With its peeling paintwork and clunky suspension, Ella Wilkinson’s battered Mazda 3 was not a picture of health but she loved it all the more for that but had to resort to a hammer when she locked herself out!
Bernice Hartley’s first car was a 1933 Austin 7, called Chug, and it certainly did after she drove into some flood water and had to be hauled out by a tractor.
Ben Craske’s first car, a sun-bleached 1996 Toyota Corolla, wasn’t a looker but it took him the equivalent of 2.5 times around the world, only letting him down once.
MG fan Alistair Shaw has brought an MGB GT Jubilee, which celebrated the famous British sports car marque’s 50th anniversary, back to life just how it would have been when it rolled down the production line. Motoring editor Andy Russell says it was a labour of love.
After a summer travelling around in a Renault 4L camionnette, running market stalls in France, it transported Sylvie Wheatley to university where she experienced a scary moment with a sleepy ‘stowaway’.
It was 12 years before Sharon Willmott was able to afford her first car, a £20 1948 Morris Minor, but she then kept ‘him’ for more than 20 years... with the help of her father.
Roger Norvill found life with his 1931 Austin 7 could be an uphill struggle but playing hide and seek after fellow Servicemen’s good-humoured antics were all part of the fun.
Graham Coe’s first car was a Ford Prefect 107E and he aimed to keep it as immaculate as the previous owner had done with plenty of polish and a plastic cover to protect it.
Eileen Kittell has fond memories of fun and laughter travelling with friends in her 1933 Austin 7, including cooking for 200 boys on a summer camp while she was on half-pay as a school cook.
Ronald Wood’s first set of four wheels was a Ford Squire van, followed by a Mini Traveller. They put him on the road to a car-buying bug which sees him buying a different model almost every year.
John Pollak tells of his motoring pleasure, and scrapes, in Samantha, a 1948 Vauxhall Wyvern, and how she helped King Harold on a college rag week stunt.
After seven years of motorcycling and the excesses of fresh air, Keith Shaw thought a 1939 Standard Flying Nine open tourer would provide some compensation.
Rover, once a driving force of motoring, came to the end of the road in 2005 after a century of production. But a dedicated group of motoring enthusiasts is not only keeping the famous name alive but looking to grow Norfolk and Norwich Rover Owners’ Club across East Anglia. Motoring editor Andy Russell finds out more about the romance of Rover.
Motor trade apprentice John Smith faced a serious challenge to bring his first car, a Ford Taunus 12M, up to his standards. But, unfortunately, his labour of love did not last long.
