MY DRIVING career started when I was 17. At that age you are easily swayed by other - older - people’s opinions. My aunt swore by her Hillman Imp, my grandma loved her Austin A35, my dad detested Fords.
I worked at a garage on the pumps and I met a man who rented the single garage attached to the showroom and cleaned up and sold the odd car. I mentioned to him that I needed a car.
One day he excitedly said to me: “Come and look at this Hillman Imp.” I went to look at it and thought my aunt would be proud of me, but then I realised that it looked like a tin of sardines on wheels.
And at that moment, I decided: I want a Ford Anglia, and so my love affair with Fords began.
I was an apprentice at Rolls-Royce in Bristol when I acquired my 1964 Anglia - it was my pride and joy.
A friend of mine told me that I should be servicing my Anglia and offered to show me how it was done. This turned out to be a big mistake. As the old saying goes, ‘a little knowledge is dangerous’. The result was a wrecked engine. I was distraught. “Never mind,” he said, “we can rebuild it.” I was very wary but, without any alternative, agreed.
That didn’t work either, so I got hold of the official Ford Workshop Manual and did it myself. Success - my passion for tinkering had begun.
Generally, early Fords were very easy and straightforward to work on, which made Ford my sort of car.
Me and my Anglia - which my sister nicknamed Bryan as I spent so much time at our local Ford dealer Bryan Bros of Bristol - went through lots together.
It opened my eyes to lots of things such as Motorsport, in particular the British Touring Car Championships. This is really where my passion for Fords really grew.
Ford were dominant in pretty much all of the disciplines from juniors right up to F1. My favourites of the time were, of course the Anglia but then its successor, the Mk1 Escort and the mighty Ford Mustang.
The Escort had famously wiped the floor with the competition in the London to Mexico World Cup Rally, with the iconic RS1600 and spawning the eponymous model, the Mexico.
These were cars that dreams are made of. I’m going to have an Escort one day, I promised myself. And so it was that in the early ‘1970s, I got my 1968 ermine white Mk1 Escort GT. All my pals at work were wowed - I felt like a rally champion when I drove her.
But time moves on and I needed to get me and my wife a home, so, sadly, the Escort had to go. There followed a period of three or four ‘barely legal’ cars, all Fords of course: Anglias, Cortinas and even an Anglia 5cwt van.
By the latter part of ’1974 I lusted after a Ford Capri – I needed a 3 litre.
It was at the time of a fuel crisis and large-engined car prices were dropping like a stone.
It was no secret among my friends that I was looking for a Capri (a Mustang really being out of reach) and, after many fruitless searches, one of them said to me “so and so’s brother is selling his Capri”.
After a bit of haggling, the mighty V6 3 litre ‘E’ in ermine white with the iconic black vinyl roof and power bulge bonnet was mine. And what a car it was too – a real beast.
Dogs and children meant that, yet again, my pride and joy had to go. This time it was replaced by a series of Mk3 Cortinas - two estates and one saloon, over the next few years.
Extremely practical and ideal for our family - two children and a dog. A career move to North London followed and my next car - my first new car too - a 1.6 GL Escort.
That was a great car and took us all over the country from Cornwall to Loch Ness and many places in between.
Another change of job in 1985 saw me enter the world of the company car. It didn’t take long to select the Ford Orion 1.6i Ghia in panther black and red go- faster stripes.
Next, in 1989 came ‘Man and Machine in perfect harmony’ - the diamond white Sierra 5dr 2.0i 16v Ghia, with a few extras.
The so-called ‘jelly mould’, as the critics called it, had certainly come a long way since its launch in 1983. Again, a really practical and useable car for the family but with the zesty 16v 2 litre engine, it was great fun too.
‘By 1993 it was the Mondeo, Ford’s ‘World Car’. Levante grey, RS alloys, 16v Zetec engine, five doors, what’s not to like? My first foray onto a track - Brands Hatch - came in this. A great car and, of course, a force to be reckoned with in the world of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), as was the Sierra, Capri and others before it. I had this car for six years before being seduced by its successor, the Mk2.
And not just any Mk2 - this was the silky smooth V6-powered Ford Racing Blue Mondeo ST200 - a salute to the prowess of this car again in the BTCC, taking first, second and third positions in Ford’s final BTCC in 2000.
I had loads of pleasure with this car in more than 20 years of ownership. I enjoyed track days on many circuits throughout the UK, accompanied by sons.
Alongside the Mondeo ST200, I had the first of four Ford Focuses. Another brilliant car that saw Jeremy Clarkson in raptures when it was launched.
