When you get old, there’s only the past. The future is… uncertain. In length and quality. But the thing is; the future is completely unknown and the past so full of rich and wonderful memories. Hence the business of nostalgia. Which sounds like it’s a rheumatic condition affecting the… errrr… nostrils, but is in fact the sheer enjoyment of some facet of long-ago.

Like this 1967 Alpha Romeo Spyder. For aficionados, its the original ‘boat tail’ model, before Alpha applied some horrendously ruinous ‘modernism’ a few years later. And after watching The Graduate movie, which starred Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, a totally ‘fuck off’ soundtrack by Simon & Garfunkel and in top billing, a red Alpha Spyder. I wanted this car more than I wanted oxygen to breathe. Never mind I was only about 15 and 2 years away from driving. Or that my car fund was about £2 16s 9d, and a new one of these cost about £10k. I just wanted it. Because to have such a car was the sure fire path to acquiring Katherine Ross, who also starred in the film. And I desperately wanted her too.

So imagine my joy 3 years ago when my favourite brother-in-law told me he’d bought one. Holy Shittttt! I thought. And flew round to take it for a spin. Only to find it arrived in about 14 boxes. Engine in one box. Camshaft in another. Doors. Windscreen. Seats. Wheels. All in boxes. The body was bare. And paintless, other than a few patches of colours past. Being a 1960s Italian car meant it was rusty before the 1970s started. The Italians used only recycled steel for their motor industry back then.

Oh.

I’d have packed it all up and returned it to Amazon, or wherever, for a refund. But the brother-in-law is made of different stuff. He wanted ‘the project’. I wanted ‘the car’. So I let him take the welding course, buy an arc welder (the most after-dinner fun since Trivial Pursuit) and spend the next year cutting massive steel panels into shape and replacing virtually all the underside of the car. Then he had it sprayed and got it back to ‘finish’. Like putting every single part back on. Another year or so. Nothing’s easy. Except my part in the program. Which was go round every now and again and tell him how well he’s doing and replying positively to all the photos and videos he sent me. Even though it was miles away from looking like a car.

But now he’s got this. Sorry, WE have got this. Suddenly it’s a collective thing. And it drives fantastically. It’s noisy, relatively powerful and the most beautiful thing ever. And as I was rounding a corner (the speedo is possibly the only thing not working, which is brilliant, you’re never speeding!!) he put the track ‘Mrs Robinson’ on the system. Jesus loves me more than you will know. Woh, woh, woh. And I cried with nostalgic joy. Which blurred my vision on the next curve, which wasn’t ideal, but hey ho.

I still want one. But without all that sweat. Though my car fund has now increased to £27 12s 9d, so I’m getting closer.

Happy driving

A xxxx