It’s me, Mark Stone, and in this episode of the Backseat Driver Podcast, I’m joined by Justin Fellows, a devoted enthusiast of veteran and vintage automobiles, best known for taking part in historic events such as the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

Justin talks me through his journey from a casual interest in old cars to becoming a committed collector and custodian of veteran machines. We explore why preserving these early vehicles matters, not just mechanically, but culturally, as living pieces of automotive history.

I dig into the finer details with Justin, from car classifications and early engineering solutions to the personal stories that have shaped his connection with these cars. We also discuss the realities of maintaining and driving vehicles from a very different era, along with the challenges, rewards, and occasional moments of mild panic.

This episode highlights the strong sense of community within vintage car ownership and celebrates the enduring appeal of machines that continue to bring people together through shared passion and heritage.

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I'd like to introduce you, the backseat driver, a young fellow literally for the simple reason he is passionate about cars.

But a few years ago his passion exploded in a very unusual direction.

So I would like to introduce the backseat driver, Justin Fellows.

Justin, welcome to the backseat driver.

Hello.

Where did all these cars come from?

Is it a family passion?

Cars and so my dad's always been interesting cars and had veteran cars.

Sorry, sorry.

Vintage cars.

I do apologize.

Vintage cars.

After vintage car, something I keep telling people I've suddenly felt something on social media.

Yesterday I've crashed my vintage Rolls.

I said it's a classic.

I said it's a shadow two.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, it's never been a vintage so.

Maybe I'm a little bit anal about it or what a veteran car is, what a vintage car is, what an Edwardian car is.

Yeah.

What a Victorian car is.

Yeah.

And they all have dates.

Yeah.

You know, so you do have classic cars and you know, pre war cars and then post war classics.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I, I do.

I'm probably a bit like you.

I explained to people, no, it's not a classic, it's not a vintage.

It's this, it's that, it's the other.

It's a Pvt.

Post vintage thoroughbred.

Yeah.

They look at you blank.

Yeah.

Well, maybe I don't put people right but I, I know what the, the dates are and I give it to myself.

It's not a vintage.

Yeah.

So the main reason we're here is you went down to watch the London Brighton, didn't you?

Yeah.

So in.

So what I say, I've always been passionate of cars.

My wife hasn't had the same sort of passion.

Yeah.

That I've had in cars.

She had to develop it.

To London.

I got to see me for other.

It was exactly the same time as the London to Brighton.

Yeah.

Was doing.

So London to Brighton's always the first Sunday in November because that's when it originally started in.

Yeah.

What was it to celebrate the London to Bright.

It was to celebrate the, the scrapping of the four miles an hour.

So previously, yeah.

Cars were only allowed to go four miles an hour and therefore had a.

Chat with a red flag or the famous red flag.

Yeah, yeah.

And to celebrate that.

Yeah.

Henry Lawson got a, a car rally.

Yeah.

Brighton Met.

Sorry from London all the way to.

To Brighton.

Yeah.

Starting at the metropolitan London.

I mean, back then that would have been quite a considerable distance because it's about 60 miles.

Massive distance.

But not only that, but your road, you know, you didn't have tarmac rose at that point in time.

Not a bit like now.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

But no, you didn't.

So I think if a circuit about 30 odd cars.

Yeah.

Did the.

The first London to Brighton, there was only about 15 cars in the UK at that time.

All right.

And therefore some other.

The other cars were made up from the French and also the Americans.

Yeah, yeah.

Because, I mean, back then the cars were.

I mean, they're makes and models that a lot of people have never heard of.

Because a lot of the manufacturers didn't exist for a long while, did they?

No.

So.

So before we go into.

But my cars, most of my veteran cars have a De Dion Bhutan.

Yeah.

Which, although they were going until the mid-50s, weren't really making cars circa from the mid-20s.

Yeah.

That was a big thing.

You get a manufacturer who manufactured for others as well, didn't it wasn't unusual to get one car and find another manufacturer's engine sat in it.

Yeah, yeah.

So Reynolds started with Didion Bhutan.

Yes.

Engines.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Which would be a twin cylinder engine at that time.

So most of the engines at that time were only single cylinder.

Yeah.

So that was the one thing.

Some of these single cylinder engines were vast, weren't they?

It wasn't like now where you get a tiny little piston.

I mean, they were huge things, weren't they?

I don't know.

So the vehicles that I have start with about a 400cc, which is a three and a half horsepower, the Dion engine.

And then I've got the eight horsepower Didion engine and that's a.

About a liter.

Yeah.

A liter in size.

