Buying journey

A classic hot hatch, a craving for Caterhams, and some oldschool fun Xjs-style feature in Jim Winnicott’s car history

LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE, JIM HAS driven some quite ordinary everyday cars, some far more boring than others. But every ordinary saloon or diesel he’s owned has been accompanied by a proper sports car. Mini 950 City

‘My first car, bought in 1981. I absolutely loved it and would buy it back tomorrow. If it still existed, that is.’

Ford Fiesta 1.1 Popular

‘ The Popular didn’t come with a heated rear window or a rear wiper, but it was civilised compared with the Mini.’

Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6

‘ This was my first taste of speed. It was great, and I felt very special driving it. Unfortunately I had to sell it, quoting “company car forces reluctant sale”.’

Vauxhall Vectra SRI

‘ The Vectra was my first company car. It was black, with blacked- out windows, and it looked very suspicious.’

Caterham Seven Supersport

‘I bought myself this for my 40th. It was raw, fast, noisy, impractical, and I loved it, but I had to sell it for those very same reasons.’

Ford Scorpio 2.9

‘ The ugliest car I’ve ever owned, but it was very smooth and comfortable.

BMW 530d (E39)

‘ The 530d was my first foray into diesel cars. It was one of the quickest production diesels at the time, I believe.’

BMW 535d M Sport (E60)

‘A step up from the 530. It had a great engine.’

Honda S2000

‘It may have had a crazy VTEC engine, but below 7000rpm it felt just like any other Japanese car. Prices are now rising, so I probably should have hung on to mine.’

Porsche Boxster S (987)

‘I never really liked my Boxster; it just wasn’t special enough, and felt no quicker than my 535d company car.’

Mercedes-benz CLS (W219)

‘ What a mistake. The four- cylinder diesel engine was like a tractor’s compared with the one in the 535d. At least it looked good.’

Jaguar XF S

‘After the Mercedes, I decided to go British. I couldn’t fault the Jag, apart from its aged infotainment system.’

Caterham Seven 420R

‘I craved another Caterham, and I bought it for all the same reasons I sold my first one. This one is so quick and specified to my exact requirements. I had to wait eight months for it to be built and I won’t ever sell it.’

Jaguar XJS Convertible 4.0 (1994)

‘A moment of madness, maybe. It’s the smoothest, quietest car I have driven and puts modern cars to shame, really. I recently had it detailed by Perfection Valet and now it looks like new. I am planning a long European trip in it soon.’

BMW 530d M Sport (G30)

‘I’ve only had this car a few weeks. It’s a tech-fest, with a great engine and clever adaptive suspension and lights.’