Of Austin Champs with spots

Although this tale is not entirely specific to Maidstone, it did have its origins here, for this is where I bought the beastie.

How many of you can remember looking through the Exchange and Mart in the sixties and dreaming of riches and fast cars. The Exchange and Mart had it all, but one that always comes back to me was the thrill of looking at Battersea Fun cars ad that promised a fully restored Austin Champ Jeep complete with a petrol can strapped to the back and a shovel strapped to the side. Best of all they would spray it any colour that you could want. Remember…………. And all for the price of two hundred pounds….. What a bargain.

Wellllllll there was a young man in Maidstone who was selling his jeep for one hundred and sixty pounds. It was painted lime green and the exposed nuts and bolts painted in glorious red. I’m sure that was how my migraine started on reflection.

Although I didn’t have a penny to my name but with the promise of a career in the musical business in London he lent me the thing until my money would come through, what a trusting soul.

I was told that the jeep would do at least twenty-five miles to the gallon, did it heck, for the rest of my ownership days I spent more money on that damn thing than I did on anything else. Was it worth it I hear you say? Of course it was, it was the biggest girl puller in the south east of London.

Now for the down side, the brakes were virtually non-existent, the steering was a two man job and if someone parked too close it would have to stay there until someone gave you some room to manoeuvre.

This all took place at a time in my life when I moved to London to pursue a career in music. Every where that I was known they would come out singing Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep, Peters got a Jeep, Jeep. The sixties were magic.

I played many pubs and clubs in London and at one particular one I was laughed at by a guy who drove a long wheelbase Land-Rover. He was under the impression that the jeep was over sized, overpriced and as far as he was concerned over here. It all got a bit silly and the usual my jeep is better than your landie started.

It was agreed that we would meet outside and check the capabilities of our vehicles to end this silly argument.

With an entourage we exited the club, roped both vehicles back to back and someone shouted go.

I didn’t even put the jeep into four wheel drive and pulled away quite easily, too easily so I stopped and turned to see what had happened. The landie was still attached so I continued to pull, this time I could feel a sort of yanking from side to side, a shout went up STOP, STOP.

What had happened was with the first pull his wheels were going forward but his vehicle was being pulled backwards. That was when I had stopped to check if he was still there, the second time that I had pulled away he had applied his hand brake but had still been pulled backwards.

Come to think of it I was banned from this venue later because they thought that I had connections with the IRA, probably because of the type of music I played and the following of Irish that I attracted, nothing to do with the ex-army vehicle I’m sure.

Happy Days.