she’s not just four wheels and an engine ~ she’s a friend

Caterham 7 and one-time friend

Sitting at home in this government-imposed lockdown I’ve had lots of time to think and to remember.  I found myself remembering all the cars and motorcycles I’ve ever owned, the good, the bad, and the just damn ugly.  As I have an almost perfect memory I believe this is a pretty good list of my motoring history.

Bikes;  BSA Bantam, Honda CB 175, Honda 400 Four, Norton Commando, Ariel Square 4.

I was never a particularly keen motorcyclist.  England is just  far too cold, wet, windy, and icy to be a fun place tor ride a ‘bike.  However for one memorable year I did commute on a Honda CB175 like the one opposite.  The upside was I could weave through traffic, the downside was that weaving through traffic is damn dangerous.

The very first car I ever owned, the one I learned to drive in was a Vauxhall Viva HA in dark blue.  Since then I’ve liked navy blue cars.  Following that I owned a Mini 850, Austin-Healey Sprite, Mini Cooper, another Austin-Healey Sprite, Lotus Elan, (which I wrote off in a bird-strike at 100+mph on the road from Durham to Edinburgh), MG Midget, (which is the same as an AH Sprite except for the badge), Jaguar E-Type Coupe, Mini 1275.

Then I bought a house and swapped the mini for a Reliant Robin van.  As series of vans followed; Ford Escort Van, Bedford, and another Reliant.

Then I went upmarket again; Austin-Healey Sprite, VW Scirocco, Triumph TR6, Ford Escort as a second car, MG Montego, (that shit heap was really bad), Rover Vitesse, Vauxhall Astra, Rover Coupe, (in dark blue with the removable glass roof, great little car).  Then a stealth black Vaxhall Calibra 2.5, which was a genuine 140mph car, Nissan 200SX, Caterham 7, (and that Caterham was the fucking fastest point to point little car ever on anything other than a freeway). And finally a Light Weight Landrover, which had to be the most brutally ugly car ever built.

Of all the myriad of cars I rented after that, three stand out.  The Ford Mustangs, always a convertible.  The Dodge Charger, and a few Nissan SUVs, which I liked a lot.

If ever I get out of this lockdown I’m buying a Volvo, a C30 sports coupe, which if you have to ask is a very cool car.

I won’t ever tell which of the above list I made out in.  A gentleman never tells.  I will say that you can’t make out in a Lotus or a Caterham.

~

jack collier

jackcollier7@talktalk.net

I owned one of these weird 3-wheeler vans

eventually it just fell apart.