WELCOME TO THE WORKSHOP

Where the team polishes up its detailing skills…

Never underestimate your classic – or if you do, don’t let it stop you from taking the odd risk. I thought I’d maybe reach the M25 on our Winter Warmers marathon to Switzerland and back, but on its first journey anywhere since 1982, my magnificent Rover P4 80 was made of sterner stuff. Not only did it get around the London Orbital in one piece, it also climbed many mountains and brought back much booty from the land of cuckoo clocks and chocolate. Standing next to it, looking at the impressive glaciers above the Klausen Pass, was pretty emotional.

Ok, it was probably the altitude, but still – having lived in the workshop with ‘Auntie Olive’ for several months and knowing it had previously been sat in the dark under boxes for 34 years, the feeling was immense. So, the point is, if you want to have great experiences in your cherished motor, don’t play safe. Buy that project, make that journey, plan that adventure – live that classic dream, whatever it is. Because you won’t lie on your deathbed and say ‘Oh I wish I hadn’t enjoyed my car so much.’

I wonder whether I would have gone so far so soon if it hadn’t been for the pressure of magazine schedules. To be honest I probably wouldn’t have done the trip at all (it’s why I bought a back-up Rover 800). But in not pushing the boat out I would have missed out on one of the greatest driving experiences I have ever had. And that would have been a classic crime. From now on, I’ll take a few more risks. I’ll fail more, but I’ll live more, too.