveryone'sgettingoutofthecarsaying,Tim'scar'snotworking,we'regonnago.
Thatit'sfabulous,isn'tit?
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Itwouldn'tbeButevenififI'vedoneitandbrokeitdownonamainroundaboutinasilvershadow,theamountofpeoplethatstoptohelpnotinclassiccars,butthathaveaclassiccarinthegarage,stoppingintheirmoderncarstothink,Oh,thatthere'soneofoursbrokendownatthesideoftheroad.
TheamountofpeoplethatIcouldbreakdowninmymoderncarandnobodywouldblink.
Butthemwhenyouareever,ifyou'reeveratthesideoftheroadwithabonnetupinaclassiccar,it'sit'ssurprisingandwonderfulhowmanypeoplewillpulloverandsay,Youalright,actuallyneedahand.
Definitely.
Actually,I'lltellyouastoryaboutthat.
That'sjustremindedmeofsomething.
SoyearsagoIdidarallyinmyairabouta1914sunbeam.
Thesunbeamusedtobeumastaffcore,theRoyalFlyingCorps,mysunbeam.
It'slovely,oldthing.
Lovely.
It'sneverbeenrestoredintermsoftheleather,thepaintwork,it'sallthesame,it'sasoriginal.
Mechanically,it'sinverygoodcondition,butthewe'verebuilttheengineacoupleoftimes,buttheseoriginalinteriormustbewonderful,then.
Oh,it'sjustlovely.
Itjustisifyoulikeanoldcartolooklikeanoldcar,thenthisisexactly.
Ihavearealissue,evenwith70scars,whereIliketheuhthey'reonlyoriginalonce.
IloveTattyOriginal.
I'dmuchratherseeTattyOriginal,andsometimesyouseeinteriorsandthey'resoyoucanhavetheycanbenicelyconnolisedandtheycanbeover-connolised,buteitherway,Ilovearuggedinterior,aruggedoriginalinterior.
Idon'tthinkuhonceyou'vechangedit,it'sgone.
It'sonlyoriginalones.
Yeah,it'sonlyoriginalonce,yeah,exactly.
Sowe'reonthisrally,anditwasactuallyinaplacecalledPeron,whichisintheSommeValley.
Firstofall,whenwewhenIdrovethere,wegotthereandthere'sthisFrenchguy,isitandtheywereusingacitrondealershipwithahotelnexttoitandapetrolstation.
Isthatliketherallybase?
AnditwaswiththeTufteClub,whichistheFrenchautomobileclub.
Andthereasonit'scalledtheTuftefClub,it'sfortheveterans,it'sliketheveterancarclubofFrance,isbecauseofthethenoisetheymake,TuftTufgoingalong.
Sothatuhthatobviouslyit'slovely.
Butsowe'reinwegettothisuhcitrongarageandthisguythewe'reallgonnaparkandthisguysays,Ohyes,Ican'tdotheFrenchaccent,buthesaid,Where'syourtrailer?
Isaid,No,wehaven'tgotatrailer,we'rejustinthecar.
Hesaid,Yes,buthowdidhegethere?
Isaid,inthecar.
HesaidHesaid,Butwherehaveyoucomefrom?
Isaid,England.
Hesaid,Yes,butnotinthecar.
Isaid,Yes.
Hecouldn'tgethisheadaroundthefactthatwe'ddrivenfromEnglandtotheferryatNewHaven,driventoDeer,drivenacrossFrance.
It'sallpartoftheadventure.
It'sallpartoftheadventure.
I'vedriventhatcaralloverEurope,donethousandsofmilesonit,nevermissedabeat.
Fantastic.
Doyouthinkitdoesn'tmissabeatbecauseyoudriveit?
Ifthatwasinamuseuminashed,youwouldn'tpullitoutandtakeittoFrance,it'sbecauseyoudriveit.
Itwouldbreakstraightaway,wouldn'tit?
Yeah.
Butwewetalkedsothere'sthiswewereIwasgoingroundtheroutewithandwestoppedandtherewasthiscarthathadbrokendown,anditwasthepresident'scar,theoftheTuffTuffClub.
Itwasactuallyhissonwhowasdrivingit.
AndanditIthinkitwasapanard,somethinglikethat.
Andthetherewasabrakerod,itwasatheitwasarodthatoperatedthebrakes.
Justanandithadbroken.
SoIthought,ohmygoodness,howarewegonnafixthat?
