The Machines That Made Me – A Life Fueled by Grit, Grease & Gearboxes

So, you want to know what cars and bikes shaped my journey? Buckle up, grab a cuppa and a biscuit (or three), because this isn’t a list—it’s a full-throttle ride through my obsession with anything that has an engine and gives you just enough rope to do something stupid.

The Machines That Made Me – A Life Fueled by Grit, Grease & Gearboxes If you’ve read the "About Us" section, you’ll know cars have been a part of my life since I was in nappies—thanks to my dad and his crew of mates who either owned garages or were the ultimate DIY tinkerers. So, let's fast-forward to the real juicy stuff—age 12. Yep, twelve.

12 ish Years Old – First Gear

By then, I’d already clocked countless hours in a family friends garage with my dad doing their cars. I used to watch my dad’s feet and hands like a hawk, memorising every gear shift and clutch movement. I'd even mimic him in my room, like some weird automotive interpretive dance, convinced I was ready to drive. And not just "steer a bit"—I mean drive.

So, I told my dad I could drive. He laughed, as you'd expect, but I think a part of him was curious. “Go on then,” he said. asking more about the theory and if i knew it, and told him that i watched every move, and ran through it, he seemed impressed so I asked to drive the MG. His response? A big fat no. Fair play.

VW T25 Flatbed – First Drive (Sort Of)

Cue Roger—the head labourer I worked with weekends. One day, we're loading up an old VW flatbed and it’s just too far away. I go, “Shall I move it closer?” Like any good adult in the 90s, he chucked me the keys without hesitation. “Go on then, Blue.”

(I’ve no clue why he called me "Blue," but it stuck.)

I jumped in, fired it up, stalled immediately—clutch control lesson #1. Try again, feather the clutch, and boom—she’s rolling. Then I try reverse. Can’t see a thing. Bin carnage ensues. Roger shouts, “Close enough, Blue!”

Thought I’d blown it, but turns out he just thought I hated bins. The following weekend, he lets me drive again—this time, down the road. My first solo “gear change” was... dramatic. Revved the nuts off it, but I got there. I was hooked.

The Party Drive – Ford Sierra XR4x4

At 15, I went to a house party. A mate shows me his mum’s XR4x4 in the garage. “Wanna drive it?” Hell yes. Quiet back lanes, full moon, youthful ignorance—it was glorious. Stupid? Sure. But it gave me a taste of performance. And risk.

Yamaha DS6-C 250cc Street Scrambler – Laces, Levers & Gravel Kisses

This little beauty was my wind-in-the-face, old-school blast machine—a Yamaha DS6-C 250cc Street Scrambler. Lightweight, simple, and full of character, it was the perfect runabout for clearing the head and kicking up a bit of dust.

That said, she did bite back once or twice. Like the time I got my bloody shoelace tangled around the rear brake lever. Try stopping gracefully when you can’t put your foot down—spoiler alert: you can’t. Cue the slow-motion tip-over and an unexpected faceful of gravel. It was one of those moments where you lie there thinking, “Well that’s one way to stop.”

Still, for what she was, the DS6 was a brilliant little ride. No fancy electronics, just raw two-stroke fun and a touch of street scrambler swagger. And hey—bikes like that teach you the real meaning of “rider input.”

1. MK1 Astra GTE

At 16, I got this MOT-failed beauty for £250 from my stepbrother’s girlfriend. Spent the next year saving, wrenching, welding and rebuilding. Sills, floor pan, brake rebuilds—you name it. Took my test five weeks after the resto. Loved this car... until black ice and a hillside did what black ice and hills do. Barrel-rolled into a farmer’s field. That crash earned me a stint at the Phil Price Rally School. My mum said if i want to drive fast at least learn to Bloody drive properly, i think it was more stronger words than that though

Read more on the Astra GTE

2. Ford Escort XR3

Not the XR3i—this was the “hardcore budget” version. Bought from a bloke who said it was too stiff for his pregnant missus. Turns out, he angle-grinded the springs. changed these for new a set of Spax coil-overs, Mongoose exhaust, sorted the infamous foam spoiler. Fun car. Flat-out everywhere kind of fun.

