Crammond Automotive Specialities

Each morning starts the same…6:15… snooze button… 6:25… walk downstairs (try not to wake anyone else up)… grind coffee (remember to put the filter in this time), dress, join the others on the freeway- waking up on the Whitemud.

Then you look around to notice all the other drivers around you. Those that hold their wheel like a praying mantis, those that look like they are using a lazy boy as a driver seat, and most entertaining those who seem to have a seat made of plywood mounted a right angles (this is usually accompanied by a terrified look and nervous gestures). Out of nowhere a small beige BMW 2002 appears beside you, instantly you wish you where them. It does not matter that the ’02 may be a bit tired – they are having fun. This exact scenario happened to me last week and made me realize the responsibility that we all share in owning an interesting car.

Be honest – you cannot help but smile while you are driving your car. We all have a mental image of ourselves while we drive; for some it is Mr. Toad trundling through the woods, for others it is Patrick McGoohan in the closing credits of “The Prisoner” speeding down a runway with an almost evil smile on his face. Driving an interesting car is fun, not only for us, but those around us. “Fuddy” little cars contribute to the scenery on the way to work and show others that commuting can be fun rather than mindless. By driving your car on a regular basis you allow people to share stories and to realize that the cars they wanted years ago still exist, only now they are affordable.

In driving my European oddities to work I have had quite a few staff members tell me stories of rides and roadtrips they had in European cars. Imagine this, by driving your car you can make your workplace more interesting. Since I have started showing up in to school in oddities, two TR6s have begun making the commute as well. Watching someone become an enthusiast is really inspiring, and serves to renew the hobby (and your own enthusiasm). In reality, this hobby is not dying nor is it endangered. The hobby lives in garages and shops hidden away from view.

It was interesting to participate in this past years field meet and hear people comment “I did not think that there were this many British cars left!”. In talking to others I was told that the All British Field Meet keeps on growing each event. If we want to be recognized as a hobby and if we want others to covet funny European cars, the easiest way to accomplish this is to allow your cars to be seen. The kids getting out of high school want Japanese cars mostly because that is what they have grown up with .On the rare occasion that they seen a European classic they dismiss it as an oddity and believe it to be unreliable – they must be you rarely see them on the roads.