We all remember our first one – and mine was a cracker. It was love at first sight. Shortly after passing my driving test I acquired a three year old, low mileage, grey Mini Van bought from a private owner. It was my first road legal vehicle. I now had a two-seater like my mates did, but whilst theirs were Triumph Spitfires, MG Midgets and even MGB roadsters, they were all older vehicles with more miles on them, rusty in places, less reliable and without the facility to cart around a big dog and the space to make a few quid by hauling around whatever people wanted moving that would fit in the thing.
That was over 50 years ago and despite lifestyle changes, increasing wealth and property relocations, for most of that time I have owned a van as part of my fleet of vehicles. Those were mostly what are now termed as car-derived vans, essentially a car at the front and a van with two side-hinged doors at the back. Morris Minor, Vauxhall Viva, Ford Anglia, Ford Escort, Morris Marina and similar vans all came and
