Up to leaving home at 18, I hung around old time Pennsylvania “Dutch” mechanics and machinists, racecar shops, and such. My father bought a new Morris Minor in 1950, followed by Austin A40, a succession of Chevrolets and finally flathead Fords and Morgan. There was a steam car (1913 Stanley works in a 1931 Chevrolet coupe cum roadster)which I fixed and operated. I fixed anything that broke. I was the town champion bicycle rider on my scrapyard special; challenged all comers to race - most never returned. My first car was a 1947 Ford, slightly modified. The tires cost $8 each from Sears, and nothing could stay with me on a twisty road. After a bit of engineering school, I started as a British car mechanic in 1966, and have been doing that for half the time, otherwise running a big truck, building machinery, and seriously studying mechanics. 95% of my 2 or 4 wheeled vehicles have been British – all the good ones, except the current 92 Mazda 323, a Japanese version of a BMC1300 with power!