Andfromnowhere,andwe'reinthemiddleoftheFrenchcountryside,thisFrenchmancomesoutandsays,Oh,hesaid,Comegiveme.
SoItookthebrakerodoffandwewentintohisbarn,andit'sveryruralthere,andhehadeverytoolyoucouldimagineinthisworkshop,absolutelyincredible.
SowhatIdidwasIthreadedeachendofthebar,thenputanutonthebartolikeholdittogether.
ThenIweldedroundeachnutsoitwouldn'tcomeoff.
AndweputHehadweldingequipmentandeverything.
Everything,yeah.
Literallyeverything.
Anduhsowepoppeditbackinit.
He'sIremembertheguy'snamewasChristoph.
AndifChristoph,ifyou'relisteningtothis,Ihopeyoufixthisnowbecauseyou'llseewhereI'mgoingwiththis.
SoIputtherodbackon,thecar,andoffwego.
Thatwasit.
Sowefixedit.
Butwewerefasterthanmostoftheothercarsontherouteanyway.
Soitdidn'tdelayit.
Itwasfine.
Itwaslovelytohelpout.
Abouttenyearslater,anditwasagoodtenyearslater,I'montheLondontoBrightonrun,andIseeChristophwiththecar.
Isaid,Oh,Christoph,howyourememberedwhoIwas?
Isaid,andIlookeddown.
Hehadn'tfixedit.
Ithadyourroadsiderepair.
Yeah,yeah.
Notbroken.
I'lltellyouwhat,ifheknewwhatmyweldingwaslike,hewouldn'ttrustthat.
AndIbethetraileditoveraswell,hadn'the?
Heprobablydid,yeah.
Yeah,no,he'dhavetrailereditover.
It'sstillthesamerepair.
Isaid,Youneedtofixthat.
Temporaryrepairmeanstemporaryrepair.
Stilldriving.
Sotellmealittlebitaboutwhatyou'redoingnowthen,Tim,becauseIobviouslyseeyouallovermyFacebookpage.
I'mabigfanofwhatyoudowithyourclassiccarsnow.
Howdidyougetintowhatyou'redoingnow?
Iwasaproperdeveloperandin2020IcameoutofmylastdevelopmentandI'dhadenoughofalltheredtape,actually.
Andyeah,itwaswebuilt44flatsinthecentreofIpswichanditwasjusthorrendous.
Itgotit'sjustgotworseandworseovertheyears.
Anyway.
Fedupwithallofthat,IcameoutmylastdevelopmentineightMarch2020,afewdaysbeforelockdown.
Infact,IdidtrialsaswellwiththeVSCCwhenmycar'sworking,andwe'djustdonetheIthinkitwastheJohnno,itwastheHerefordtrial.
AndIcameback,drovethroughCheltenham,whichofcoursewastheCheltenhamFestivalwasonatthetime,andthiswasjustbeforeBorisJohnsonshshutdownthecountry.
AndIIgotoutofmylastdevelopment.
IgotIsaidtothepeopleIwasworkingwith,buymeout,I'vehadenough.
AndIgotmymoneybackonthe12thofMarch,whichiscorrectcoincidentallyalsomybirthday.
ThenIthinklockdownwasthe18th,wasit?
Idon'tknow,somethinglikethat,sixyearslater.
Itwasn'tlong,lessthanaweekortendays.
Andallofasuddenwe'renotallowedoutatthehouse.
Andthere'smestuckinthehousewithmeandmydogatthetime.
AndI'mclimbingthewalls.
I'vebeeninvolvedinvehiclehireintheeightieswithacompanycalledTargetCarandVanHire.
Idon'tknowwhetheryou'veeverheardofthem,butitwassomethingIwasinvolvedwith.
AndIsoIhadabitofexperiencewithvehiclerentalandclassiccars,andIboltedthetwotogetherandcameupwithvintageandclassiccarhire,whichwestilldo.
Andthenoutofthatgrewtheprizedrawerside.
Andfunnilyenough,Iwasgoingtodotheprizedrawerside,insteadwedidthecarhire.
Itwas50-50,Iwasweighingupwhich,andthentheotheronecame.
Sowewouldhavebeenthefirstpeopletodoitwithclassiccars,butitturnedoutthatwewerenotthefirst.
Butwewereoneoftheearlyones.
Andthere'syes,andanotheronenowthatdoesclassiccars.
Soonthethehigherside,whathaveyougotinthefleet?
