sitting comfortably
Picture the scene its 1980 and I am just turned 24 years old.
My dad is semi retired ex chauffeur, calls me up and says, how do you fancy earning some extra money and having a bit of fun at the same time, liked the idea of the money and was intrigued with the proposition.
So duly turned up at my dads suited and booted for the day ahead.
He then proceeded to teach me to drive every conceivable limo you have ever seen, turns out he got himself a nice little part time job working for a limo hire company and was in charge of the drivers.
You name it I drove it Mercedes stretch limos, Washington Continentals Cadillac de villes, Rolls Royces by the handful, if they got really busy they used to hire them in and it was only my dad and me that were allowed to drive the hired rollers.
The fleet of cars was awesome, RR silver shadows, wraiths a 1932 landau built for the king of Sweden if I remember right, blasted thing would boil in an instant, but stunning to drive as it was so far away from any modern cars, The queen mother’s Bentley can’t remember the exact model but do remember the bonnet went on for ever, no powered steering and at least three turns of the steering wheel to take up the slack, go round a corner and then let go of the steering wheel then grab it again when you felt the wheels were straight again, semi automatic gearbox with dodgy clutch engage, you had to remember to get your foot off the pedal sharpish when moving about in first or second as it would come rocketing back off the floor and let you know you were alive by trying to break your ankle. Had its own passport and this beauty had been round the world
But the overriding memory of all was the sheer joy of driving these cars and the quality, the smell of the wood and leather stayed with me for years, used to do a lot of weddings and would always take the long way back with the ribbons off the car so that folks would think I owned it, occasionally would keep the car overnight and take in to work, that was great fun.
So that’s where I got the bug and promised myself before they put the lid on I would own one of these beauties for myself, so now I have my Silver spirit and every time I drive it brings back many happy memories
Told you it was a long story
John
