I WAS THERE

I remember Brockenhurst station during this era very well, as my grandparents lived at nearby Lymington, six miles away by branch line. My grandfather didn’t drive, so visits entailed a mainline train journey from Bournemouth to Brockenhurst, and then a change to a 1950s non-corridor electric multiple unit for the eight-minute journey to Lymington Town – which was far quicker than by road.

Towards the end of the 1970s, my grandfather purchased his first ever car, despite being in his 60s. It was a 1974 Mini Clubman automatic in glorious Harvest Gold, with a vinyl interior finished in a shade equating to the outpourings of an unwell baby.

Despite my profound adoration of British Leyland beige these days, the pre-teen me wasn’t impressed. Because my granddad had come late to the world of driving, I remember him being very cautious. For the 20-mile drives from Lymington to Bournemouth, he would rarely exceed 40mph, including dual carriageway sections. Part of this was probably down The teenage Gunn was offered his grandfather’s Clubman, just like this one. to the limitations of a 998cc 38bhp bluff-fronted Mini dealing with an AP automatic transmission that seemed confused as to what gear it should be in, but to impatient me, the trips seemed interminable. Shame – I’d give anything for a trip with my late granddad now.

The Mini eventually went very rusty and was offered to me free in the late 1980s when I was learning to drive. I turned it down – it was just an old, beige Mini with heavily perforated wings. My answer would be very different today.