MOTORING
Christine Baker
From: Middlesbrough.
Job: Owner/director, Cleveland Security, Middlesbrough.
M
y current car: A white BMW 420D M Sport
Convertible with red leather interior. It’s an
absolute pleasure to drive.
Best feature: It has to be the hard-top roof, because
in the winter it’s a gorgeous car to drive and I love the
luxury of having heated seats and steering wheel. Maybe
that’s because I’m going soft in my old age! But then in
the hot weather there’s nothing better than driving home
in the sunshine with the roof down.
Best drive-time music: I’m a massive music fan but
Stereophonics would have to be at the top of my play list.
Unfortunately, my family make fun of my varied taste in
music as I love everything from Amy Winehouse to The
Jam.
Best place to drive it: I have never driven it outside
of the UK yet and would love to do a road trip around
Europe one day in the future. I would have to say that my
favourite local road is the A172 leading out of Stokesley
as it’s just out of town enough to put your foot down and
feel as if you’re heading into the country.
My favourite car when I was young: It was our first
family car – a pale blue Austin A40 and I can even still
remember the number plate ‘VPY 157’. I still have vivid
memories of the journeys in it. Dad always kept a huge
supply of Blac k Bullet sweets in the glove compartment
and to this day the smell of them makes me feel car sick!
My parents’ cars: They’re now in their 70’s and I know
it is my dad’s love of cars that sparked my interest, too.
When I was a child I loved to visit all the car showrooms
with him and sit in the new cars. I still remember the
excitement of that new car smell and promised myself
that one day I’d buy my own brand new car. Dad changes
his car every few years and I can never keep up with him
but I know he has just bought a Ford B-Max.
My first car: It was my beloved little maroon Mini that
I bought for £250 as soon as I passed my driving test
aged 17. I was earning £40 a week at the time and only
managed to buy a car after
borrowing the money off
my Grandma.
My worst car: Sadly,
it also has to be the
beloved maroon Mini....
it had more rust than was
probably legal and it was
forever cutting out. I’m
sure that I spent more
time getting my friends to
push start me than I did
driving it. Sadly, the first bit
of snow that I encountered
resulted in me skidding
into a wall and the rust just
crumbled.
My other cars: I’ve enjoyed driving
many different cars over the years, from an Astra to
a Rover 75, although my favourite was a Mitsubishi
Shogun when my three children were small. I’ve also
been very lucky over the years to have friends that have
owned some beautiful cars, so I’ve enjoyed rides in a
McLaren, a Ferrari, a Honda NSX, an Audi R8 and a
classic Jensen Interceptor (lovingly restored). One of my
favourites was a friend’s Triumph Roadster back in the
‘80s, I still have the photos (with scary ‘80s perm and
white stilettos to match).
My last car: My previous two cars were both Lexus IS
250 convertibles. The oldest was in a gorgeous midnight
blue with cream leather interior then my second Lexus
convertible was a pearlescent white one with red leather
interior.
My dream car: It has to be the McLaren 650S Spider. I
was lucky enough to have a tour of the McLaren factory
at Woking, back in 2014, it was an experience that I’ll
never forget.
My worst crash: The only crash that I have been involved
in was as a passenger when I was out with my boyfriend
in my 20s. He was driving a Honda Aerodeck and we
had been to The Fox Covert at Yarm. Driving home he
clipped the curb as we approached the roundabout near
Hemlington and the car flew up in the air and landed on
top of the roundabout. Luckily it was late and there were
no other cars around.
The maddest place I’ve driven a car: Although it is
a beautiful place to visit, I have to say Ireland. I drove
to Kilkenny to attend a wedding with my cousin and
we took hours to find the country house that we’d
booked. They do not use post codes so we had to rely on
directions from the elderly lady that owned the house.
The car journey I’ll always remember: It has to be
when my late husband came to pick me up from hospital
with our eldest son. He had hired a white Rolls Royce
complete with chauffeur to bring us both home. I was so
overwhelmed and cried for most of the journey, but it is
a lovely memory that I will cherish forever.
One of Christine’s
favourite friends’
cars, a Triumph
Roadster.
Christine with her beloved
maroon Mini that she bought
for £250 aged 17.
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