But everyone was thinking that the way you got more performance at that time was the bigger piston size.

Yeah.

So you think about.

You've probably heard of the Beast of Turin.

Yeah.

So the Beast of Turin is 4 cylinders, but 28.

I've heard of it, I've seen it, I've sat in it, I've photographed it and I've chatted to it all.

Yeah.

I mean, that is a serious piece of machinery.

It is, yeah, yeah, yeah.

You Got to think about those.

Each of those pistons is the same size as a, a large can of paint.

Yeah.

So just to go back a little bit, your visit to go and watch the London Brian sparked something.

What, what brought this on?

How do you always had a, a secret passion for them?

Was it suddenly like a light bulb moment?

I think it was more of a.

A light bulb moment.

I mean as I say, a got veteran and pre war cars.

Yeah.

Okay.

But we're never.

Sorry.

Vintage and pre war cars.

I've never actually, you know, taken too much interested into.

Into the veteran sort of stuff.

It was not my dad's passion.

But of course I knew about the London to Brighton.

Yeah.

Events had sort of happened and as I say, I was waiting to see me brother.

And in November we went to see the London to Brighton.

Yeah.

It was a, A, a cold morning.

Dried cold.

And we went down to the start line and I was just captivated.

Yeah.

It was the smell, you know, it was the, the, the mist coming off from the top.

It was, it was just magical.

Yeah.

I was 50 the following year.

Yeah.

And that's what I decided I was going to do for my 50th birthday.

Right.

I was going to do.

Yeah.

The little ones.

Right.

The downside would be you wouldn't have a car, would you?

No, no, we didn't.

We have, we had no car at the time.

I have a quite an intense sort of job.

But at the Christmas.

Yeah.

You know, we started looking for a car.

Yeah.

I get an idea what you wanted.

No, none whatsoever.

Yeah.

Whatsoever.

My, my dad had somebody that.

He said I got a veteran car.

Yeah.

And we went to see this veteran.

Veteran car.

Yeah.

Just butting in.

There's a cut off for the London Bright.

They can't be older than a certain.

Or younger than a certain day.

Yeah.

Right.

Okay.

Right.

Okay.

And that's the reason being.

And it starts on the basis that when I think I can't remember it.

Was it the Gazette.

Yeah.

Started the thing called the Old Crocs Run.

I've heard of that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So the Old Crocs Run was something that.

How many of these old cars are still available and running?

Yeah.

And the cutoff was 25 years.

Right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Was the last amount of cars, if that makes any sort of sense.

I know you got your 20.

Yeah.

But also cars were developing so much at that period of time.

Yeah.

Right.

To emerge by that time.

Yeah, yeah.

And of course the drive systems, because, I mean, some were driven by chain, some were direct drive.

I mean there was.

Oh, it was an area.

Era of experimentation, wasn't it?

To see what worked, what didn't work and everything else.

So in many ways not, not all cars were the same.

Worthy.

No, no.

And as I say, so not everybody, not every car at that period of time in the steering wheel.

Something you take for granted now.

Yeah.

So the earliest car.

That's why we go back to how I started.

So I started looking for a car.

Yeah.

Did you have an idea what you wanted or were you open to offers?

Which is a Dion Bhutan.

Yeah.

So isn't that where you sit?

You.

They sit.

You sit facing one.

Yeah.

Four seats, but two face in.

In.

In the direction.

Yeah.

So the front passages drive backwards, don't they?

That's correct, yes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So but the pass.

The driver sits facing forwards but has to be able to see past the two in front.

Yes.

So we're looking at him.

Yeah.

That's it.

That's it.

So we went to have a look and that was a Didion Bhutan.

You were able to get bits and pieces for a Didion Bhutan engine.

Yeah.

But he suggested I went and got an Oldsmobile.

Oldsmobiles were cheaper than a deal.

Easier to sort of dry.

Yeah.

Not complicated or whatever else.

So I said okay.

So we went to look at an Oldsmobile that Christmas.

Yeah.

A chap in Southport, a chap called Bernard Williamson, had an Oldsmobile for sale.

We looked at it, but I don't know, I just wanted a Didion Bouton engine vehicle.

Yeah.

So we, we continued the search.

Yeah.

Which has a three and a half horsepower Didion Bouton engine.

Yeah.

And we picked that up from Germany.

All right.

So we went all the way to Germany for her, but still got here in the garage.

Now she's just completed, competed in the London to Brighton.

This time a friend of ours used her, but she's belt driven.

Right.

But of course you're then trying to get the power to the back wheels with a big leather belt, big slip.

So we're going to say there was slippage and stretch and.

