1. Daily Record28 29Daily Record @Road_Record facebook.com/ScottishRoadRecord www.roadrecord.co.uk@Road_Record facebook.com/ScottishRoadRecord www.roadrecord.co.uk Daily Record32 33Daily Record @Road_Record facebook.com/ScottishRoadRecord www.roadrecord.co.uk@Road_Record facebook.com/ScottishRoadRecord www.roadrecord.co.uk
fuel to take me nearly
500 miles for the cost of
that journey. Therein lies
the problem. My
measure of value is the
money I physically hand
over.
A taxi is just an
unnecessary expense
and feels like poor value.
It’s not, but that is how it
feels to me.
Imagine the mind shift
that is necessary to
accept that you don’t
need a car of your own
but that you can just hire
a car as part of a
connected transport
system that will deliver
you to where and when
you want to go and
demonstrate good value.
I know smart ticketing
and billing will make the
transition relatively easy
to manage and that
savings on car payments
and fuel costs will be
replaced by a monthly
payment to Apple taxis
or Google trains.
I still feel that we, the
men and women in the
street, will take a lot of
convincing to hand over
our keys and let “the
system” deliver us where
we want to go.
Tofindoutmore,visitJohn’swebsite
atwww.thatcarexpert.com
John Curtis is a former
Scottish Government
expert on eco-friendly
transport and he is
committed to helping
both people and
organisations get the
best out of their vehicle
and fuel choices.
Arewereadyto
giveupourcars?
THE great and the
good of motoring
firms seem to think
half of today’s car
owners won’t want to
own a car in less than
a decade – but 85 per
cent are unfazed by
the prospect.
UK automotive
executives expect that
self-driving technology
and connected public
transport, known as
“mobility as a service”,
will take priority by the
year 2025, with many
motorists turning their
back on vehicle
ownership.
I can see it happening,
I really can. Why would
you want to own a big
hunk of metal and have
it sitting idle at your
expense for 95 per cent
of it’s life?
I would much prefer to
be able to hire something
locally and use it just
when I need it. The
problem for me is that
we absorb the cost of
motoring in our cars into
our everyday life and
almost don’t connect
with the true costs.
As I write this, I am
sitting at Glasgow Airport
on my way to sunnier
climes and I have just
shelled out £60 for a taxi
to take me from Falkirk.
The round trip is 80
miles for the driver.
I can get a full tank of
John
Curtis
He’ll put you on the right road
More motoring news, videos and reviews at www.roadrecord.co.uk
take an unexpected turn, when he came
into possession of a yellow 1975 5.7-litre V8
Corvette Stingray coupe. Though slightly
impractical, the two-seater old-school car
was to be a labour of love.
The Vette was shipped from California to
Scotland following the death of a family
friend, who never got a chance to bring her
back to her former glory.
Willie decided to undertake the project,
and painstakingly and meticulously worked
on the restoration – stripping her back and
rebuilding her. Soon, the V8 was brought
back to the life, purring like new.
The yellow Stingray became synonymous
with Willie, after he set up CarFest – to help
raise money for charity. Willie explained:
“The purpose of Carfest was to bring
together people from across the community
and especially to get the kids involved”.
In 2015, a 2008 438bhp 6.2-litre V8
Corvette – one of the most practical cars
Willie’s ever driven – superseded the
Stingray project. Still his pride and joy, with
a 0-60mph sprint time of four seconds, this
is both a family and work car.
Owning an American sports car has not
only made Willie a better driver and more
road-sense aware – due to them being left-
hand drives – but it’s also helped enrich his
social calendar.
He takes part in events with Tartan
Tarmac, a group for Scottish motoring
enthusiasts who hold gatherings to
showcase their love for all things vehicular.
Since that day in 1990, reliability has
never been an issue, insurance and
servicing have been very reasonable, slow
depreciation has been common and the
misconception of the “gas guzzler” has made
way for not just one man’s love of American
cars but a way of life.
As Willie concluded: “It’s Ferrari
performance for saloon car money.”
And it doesn’t look as if he’s going to hang
up the keys to the Ferrari performance
anytime soon.
