Brand New Car
I had attended a CPD event at North-West Bicester Eco-village in 2015, organised by Oxford Club of Constructing Excellence. We viewed the newly constructed homes, and a local car-dealer brought a Tesla Model S electric coupe, and a BMW i9 supercar, for us to test drive. The smell of the new houses, and the excitement of driving a new car, further than from one ramp to another at the BMW factory, was intoxicating.
I was designing The Pink House; I had nearly quadrupled my hourly rate and was feeling wealthy. “I can have this“, I thought. I went back to my council flat, bought a brand new car, and joined the Help to Buy Scheme, saving money for a new house. In reality, I had £10,000 on credit cards, and when the initial design fees ran out, I was struggling to pay my rent.
When I was aligning the wheels and testing 10,000 new Minis at the factory in Oxford, I promised myself a new car. I was an old Mini enthusiast, so bought my nomination for its philosophical progeny; a top-of-the-range VW High Up! Truly small, truly spacious, light and efficient. I still love my new car, it will always be new to me!