It was a very busy forecourt in its day but one of my main memories was the husband and wife doctors who always seem to fill up on Saturdays....
She was brilliant, bouncy and full of life... always chatting away to me and the garage mechanics.... a very beautiful lady.... and then.... usually about an hour later the husband would arrive..... half awake... dishevelled..... and, always, looking totally knackered..... Often wondered about that....
I have every sympathy for a point of sales person as, even in my short time there, a few people were aggressive and abusive, trying to bully to not pay for something.. or say "Oi i gave you a fiver" when it was actually only a pound (stuff was a lot less money back then).
But, on the other hand, sometimes something great happens....
A certain Mr Nicholls used to come in... now as the "Nicholls" used to run most of the second hand car dealerships in Ipswich.... and, of course, he knew my father.... he would often throw his Range Rover keys at me and say "park that" as he went to talk to the garage boys about some deal or other...
Got quite used to that.... park the Rangy.... park the Ford.... park the .... and then one day... he walks towards me with a really big smile on his face...... throws me the keys, as usual...... I look at the keys in my hand.... and the fob says Ferrari..... FERRARI....... "don't scratch it" he says.... walking off.... laughing...
I walk outside and there sits a new 246GT Dino Ferrari.... I kid you not... Woo Hoo.... Drive a Ferrari (well park it anyway) every boys dream....
But I tell you what.... they maybe great to drive on the track/ open road but in town there pants.... the nice big wheel arches mean you have absolutely no chance of seeing the kerb... you sort of have tunnel vision between those wheel arches (not as bad, though, as the Corvette Stingray I was towed in a few years later... now that's a story for another time...) and, in fact, vision all round is diabolical compared to the Rangy...
Happy bunny to have driven one though..... even if it was for only a few moments..
There was one (well two for one really) other highlight while working there......
You have to wonder sometimes about the logic your boss uses when doling out various jobs for people and in the instance it was that he sent me to pick up a brand new Hillman Avenger Tiger from Chelmsford and drive it back to Ipswich... Its 1972... its a brand new Avenger Tiger.... and he sends an 18 year old...... (just don't tell the car's new owner)....
So off I toddle on the train to Chelmsford...
The mechanic handed me the keys and then said... (every boys dream this one)... The engine all up and test run so don't you go labouring that engine.. (here it comes)... don't care what revs you do just don't lug it.... (for those not to mechanically minded - all the extra strain of driving at too low revs just kills an engine)
He did not have to tell me twice, but i wish he had told me more - read on....
I'm into the car and out on the road.... first impressions.... nice but odd.. definitely more go, brakes rubbish but just thought that was because the were new and not worn in, but it just "sat" really odd...
Cruise out of Chelmsford and onto the A12, liking the pull away this thing has but now just cruising along watching the passing cars rubber neck at the Tiger....
Past Colchester and down onto the Dedham straight section were this TR6 pulls along side me... looks over.... and pumps the throttle two twice..... Come-on I'm 18.... What you gonna do....
He floors it... I floor it.... and he sort of just goes backward... this thing has some get up and go...
and the Tiger just pulled away.
Clarkson would have been proud - well may be not... nasty little Hillman beating a proper sports car...
So up the hill and head into the "always entertaining" right hand bend.... just on the legal speed limit and the car..... well it just started to squirm..... badly.... got a nice roll on and it was getting past the new trousers time please and nearer to the "my this field look nice".
Don't see it so much these days but that bend used to be lethal with diesel spills, tire ruts and an adverse camber... seen many cars in that field, most on there roof.....
TR6 comes flying past waving a salute (your word here) and disappears off as I just say to myself.. "Oh dear what happened there".. (again your words here)..
The rest of the short drive back was uneventful but had a word with the main mechanic...he laughed and then said....
"Spent over £450 on that engine and nothing of the suspension, brakes or chassis... we were all wondering how that would work out"
Wish the mechanic had told me that when I had picked it up....
Link to the wiki page here:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillman_Avenger where is says
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Modifications included the 1500 GT engine with an improved cylinder head with enlarged valves, twin Weber carburetors and a compression ratio of 9.4:1. The engine now developed 92.5 bhp (69 kW) at 6,100 rpm. The suspension was also uprated, whilst brakes, rear axle, and gearbox are directly from the GT.
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Don't know about the suspension being uprated on the one I drove as it was crap... but then again the "Honest John" review site ( http://classics.honestjohn.co.uk/reviews/hillman/avenger/ ) says...
Low survival rate due to shocking build and corrosion issues
Not the nearest I have come to being killed, as that honour belong to Andy and his Kawasaki 750 widow-maker I had the misfortune to be on the back off, but it was a tad to close for comfort.
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