3. Vauxhall Nova GSi (The Heartbreaker)

Snapped a timing belt 5 hours into ownership. AA bloke reckoned it was "cam safe"—spoiler alert: it wasn’t. Stripped and rebuilt the top end myself, only to find more internal damage. Couldn’t afford to go deeper, so sold her as spares. Gutted. luckily the XR3 hadnt sold yet so kept the XR3 a bit longer after that.

4. Peugeot 205 1.4 XS – Twin Weber Warrior

Twin carbs, steelies, gear-stick was like stirring porridge, and an exhaust note to die for. Didn’t do much mod-wise—just shocks, springs and a Scorpion pipe—but this car moved. Sold it to a mate who promptly maxed out the tint and chaved it into a Halfords showroom.

5. Escort RS Turbo Convertible – The Beast

Yes a real one. Ford made a handful of Mk4 RST convertibles, well more than a handful but you get the idea— I’m pretty sure it was a drug dealer’s ride—go with me on this, it sounds cooler that way. The giveaway? A full in-car phone system straight out of a 90s Wall Street movie. Totally wasn’t connected, but I kept it in there for a while because, well, I was young and stupid enough to think it was cool. Spoiler: I ripped it out about a year later after banging my knee on it every time I got in.

This car was awesome. It came on RS Turbo wheels and had the full colour-coded body kit you’d expect on an RST. About two years into ownership, I went all in: full Scorpion system with headers, uprated pistons, H-section rods, polished and ported heads, a wider solid-lifter cam, bigger front mount, and an upgrade to a T38 turbo. Big head bolt conversion, too, plus a new management system. All of this was done through RS Performance in Bury—great folks, great shop.

Then some absolute helmet in a Mini T-boned me. Rear quarter ripped open like a tin of beans. Game over.

6. Datsun Sunny 120Y – Crampmobile

Bought off a mate’s mum while waiting on the RS Turbo insurance payout. Came with slot mags and a questionable MOT. Broke down 60 miles from home. Had to drive 50mph down the hard shoulder holding the key in the “start” position to keep the ignition live. Drove an hour with a crampy hand and a gritted smile.

luckily I was only a week or two away from my payout so riding as a passanger it was for me.

That’s Just the Beginning...

That’s the early history, anyway. There are more cars, more crashes, more rebuilds—and yes, more bloody bins—but this is where the passion got baked into my bones.

The sounds, the smells, the busted knuckles, the “yeah, I can fix that” optimism—it’s all part of who I am and why I do what I do today. Got a similar story? I’d love to hear it. For us lot, it’s never “just a car.” It’s a life lived loud, fast and slightly sideways.

7. XR3i Convertible MK5

The newest whip you ever owned — 1.6 motor, electric roof and windows (luxury alert!). Standard for about a few weeks—okay, months—before penny-pinching kicked back in. Hard work, overtime, and no booze later, you dropped cash on a killer set of 18" Cosworth wheels and a full turbo-back Scorpion system. Yeah, non-turbo at first, but you knew this ride wouldn’t stay naturally aspirated for long.

A full set of Koni coilovers dropped her 35mm, and the stance on those wheels? Sweet as hell. Meanwhile, the car audio game was on point — Alpine head unit, separates, and a monster Kenwood 600W mono with a tooth-rattling 12-inch sub, imported “from America” (because why not?).

Turbo conversion followed, with all the R&D and elbow grease: radiator relocation, intercooler sorting, oil feed plumbing — the works. ECU tuned, boost set at 8-9 psi. Hose malfunctions popped up early, but nothing major until one night on the M62 you went toe-to-toe with a Porsche. You were winning—big smile and all—until the oil light screamed stop NOW at ***mph.

Outcome? All 16 valves toasted, crank spun, and a boost controller fault to blame. Engine rebuild took three weeks and plenty of overtime. Turbo off, new exhaust in, less go but still plenty of fun.

8. Fiesta RS Turbo MK3

Proper fun machine. Few mods — full Scorpion system, uprated boost controller, dump valve, and that legendary Alpine coffin sub. Lowered on Konis but, spoiler alert, you slammed it way too low and stiff. One wet night, you turned it into a dance move over a flat lake — ended up sideways through a bus stop.

