Too Good to Scrap

Lou Gunstone

Lou Gunstone on ‘Too Good to Scrap’

I suppose it’s the love of travel and freedom which draws me towards cars. The memories of fun-filled family days out. Chances are that most people could tell you the car that their Mum or Dad drove them around in. In my case, my Dad had a red Mk3 Ford Escort with a metallic green rear door on one side. This looked absolutely rubbish but meant that we could always find it in the car park.

When I think about it, I always remember the slightly scratchy fabric covering the back seats and the noise the winder used to make when rolling down the window. Or that particularly warm summer when it overheated on M48 on the way home from Drayton Manor theme park. We were forced to eat ice cream at a service station while the poor car cooled down. These memories are often more important than the vehicles themselves. They get amplified in our minds, take on their own characters and become part of the family.