It was the late 50s when cars started to appeared around Downham my dad had a bubble car with a front door interesting, when you had a front on crash, then a Hillman Sdn then a upgrade to a Hillman Imp. I use to hung out with a "Billie Long" who lived in Hazelbank Rd on the corner of Torridon Rd, well we use to club together and buy old Yank tanks, our first was a Ford Mercury V8 which we wreaked on the way to Margate and had the bonnet wrap its self around the wind screen. Then we had a Lincoln Zephyr V12 convertible, we had brought it from a African man in Brixton who was down on his luck for 50 pound. It had a complete overhaul apart from a paint job, so we drove around thinking we looked like kings.(grey under coat) On the way back from Southhampton we lost most of the gears and stripped the keyways on the half shafts, and I remember going in reverse up Keedonwood Road to my house because we had no forward gears.We never got it painted My first car was a "Ford Y model", complete with running boards, I brought it from a Dealer just over Catford Bridge 1 pound down and 5 shillings a week, That would have been around 1960 just before I went in the army. I use to then Hire cars when on leave and drive around the estate like a king, I had an Opel while in Germany. I always been a petrol head, no interest in any other sport ("Top Gear" fan).
