Figaro, figaro, fiiiiigarrro
In the engine shop we've got a right mix of cylinder heads at the moment. As you would expect there are heads from A and B-series engines in for overhaul and converting to unleaded, but we've also got an alloy head from a Reliant three-wheeler and a huge cast iron lump from a John Deere diesel tractor. Talk about going from one extreme to the other! One unkind visitor did ask whether the John Deere head was more sophisticated than the MGB one sitting next to it, the cheeky devil.
Tucked safely at the back of the general workshop is a nicely patinated Ford Y-Type. This had been bought secondhand by Steve's brother over 50 years ago, then sold on to a local farmer for £50. When the farmer's son offered it to Steve a couple of years ago (for rather more than £50!), sentiment got the better of him as he couldn't bear to see it go. No doubt it will end up being an expensive decision, but for now the Ford is a slow-burning project in the background. All the staff are pleased that it has made its way to the back of the workshop, because previously it had to be pushed out at the start of each day to make room for the paying work, then pushed back in at night. As Dave said, it probably did more miles being pushed around the yard than it ever did on the road!
Up in the bodyshop, a new arrival is a Nissan Figaro. We look after a couple of these locally, and this one is in to have a bit of rust sorted out. We do like the Figaros, they are something a little different and the retro theme was expertly done by Nissan. For those who might not know the Figaro, this was designed as a limited edition run of around 20,000 cars in 1991 using the then current Micra running gear, but dressed up with a 1950s-themed body and interior. It was so popular that Nissan had to run a lottery to decide who could buy one. They were available in four colours, one for each season, and quite a few have since made their way to the UK. This one is painted Topaz Mist, which represents Autumn. I actually collected my wedding dress with my best friend in Figaro – it was quite a memorable moment taking it down the A1; we laughed all the way from Stamford to Wansford!
