I saw an old Austin Seven on the road the other day and it made me smile. When I see someone who is brave/foolhardy/enthusiastic enough to venture onto our crowded roads in an old, pre-war car I find myself wondering if driving an old car is still as much fun as it used to be.…
This morning I awoke to read an astonishing number of heartfelt tributes to the great driver, not least those on Facebook where I found even more insights and tributes from his admirers from all over the globe.
Many of the stories I had heard or read before and, though familiar, they reminded me why I had always been an avid fan because even in re-telling they never fail to astonish.
This Abarth Simca 1300 wasn’t quite finished, as you can see. Even so, I can picture it fully restored quite clearly in my mind’s eye. One of the few cars I could see replacing my ’93 Carrera 2, even if it isn’t anything like as useable.
At the beginning of the 20th century, cars were required to have very large radiators to help prevent them from overheating. Then manufacturers began to cover these radiators with what became known as radiator grilles, usually displaying a badge unique to the marque.
This was what we now call branding – a way to distinguish one car from another.…
I’m not a ‘natural’ car lover. Nor do I naturally have ‘good taste’ in cars (I am mortified to say that I once owned a pink VW Convertible – don’t judge me. I was young.)
I also wouldn’t consider myself an expert on cars.…
Julian, my next door neighbour, as luck would have it, is something of a petrolhead. So you can imagine that after we’ve discussed all the more important things in life, our conversations inevitably turn to cars, beginning with a comparative discussion about our respective Ford Mustangs GT’s (mine’s a 2016 model, his a 2018 version).…
When I say Lotus Elan, I mean the original 1960s model, not the later FWD version that came out nearly 30 years later. For me, it has been one of those iconic sports cars I’ve always hankered after since I first saw them racing (and usually winning) at Brands Hatch when I was a schoolboy.…
Learning to drive with my father beside me was never going to be easy. He had zero patience and was a truly terrible teacher. I wasn’t expected to be just a regular driver. This I realised when driving his little Austin Special sports car around a field one day.…
Car nuts like me aren’t able to just watch and enjoy films and TV series like most normal folk. No, while others follow the plot, we can’t help scanning the background for any sign of an interesting car. What’s more, I usually have to point out what they are in great detail to my long-suffering wife.…