Whathaveyougotinthefleet?
We'vegotacoupleofMGmidgetsandacoupleofMGBsandsomemoreandaMorgan.
AcoupleofMorgans,actually.
Yeah,sothat'swhatwe'restartingoffwith.
Andwhatwouldsomethinglikethatsetyoubackfortheweekend?
Ithinkyougotmeonthehot.
Ithinkit'sabout300quidadayfortheMorgan,whichisthetopone.
AndIthinkandourbaseloanis99poundsaday,whichisanMG.
Soitshouldbeaffordable,youcanhaveapicnic,youcanandwe'reactuallyfranchisingitaswell.
Sothatwasalwaystheplan.
Sothere'sacentralisedbookingsystemwhichwhichdoesallthelegwork,sonobodyhastodoallthepaperwork,it'sallautomated,it'sallusingAIactually,it'sreallyclever.
Andthensotheideawouldbeifsomebodyboughtafranchisefromusthatwewouldsupplyallthecars.
Theydon'tbuythecars,wesupplythecars.
Theyjustmanagethemandrunthemandandgetitandtakethemoney.
Sothat'sit.
IIgetaskedregularly,becauseobviouslyI'vegotcarsadvertisedforsale,whetherIwouldhirethemoutforit'snormallyapromorawedding.
Yeah.
IdotheAmericanstuffaswell,soitisquiteunusual.
AndIdon'tthinktherearemanypeopleinmypartoftheworldthatactuallywilldothatself-drivehire.
Normallyit'syoucanhireacar,buttheownerwillbedrivingitorthecompanythatownsitwillbechauffeuringit.
ButIdon'tthinkthere'smanywhereyoucanactuallyself-drive.
Thereisn't.
Thereisn't,no,thereisn't.
Wegetaskedalotforweddingsanduhandthere'ssomefilmworkaswell.
I'vegotacoupleofinterestingsortofsocialhistory.
I'vegota1965Londontaxi,whichIabsolutelylove.
Itdoesn'tgetusedenough,really,it'sashame.
Butit'suhit'sgotalltheadvertisinginthebackonthebackoftheseats,it'sgottheoriginalmeter,theoriginaltaxi.
ThatshouldbeearningitsthatshouldbeearningitskeepwithTVwork,really.
Itshoulddo.
Actually,somebodyneedstobuythatoffmeandgoanddothat.
Soifanyone'slistening,theywantareallylovelybeardmoretaxithat'scostme20grandtorebuild,whichwasalabouroflove.
There'sawholereasonforthat.
Deliverwithmyown.
Iknowsomeonethatcollapsesclassictaxis,soasanaside,hegoes,he'sgotacouple,heactuallytakesthemdowntotoLondonfortheD-Daycelebrationsanddoesallthereenactmentsandthatkindofthing.
Soifyousendmetheinfo,I'llforwarditoff.
Iwill,yeah,I'llsendit,it'salovelything.
SoBeardmoreonlymadeabouta700andit'stheonewiththeluggagecutawayatthefront,oppositethedriver.
It'sarealit'sgotalotofuhcharacter,let'ssay.
Ithinkit'sgotaFordZephyrengineorsomethinglikethat.
Ohit'snotgonnaletyoudownthen.
No,it'sbrilliant,juststartsSotherafflebusiness,ItherafflebusinessfascinatesmebecauseitIthinkit'ssomethingthatIknowyouwereoneofthefirst,butquitealotofpeopleareeitherdoingitorotherclassiccarbusinessesarediversifyingintoitandrunningitalongsideotherareasofbusiness.
Howhaveyoufindtheuptake'sbeen?
Doyouthinkit'sishasitgrownexponentiallyoverthepastfewyearsorisitsomethingthat'sstilltotoreallygomassmarket,doyouthink?
We'reinourfifthyearwiththat.
Sothefourthanniversaryofourfirstdrawwasthe29thofNovember2020,justgone.
IfIhadtodoitagain,wouldIknow?
I'vebuiltthreeworld-classbusinessesinmybusinesscareer,andthishasbeenlikethisisthefourththingI'vedone,andit'sbeenthehardestthingI'veeverdone.
Whatit'siitlooksonpapertobealovelylighttouch,easythingtodo.
Itisreallytough.
IfItellyouthatourFacebookadvertisingspendthisyearaloneis£750,000.
Yeah,Ibelieveyou.
