I had to fill in a form last week. After feeling mildly depressed that I was now well into the 26-35 checkbox, I came to the space that kindly asked for my profession. The words I duly settled on a few minutes later were ‘Professional Car Tinkerer’ (don’t worry, the form was very, um, informal).
Although I currently spend much of my time writing about cars on a freelance basis, the unpredictable working week can also bring bouts of car trading (also useful for retro road testing), occasional mobile servicing, machine polishing and selling engine conversion kits. It sure is fun explaining all that to people who have bought a brand new Chevy Matiz.
Current projects include my BMW E30, a track car which is in a gradual state of improvement until the unfathomably exciting day when I might manage to fund some racing. I also have recently started trying to turn an MK Indy kit car into a Lotus XI replica, hopefully powered by an obscure bike engine. You can follow the progress of these in Practical Performance Car Magazine.
So, if you are looking for an amusing story, technical writing, or simply someone who could reassure you to buy something stupid on eBay then give me a shout.
or find me on Twitter at twitter.com/TheCarDisco
Me, earlier this week (right before I woke up).