Your first car memory
Discussion
An earnest discussion betweem my parents in the car, still in the drive at home, about whether or not to have the roof down on their Morris Minor convertible. I was either three or four, so it was either 1957 or '58. Dad had just started to reverse out and had to stop to put the top down.
Am I allowed 2 ?
Sitting in my dad's Opel Kadett waiting for him to come out of a shop (yep, people used to leave kids in the car and nip into the shop) changing radio station on the blaupunkt using the tuning nob and trying to remember the frequency of a good station.
The day the picked up the only new car they ever had a 1996 Volvo 440 so,
Sitting in my dad's Opel Kadett waiting for him to come out of a shop (yep, people used to leave kids in the car and nip into the shop) changing radio station on the blaupunkt using the tuning nob and trying to remember the frequency of a good station.
The day the picked up the only new car they ever had a 1996 Volvo 440 so,
I’m not sure which was earliest but I remember my mums Fiat 131, it was white with brown seats. Don’t think I’ve seen one since? Or sitting on my grandads lap steering one of his 3 wheeled milk floats. He had a dairy and ran several 3 wheel electric ones, a couple of 4 wheel electric ones a Sherpa diesel and a Bedford diesel for the longer distance rounds. I remember he used to have a long shed with them all lined up on charge during the day, I used to start at one end and run along the line of them passing through each of the cabs one by one. On one occasion I must have jumped on one of the pedals and the float went through the back of the barn with me in it!
The fords I went in really did seem s
t in the 80’s, my mates mum had a brown escort estate with brown seats, 3 door thing with a steering wheel that was like a massive A. I was quite excited when my mate said his mum had a new car but she changed it to a newer one exactly the same but white with blue fabric seats.
t in the 80’s, my mates mum had a brown escort estate with brown seats, 3 door thing with a steering wheel that was like a massive A. I was quite excited when my mate said his mum had a new car but she changed it to a newer one exactly the same but white with blue fabric seats. A few from me.
-Burning my legs on my dad's marina because of the vinyl seats.
-The excitement of him getting a blue Fiat Strada 65CL
-More excitement of him getting his first new car, a Fiat Strada 85 Super
-Even more excitement of his next new car, a replacement Strada 85 super as the original had a catastrophic fuel leak in to the cabin which made him ill after a few mis of driving
-Dad being able to take the ignition key out of his car and the engine would still run. Handy if we'd forgotten something at home.
-Driving along the motorway asking what car was what and how fast it was until he got fed up and bought me a copy of what car with the Strada Abarth 130 TC in.... I was in heaven with that.
-Multiple screaming arguments between him and my biological mother usually over nothing. Over and over again.
-Dad getting a red Regata 85 Super and me going through the brochure repeatedly.
-Dad taking his Regata back to the garage seemingly every week as it was a dud and them usually lending us Uno Turbos. I cannot tell you how magical that was to me, especially the first time he put his foot down with me being pushed back into my seat. I actually think that was the best time ever in a car. We also had other courtesy unos including a 'carte blanche'. Fiat love their special editions!
-Dad taking his dud car to Fiat head office and threatening to burn in down outside if they didn't send someone senior out to drive it and see for themselves how bad it was.
-Us then going to the garage to look at replacements and stumbling across a Regata Savoy special edition which had a sliding steel sunshine room and rear head rests. Such luxury.
-I also remember after my parents splitting up, we met his new girlfriend and having a lovely day out with no arguments even when he locked his keys in the boot of his car and spent quite a bit of time having to break in and take half the interior apart. That was a really special day for me. In some ways the start of a new more placid and fun life.
-when my new ma got a brand new Tipo 1.8 Granturismo with the digital dashboard. Pretty nippy too. Lovely that was.
-worthy mention of my dad's first Citroen, a BX estate 1.7 turbo diesel. Really fast and smokey. Great fun and none of his 3 or 4 TDs since have felt as poky (nor smokey!!!)
-Burning my legs on my dad's marina because of the vinyl seats.
-The excitement of him getting a blue Fiat Strada 65CL
-More excitement of him getting his first new car, a Fiat Strada 85 Super
-Even more excitement of his next new car, a replacement Strada 85 super as the original had a catastrophic fuel leak in to the cabin which made him ill after a few mis of driving
-Dad being able to take the ignition key out of his car and the engine would still run. Handy if we'd forgotten something at home.
-Driving along the motorway asking what car was what and how fast it was until he got fed up and bought me a copy of what car with the Strada Abarth 130 TC in.... I was in heaven with that.
-Multiple screaming arguments between him and my biological mother usually over nothing. Over and over again.
-Dad getting a red Regata 85 Super and me going through the brochure repeatedly.
-Dad taking his Regata back to the garage seemingly every week as it was a dud and them usually lending us Uno Turbos. I cannot tell you how magical that was to me, especially the first time he put his foot down with me being pushed back into my seat. I actually think that was the best time ever in a car. We also had other courtesy unos including a 'carte blanche'. Fiat love their special editions!
-Dad taking his dud car to Fiat head office and threatening to burn in down outside if they didn't send someone senior out to drive it and see for themselves how bad it was.
-Us then going to the garage to look at replacements and stumbling across a Regata Savoy special edition which had a sliding steel sunshine room and rear head rests. Such luxury.
-I also remember after my parents splitting up, we met his new girlfriend and having a lovely day out with no arguments even when he locked his keys in the boot of his car and spent quite a bit of time having to break in and take half the interior apart. That was a really special day for me. In some ways the start of a new more placid and fun life.
-when my new ma got a brand new Tipo 1.8 Granturismo with the digital dashboard. Pretty nippy too. Lovely that was.
-worthy mention of my dad's first Citroen, a BX estate 1.7 turbo diesel. Really fast and smokey. Great fun and none of his 3 or 4 TDs since have felt as poky (nor smokey!!!)
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