First Cars

Where did it all begin, my first cars sort of started before I had a first car, this is a story of madness and now I see in retrospect huge understanding from both my parents and one of my brothers.

Like many kids of my generation my first driving started on my father’s lap, he did the work I held the steering wheel, it was fun and led me to a life of a never ending interest in cars.

Back to basics, I was lucky my parents had 2 cars, don’t get me wrong we were not rich, we lived in a rented house out in the country and the cars were not in the first flush of use. My father’s first car, he bought it at a garage, the seller took him for a spin, showed him the controls, my Dad bought his license at the Post Office and promptly drove from the south coast of England up to Scotland to meet his uncle George. With first cars today it is very different!

When I was 14 the 2 cars were an Austin Sheerline and a Morris Minor convertible. On one occasion, they were out in the Morris and I decided to drive the Austin around the house, well when I drove it back into the garage, I drove into the garage wall, being good I reversed out, inspected the damage and as it was not bad, I turned the car around and promptly reversed back into the garage wall!

It got worse and better, later that day, I drove the Morris into a wall too, but fortunately for me my eldest brother told my Dad it was him. It is odd to think that as regards first cars I got one before he did and passing my test although he is 8 years older than me.

And what was my first car? I could say it was an Austin A35 van, it felt like mine as I drove it everywhere, but in reality it was my Dad’s. The van actually ended life as a greenhouse, the engine just stopped working, but a very fine greenhouse it was.

First cars! Mine was a wait for it, it was bought off Mr Benz of Mitcham for £90, it broke down on the way home across London, it was truly wonderful, I still have the official workshop manual, a definite necessity. The car was an off-white 1959 Jaguar 2.4 litre, to me at the time the best car in the World.

Often the brakes failed, stopping with the handbrake was nothing new for me, first gear and reverse were very close together, too close, when at lights on more than one occasion I went flying backwards not forwards.

First cars should be cheap to run, insurable, often dull is a good point, not my Jag, this was wonderful. I would be working on it (again) and the police would question me on whether it was mine, I tell you no criminal in his right mind would have stolen it, it would have been better to walk than expect it to go anywhere. I loved it.

My first car was keen on petrol, oil, tyres, brake failure and suspect electrics, it would go wrong as soon as I looked at it. But the smell getting in was glorious, the chunk of the doors, the smell of leather, wood, out of all the first cars in the World mine was the best, best, best.

I will return with more first cars type stories, in the meantime, please, please, please wear your seat belt.