My first car was a second-hand Beetle, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I used to drive to work in it - no air conditioning, windows open, smell of exhaust , stationary traffic all around .
I took out the front passenger seat and wedged my new small fridge in the well.
I slept by the beach on the back seat when I couldn’t get into a hotel in Rio, until I was woken by two appalled policemen flashing their torchlights in my eyes at five in the morning.
I drove up to Bahia in it and could barely stand getting out of driver’s seat, I’d been driving so long.
I slept in the back of it to have a break from driving as my brother took over, on our return from Iguazu falls, not realising that he headed in the wrong direction for two hours in the dark.
He and I went to Brasilia and then across to Vitoria on the coast - through one two hour stretch the only thing we saw on the road was a family of pigs. At other times we drove alongside endless herds of thousands of cattle - the white ones with the enormous horns and wattle under the chin.
At the time I never ever doubted it could do what I needed it to do. The day I knew I was able to speak Portuguese was when I was in the garage trying to explain to the service repairman what needed to be done. I did not know the technical words (I don’t in English either) but I knew enough to be able to explain to him what was needed.
It was the seventies. and I loved it. I wish I could remember how I bought and sold it. Did I sell it to a friend when I left? I hope so.
My first was a Beetle too, but not the VW kind, a Mark 1 Standard Vanguard, in 1961 I think. It was so rotten that a policeman shrugged in disbelief at being able to easily put his hand through the large hole in the front wing and touch the tyre. He said nothing about that but gave me a ‘producer’ to take my documents to a police station of my choice within 5 days. For some reason still a mystery to me, I marched into the place on the 6th day, fondly thinking that 5 days meant a week. I got a fine for that but was allowed to keep the hole.
My 2nd car, was another one, a marked improvement because it did not have a hole. That one eventually became a banger racer and ended its life at a new stadium in Doncaster where several of us had actually been paid appearance money to celebrate the event. On the 2nd lap I was crammed from behind into the heavy duty wire cable fencing which neatly sliced the engine in 2 like a cheese cutter. I left it there.
In Brazil I didn’t collect cars, but visited Recife, Santos, Rio and Rio Grande do Sul. With my friend Yara I took a bus ride up to Sao Paolo, intending to spend the night of a romantic weekend. Sadly, the hotel would not allow us to stay because I did not have my passport with me, so we took the bus back down to Santos instead. Nice scenery though.
Our first car was an Austin A35 that we got nth hand from friends of my father. I don’t remember the colour or how long we had it. Next was a green Morris Minor with a dicky gearbox and a paint job to hide various problems. We were naive in those days. When the wheel dropped off we got rid of it. Then I had another cast off - a Vauxhall Viva with uncomfortable seats and a habit of losing coolant so that the radiator boiled over, generally on the M6. It was a nightmare. I can’t believe I commuted in it between Manchester and Birmingham frequently for work. In comparison, my first very own VW polo was great fun.
A1940’s 6 cylinder Wolseley sold to me for a tenner. A veritable wreck, usually only firing on four cylinders and a large amount of steering play, which I hadn’t been aware of in my youthful ignorance. Confirmed by the police report after I took out two bus stops and got thrown out into the road.
£2 fine driving without due care and attention and an endorsement. The seller, a back street garage man got prosecuted and closed down.
I think I was looked on leniently because of my age and inexperience being only17.
Myfirst car was a yellow Riley Elf with a blue roof.
It developed leaks and m y friend friend, who was the Managing Director of TVR in Blackpool, said that they could do anything with fibre glass so I took the car over one Saturday morning and they mended it.
Unfortunately, the car also developed leaks from the wheel arches, so I used to drive it with the bungs out, so that any leaks could drain away.8
Mine was a Mk I VW Golf. Lovely car - got me out of trouble lots of times - but I didn’t reciprocate (I didn’t know you needed to take a car for regular servicing) and I eventually sold it to a friend, who knew more about cars than I did.
Hillman Imp Californian (fastback version), white with black roof and bonnet inlay. Taught me a lot about car mechanics . The reg was XLP124G. I got it as soon as I passed my test at 17 and a couple of months and kept it for 4 years . Taught my brother and sister to drive in it too.
I was one of the lucky few who was given a Mini at 17. I shall always remember it even the registration, IZD 523! It was an 850 with the long direct gear lever. It was the beginning of my ruination from cars!
My raging hormones though fell in love with Rosemary Smith, so it was traded in for an Imp, but short lived as the lure of a Cooper S soon overtook Ms Smith…
That got passed around to all the friends as they migrated to warm and dry from cold and wet Bellstaff wearing bikers.
Then the mini cooper 998, cant remember all of the reg but it started with BRA always a titter
Then came the S and souping up minis when I joined the motor club and began rallying.
My first car was a Mini 850, complete with dead christmas tree in the back and hole in the floor. The tree was an easy removal, the floor welded by a kind neighbour who had an engineering company. One door was a different colour due to the original being very rotten. I loved it and sold it onto other family who also used it for years
That was my second car when I came back from Brazil. I bought sterling on the black market and brought the money out of the country in a money belt and paid for the mini with cash.
I got a fine for that but was allowed to keep the hole.
Nice scenery though. 
. The reg was XLP124G. I got it as soon as I passed my test at 17 and a couple of months and kept it for 4 years . Taught my brother and sister to drive in it too.
