When Things go wrong…

I began 2017 with a VW-Porsche 914 in my garage and ended the year without. Should I have sold it? Well, I almost got a bit weepy when looking over some photographs the other day. 914s look great, but need careful restoration if you’re to keep one long-term and I thought I could have more fun for less money. So, I bought a VW 181 Pescaccia. Also known (in the US) as ‘Thing’.

I carried out some light restoration on it and invested in a new top, the cost of which I don’t like to remind my wife about, but it wasn’t comfortable and the din from the VW reduction gearbox did my head in. I’d never had a waiting list to buy a classic before, and it was top money for a 181, but it quickly found a new home in Los Angeles, ironically not far from where I imported the new soft-top.

Next was a Trabant. Trabants are a lot of fun for the money and one as mint as the 1990 example I bought meant that I could finally just get in my classic and drive. Visiting the recent Liverpool Cars and Coffee event, I was surrounded by enthusiasts who wanted to talk about my car’s two-stroke engine, rather than the Ferrari V12 next to me.

And to complete the year, I found another, more modern classic to play around with, offering a low driving position, thrills like my 914 delivered, and for a lot less money. The V6-powered Pontiac Fiero GT, which was America’s only mid-engined mass-produced sports car, should be something else to talk about when I take it to the Corner House New Year’s Day meeting near Chorley in Lancashire.

Plans for 2018? I’m mainly a VW guy, so I’m looking out for a decent Beetle to take to shows. It might be a long year…