Motoring: Down to earth with a bump
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.I have got a lot to be thankful for when it comes to Fords. They bailed me out when I was on tour by lending me a Cortina estate. It meant that four adults, a child and a dog could get around in relative comfort.
Then there was my first car, a terrible Popular which was held together with string, I think. It struggled to 30mph and looked dreadful, but for a cheap first car that was all I could expect. I preferred that Popular to the really awful Capri I ran in the Seventies.
Part of the problem was that the Capri came after my favourite car, which was a Triumph Spitfire. That was really fantastic, light, quick and a very pretty sports car. I imagined that the Capri would be just as sporty as the Triumph, but a little bigger.
It was certainly was bigger, but that was not the problem. The first thing I did to it when I drove the Capri home to my flat in Mayfair was scrape one side of the car down a wall. It took most of the paint off. And it felt slow and cumbersome after the Spitfire.
The steering was dreadfully heavy which made it a nightmare to park. There was a huge blind spots at the back because of the huge roof pillars, and what seemed like a tiny rear mirror. I had a whole series of mini- prangs. I remember my brother borrowing the Capri not long after I had had the side panels remodelled and getting hit from behind.
Maybe it was a magnet for minor accidents. What made it even worse apart from the reluctant steering wheel were very stiff gears. It just added to the trauma of parking. And with a boyfriend and Doberman on board it felt a claustrophobic. I don't think I have ever hated a car so much. That Capri had to go.
All I had to show for it after a year were a lot of repair bills and huge biceps. These days I squeeze three Dobermans and a husband into a Honda Civic, but if anyone would like to lend me something bigger, I'd love to hear from them. Provided of course that it isn't a Capri.
Alexandra Bastedo starred in the Sixties hit television series `The Champions'. She has appeared in `Absolutely Fabulous'. Her book, `Canine Care & Cuisine - The Healthy Dog Book', is published by Robson Books. She was talking to James Ruppert.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments