Desiree Bromwich-Hughes

My first car was Morris 1000. It was a lovely battleship grey colour.

My dad bought me the car for my 18th birthday. He paid £120 for it.

I had my first driving lesson on my 17th birthday with Paddon School of Motoring in a red Triumph Toledo. I failed my first test and, as the lessons were so expensive (£3!), mum and dad thought it would be a better idea to buy me a car and dad would take me out in it.

He even booked my test at Hitchin and accompanied me to the test centre in my little Moggy. As soon as I came out, and told dad I had passed, he gave me a big hug and said 'Right, now we need to go on the motorway to get used to motorway driving'.

So we took a spin down the A1 to Stevenage and back.

I passed my test in February 1978. The craze at the time was putting your name and that of your girlfriend or boyfriend on a sunstrip in the front windscreen.

I put the name of my little car – Flossie. I loved that little car.

I can't remember the registration but the last two letters were UR. It didn't have orange indicators on the back but instead the rear lights would just flash on and off.

On really cold mornings it often wouldn't start so I would get it going by using the starting handle, nearly breaking my wrist.

I used it for going to work at Hitchin at the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) in Station Road until the fateful day when the front of the car collapsed as I was leaving work, blocking the exit! I was so embarrassed.

Eventually, more and more things went wrong with it and it was scrapped. But I have very fond memories of it, and the time and patience my dad had in teaching me to drive in it.

Tell people about your first car – email your memories with a picture to motoring@archant.co.uk or post it to Andy Russell, Archant motoring editor, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich, NR1 1RE.