A breakthrough - at last!

In my April post HERE ,  I shared some thoughts about keeping mentally and physically active as we age.  My particular priority was in having sufficient back-up interests as my motorcycling decreases.  I'll be retiring from my official role as an Institute of Advanced Motorists Examiner at the end of the year and it will only be social riding with IAM after that.  A few months ago, Jennie suggested that we think about getting a classic car to have some fun outings together.  She complains that I see far more interesting parts of the country when I'm out on the bike than when we're doing routine journeys in our everyday vehicles.  Fair point and with the extra time becoming available and the prospect of limited international travel for quite a while, it sounded like an excellent suggestion.  

I quietly started looking at "classic" vehicles that might interest both of us and not break the bank, not require mega-hours of restoration or be a nightmare to keep running.  As with the bikes I've owned, emotional appeal was incredibly important.  Regular readers will remember my almost impulsive purchase of a Suzuki GSX-S 1000.  Outstanding performance and totally fit for purpose but it had no emotional appeal. Contrast that with my current KTM Duke 790 which makes me laugh every time I throw a leg over it.

Initially, there was a massive amount of reading to be done, not wanting to be sucked in by a car's looks, only to find that keeping certain models on the road is a nightmare in terms of reliability, rusting or a host of other things.  At least with not using salt on the roads in NZ, corrosion from that source wasn't going to be an issue.

Bloody hell!  Who would have thought it would be so hard to spend money?  I showed Jennie the Reliant Scimitar GTE.  She thought that it was as ugly as sin which was really disappointing as I've always loved it.  Well, that went well as an opening gambit, didn't it?

Scimitar GTE - ain't going to happen! (file photo)

Perusing other classic vehicles for sale in NZ, I came across an early restored Mini Cooper in British Racing Green with a white roof.  We owned a Mini back in the 70's and did my own maintenance (including a complete chassis swap) so I thought this might appeal but the paint job was dismissed as boring, sigh....    She loved this one though:

1990's Mini Cooper (Trademe)

My turn to not be thrilled.  Red cars don't do much for me unless it's a Ferrari but the real killer was a Union Jack sprayed in metallic paint on the roof.  Very professionally done I'll admit but having the prospect of mates and strangers alike making Austin Powers jokes at my expense was not something I looked forward to so that was a non-starter too on my part.  

We also had several other non-starters for various reasons, including GT 40 and Cobra replicas.  The final one, which also disappointed me most was a completely restored NZ-made Lotus 7 clone.  Here it is:

Dixon Saracen - drool, dribble..... (Trademe)

In this instance, Jennie loved it too and with what I took to be a wistful smile, added that in her teens, her first "proper" boyfriend had a genuine Lotus 7.  I was careful not to ask for further details but thought that we were onto a winner, whatever nostalgia the car conjured up.  That is, until she had second thoughts about now being in her 70's and her potential inability to enter and exit it with a semblance of dignity whilst onlookers were present.  After the crushing disappointment and a droopy bottom lip on my part for a day or two, I conceded that she had a valid point.  I probably wouldn't be immune from that either.  Bugger.....

It was beginning to look like the quest for a classic car which we both liked was doomed and then karma stepped in.  We recently completed some theory training for new IAM Observers (mentors) and followed it up with their first practical assessment.  It was a fantastic day out, starting in dry, overcast conditions and ending with heavy rain and slippery roads.  A great challenge which everyone got through very well indeed.

Getting ready for the training ride - Rob, Bruce and Trevor

Some more bikes and Scott

A mid-point debrief with Tony and Andy - rain setting in

Scott, Bruce and Rob starting their mid-point debrief in the rain

I'd already considered an MGB thanks to an excellent YouTube channel HERE and it so happened that two of the Trainee Observers were serving police officers and one of them had been allocated to me for the day.  Over lunch, we were chatting socially and Trevor happened to mention that he owned several bikes and classic cars.  One of his cars was an MGB and he suggested that this might be a consideration.  My close friend Rick in the UK had also recently mentioned an MGB so when I got home, the For Sale pages of various NZ websites were perused.  First up was a beautiful MGB RV8 roadster, an exceedingly rare beast with a 3.9 litre Rover V8 powerplant.  Sadly, a phone call revealed that it had been sold - more disappointment and more scanning - this was getting rather dispiriting.  Ditto with other adverts where reading between the lines implied, "Expensive bit of crap - needs massive amounts of cash and time".  A few days later, another internet scan revealed an MGB GT for sale and what's more, it was only an hours' drive away!  Jennie also liked the idea of an MGB GT - yayyy!

A call was made and yes indeed, it had only just been advertised and would we like to have a look at it that afternoon?  A quick trip down the coast and to say that we were impressed would be a gross understatement.  The long-term owner had put his soul into the restoration a few years back, never takes it out in the rain and it was close to flawless.  The engine bay was so clean that you could have conducted major surgery in it!  It was imported from the UK in the 1980's and subsequently underwent a full restoration with a bit of modernisation such as electronic ignition and Spax adjustable rear shocks. Expensive durable K2 twin pack paint as well, matched to the original factory Blaze Orange colour - as good as it gets!

The engine bay - clean, or what???

The rest of the car was similarly immaculate and the time spent restoring and maintaining it must have been a genuine labour of love.  Brian, the vendor, is older than me and was looking to downsize his property and belongings but it must be painful to let such a beautiful car go, even if it does only get used on infrequent occasions.

1972 MGB GT 

Rostyle wheels - a "must-have" in the 70's

Clean, original interior, stainless kick plates

Jennie would have preferred another colour option than Blaze Orange. She calls it Karitane Yellow (a Kiwi euphemism for baby poo)  but that wasn't going to stand in the way of our ownership.  I love it as it's so 70's and you certainly wouldn't lose it in a busy car park!  To cut a slightly longer story short, the deal was done on a handshake and we will shortly take posession of a beautiful classic car.

In an interesting coincidence, our 49th wedding anniversary is this week and the MG was made 49 years ago in 1972.  In another weird coincidence, Jennie and I take part in a fortnightly "pub quiz", teamed up with our neighbours.  They couldn't make it the evening after we sealed the deal on the car so we teamed up with another couple who have a holiday home near us.  Turns out that the husband is the Treasurer of the MG Owner's club in NZ - that's karma for you!

Going back to the original intent of having another fall-back interest when I finally stop motorcycling, plus adding to the things that Jennie and I can do together right now; it looks like we might have nailed it.  Owning a classic car does require a certain level of commitment which should keep me busy although I hope that most of the time is spent driving it, not working on it!  However, all sorts of incidentals which go with classic British car ownership are now starting to crop up.  Imperial spanners and sockets for starters as most of mine are metric.  The Garage Elves seem to have spirited away my decades-old timing gun and I gave the axle stands away decades ago  Then there's lubricants suitable for older vehicles, yada, yada, yada ....  Hopefully, exciting times and adventures ahead!

To finish on a lighter note,  I’ve owned a pair of Gerbing electrically heated gloves for 4 or 5 years now and they’re far superior to heated grips for winter riding. Unfortunately, some forgetfulness on my part saw me subsequently buying another pair from Revzilla whilst trying to fly under my Chief Financial Officer’s radar.

I’d applied some leather conditioner to them and as it was a cold, miserable day, I put them in a slightly warmed (but turned off) oven to assist with the absorption.  I then wandered off to do other stuff and they were rediscovered by Jennie well after she’d switched on the oven to prepare dinner.  I thought that her comments directed at me were remarkably restrained given the amount of smoke that emanated from the oven.  A novel twist to the term "heated gloves".  The pork cutlets still tasted ok though………

Charred Gloves, anyone?

Doing a bit more future-proofing

It was 10 years ago to the month when I joined the Institute of Advanced Motorists as a means of upskilling and prolonging my riding career in a safe and fulfilling manner.  The blog has documented the road to being coached in Police Roadcraft, passing the IAM Advanced Test, then further training and tests to become an Observer (mentor) and an Examiner 4 years ago.  All that was due to well-known US motorcycle safety author David Hough emailing me in 2010 having seen an article I wrote and pricking my conscience.  Certainly a fantastic outcome and I've tried to pay it forward as thanks to all those people who put their time into making me a better rider.  A real win-win if ever there was one.  Made some wonderful lifelong friends too.  One of them and fellow IAM member, Tony, turned 57 a week ago and we celebrated his birthday with a 200 km brisk scamper round a biker nirvana on our doorstep; the northern Coromandel Loop.  Being a Monday with all the visitors having gone home, we virtually had the road to ourselves in warm, sunny conditions.  Absolute heaven!

Tony on his Yamaha MT10 SP and yours truly at Whitianga harbour

However, I'm 74 later this year and still love riding.  Whilst there are no concrete plans to stop, I'm becoming more comfortable with the idea of not riding as I've had such a great length of time on 2 wheels.  I'll be retiring as an active IAM member at year end, but will still ride socially, at least for a while. Whenever the time comes to stop doing something that has consumed a large part of our lives, I reckon it's really important to have a fall-back interest to keep us mentally and physically active. I have a reasonable range of other interests.  None of them would replace motorcycling on their own but the mix would probably be an acceptable substitute.  Annual international travel was also regular until early 2020  (Wuhan in July 2019!) but that's come to a grinding stop.

Competitive sailing was once a big thing in my life but that requires a high degree of physical fitness.  Not interested in just cruising. We have a runabout for sea fishing as it's something which Jennie and I can do together.  Unfortunately, it hasn't been in the water since last November due to weather, tides, other commitments and so on.  Note to ourselves - just make time and stop procrastinating!

Jennie and grandkids with the Stabicraft 1410 So-fish-ticated

 

Four-wheeled vehicles have always occupied a distant second place to bikes when it comes to fun but I've had the odd thought about a Lotus 7 replica as a motorcycle replacement.  However, whilst it's a nice thought, it probably wouldn't get used a whole lot and could be a pain to get in and out of  as we age more.  Probably not going to happen.  We have a 2005 RAV4 which we use for launching the boat and general towing duties or travelling on dirt roads around the peninsula.  It's bullet proof, owes us nothing and should serve its purpose for a few more years yet, albeit something that's not exciting, merely utilitarian.  Jennie has a 5 year old Honda Jazz RS which has only covered 30,000 km and is perfect for longer hauls in comfort, not to mention surprisingly good performance and handling.  Little point in replacing that either.

Pocket rocket - the Jazz RS

Real first world problem isn't it, so hardly a big deal in the scheme of things but nonetheless, having another fall-back interest is still an important issue to keep mind and body functional.  I can actually see an e-bike in my future. There are lots of hills in our vicinity and an e-bike would overcome the shortcomings of my 30 year old mountain bike and ageing body.  Also, Jennie has hinted at something that we could enjoy together and isn't so weather dependent (or on age, come to that!).  Our near-neighbours of a similar vintage have a 1950's MG TF classic car which they head off in regularly for an adventure somewhere.  The hint was that we might look at buying a classic car of some sort.  

Since that throwaway comment, I've quietly looked at what's available in NZ and have found very little with that emotional appeal which has been an important factor in buying my bikes.  Well, to qualify that statement; nothing much below where we would need to spend quite a bit of money to buy cars such as a good 60's Mustang or a more modern Cobra replica.  Not a show-stopper but probably unlikely in terms of guilt through spending part of the kid's inheritance!  However, there is one British car from the 60's that I've always liked which isn't ridiculously expensive and wouldn't mean massive amounts of time spent keeping it on the road.  

Followers of the UK TV comedies Mr Bean or Only Fools and Horses will remember the ghastly 3-wheel Reliant Robin vehicles which featured prominently in those programmes.  Mention the name Reliant and that's what will always spring to mind for most people.  However, they uncharacteristically produced a vehicle with exceptional performance for the time.  That car is the Reliant Scimitar GTE (or even the coupe version).  This is it.....

The Reliant Scimitar GTE (file photos)

1967 Scimitar Coupe (file photo)

With a fibreglass body and a number of UK Ford engine options including a 3 litre V6, it should be relatively reliable and easy to maintain.  The looks appeal to me but that's getting well ahead of things.  I now need to think a bit more seriously about whether a classic car is going to be of sufficient attraction to help keep mind and body active in the coming years.

I hope that this post hasn't been too boring.  The main purpose has been to articulate the thought processes of  "a person of a certain age" to stay mentally and physically stimulated in the future by having fall-back interests to replace the main passion of riding motorcycles for approaching 60 years.  Something that most of us will need to consider at some stage in life, even if motorcycling hasn't been the main passion.