AndandthepeoplethataregettingrichoutofmybusinessisMarkZuckerberg,Ithink.
It'snotsomuchthatit'snotgoingokaynow,becauseitis,it'she'smakingmoneynow,butittookfiveyears.
AndIthinkbecausewewereininatthebeginning,ifyouweretodoitnow,youwouldreallyneeddeeppockets.
SocanIaskyouaquestion?
BecauseIknowthatwetheypopupallthetime,likeyousay,they'rethatyoucan'tgoanywhereonFacebookwithaclassiccarpresenceandyounothavethemcomingup.
Doyoufindthatthevolumemarketisfora$9.99
ticketforapracticalusableclassiclikeatriumphstag?
Ordoyouthinkthekindof£50ticketforthesupercars,becauseyoualwaysobviouslyweallgetourlittlecalculatorsoutandthink,oh,wecandothemathsonthatwithnoregardfortheoperatingheadsofbusiness,Iknow.
Butdoyouknow,doyouthinkthatpeopleatfiveandtenpoundsthere'sabiggermarketforpeoplethatwilltakeapunt,ordoyouthinkthatthosecarshavegotadiminishingattraction?
Ithinkthewaywe'vesettledontothisnowisthatwe'vegotadatabasewhichisverymuchaboutsixtyBritishsportscars,andthey'reonesthatpeoplecanseethembeingabletoaffordandrunandmaintain.
Wedon'tgetpeoplesellingthem,theywinthem,theylovethem,wegetfeedbackallthetime,andwwhatwe'redoingiswe'reenablingsomebodytohavesomethingreallyspecialwheretheymightnothavebeenabletoaffordtohavethat.
TherewasanMGBwent,infact,wedelivereditlastweektoIsawthat.
Yeah.
Jesus,sweetie.
Andsheabsolutelyshewasjumpingupanddown.
Sheissohappy.
AndactuallysheuhhadaVWpolothatblewupthreeweeksbefore.
Sheboughtoneticketandwonacar.
Howfabulousisthat.
Andthatiswhatit'saboutforme.
IfI'mIthinkalotofpeoplethatwincarslikethesixtiesBritishClassics,theyuhtheyfallverymuchintoprideandjoyterritory,don'tthey?
Andthey'retheonesthataregoingtobeatthepubeveryotherThursdayattheclassiccarmeet.
They'regonnagetusedforpicnicsandthey'regonnabeuhcherishedasasecondcar.
Ithinkthatbythefifty,sixtypoundsupercartickets,it'sjustit'salotterywin,isn'tit?
Yeah,itis.
AndandnormallywiththebigcompanieslikeSevenDaysandIthinksomeothersthatdothoseLamborghinisandtheFerrariwhatever.
Idon'tknowwhattheyare.
I'mnotIhaveaFerrariactually,that'sme.
I'vegot308andeverything.
Butreally,theyjustwantthecashprize,Ithinkalotofthetime.
That'sImeanit'slikealotterywin,isn'tit?
Forthequartermillionquidorthecar,sothey'lltakethequartermillionquid.
Wedon'tdoacashalternative,soyouwinthecar,that'sit.
Andthatthepeoplethatwehaveonourdatabaseareproperenthusiasts.
Andwe'vebuiltacommunity.
Wereallyhave.
Andhaveyoubuiltthatonsocialmedia?
Doyouthinkthat'slargelybeenledbyFacebook?
Yes,ithas,andthat'stheonlywayyoucanbuildit,Ithink.
Wehavedonethingslikecarshowsandthings,butactuallythat'squitelowvolume.
It'sreallythepeoplethathaveengagedwithouradvertsandseenusandstarted.
Ithinkit'slikewaterdrippingonmarble,isn'tit?
Becauseinthebeginning,thiswasn'taformatwhichwaswidelyknown.
Sowe'dgetpeoplepostingyouhavethetrollswhentheygoscamandtheyjustpriceuhforahundredlinesofjustwritingscamandpostingthat,ortheythinkorthey'llwritesomethingverycleverthattheythinkthisisascam.
Itwe'renot,we'regenuine.
Ithinkovertimewe'vebeenaroundlongenoughthatpeoplewedon'tgetthatanymore.
Ithinklongevitynegatesthatthatquestionmarkoverwhetherornotit'sascam.
Doesitsowheredoyoufindyourcars?
We'vegotareallygoodnetworkofsomereallydecent,genuinepeople.
We'renottalkingboisehere.
