What’s the story?

Editor Gallagher’s comments

(Ed Speak, evo 288) about backstories, compelling reasons and justifications for owning certain cars had me daydreaming over my cornflakes of a time when my mind was soft and impressionable…

Driving a friend’s father’s new Alfasud 5M and being asked politely to change up because its turbine‑ smooth boxer engine was redlining without me realising, then marvelling at how the ethereal cornering powers rendered the brakes redundant.

Regular drives in a friend’s Citroën CX2400 Pallas, so futuristic looking, and complete with a three‑ speed clutchless manual, tumbler instruments, rocker‑switch indicators and an ability to glide down any road at improbable speeds.

These experiences gave me an enduring love for these two marques.

There was also a passenger ride at 15 in a family friend’s Morgan Plus 4 after she had endured the ten‑year waiting list. But that’s an itch I have resisted scratching: despite the romance, sliding‑pillar suspension proved a bit too period for my tastes.

What to replace my 200,000‑mile Citroën C5 with was a recent dilemma, now that Hydractive 3 suspension is no longer available. This, again, had me trawling through my memory banks to 1975. A rare visit with my father to the local launch of the W123 Mercedes‑ Benz, all self‑cleaning rear light lenses, bank‑vault doors and free chocolate éclairs. So, a C220 CDI wagon it was.

Might I suggest other readers send in their early recollections? Call it a form of regression therapy.

Jon Hodson, Tiverton, Devon