News & reviews Live for the moment Make the most of your time while you can

I’M HALF A YEAR IN TO WRITING THESE COLUMNS NOW. Hardly seems like ve minutes, but there you are.

Something I’ve really noticed is that more or less every month, our news pages have included at least one obituary. Pat Ganahl, John Baldoccino, Jon Morton, Tom Hoover, Je Beck, John Bennett… and now this month, Nobby Hills and Chris Adams.

It’s no secret that this scene is ageing. Many within it, whether on the racing or rodding side, talk of the need to bring in new blood. An awful lot of people who do rods and customs/kustoms got into it in the 1970s and never left, having found that nothing else comes close –and not even the best cars in the world can hold back the sands of time.

Every time we lose another legendary name, it’s a reminder that the scene is on a clock. But more than that, it’s a reminder to make the most of the time we’re given on this here planet. That’s what these guys did, and they became role models because of it.

I won’t harp on here, but I really do need to tell you about something that happened to me the other day. I was going through boxes of old family photos and so on in the house where I grew up, and I came across a letter in handwriting I recognised.

It was from my uncle to my dad; they had spent a quarter of a century as neighbours as well as brothers in law. As I read it, I realised it was a letter from beyond the grave, talking about things my uncle needed dad to sort out for him after his death. Nothing deep and maudlin, but it nished with one simple phrase: ‘life was good while it lasted.’

People always say it’s better to regret the things you’ve done than the things you’ve not. The nettles you’ve grasped and they stung you anyway, well there’s always a dock leaf somewhere nearby to take the pain away. But those you were too scared to grasp, too hesitant or just sheer low on gumption, the anguish of wondering what might have been will stay with you forever.

So yes, life is good while it lasts. Very good, if you make the most of it. But however good it is, you know it won’t last forever. We’re all on that clock. You can’t make it last any longer than it’s going to anyway… but it’s still good. Your job is to make sure it’s bloody good.

Easier said than done, possibly. But whatever life throws your way, your passion will always be your escape. If you love building cars, the better you build them the better life will be.

Alan Kidd, Group Editor

alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk

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Charity Extravaganza

THE NICE PEOPLE AT KINGS LYNN KRUISERS are a charitable bunch, in a number of ways. For over 40 years the club has staged a weekend event, more latterly known as the KLK Vehicle Extravaganza.

The club has recently made a couple of donations to charities that are close to their heart from the proceeds of the Extravaganza. First up was a £200 cheque presented to Charlotte of Jerry Green Dog Rescue at Algarkirk near Boston, Lincs. A couple of weeks later, a cheque went the way of Macmillan Cancer Support. This time the number read £500 and it was presented to President of the Boston Committee and National Vice President Sue Kirk, together with Chair of the Boston Fund Raising Committee Sally Farman.

The dates for this year’s KLK Extravaganza at Walpole St Andrew, Norfolk are 28-30 July.

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Group Editor: Alan Kidd alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk

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CAR MARCH 2023

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Not such a Bad Apple

With designs by Binnie, a new range of Bad Apple Racing merchandise is now available via Craig Dizon at Altered Tees Apparel. It will come as no surprise that the designs feature Graham Smith’s street legal ’57 Chevy race car. Essentially there are two separate designs of the same theme; front or rear three-quarters. You decide which angle of the Chevy works best for you then make your mind up if you want a T-shirt, zip jumper, hoodie, jacket, cap or mug. The apparel is available in all sizes, and worldwide shipping is on offer.

www.alteredteesapparel.co.uk/race-teams