Bus stop repair? £7,900. Mad. New wheel, boot repairs, paint, and back on the road. Lessons learned: suspension is science, not just a guessing game. knowledge for going forward in new cars.

I moved to Cornwall with this car roads were a dream playground, fast and mostly cop-free. You made the papers for all the right reasons (and some wrong ones). The Fiesta's engine eventually threw in the towel—crank bearings gone—so another rebuild was in order, i stripped her down and calculated the cost and at the time it had to sit there while i was looking for work and couldnt afford to rebuild her - although this lead onto the next car and i swapped it out for an RS2000.

9-10. Escort RS2000 & MK3 Astra GTE

RS2000: bigger, better on fuel, wallet-friendly in Cornwall while i found my feet and a new job. Not the heartthrob like the Fiesta, though.

MK3 Astra GTE: digital dash heaven. Felt like you were driving KITT from Knight Rider, but funds didn’t allow much tinkering, so it stayed stock.

11. Escort RS Turbo MK4

Mercury grey, best color hands down. You went all in here: head overhaul, Mahle pistons, hybrid turbo, full Scorpion exhaust, new management system — beast mode activated with 240bhp in a 1.1-ton car.

This one went everywhere — shows, trips, nights out — until one fiery evening on the way to a show. Flames licking out the bonnet vents, busted oil feed pipe causing a turbo fire. Fire extinguisher drama and smashed bonnet vent later, the car was saved but needed a full rebuild. Rod threw itself out, hoses toast — classic modified car pain.

12. Nissan Primera GT

Primera GT with that insane chameleon paint — purple/green/gold shifting magic. Great stock handling, jetex exhaust for sound, and a yearly arm replacement due to the suspension setup—classic maintenance quirk.

13. 2001 Subaru Impreza WRX

Subaru WRX — stepping up the game. 440bhp firebreather with anti-lag, built by API Engine Performance in Warwichshire, polished, ported and gas flowed, headers, positions and rods, valves, cams, crank, bearings, lightened flywheel, injectors, fuel system and pump, KN typhoon intake, miltek systems, ECUteck remap— absolute beast on road and track. Loved it in all weather, corner-carving champion.

Years of fun in all weather — a real driver’s car. It loved to go fast and slide sideways, whether dry, wet, or snowy. With one of the best AWD systems out there, splitting power 50/50 front to rear, it gripped like glue and connected you to the road — through the wheel and straight through the seam of your pants. It had a cheeky, lairy side, predictable enough to get you hooked, but don’t be fooled — push too hard, and it pushed back hard, like it was saying, “Think you’re good? Here’s your wake-up call.” Then, at its limit, it’d switch off the safety nets, handing full control over to you. Confidence-inspiring and raw as hell — the perfect weapon for any petrol head who craves a real driving experience.

but the wallet and fuel economy (7mpg at full chat) meant it had to go.

14. Seat Exeo

Seat Exeo — professional, reliable, not much love but it did the job.

15. 2015 B8 SE Passat

Then the Passat B8 SE — this car wasnt even on my radar 70mpg, £20 road tax, and a seriously underrated ride. Short sports box, the Business sport edition is quite an overlooked car with a big following, as i found out, so what can you do with a Passat, well its quite a blank canvas and stage 1 is a punchy 250bhp and torque (390 ft-lb), Eibach sport lowering kit, by 35mm sat onv19” Alurworks rims, matched with s race-line cold feed intake and de chromed with a blackout kit, it looks great and goes well — trouble in a suit. Not the fastest, but quick and classy enough to turn heads at the hotel or car show.

Conclusion

And hey, I still haven’t totally grown up. I’d 100% buy another gas-guzzler for weekend blasts—because there’s still an adrenaline junkie sleeping under a dust cover in my garage: a race-spec, road-going Suzuki L3 GSXR 750. That beast is ready for when the ASBO child in me needs to come out and play on bike nights.

We get older, settle down, and need to pay the bills… but let’s be real:
Growing old is inevitable—growing up is optional.

Astra GTE MK1 – The 80s Hot Hatch Icon

Horwood house – the Silverstone stop