AlthoughIthinkthosedaysNothingwrongwiththat.
Nothingwrongwiththat.
Yeah.
Sothere'snosawdustinalgaedifferentialsoruheggsintheradiators.
Ithinkit'sreallyimportant.
IknowthissoundslikeI'mholierthannow,butintegrityiswhatit'sallabout.
Andno,Ilisten,Icouldn'tagreemore.
Asasecondgenerationcardealer,it'swhatyoutradeonrepeatbusinessandreputation,sointegrity'sgottobeattheforefrontofyourmindallthetime.
Umweareluckytohavesomefantasticcontactsandwefindthesecars,andIthinkwe'vehitabitofaseamatthemomentofabsolutegoldstandardstuff.
We'relaunchinganMGBGTwhichhashadacompletebaremetalfromthegroundup,everynutandboltrebuild.
It'sgotaanIverselltwo-litreunleadedengine,it'sgotfactorypowersteeringservodiscbrakeswithventilationdiscsandit'swirewheelsinirisbluewithcreamleather.
Andifyouwantedtobuildthatcar,Idon'tknowwhatitwouldcost.
Thetheproblemiswithcarsthatthey'rebecomingsorareinthatconditionbecauseit'sjustnotfinanciallyviabletodotheworkanymore.
Carslikethatarefewandfarbetween.
Sodoyougetofferedthem?
Yeah.
Doyougetpeopletoapproachyouordoyouhavetoworkreallyharddayouttofindthem?
Wedogetpeopleofferedthemtousandgenerallyitisanexpectationsometimes,I'mnotsayinginallcases,sometimesthatpeoplehavedonethesumsandthinkwemakeallthismoneyandwillsay,canwedoajointventureordothisanddothat?
Andwewon'tdothatbecauseweneedtomanagetheirexpectations.
Andiftheysawwhatitcostsustodo,torun,theywouldn'tdoit.
No.
Wehavecontactsintheoldcarworldthatwillknowofcarsthatcomeup.
Sometimesthey'rewhenpeoplehavepassedawayandit'stheirprideandjoy.
Sowe'redoingthere'sanMGBV8thatwe'vegotatthemoment,it'safactorycarthatisabsolutelygorgeous.
Anditwassomeone'sprideandjoyfor25yearsandsadlyitpassedaway.
Butitcamethroughacontactandwepaypropermoney.
Thisisthething,ifyoudothat,youalwaysgettherepeat.
Ifyouareaquickandeasydeal,you'rethefirstonetheyphone.
It'sjustsimpleartists.
Andandtheyknowwhatweexpect.
Thestagthatwedrewlastweekislikeimmaculate.
It'syeah,beautiful.
Iwaslookingatthat.
Yeah.
Andthat'sthething,it'sallaboutquality,andthatleadsontotheintegrity,andthenobviouslywewefindthecarsandwe'redoingaboutfouramonthnow,Ithink.
HowwouldyoufindyouonFacebook?
It'svintageandclassiccarcompetitions,Ithink.
Thatwasagoodquestion.
I'mabitofadinosaur.
Idotheoperationalside,I'vegotamarketer.
What'sinyourfleetatthemomentthenbeforewegoto?
Well,myowncars.
Yeah.
Oh,crumbs,shallIsay?
Sowetheearliestones,Iknow400,whichiswhichwasmymum'scar,andshedrovethatallovertheplace.
Sothat'sthatyourLondontoBrightoncar?
Yeah,it'saLondontoBrightoncar.
She'scalledAnnabelle.
AndwealwaysputsomestuffoutonsocialmediaaroundtheBrightonrun,andthatgetsloadsofviews.
Infact,there'sstilloneofmestartingAnnabellethatwentviralonitsown.
Therewasnopushingonthatjustwent.
SoAnnabelleisR04,andthat'saHumberette.
Theninorder,letmethink,let'stryanddoitinageorder.
Sowe'vegota1914sunbeam,whichImentionedalready.
Wehavea1923Rolls-Royce20horsepower.
Thatwasaninterestingcar.
ThatcamefromachapadoctorinVanessa.
ShelivedonCulludonMoor,wherethebattlewas.
Anduhhe'salovelychap.
Andhewasactuallyoneofourwinnersofacar.
HewonahewonatryandSpitfire.
Anduhhesaid,I'vegotthis,areyouinterestedinthiscar?
SoIthought,oh,youknowwhat?