Yeah, those sorts of things.

Yeah.

But of course bells didn't work and therefore no one was making belts.

Yeah, yeah.

So things were evolving very, very quickly.

Yeah.

So we just said belts and props and chair.

Did you have a particular idea what motive.

Motive power or what drive you wanted?

No, I just wanted it.

Or does some cause more problems?

I just wanted a didion bouton engine vehicle.

Yeah.

I'm not really giving it much thought about whether it was belt driven, whether it was chain driven or prop.

And also at that period of time as well cost, you know, veteran cars are on particularly cheaper.

I know because on New Year's Day we were talking to a mutual friend of ours and he was saying he has one car and he said this is intelligible for London to bribe because it's about 12 months too young.

He said if it was eligible, he said one of the most noticeable things, he said it would be worth about 150,000 pounds more than it's worth now because of his eligibility.

Yes.

So I conclude that is the one thing buying veteran cars is.

Is buying them.

Because if you want to do that, you will have a premium to pay to get a car that can do the London to bright.

Yeah.

There's a massive premium for all into Brighton car.

Yeah.

And I conclude them selling it realize.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But there's only.

Yeah.

Of Great Britain.

And therefore you can, you know, you, you think there's a.

There's a few that are not dated and whatever else, but there isn't many.

Yeah.

Veteran car.

I mean do you talk the veteran car club.

Do you talk to them and say look, I'm after a car for the London brand.

Do they know where these cars are and which you're likely to be for sale or is it a bit of a.

A closed shop?

No, I mean, I mean you get cars advertised on, on pre war cars there.

Tom Parrott has become quite big in the.

The selling of veteran cars.

Yeah.

Just recently maybe in the last 18 months, two years.

But you can, you know you can get a veteran car.

I mean, if you advertise in the.

The veteran car magazine.

Yeah.

You get one and then there's word of mouth.

Yeah.

I'm also in the Didion bouton.

Yeah.

Corbin treasurer, Didion.

All right.

I will say you're a bit keen on these.

Are you on the Didion Bootian?

Well, they're a very simple engine.

Yeah.

You know, I'm not technically minded.

Yeah.

But I can do everything that I need to do on the Dion engine.

Yeah.

They're a very reliable engine I've sort of found and whatever.

So, no, I am a fan and a lot of the cars that were made at that period of time were very sort of similar.

Yeah.

You know, single cylinder.

At the end of the day, it's spark and fuel.

That's all you need.

Sparking a few.

Yeah, yeah.

Squeeze, bang ball, basically.

I mean, that.

That theory has never really changed, does it?

No.

Suck it in.

Explode it.

The pressure generated drives a piston or whatever and it sends power to the wheels.

Yeah.

Go again.

Yes.

Yeah, yeah.

We.

We bought it back from Germany.

What did the wife say to this, by the way?

Right.

Well, now.

Now I've got enthusiasm.

Right.

Right.

So I've now actually been able to.

To get Dems involved.

Yeah.

In the car scene.

Right.

So.

So we're on a winner.

We're on a winner.

We both witnessed the.

The start at Hyde Park.

We were both captivated by it all, just the magic of it all.

And therefore I've now got sort of a buy in.

Yeah.

For my better half.

And that makes life an awful lot easier.

Yeah.

So we've gone to Germany.

We.

We picked the car up and then we've got a home.

Yeah.

Well, I can't start.

I can't start.

Me, my dad and a close mechanical friend spent several months.

All right.

So that.

Oh, it was.

So you.

You've got it.

Where's your kind of WD40?

And I just.

I just said it was spark and fue, but I am.

I kept on flooding her.

I couldn't get the.

The spark.

They have a trembler coil, by the way.

Do they start.

Is it still crank or are there different methods of starting them?

No, there are, there are.

So you can get them converted.

I'll.

I'll be honest, I'm a little bit of a, you know, all mine are cranked.

Right.

Right.

I haven't got to that stage now that, you know, I need to press a button.

Yeah.

So they're all cranked.

Yeah.

They're not too bad.

You become familiar with each one and the kickback and whatever else.

Believe it or not, the three and a half horsepower has a bigger kick.

Than the eight because that's the one thing you have to look out for, is it?

I've been told the crank.

So.

So they'll kick back and it can.

The crank handle could definitely have a go at.

It's the way that you hold the handle and therefore you're letting go of that handle.

Yeah.

When you get to 12 o'.

Clock.

Right, Right.

Okay.

Because if you don't and it goes kickback, then you.

You know.

Yeah.

I mean, my son has got a few killer blows, let's say.

So basically prior to that, the hand was turning.

