Most drivers regret parting with one or more vehicles they once owned, especially several decades on and especially if it was a Mini. Cars that were once tatty runabouts are now often valuable classics although there is the slight problem of finding sufficient money to have kept such vehicles in perfect condition for so many years.
There’s no escaping the effect of sentimentality and the desire to recreate your faithful first car. In Colin Brotton’s case, he’s done it and doesn’t regret the hours and cash required to achieve it.
Back in 1978 he was halfway through a four-year apprenticeship as a mechanic at a British Leyland dealership, working on everything from Minis to Rover SD1s. He looked for a car and found a 1970 Morris Minivan, painted aquamarine, which cost him two months’ wages (£140) but, as he recalls: “After a lick of paint, an MOT, six months of tax and a couple of L-plates, I started to learn to drive.”
His girlfriend, Tracey, soon became his wife and the couple started a family in their late teens so