Itwasait'sadoctor'scoupe,theDickySeat.
Andwhathappenedwaswhenmymumpassedadrivingtest,herfather,mygrandfather,said,ifyoupassyourdrivingtest,I'llbuyyouacar.
Sosheifyoufirsttime.
SoshepassedfirsttimeandheboughtheraMorris8,whichshepromptlywentoutandswappedforaRolls-Royce20horsepowerwithaDickyseat.
Soshe'sbeenacharacterfromtheoffthen,hasn'tshe?
Absolutely.
I'vegotthemrightnexttoyou,mate.
I'vegotthetwentytwenty-fivehorsepowerboxandittellsyoubychassisnumberwhothefirstownerwas.
Ohyes.
Okay,that'sthetwentytwenty-five.
Mine'satwenty.
Yes,twenty,twentyandtwenty-five.
Oh,isthatokay,yeah.
I'llhavetogetyouthechassisnumber.
I'vegotthatbookactually.
Yeah,butthatjustIhappentohaveitnexttomethen,butyeah,IthinktheI'mslightlyobsessedwiththehistoryofcarsandnumberplatesaswell.
Ilovegoingbackandseeingwhatcarstheplateshavebeenoninthepastandwhoownedthem.
AndIloveobviouslyinthetimebeforedataprotection,whereyoucouldactuallypublishabookwiththeregistrationnumber,thenameandaddressoftheowner,andthecaritwasowned.
Iknow,buttheyusedtoproduceamemberslistfortheclubsaswell,didn'tthey?
AndIsupposeifanyonegotholdofthatnow,it'scanyouimagine?
Yeah.
Anyway,the20we'vegotwebought,buttheyeah,ironically,inthatbook,the20horsepowerbook,thetimethebookthatwaswrittenwasintheIthinkitwasthelate60sorearly70s,andthecurrentowner,becauseittellsyoutheoriginal,andthecurrentowneratthetimewasaMr.
BarryGrant.
Hewasoneofmydad'sfriends.
SothecarthatIgotfromInvernesswasinEssexin1972,becausetheguylivedroundthecornerfromus.
Sohe'scomehome.
ButthefunnythingwashewascalledhewasDr.
DavidFarkerson.
Hewon'tmindmecutinthesay.
Iwasstillintouchwithhim,he'salovelychap.
Andhiswife'scalledDaphneFarkerson.
Whatalovelyname.
Yeson.
SothecariscalledDaphne.
That'sit.
Positive.
Andshe'saveryelegantoldlady.
Andsowe'vegotthetwenty-threerolls.
Doyourunitregularly?
Yeah,infact.
Wejustgotitoutthismorning.
It'salovelysunnydayhere.
AndIexceptthatI'minmyMorgantoday,that'smysummertimecar.
Soit'scomeouttheMorgan.
That'sa69Morgan44.
Andthere'sastoryaboutthataswell,becausethatwasownedbyoneladyfor60yearswhoandit'sherdailydriver.
It'stheonlycarsheeverowned.
Andthenthefamily,Isay60years,wesomethinglikethat,50years.
Andthenwhenshepassedaway,thefamilyhaditrestoredatvastamountsofmoney.
Ithinkitwasa30grandrestoration.
Andthennobodydroveit,sonobodyusedit,andtheydecidedtosellit.
AndIboughtit,andthatwasagainacontact.
Yourdailynow.
It'salovelycar,yeah.
Soit'sait'sgotaFordCrossflowengine,whichdoesn'tsoundterriblyexciting,butit'sbeenboughtoutto1750andit'sgotaloadofenginemods.
Goeswell,butit'smoreit'sjustthedriver'scar.
It'sgotafive-speedtypeninegearbox,soit'sabitmorepractical.
Gotaconcentrate?
Yeah.
Ohyeah,it'squiteatrickycarbecauseit'sobviouslynodriveraidsandyouhitatoll,youmightendupintheditch.
Butthat'spartthethat'spartofthejoyofitthough,isn'tit?
Yeah,exactly.
Sothat'sthemorgan.
Anyway,I'mgoingback.
Sowe'vegotaBullNoseMorristrialscar,whichisuhIthinkthemostfunonfourwheels,really.
ExceptHaveyouhillclimbedthat?
Yeah,theyeah,theuhuhwiththeTheBullNose.
Off-roadhillclimbing,yeah.
Youseethewintertrials.
Yes,Ihave.
