Fast approaching my fifties I found myself watching old TV cop shows. Jim Rockford doing his trademark Rockford turn-around" in his Pontiac Firebird when trying to evade someone tailing him. The ultra macho Ford Falcon driven by Mel Gibson in Mad Max. Oh how my friends and I dreamed of owning one of those sexy cars, Magnum was so cool wheel spinning the Ferrari 308 GTS. But alas 18 year old boys can rarely afford such things. So as I laugh at the Duke boys crashing their Dodge Charger through another fence and getting airborne it occurs to me I could probably afford one now.
Would public opinion be against me? The dreaded words "mid-life crisis" are bound to be mentioned and even my normally playful wife may raise an eyebrow. In the immortal words of Trotter "he who dares Rodney" a quick scour of the classic car ads and a couple of days later I am the proud owner of a 1974 Gran Torino People of a certain age will know it as The Striped Tomato, star of the 70s hit TV series Starsky and Hutch. The bright red Gran Torino featured a distinctive large white vector stripe and big chrome bumpers - I always thought it was a bit unrealistic for undercover detectives. So as I hold the wheel of the vibrating V8, blue skies, red metal and the theme tune playing in my head, a teenage fantasy has come true. Long live the mid-life crisis...
The cost of owning one of these icons is not as scary as you might think. Parts are relatively easily available on eBay and from specialist suppliers. The really good news is, if you ask for limited mileage, fully comp classic car insurance the premiums are cheaper than you would expect for a 5 or 6 litre car, my Gran Torino is under ?200 pounds a year, for once age is on my side. Most garages seem delighted to have me as a customer and report that big old cars are much easier to work on than cramped modern cars with computers. On the downside Petrol is a worry, It works out I'm getting 10 miles to the gallon on average.
It has been a great pleasure so far owning the Striped Tomato. Arriving with my friends daughter, at her wedding in her full white meringue dress with the red light flashing, was a high light. We received huge cheers and applause.
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