That was me every time I took my Sierra estate to the grocery store. I love me a pinto. When are you doing an article on it? I presume you will sooner or later because it’s super bloody amazing, and probably one of Ford’s most internationally acclaimed engines. Also still very much in use in grassroots motorsports my…

Literally last week in Halfords car park, whilst I was buying wiper blades for my Landy. Probably goes without saying I now wish I’d taken a picture.

Come to Wiltshire and you can see all those econoboxes with big whip aerials and rally lights. The local yokel youngsters love them for lamping rabbits when they can’t yet afford a Landy. Something amazing about seeing a Punto with half a field stuck to it, spot lights and comms.

You’re all nuts. Classic muscle car with a recent rebuild for under $7k? Solid NP. Rip the interior out, like right the hell out, and rattle can the exterior black. Drive it every day.

What’s all this seasonal tyre nonsense? Mud tyres all year! I love that reassuring thrum. It lets me know I’m still the right way up.

What, like the Queen? They’re cute but no, I wasn’t planning on a cute dog. Original plan was for a Rottweiler but I took one look at this guys face and thought “looks like I’m the scary guard dog then”

I’m British, and​ it is a Futurama reference. Got a slightly ironic planet express sticker on the Landy, likely the least space-age vehicle it could be affixed to.

Thanks. He sure is.

Well there seems to be a pervasive attitude that they’re plain unreliable regardless. And I can’t give all the credit to the engine because there’s still plenty of other mechanical complexity.

I’ve done about 15,000 miles, bringing it to about 187 thousand total. Needed a jump start once. That makes it more reliable than my Kawasaki hedge cutter. It’s a diesel though, not a v8. That might be a factor.

Rover and Rover. Just kidding. They’re called Nibbler and Bunny

Someone bought me Jeep socks for Christmas. I drive a big, white Land Rover which said relative would’ve had to have walked past to give me said socks. On the up side, they are quite good socks but that’s not really the point, is it?

I know auto journalists have to play it a little on the safe side with regards discouraging dangerous driving, but “you will screw up” isn’t totally true, is it? Because most of us here, if we’re honest, have pushed the limits of ourselves and our vehicles on a public road at some point and got away with it. Best case…

I’ve been saying for ages that no real hippies can afford a Volkswagen van. It used to just apply to the old ones but it’s all of them now. Plus way too trendy to be at all counter culture.

Broadly unimpressed. I’ve seen better from my delivery driver, fully laden in a long wheelbase Mercedes sprinter. Real white vans are rear wheel drive. You ever tried to get a front wheel drive van out the woods with the back full of logs? Looks like an animal with a broken back trying to claw its way to safety. Makes…

Getting the slack out the steering on my Defender. Front wheel bearings, drop arm, tie bar all giving a good bit of wobble before hand. Went from half a turn of slack to maybe 1.5" which isn’t bad on such a huge steering wheel. Suddenly staying in my lane didn’t require brow furrowing concentration!

1. Ford Diamond White

You nearly can. It’s called a Jimny and since the defender went oop it’s the best utilitarian 4x4 you can buy in the UK.

All the things that can make a car a family member give it soul. My Landy joined the family already battered and bruised. We nursed it back to health without trying to change who it was. It has since repaid the favour a hundred times over. Through its myriad of mechanic complexities it develops a personality, from the…

McLaren have clearly been watching me on the lawn tractor grabbing whichever wheel is spinning when I get stuck. Probably even more effective with carbon brakes than rigger gloves though.