WeweredoingreallywellintheX-Moretrial,whichwasthelastoneitwentouton,andtheclutchwent.
Ohno,thenwetookitsomewhereelse,sotheengine,thebottomendoftheenginegone.
I'monmythirdenginerebuild,mythirdclutch.
It'sjustalwaysinbits.
Itwantsarest.
Yeah,butit'sfun.
Butwhatwewillgetitout,andeverytimebecauseittheycomearoundlikenow,thetrial'sjustfinishing,andthenthey'reintheautumn,andIalwaysseemtomissthatwindow,andandit'ssatatthebackoftheworkshop.
SoIwilldoitfortheautumnandwe'llgooutanddotheuhthetrialsintheautumn.
Butyeah,sothere'suhIdon'tknowwhatelsewe'vegot.
308?
308Ferrari,yeah.
That'suhthatwasuhanimpulsebuy,really.
Butit'soneofoneofonly42right-handdriveGTBIs,andit'sonlydone26,000miles,andI'vegoteverysingleWow,okay.
Wehaditrepaintedprofessionallyataeye-wateringamountofmoney.
Icanimagineit.
AndI'mgoingtosellthatifanyonewantsthebestcarthatthereis.
It'sthat.
Isitforsale?
Yes,forsale.
YousendmewillyousendmethedetailsafterwardsandI'llpostitupaswellwithcarinthere.
Yeah,we'vegotsomedetailsintheFerrari,yeah.
Uhhowmuchareyouaskingforit?
Idon'tknow.
I'dlikeaboutninetyforit,whichischeapreallyforwhatitis.
ButIwouldtakethisprobably,yeah.
Runningservice,belted,readytogo.
Yeah,it'sreadytogo,yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah,yeah,butI'llpostthatup.
Althoughit'soneofthosethingsthat'smorelikeabottleoffinewhiskeythatyoudon'treallywanttodrive,whichiswhyit'sthatonegoodbottleofwinethatyoudon'twanttoopen,isn'tit?
Yeah,yeah.
Itreallyis.
Andit'sitandthat'sthething,it'stricky,butyeah,it'sanicecar.
It'sallonthebuttonsdrives.
ButIdon'tknowwhatelsewe'vegot.
TheMorganImentioned.
We'vegottheracecars,we'vegotacoupleofNGBracecars.
Ithinkthat'senough.
TheLola.
TheLola,yeah.
TheylovetheLola.
Lola,isthatthesong,isn'tit?
TheKinks.
Yeah.
Ialwaysthinkit'sfunny 'causeitwalkslikeawoman,talkslikeaman,andIthinkthatonelineabouttheLolasumsthatcarupreally.
Yeah.
Andwe'vegottheRhymes204comingnextweekaswell.
Yeah.
Soyougotenoughonyourplatewiththeoldcarsthen?
It'sfancy,yeah.
There'smoreI'vegotaanS-typeJagaswell.
Iforgotaboutthat.
They'relovelyusablethings,aren'tthey?
Yeah,that'sthe3.8
manualwithoverdrive,whichisthetheonetohave.
Yeah.
IwasoutinaaRileyPathfinder,a56Pathfinderlastweek,andImustsaytheonethingthatwasmissingwasoverdrive.
Yeah.
Yeah,itmakesyourealisehowthingsliketheJagsandeventheBristols,thatoverdrivemakessuchadifference.
Itmakesthemitmusthavemadethemsomuchmoreusableatthattime.
Yes,andIthinkonalongjourneynow,ourroadsarelikethat,aren'tthey?
They'redualcarriagewayorthemotorway.
AndImeanI'dI'vetakentheMorganonthemotorwayandit'sgotfivespeedsbecauseit'sbeenrebuiltwithaextrafive,extrafifty.
Butitdidn'thave.
AndIthinkitthoselorriesareawfullybigwhenyou'reontheinthatsortoflittletinycar.
AndIknowithasaseatbelt,butthat'salmostgoingtoyou'realmostbetternottohaveone,really.
Yeah,yeah.
Doyouknowthat'sexactlywhatwweweretalkingaboutwasthatthere'ssomecarswhereyou'rebetteroffgettingthrownclear.
Yeah.
Beingstrappedintothecar,yeah,whichIknowsoundscounterintuitiveintermsoftoday'shealthandsafetystandards,butno,Icompletelygetthat.
Andagain,I'llgobacktothisthingofifthereisnohardshoulderandyou'vegotawagonthereandabarrierthere,you'vegotnowheretogo,haveyou?
