NOW ULTRA RARE

I've just read your editorial in the January issue, and it set me thinking about my own list of cars. I’m 56 now and passed my test 10 days after my 17th birthday. I’ve spent all my life around the motor and taxi trades, and using your standards of only including cars I’ve bought to use myself rather than sell on, I’m up to 176!

I thought I’d send you a picture of two that are very rare nowadays. The black Hyundai Stellar was bought new in 1988. I used it for four years as a private hire car and taxi, then it was sold to another taxi company with 410,000 miles on. I serviced it regularly and it still had the original engine/gearbox/clutch and even exhaust – the trade was a lot busier in those days and the car never got properly cold.

The blue car I bought cheap from another taxi firm with half the engine in the boot as they had run it out of oil. These Hyundai Stellars were basically a Cortina floorpan , so I reasoned it couldn’t be too difficult to put a Cortina engine in. I was right – in went a 2-litre Pinto and gearbox , even the Hyundai propshaft fitted with just the flange needing redrilling. That was also plated for private hire use. I can tell you the 2-litre engine and Hyundai rear axle made it very entertaining around Leicester’s many roundabouts late at night.

Simon Edwards

A great story Simon, and if I am not mistaken your second contribution in recent months – thank you very much for sharing it. I wonder what that camper van is in the background? I though initially it was the kind of Fiat 850T that I would love to get again, but now I am not so sure that the lines and sizing are quite right – Ed You are quite right, it is a Fiat 850T Amigo which belonged to one of my neighbours – six berth if you didn’t mind sleeping with your feet out of the open rear window. It was bought from Meremount Garage in Leicester, another long-lost old style garage

– Simon Edwards