NIGEL R BOTTOM Group Managing Director, Witham Group
1 What was the first car that you ever owned?
A Ford Popular Fiesta 957cc on a D-plate. Not the Ford Fiesta Popular Plus (a more common model), but the Ford Fiesta Popular which was known for only having one wing mirror and no centre console! I bought a spurious centre console (with arm rest) from a local car parts company which I self-screwed into the floor to fit my stereo in and to rest my very early Motorola mobile phone on.
2What classic car(s) do you currently own?
Not a classic by age, but certainly by nature – I own a 2007 Land Rover Defender 90. This is a very treasured, original and very well looked after car.
3What would be your dream classic?
A Porsche 356, though I wouldn't mind also having the original Mercedes Benz Gullwing (Brabus Edition) which we had on our Motul stand at the Goodwood Revival in 2019.
4Which car do you most regret selling?
None – I use cars and when they are ready for selling, they need to go. There are always better examples than the ones I could have kept. The very best car (of its time when I ran it) was a BMW 640d M Sport four- door – fabulous engine, comfortable and a mile- eater. I covered in excess of 100k miles in two years in that car, and that was while basing myself in the office just 11 miles from home for two days of the week. It travelled literally all over the UK and most of Europe on business.
I also had a string of Ford Probes ( yes, the one from Alan Partridge fame!). They had the V6 2.5-litre engine, so when other sales reps were going round in Vauxhall Vectras and Peugeot 405s, I was flying round in a Probe and living the dream. All three of my Probes did 100,000 miles in much less than 24 months with only window wipers and brake shoes being replaced – and oil of course. They were great cars, but their image was ruined.
If I had to select one car though, it would have to be my first one as nothing ever cornered quite like a Ford Fiesta on 135 width tyres! My favourite story of the car was a race at college through the infamous S-bends near the dairy (it was an agricultural college and if you went there in the early 1990s you’ll know the race) which I won, beating a Peugeot 306GTi and Peugeot 205GT and an XR3 if I recall correctly. I won a pass to Alton Towers which was presented to me on our Award Day. Can you image this happening now, as the ‘timed track’ was on public roads!