On the day Donald
Trump is sworn in as
the 45th president of
the USA,COLIN
CUMMING finds out
about a Scotsman’s
love of automobiles
from across the pond
Agreatdrive
foryoung
golferJack..
A RISING golf star is being helped with his drives – away
from the fairways – by motoring giants Arnold Clark.
They’ve given Jack McDonald, who turned professional
last year, a brand new Ford Mondeo to use to get to and
from tournaments.
The 23-year-old, from Ayrshire, visited Arnold Clark
Ford Kilmarnock to pick up the car – which the leading
car dealers hope will enable him to progress his training
and develop his career.
Jack said: “The support that Arnold Clark have given
me is very much appreciated and I’d like to thank them
for all of their help.
“It’s really fantastic to have a reliable and comfortable
car that makes the commute to tournaments much more
enjoyable, which is a great benefit.
“The Mondeo is perfect for the long distance journeys
that I do and also has plenty space for all of my golf kit.”
Before turning professional, Jack represented Scotland
in home internationals and European championships from
2012 to 2015.
He quickly moved through the ranks and, in 2015, was
part of the GB&I-winning Walker Cup team. In his first
year as a tournament pro, Jack has accumulated three top
fives, one top ten and made nine cuts out of a possible 11.
Handing over the keys, Arnold Clark Finance Limited
managing director David Cooper said: “We are delighted
and proud to be supporting Jack in his career.
“He has shown commitment and worked hard to get to
pro level and we wish him the very best of luck with his
upcoming tournaments.”
JJGRATEFULJack gets his car from David Cooper, of Arnold Clark
WHEN Willie Chrystal was a teenager
watching hit TV show The A-Team in
the 1980s, little did he realise the
lasting impression it would have on
his life.
Heavily influenced by The A-Team
character Templeton “Face” Peck’s Chevrolet
Corvette, it led to the Paisley youngster
dreaming of owning an American sports car.
And that dream was quickly to become a
reality for Willie – and it is a dream the
48-year-old is still living.
Two factors helped Willie succumb to the
charms of the all-American automobile
relatively quickly.
Firstly, he was encouraged to pursue his
passion by a former Glasgow Airport fire
service work colleague, who also had a love
of American cars.
And a few years later, in 1990, personnel
from the closing US Naval base at the Holy
Loch were selling their American imports.
At 21 years old, Willie took the leap of
faith. He explained: “There was a slightly
uninspiring and unreliable choice of British
cars at the time.”
The car to finally tempt him was a 1980s
third-generation 2.8-litre V6 Pontiac Firebird
he saw while passing a garage forecourt.
Within a day, he’d mustered up the courage
to trade in his 1.6-litre Vauxhall Nova for his
very first US automobile.
The Firebird, previously owned by a US
Major, was in good condition, affordable
and, ironically, cost the same to insure as his
Vauxhall.
Then, in 2000, Willie got his hands on a
1987 fourth-generation Corvette convertible
– the same generation as the car he used to
hanker after in The A-Team and known as
“America’s sports car”.
It was the first completely redesigned
Corvette since the Stingray fibreglass model
of 1963 and the 230bhp 5.7-litre V8
two-seater would be Willie’s pride and joy
for a couple of years.
And in doing so, it managed to counter-
balance the misrepresentation of American
cars being “gas guzzlers” by returning the
same fuel economy as well-known family
estates.
That said, as the years rolled on, life
demanded a vehicle that could deal with
both work and family requirements.
Enter the Ford F150 SVT Lightning pick-up
truck. With a 380bhp 5.4-litre V8
supercharged powerplant, it was Willie’s
pleasure and workhorse for more than three
years – being used for track days at
Knockhill, work meetings and family days
out.
Fully laden, it transported family and
work equipment aplenty, as Willie had set
up his own health and safety business,
MaxSafe Solutions, which required a
plethora of equipment.
In 2012, his love of American cars would
MyAmerican dream’sreal
ZZHORSEPOWER
Willie’s 1975
Corvette Stingray
is joined by an
array of classics
at The Kelpies.
It’s a machine he’s
lovingly restored,
below. Bottom
row, his 1987
convertible
Corvette and his
latest 2008 model
Pictures:WILLIECHRYSTAL
Picture: ANDREW NEIL