Reminiscing - my first car

I'm sure that for most people, the first car they ever owned is one they recall fondly.  Even if it was a bit of a wreck, and not the coolest thing on four wheels, it holds a special place in your heart, reminding you of the sweet taste of freedom, of 
new-found independence and the carefree days of youth.

Recently, each time I go out in the car (modern, silver) I seem to see a reminder of my first car and it has set me off yearning... It's not that I see one car similar to my old one - no, there seems to be a veritable parade of them round here recently.  

I first had a car to call my own in 1986.  I bought it for £200 (if I remember rightly), from my brother.  It was January and I was on my final teaching practice in 
Kingston. I was really glad to have a set of motorised wheels to get me to and fro, from halls of residence in Roehampton, through a frosty Richmond Park early each morning and back home each evening as the deer settled beneath the oaks .

Now whilst most of my contemporaries were running around in 


trendy Austin Metros 
(yes, honest they were!)


Vauxhall Cavaliers


 beaten-up Cortinas


racy-red Minis 


Renault 5s 
(or 4s if you could cope with the gear stick)


 two-tone 2CVs
(oh the joys of the roll-back 'lid')


 I had the pleasure of one of these...

This photo from John Burke - Flickr

Mine was Light Blue and fondly known as Bellamy (after David Bellamy), due to her contribution to wildlife.  I'm not talking about the college parties she used to ferry people to and from (I am a natural adopter of the role of designated driver, probably due to the fact that the word 'mug' seems to be tattooed on my forehead!) but the fact that she housed a nice collection of mosses in the runners of the back windows and was not averse to providing housing for assorted spiders.  There may even have been mushrooms at one point...

It was Bellamy who carried me and my four friends to Wimbledon at 4.30 am every morning during the 1986 Championship, where we worked as (oh, the glamour!) 

litter-pickers, sweeping and bagging the detritus round Centre and No 1 courts.  Bellamy saw me to the first of my schoolfriend's weddings...

...to my graduation ceremony...

 and to my first 'proper' job...

..where the staff and I looked like this!

Once I was earning proper money, I got her booked in to a specialist garage, where she was to have a full makeover - new timbers, re-spray, the lot.  

But then one rainy day on the way to school near Petersfield, it all went horribly wrong.  All of a sudden, I found myself at a peculiar angle, bumping and scraping my way down the winding country lane, till we came to rest just short of the hedgerow.  

If I'd been in the mood to sing at that moment, the most apt song would have been 'Three Wheels on my Wagon'...

(In case you're too young to have heard this regularly on 'Junior Choice'.)

My trunion had gone.  

Or rather, Bellamy's.

I'm still not really sure what a trunion is, but when it goes, your wheel flips out and the chassis hits the tarmac.  So poor Bellamy did go to the garage.  Her trunion got fixed.  

But when I got her back, it was never the same.  It pains me to say it now, but I didn't trust her anymore to get me safely along the pretty country lanes to work.  And so Bellamy was sold - I think to the garage where she was meant to be going for her renovation.  So at least she probably went on to be cherished by a new owner who had faith in her, trunions and all. 

And now, I keep seeing vintage Morris Minors and Travellers. Stylish green ones, pretty pale blue ones, cool grey ones and deep red ones, with leather upholstery, simple dashboards and skinny steering wheels.  And I wish I'd had a little more faith, or the money to keep Bellamy and get another car for the day to day running around.

I wonder what your first car was?