Hello all
Despite many years in the car world I've somehow never encountered Retro Rides before!
With that bombshell out of the way, along with a grovelling apology, Hello!
I'm a mature (50+) car enthusiast now working in the rail industry - don't judge me! After a spell as a car valeter while still at school in the 80s, I spent 18 years in the motor trade, rising from humble sales executive to franchise manager, taking in Euro imports and classics along the way. In the late 90s / early noughties I helped set up the UK's first online European car import portal (Broadspeed.com) and brought a few of the first Smart Cars and Honda S2000s into the UK, as well as a bunch of used Brabus Mercedes, Ferraris, Bentleys and Rolls Royces from a variety of European countries. I ended my motor trade days when the first Scrappage Scheme nearly broke me, coinciding with my wife needing to move from Suffolk to Milton Keynes for work.
In July 2001, with a modest inheritance, I bought a 1991 Saab 900 T16S Monte Carlo Convertible to go on holiday to France in. On the way back we were held up at Customs because that was the day of the attack on the World Trade Centre: 11th September 2001.
Despite that, and following spells of it being my only working car and having shared garage space with a 1967 Daimler V8 250 and 1971 MG BGT, I still own it and we have just celebrated our 20th anniversary together. The car is #155 of 350 made, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Saab's win in the 1961 Monte Carlo Rallye (there is a plaque near the gear lever with the number on). The car is standard except for slightly wider "Super Aero" alloys and a stainless steel exhaust. It is unrestored and, although showing its age in certain areas, polishes up well and passes MoTs without too much bother. It's generally on the road year-round, although COVID-19 meant not a lot of miles were put on last year. Total is about 147,000 - so just about run-in!
I completed a Masters' Degree in 2020 and am undertaking research for a PhD, so I suspect not many miles will be added any time soon but I drive it whenever circumstances allow. I tend not to take it out in the rain simply because it leaks like a sieve, although at over 50mph the rain just goes over your head so I leave the roof down - it's drier!
My humble opinion is that modern cars, although technical marvels, lack any discernible character compared to those I suspect fellow RR members will froth over. I own a fabulous 2017 Mercedes E220d estate which does everything I need it to, but it's just white goods. I'm not afraid to pull out a choke, wind up my own windows or judge for myself how close I am to an obstacle behind me, so older cars - particularly those form the 70s and 80s, will always be where my heart lies.
Gratuitous Saab pic:
Despite many years in the car world I've somehow never encountered Retro Rides before!
With that bombshell out of the way, along with a grovelling apology, Hello!
I'm a mature (50+) car enthusiast now working in the rail industry - don't judge me! After a spell as a car valeter while still at school in the 80s, I spent 18 years in the motor trade, rising from humble sales executive to franchise manager, taking in Euro imports and classics along the way. In the late 90s / early noughties I helped set up the UK's first online European car import portal (Broadspeed.com) and brought a few of the first Smart Cars and Honda S2000s into the UK, as well as a bunch of used Brabus Mercedes, Ferraris, Bentleys and Rolls Royces from a variety of European countries. I ended my motor trade days when the first Scrappage Scheme nearly broke me, coinciding with my wife needing to move from Suffolk to Milton Keynes for work.
In July 2001, with a modest inheritance, I bought a 1991 Saab 900 T16S Monte Carlo Convertible to go on holiday to France in. On the way back we were held up at Customs because that was the day of the attack on the World Trade Centre: 11th September 2001.
Despite that, and following spells of it being my only working car and having shared garage space with a 1967 Daimler V8 250 and 1971 MG BGT, I still own it and we have just celebrated our 20th anniversary together. The car is #155 of 350 made, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Saab's win in the 1961 Monte Carlo Rallye (there is a plaque near the gear lever with the number on). The car is standard except for slightly wider "Super Aero" alloys and a stainless steel exhaust. It is unrestored and, although showing its age in certain areas, polishes up well and passes MoTs without too much bother. It's generally on the road year-round, although COVID-19 meant not a lot of miles were put on last year. Total is about 147,000 - so just about run-in!
I completed a Masters' Degree in 2020 and am undertaking research for a PhD, so I suspect not many miles will be added any time soon but I drive it whenever circumstances allow. I tend not to take it out in the rain simply because it leaks like a sieve, although at over 50mph the rain just goes over your head so I leave the roof down - it's drier!
My humble opinion is that modern cars, although technical marvels, lack any discernible character compared to those I suspect fellow RR members will froth over. I own a fabulous 2017 Mercedes E220d estate which does everything I need it to, but it's just white goods. I'm not afraid to pull out a choke, wind up my own windows or judge for myself how close I am to an obstacle behind me, so older cars - particularly those form the 70s and 80s, will always be where my heart lies.
Gratuitous Saab pic:
