What influences our future interests?

bytvrob26

428 followers

6 years ago

I thought I would put a few words together to explain why I became a true "petrol head" and where my username came from.

For as long as I can remember I have always played with cars, either toy or real and been a true petrolhead. From about the age of 7, when I could finally reach the pedals of my Dad's Wolseley, I had the occasional treat of having a drive around our local cricket pitch.

As soon as started my engineering apprenticeship at the age of 16, I spend my first few months wages on a Vauxhall Viva HC to learn about motor vehicles and prepare it for my 17th birthday, when I could be let loose on the open roads.

Not long after passing my driving test at the age of 17 years, 52 days, I started to want something more stylish than my trusty old Vauxhall. One car that I had always desired through the 1970s was the Triumph Stag and this was to be my next purchase. I bought my Stag in October 1984, but due to insurance problems for a 17 year old male, I could not get it insured until my 18th birthday. Oh boy, what a birthday present. I felt like a dog with 2 d.....s. My driving world was heaven with the wind blowing through my hair and the sound of a throbbing V8.

For a few years I was very content and happy with my Stag and even though they had a very poor reputation for engine reliability, my stag ran beautifully, because it had always been maintained to a high standard, which I continued with and I used it regularly. I used to go along to a monthly meeting of the Stag owners club down in Berkshire at "The Bird in Hand" and after a few months the TVR car club started using the same venue, on the same evening of the month. Now I thought Stags sounded good, but when these then new wedge shaped TVRs started rumbling into the car park, I started to think that maybe this might be the car that would replace the Stag one day.

I had always had a soft spot for the TVR marque as they first got into my blood at the age of 7 when a freind of my father took me for a ride around the Silverstone race track in his 2500 Vixen. (See above) Yes this is me, Rob Ingleby at the age of 7 with a big grin on my face.
Back then I hadn't got a clue that this was a hand built sportscar from Blackpool, England, but I do remember how impressed I was with the way it went around corners so fast!!!

Through my teens I started to learn more about TVR and if it wasn't for the desire of a Triumph Stag, I would have probably bought an M series TVR as my first sportscar. Seeing these new wedge shaped V8 engined TVRs in the late eighties and the desire of going faster around corners and doing track days, the time came to painfully sell the Stag and start the search for my first TVR.

I first joined the TVR car club back in Ocotober 1991, and started going to events both locally and nationally in my Stag, picking the brains of owners to gain as much knowledge of the cars as possible to help me find a good example of 350i. I set me heart on a series 2 model, mainly because of the softer body lines and improved redesigned A-frame rear suspension. Eventually in November 1994, I became the proud owner of a 1987 350i in Carabean blue.
I kept this first TVR for about 3 years and did quite a few track days in it. Once the track day buzz got under my skin, I started wanting a more suitable track car, so decided to purchase a Lotus Elise S1.

I have now owned many TVRs, Lotus's and a few other sportscars over the past 34 years and have loved everyone of them.

My username came from my intial username when setting up my youtube account a few years ago and is a combination of my favourite car, name and birth date.

Please comment below and give me some feedback and I would love to hear what big influences guided you to your passions in later life.