Not Amy’s car but one very similar to it!
What was your first car and why did you buy it?
My first car was a 1980 1100 Special Mini! She was silver with 5 original 1100 special alloys and more important than anything else was she was mine! Dad picked it up and surprised me during the Easter holidays a couple of months before my 17th birthday. I can’t remember the letters of the reg possibly ZV but the numbers definitely were 666!! Dad laughed as he told me that his first car had 666 in the reg too. I think he knew I was going to have as much fun with my first car as he had in his.
What did you pay for it?
We paid £100 split it £50 each. I don’t know how much money went into sanding, respraying and shining her up but I can tell you we loved every minute of it. Hours spent carefully removing the lights and stickers and getting it back to a bare shell. Dad resprayed her up to the original shine and there she was back ready to hit the road!
How did it change your life?
That little Mini taught me a couple of really important lessons. It showed me how an engine works, to never be afraid to roll up my sleeves and give the odd jobs a bash and it taught me to always look for that something special in a car, a little bit of character, no matter what the budget look hard enough and you’ll find it. From that day on I never owned a car I didn’t love. They’ve never been a form of transport they’ve always been more of an experience!
What was the longest trip you ever took in the car?
In the week before my 17th birthday we called the insurance company and the insurance on my £100 mini was £2500 so we never got to adventure out on the open road like I would have loved to. I used to reverse her to the side of the house once a week wash the dust off and park her back in the drive. I was insured on one of the family cars for a month two to get me going. Looking back though I don’t really mind, sanding it down and learning all about how it worked was enough of an adventure for me.
What was your best memory or most memorable moment in the car?
I think seeing it for the first time, those adorable big mini eyes and all the excitement and possibility attached to it at 16 was definitely one of the best moments. I really enjoyed tinkering with it and cleaning it, and just sitting in it listening to the radio.
How long did you keep your first car?
I kept it about a year and eventually had to free up space in the garden and let to go, I wish I had have held onto it though. An original Austin Mini is definitely on the list for my “one day” garage
Amy Maher
16th April, 2015
