Retro Cars Magazine Escort RS2000 Back Issue

This question may sound a little odd but bear with me for a moment. Is there such a thing as a retro state of mind or tendency? I know some will believe I’m over-thinking things here, but I for one have always felt an attraction to retro, vintage and antique objects, music, fi lms and of course cars. For example, I recently spent a not inconsiderable sum of money on an ‘eighties hi-fi setup and turntable in order to enjoy vinyl records. This money could have been spent on buying a new docking station or media centre etc. but instead it went into four decks that are nearly as old as I am. The music I listen to has a healthy dollop of retro about it and we even keep ourselves entertained at lunchtime here at
Retro Cars HQ, by playing a bit of Super Nintendo, or Scalextric (competition on page 18). Driving to work this week in my new Scirocco project (see page 100) I was struck by the mundanity of the modern commuter vehicles. It wasn’t so much that any of them are bad cars; it’s just that they say absolutely nothing at all about their owners. All of them are made by three manufacturers and seem to be available in only three colours, shades of grey, black or white. Perhaps this is why we who choose to get around in something a bit diff erent tend to acknowledge each other when we pass on the road with a nod, smile or a salute of some sort. Even more striking was the attention that was paid to our dream drive vehicle this month. We borrowed a bright yellow Lotus Europa from Spyder Cars in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire (see page 33) and can honestly say that we’ve never been stopped by so many people for a chat or a photo. There’s clearly a lot of love out there for out of the ordinary vehicles, it’s just a shame that very few modern machines have
any such wild colours, or styles to stand out from the crowd.