I didn’t actually take the plunge until 2004 when I bought a nice little Peugeot 1.9 205 Gti off e-bay for £600.

This was a fantastic little car which was nippy and agile. So I booked my first track day (actually, it was just a half-track day) at Brands Hatch in October 04 and had great fun.

My Pug at Brands parked next to Mark’s 340R

The car was probably one of the slowest on the track, but it wasn’t that much slower than many of the Elises. I had a couple of scary moments at Paddock Hill, including a trip into the gravel trap, but I was hooked.

Over the next six months I spent some money putting adjustable Konis on the car and getting a few extra bhp from the engine. I did a couple more track days at Hullavington and was very pleased with the results.

A few flames from the exhaust under braking!

On three wheels. Not the fastest way round a bend!

But I decided I really wanted a rear-wheel drive car, and one with significantly more power. So I started looking at Westfields at this point. Most of the ones I could afford were 1600 crossflows, but I held out for something with a bit more oomph, and after a few months the right car came up, so I took the plunge. BACK