Had an absolutely awesome day rallying the 1.0 k11 through a friend's Olive groves. A few of us went over and had about 40 acres to ourselves, so we made the most as it would've been rude not to! Set out a great circuit and did masses of timed laps, drag starts with handbrake turns, donuts, fastest reversing, best entry (through the sunroof, backwards, across the bonnet). You name it we did it. The old girl stood up to serious abuse of the engine, brakes, clutch, suspension, everything, including the bodywork when one of the guys stoved it into a tree (ambition outweighed his talent) destroying the front wing, bumper, headlight and front wheel, fortunately I brought spares) We carried on until the sun went down then I limped her the 10 kilometres to the breakers, handed over the docs and keys with more than a bit of sadness in my heart if I'm honest. We'd done loads together; marshall car at an airfield trackday, numerous motorway trips from Oxfordshire to the Northwest where she more than held her own, drag starts from the booths on the m6 toll, stuck to the rear end of much more capable cars through some seriously twisty country lanes, drove from Oxfordshire to Southern Spain via eurotunnel (the looks of amazement I got from drivers of new saloon cars after they asked where I was going to in such a small car were priceless, and we proved the 'you won't do that in that' naysayers wrong) along every b-road in a totally rain deluged France I could find, across the top of the Pyrenees whilst loaded up to the gunnels with kit, then across virtually the whole of Spain in 40 degree heat, where she held steadfastly, performing every task that was asked of her, over hilly terrain and along autoroutes. Never once did she miss a beat, stutter, hesitate or let me down, and I never once thought she would. After almost 100,000 miles (over 25k of those in my hands) it only seemed fair to give her a raucous sendoff. But she will live on, not only in spirit, for she has donated many parts to 1.4. I would ask, if I may, if you gents and ladies would join me in mourning the passing of one of the much loved, and much underrated, great cars of our time. Thank you.
