A LABOUR OF LOVE
Q Perhaps you could start by explaining when you got the Golf, and what sort of condition it was in?
AI bought it in 1996, when I was just 15 years old. At the time I couldn't wait until my 17th birthday so I could get my licence, get on the road and get mobile. I wasn't particularly into Volkswagens or Golfs at the time, old Land Rovers were more my thing, but I saw this one for sale at the side of the road and just felt sorry for it. An added appeal was that I didn't have much money to spend and the Golf had a blown head gasket, so it was cheap. I paid £125 for it, my grandpa helped me get it roadworthy and my dad took it to Hall's
Garage on a trailer to get it MoT'd in time for my 17th birthday.
Q Apart from the blown head gasket, what sort of condition was it in?
A It is a March 1985 car so it was 11 years old when I got it, but it was generally a very good car. Admittedly it had been thrashed, but crucially the shell was in very good shape. As well as the head gasket issue, there was something wrong with the gearbox too, though I can't remember now exactly what the problem was. My dad helped me pull that apart and fix it – grandpa was a mechanic and dad was a race car mechanic,