By this time Ford had acquired a raft of other manufacturers including Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Aston Martin. Jokingly I said to one of my sons, “Aston Martin is now a Ford, so I can have one now.”
The Focus made way for an ’03 X-type Jaguar Minneapolis - a debadged, dechromed, bodykitted 2.5 litre V6 AWD. Very comfortable and easy to drive, it wasn’t exactly going to set the world alight, from my perspective anyway. After just under five years, it was time to go. The pleasure of driving was still being provided by my trusty ST200.
I was due to visit the US for work in early 2008. I thought I’d revisit another of my younger self’s aspirations - the Ford Mustang, in particular the Shelby KR500. This was a 5 litre V8 twin turbo with 500 BHP. I wondered how much it would cost to import one to the UK.
On arrival in Florida, I found the largest Ford dealership in Orlando, rang them up and was told, “you need to speak to our Ian” and an appointment was booked. When I arrived for my meeting, our Ian turned out to be from Manchester.
The KR500 looked resplendent in black with white stripes running the length of the car. He started her up and, I kid you not, all the windows of that showroom were shaking. I’d become aware of a so-called ‘Bullitt pack’ available on the Mustang and asked about it. Ian calmly said, “We’ve got one - follow me”.
Well, that was it - the car I’d always dreamed of, that had been immortalised by Steve McQueen in the 1968 film Bullitt. Dark highland green, debadged, dechromed, all other bits and pieces removed to create a true tribute to that legend from the film. The deal was struck, a factory order was placed and I headed back to the UK. Sal, as she was christened, arrived in the UK in mid April 2008 - I was over the moon.
My garage now contained a 2002 Panther Black Fiesta Ghia - my third Fiesta - Mollie, as the Mondeo ST200 had become by then, and now Mustang Sally. Sal and I did many trips down to southern France to visit my sister and her family - ideal being left hand drive. Mollie also did several trips abroad, the longest of which was to the Salzburg area in Austria.
In 2010, having retired, I moved back up to Yorkshire. By early 2017 I decided on a house move but it was held up. Now, I thought, is my chance to tick another box on my car wish list, the Aston Martin DB9.
It didn’t take long to find a beautiful DB9 V12 finished in California sage with light tan interior. What a car - it was everything I’d ever imagined and more.
Alongside all of this, in 2012 I took up the challenge of teaching people to drive, set up as a sole trader and my next 3 Fords came along in fairly swift succession. Off went the old 2002 Ghia to a new home and in came a new Panther Black Fiesta 1.25 Zetec, followed by second and third Focuses in gunmetal grey and diamond white respectively - both 3 cylinder 1.0 EcoBoost 6 speed manuals.
In 2019 I stopped driving instructing. I needed a daily driver to replace my current school car - enter my fourth Focus, this time a 3 cylinder EcoBoost 1.5litre 182PS ST-Line X in ruby red - black leather/red stitching. A great not-so little car with great performance and loads of fun. However, I still couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye to the DB9.
At a hospitality function down at Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, I was once again wooed by a car. This time a V12 Vantage in meteorite silver with black Alcantara/leather interior and a six speed manual transmission. It was gorgeous. After a brief period of owning two Aston Martins - I blame lockdown - the DB9 was sold by Matthewsons of Bangers and Cash fame. And so the garage contents are: Focus ST-Line, Bullitt Mustang and V12 Vantage.
I use the Focus quite often on club runs - Otley-based Chevin Motor Club - as some roads around Yorkshire are not that Mustang or Aston-friendly and she will also come to the odd car meeting in local venues. The V12 Vantage was researched by the Aston Martin Heritage Trust and turns out to be unique - one of one.
Last week I entered her in the Owners’ Club Spring Concours at the IWM at Duxford and we achieved 92.5 per cent and fifth in class - not bad for a first timer.
My Fords - all 28 of them - have given me many years of pleasure although, as they’ve got newer, it becomes more difficult for the DIYer to tinker.
The Mustang and Focus are pretty simple to work on however, and I have ready access to parts, although being a bit of a purist and wanting genuine Ford parts, I have to source some for the Mustang by mail order.
The Aston is a different story but to a certain extent still allows me to do bits and pieces myself. As I said to another owner recently, “Getting down under the car isn’t too bad, it’s getting up again that’s getting harder.”
A lot of car clubs are online these days so I’m a member of numerous Ford oriented ones so the variety of shows means you are spoilt for choice. There is still part of me that says, ‘get another Escort!’ Will I? Only time will tell.
For now I have a garage to be proud of - I am a very lucky, happy man.
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