No,they'renotsmartmotorways,arethey?
They'reextremelystupid,really.
Forme,IfindthemIfindIyeah,Ifindthemquiteunsafeandquiteaworry,especiallybecauseIdodriveIdriveoldcars.
Itisabitofaworry.
Sowhat'snext,Tim?
You'vegotmorerufflescominguponthevintageandclassic.
Morerufflescomingup.
We'vegotsomeamazingcarscomingup.
There'sanAustinHealy3000,aUKmatchingnumbersone.
I'llbuyatickettooforthatone.
Yeah,that'sblackoverred.
Lovely.
Yeah.
That'smyfavouritecolourcombination.
Yeah,it'sabsolutelygorgeous.
Sothat'scomingup.
There'ssomeotherstuff.
Sowe'regoingtotryanddoareallysnicecar,oneamonth,abitbitmoreexpensive.
Thethingatthemomentwiththewaytheeconomyis,Ithinkthatitdoesaffecteverybody.
Andwearemindfulofthefactthatwhenwe'reofferingcarsasprizes,they'reonesthatpeoplewanttobeabletolookafterandmaintain.
SoifweofferedaLamborghiniEvenifweofferedsomethinglikeamy308,peoplewouldbescaredofit.
Look,I'vebeentobehonestwithyou,Ifindcarslikethattomeaworryandhonestlyabitofanalbatross.
IwouldratherhaveanMGCthatIcanjumpin,gobigraw,bitofunderstair,butwecanlivewiththat,can'twe?
ButIwouldratherhavea60sBritishpracticalusableclassicthanthe308,notforfinancialreasons.
IIgetyou,andandI'mwithyouonthatalltheway.
BecauseIdousethem.
Iwantsomething.
Oh,thesun'sshining,let'stakethatout.
Exactly,yeah.
AndallthecarsthatweofferwillIIfeelobviouslywecan'tofferawarrantyoranythingbecausetheyarewhattheyare.
However,wedogothroughthem,theygothroughourworkshopsthoroughly.
Wedon'tjusthaveaquicklook.
I'veseenthestandardofthecarsthatyouhaveaswell,andtheyaretoplevel.
Yeah.
AndthenwearegivingsomebodyaprizethattheycouldgoanddoaEuropeanroadtriporjusttakeitdownthepump.
Itdoesn'tmatter,doesit?
Butit'saprideandjoycar,isn'tit?
Butyeah.
Igetthatcompletely.
Soifyoudon'tmind,ImightcomeandseeyouatOpenParkthenifyou'reattheGoldman.
I'dlovetocomeandseeyou.
IfIifanyone'slistening,themostalwayshappytohavevisitors.
Anduhwe'reracingwiththeHSCCthisyearandtheVSCCandtheMGOwnersClub.
CanIcomeforasneakybehindthescenespeakinthepitlanesaswell?
CanIcomeandTim?
Thankyousomuchforyourtimethisafternoon.
It'sbeenanabsolutepleasure.
Youhearditherefirst.
Timhaspromisedmeaproperbehindthescenespeekinthepitlane.
Andevenbetter,we'regoingtorecordparttwoofthispodcastfromthepitlaneattheAltonParkGoldCup.
Ican'twait.
SotofindTim,checkouttheClassicCarslivenowandcomingupintherafflesandcompetitions,justsearchvintageandclassiccarcompetitiononlineandonsocialmedia.
We'vealsoputlinksanddetailsintheshownotesbelow.
Sothankssomuch,Tim.
It'sbeenarealpleasure.
Andbeforeyougo,Timhasofferedadiscountcodejustforthelisteners.
YoucanusecodeSAM15toget15%offyourchancetowinaclassiccar.
Allthelinksareintheshownotesbelow.
Ifyouhaveenjoyedthisepisode,pleasedogiveusalikeandsubscribewhereveryou'relistening.
Andifyouwanttowatch,youcanalsogoovertoYouTubeandfollowtheoldcarlady.
Ifyou'dliketoshareyourowncars,memoriesandstoriesandtobepartofabrilliantcommunity,justcomeandjoinusonFacebook,theOldCarLadyClassicCarCommunityGroup.
It'sgrowinglikemad,andyou'dbeverywelcometocomealongandjoinEd.
Youcanfindmeonallthesocialmediachannelsattheoldcarlady,anduntilnexttime,happymotoring.
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