The Cars of a Typical Brit
Some people say that the British are car crazy. They spend more money on their cars than
most other European countries, and they change their cars very frequently. The UK buys
and sells more sport cars and convertibles per head of population than most other countries
in the West, and that's surprising considering the rain and bad weather in the UK.
My personal car history is quite typical of a middle-aged man who grew up in the UK in the
80's and 90's. A Ford Escort, Mini and Chrysler Cavalier were my first cars. They were all
second hand, cheap and not particularly interesting.
I worked with a guy called Terry who had a white Triumph Spitfire and I wanted one, too.
I saved my money and eventually bought a sky-blue Mark II Spitfire for 850 pounds. It was
nothing but trouble. The roof leaked when it rained, the heater didn't work and the electrics
were constantly causing problems. I loved driving it, though, and I was sad when I had to
sell it.
But the love of my life was a 1972 MG Roadster. It was mustard yellow and smelt of leather
and engine oil. The motor sounded like an aeroplane and I sat so low to the ground I could
almost feel the road under my seat.