All that got damaged was my pride, and the bodywork on the Wolseley.
“Hope you don’t fly your aircraft like that,” said one of the villagers. If you wore an RAF uniform in the war people were only too pleased to help The wheel was quickly retrieved and I was on my way. The whole experience put me off second-hand cars for good.Kenneth Wolstenholme’s new book is ‘They Think It’s All Over’ (Robson Books, pounds 8.99) He was talking to James Ruppert.. Everything seemed to be going well until I took a sharp left-hand bend. Suddenly there was a lurch and the rear of the car dropped, then slid around wildly as I was overtaken by my rear offside wheel. I watched in horror as it bounced down the road and into a garden, while I and the car ended up in a ditch. I never took my driving test; it was suspended during the war; but that wasn’t the cause of the mishap I suffered with my first and worst car, a Wolseley 10hp saloon At the time I was a pilot in the RAF.
The opportunity to buy the Wolseley came up and I asked one of the flight mechanics if he’d give it a once-over. That was quite naughty, because it was illegal of me to ask the chap and it was just as wrong for him to do it We both could have got court-martialled
Anyway, on his say-so I bought the car. I was due some leave, so I set off from my Bomber Command base in Cambridge to drive to Manchester. I rather like the look of those, and the reviews have been very good.”If Andrew Stevens is a typical Land Rover owner, the company won’t have to search too hard to find themselves a legend.. Back then it was an exhausting day’s drive across country, which meant I’d probably spend about 10 minutes with my mum before having to turn around and come back.
“I owned a Meccano set as a small boy, which must have helped It really is a simple vehicle to work on. Getting underneath isn’t a problem;the ground clearance is so high there is no need for a ramp.”I have a 1948 model which I restored 10 years ago It has aged nicely and has become my recreational vehicle. My everyday 1955 station wagon was ex-RAF and had 12 previous owners; I estimated that it had covered 200,000 miles.He adds: “Yet when I came to restore it, very few bolts sheared off. The quality of the original construction and the basic level of technology made it easy to restore. In fact restoration is something I’ve done twice since 1975, so it should last for the rest of my motoring career.”And would the Reverend ever consider trading up or down to anything else?”Well, I suppose if my Premium Bond number came up I might be able to persuade my wife to part-exchange her old Metro for a new Freelander. First of all you sit high up and can see the traffic well ahead, and as result drive much more safely and responsibly It is also a strong, simple and durable structure.
The fact that it is old-fashioned I also find reassuring; it requires you to be actively involved in driving it, rather than sitting back and being cosseted. Also, depreciation isn’t an issue.”My 1955 station wagon, which I use every day, has never dropped in value, while parts and servicing are cheap. Ecologically I think that a well-looked-after Land Rover is a pretty sound way to go motoring, rather than chopping and changing cars every few years.”The Rev Andrew Stevens certainly knows how to look after his Land Rovers, and enjoys wielding his socket set. I believe in using my Land Rovers as they were intended.” That is the Gospel according to the Rev Stevens, who has been a Land Rover enthusiast since his teens.”For me they are an utter joy to drive.