For my 21st birthday (just before in fact) I was given an Austin-Healey 100/6 by my parents, which cost £200. I had chosen this machine myself, and in my glee had failed to discern that its bodywork was largely made up of chicken-wire, newspaper and fibreglass filler. The engine, however, was simply superb and it went like the clappers. I took it out onto the newly constructed motorway north of the Forth Road Bridge and topped 100mph, which was something in those days. It had electric overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears, and there was nothing sweeter than flicking overdrive on and hearing the engine note drop a tone as you surged onwards. It was heavier than my father's big Vauxhall estate, and almost impossible as a result to push, let alone push start, so during the winter months it was essential to find a hill to park it on, just in case. I had the most marvellous eight months with it.
Its demise was tragic. I was taking a friend down to Harrogate en route to a summer job north of London, which was going to fund my driving the car to Greece to meet my then girlfriend who had had a job out there. The friend had brought along a whole box of books which went in the boot. It was pouring with rain. I had just fitted a brand new set of Michelin XASs. Just south of Newtown St Boswells on the A68 I lost the rear end completely on a bend, the car careered through a wire fence and into a field of barley. We were fine, thank goodness, but the car was in shreds. It was only insured for third party damage, and repairing it cost more than I could afford, so off it went to a new home.
As we were sitting in this field in the car in the rain, some people ran over from a house nearby and said. "you know, you're the second car that's done that this week". The corner has now gone, smoothed away, so I suspect we weren't the last car to do that particular trick either. I took the train to Greece.
No comments:
Post a Comment