If you get it wrong, the handle's not turning, you're turning.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, yeah, yeah.

But they do have a little bit of a kick.

Yeah.

Plus you become familiar with the car.

You know what it.

What's happened.

Yeah, yeah.

So you got that one going eventually then.

So what was wrong with it, by.

The way, Right now?

So, so we, we left here.

So we'd already paid all our money for London to Brighton.

Yeah.

She was thrown in the back of a Transit van and we went down to London.

Yeah.

I'd never driven her.

Right.

I'd never driven her.

I could start her but I couldn't necessarily keep her going.

Yeah.

And my dad said just take her down there, somebody will tell you how to.

How to run it.

Because from what I can see when I've watched these like London, Brighton and everything else, I' ever actually been to it.

But you watch it on television, etc.

There seems to be an art to keeping them running in the.

It's not like a body car where you turn a key and everything just carries on until you turn it off again.

There is an art to keeping a veteran car up and running, like pump oil pressures and things like that.

And I'm not sure, I mean, once you start it, it's a case of.

So the.

So the, the.

The Bertrand had a thing called the London Air Carburetor.

Yeah.

Right.

So I'm mixing fuel with air.

Yeah.

And therefore I've got another problem on the basis of don't have to drive the damn thing.

Yeah.

But I'm also trying to make.

Play around with the mixture.

Yeah.

As well.

Which I'm to clue about because you haven't driven me yet.

No, it's only just started.

I mean, the other thing was.

So the car would Come from Germany.

It come from a private museum.

Right.

Although the guy in Germany had restored the car.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Because it's felt driven.

Yeah.

So someone was operating just outside Paris.

A chap in Germany called Clemens Heider restored the car, bought the car just outside Paris, restored the car.

But of course it sat in his private museum.

Yeah, that's the.

I would say that's the one problem.

Apart from certain museums, I know where they do get them out as often as they can.

Most museum cars or idle or did they just sit there and look pretty.

Well, I mean, Clemens is about six foot six.

Yeah.

So one of the things that he realized when he restored it was it actually wasn't big enough for him.

So that's one of the reasons he sort of sold it and around saying.

And we benefited from it.

But we went down to London without the car being able.

Or not being able to drive the car.

Yeah.

I was given some instruction.

So also because it came from Germany, it hadn't got a.

It wasn't.

Didn't have a V5.

Right.

The V5.

When he arrived on the Tuesday, we set off.

Yeah.

On the Thursday.

Right.

And a chap called Chris Thomas taught me how to drive it on the Saturday afternoon.

Right.

Yeah.

As I say, he taught me how to drive it and we.

We set off.

Was this with trepidation after all, this type.

Did he get behind the.

Is it a wheel or a tiller?

No, no, she's got a wheels.

Right.

Van.

She's got a steering wheel.

Yeah.

So, yeah, yeah.

So no, we.

I don't know about.

I think maybe a bit of stupidity.

Yeah.

You could say, well, why did you go down there?

It was just the way events.

We'd not got the V5 for her because that wasn't the simplest of things to.

To get it like that period of time.

And there was a lovely lady at the DVLA that actually gave me the registration number before it actually arrived in post.

Right.

Or at least we could get the registration number.

Yeah.

Sort of, you know, made up.

Because of course I had those signed written because that's what they would have been.

Don't mind me asking, are the plates Age related to them.

So most of.

So what you do get now is people buy the cars and take the old plate off.

Yeah.

And then they'll get a BS number from the dvla.

Yeah.

So you know, because place have become.

Very, very, you know, I mean I decided we knew.

We used to know somebody.

I've known a few people that have very early plates.

They have them on the modern cars.

Yeah.

And that these plates in certain ones are worth absolute fortunes.

They're worth probably more than the cars are worth.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So we, I've got a mixture of age related plates.

Yeah.

And also plates that have been given by the.

The DVLA which are non transferable.

Right.

So I say we, we got the car.

A chap called Chris Thomas got me going on a Saturday afternoon and dead sat in the car for the first time while it was going as we left High Park.

Yeah.

Well half past five on the.

Up from the hotel on the, on the Sunday morning.

Yeah.

We had a few problems at the start.

Yeah.

And we were pushed over the start line.

Right.

We never got to Brighton.

We got to Brixton all right.

But you know it was an unbelievable experience.

Didn't mind the fact that we didn't get to, to Brighton.

Yeah.

You know our aspirations were can we get back past Buckingham Palace?

We got passport.

Can we get down the Mall?

Can we get over the river?

Yeah.

So it was those little sort of.

Yeah.

