I don't have many regrets - maybe because I don't have a very good memory – but one thing that sticks with me is a car I didn't buy. In about 2018 When my Caterham was worth around £20k there was a Ginetta G40R for sale at £36k. I don't know where I could have magicked up £16k, and I doubt I'd have had the nerve, but if I did then I'd already own my dream car. It had 4 point harnesses AND inertia reel seatbelts to keep the MOT man happy. It was road legal and already had a number plate. It had fire suppression and a little aircon pack so you could have a working demister, it had a little luggage space and it also had the features that I really really want in a sports car: A roof, and doors with rubber seals.
At the weekend I had breakfast with an old chap who told me a story about when he was courting. His fiancée broke off the engagement and despite his writing to her a couple of times he had no contact at all with her for two months. What he didn't know is that his intended had a network of spies who were keeping close tabs on him. A car came up for sale and the only way he could afford it was if he sold the engagement ring. As soon as he arranged to go to town to sell the ring his fiancée realised that she needed to make a decision quickly. She conveniently reappeared and they reconciled.
What stuck with me about the story is that despite 66 years of marriage and a little while as a widower he remembers a lot about the car he didn't buy. It was a VX4/90. It's a car I'd never heard of, but it's the high performance Vauxhall Victor with a big engine (1.5l), 4 speed all syncro gearbox and two tone paint.
I now understand why the "Vauxhall Elise" was called a VX220 but I fear that I'll be on my death bed and my clearest memory will the Ginetta I didn't buy
Richard "But then again too few to mention" B
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