But by the time, I think it was probably about 10 o' clock we'd had a various sort of problems with the car.

The, the rod that does the advanced and retarded snapped.

Yeah.

And therefore I was using a combination of.

Of tape and tire wraps.

Yeah.

To be.

So I got it.

And then we got a fuel leak as well.

So we've done a.

A full tank of fuel and sa.

A full tank of fuel which probably only does about 10 liters in the, in the tank.

But we have by the time we got to Brixton, seven miles away, we got that much of a leak.

It was just a time to call it a day.

Yeah.

There was a tube station in Brixton so I just jumped back on the tube went and picked the van up.

Yeah.

Because we always thought that we would break down.

Yeah.

Closer to London than Brighton.

Right.

As facts is, we participated in it.

Yeah.

You know, I suppose it's a learning curve.

It's a massive learning curve.

You know.

So we got home.

I mean you get.

Then you got loads of experts, haven't you?

Yeah.

What smart plugs are you using?

I've got NGKs.

Oh, you'd be better off with using the Champions.

You know what sort of carburetor is on it?

Oh, it says original.

Oh, you want a Zenith on it.

Yeah.

So my.

If she's not being fun.

If you start doing this, you suddenly start to erode originality, don't you?

You.

You do.

And I get, I get the feeling you're a man who likes his original.

I do like the originality, but the thing's got to be usable as well.

Yeah.

Okay.

So.

So yes, I've still got the original carburettor for her.

Yeah.

But she's work.

She's on the Zenith.

Yeah.

And what the difference with the Zenith is she's become a usable car.

Right.

But if all else thought you could put the original back on if it's going on display somewhere.

Yeah, yeah.

So.

So she, she's now done looning to Brighton and.

And completing London to Brighton three times.

Yeah.

The veteran.

Twice we've completed a next door.

So next door of completed.

So I've got.

Actually got our next door neighbor right here in the veteran car.

So he has an Oldsmobile, right?

Yeah.

So.

So what else have you got besides that?

Because I mean you had a proper.

When I first met you, you had a proper genuine Dedion boot on.

That was.

That was the car, wasn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Eight horsepower, which is a K2.

Yeah.

Which is a lovely car.

Yeah.

Six horsepower, which my son uses.

Right.

And that's where my veteran cars sort of stop.

So I've got three veteran cars.

Yeah.

I then have some Edwardian cars.

Right.

So I have.

So what's the Edwardian period, if you don't mind me asking.

Right.

Yeah, yeah.

And there'll be an increase in my.

Is there an increase in the number of manufacturers during that period?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

A massive increase in the number of manufacturers at that period of time.

Cars.

Very few cars.

And now sort of single cylinders.

Most are either twin.

Yeah.

Or four.

So we've got an Edwardian Tolbert, which are the newest car that we've got, which is a six cylinder.

Right.

Is that, is it French or an English car or Cassandra?

There's a period.

There's Talbot which people associate with England and then there's Talbot, which is Talbot.

And you don't pronounce the T, which is the first one.

So she's a car that was made in England.

Right.

Were made in England.

Yeah.

So.

But yes, because they were Talbot to start with.

Yeah.

And yes, a French manufacturer.

Yeah.

Me and Clement.

But yeah.

Right.

I'm going to say there'll be a sudden increase in performance.

Really won't.

But.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But you.

You've only got two.

Two brakes.

Yeah, I've only got rear brakes.

I don't think brakes, front wheel brakes came until really after the First World War.

Yeah.

I mean, it's like I've driven off, seen sevens.

Yep.

And they wrote a song for them.

Ain't no stopping us now.

Even with four wheel brakes and the handbrake full on.

Yeah.

Because you've got your.

You're not exactly you.

You don't lock up and slide to a halt with the.

Do you?

No, no, no.

The cable breaks and the cables get stretched.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, there was a little thing called cable stretches, weren't there?

Yeah, yeah.

So, yeah.

What do you use those for, if you don't mind me asking?

I mean, certainly your cars can do the London to bride, others can't.

Are there events for these cars that don't fall into the London to brag.

Yeah.

Right.

So one of the things that we.

So we.

We bought the Talbot just recently and we've bought the Tolbert to do veteran car rallies, relatively sort of local.

Right.

To us, we've just signed up to do a rally in April, which is in the Lake District.

All right.

And we'll drive the car there.

Yeah.

And we'll drive the car back.

Yeah, that's the intention, in my opinion.

Who am I butting?

Him.

That's how it should be.

When I competed with a late great friend of mine with his ex works Porsches, Porsche always had the deal.

You drive the cars to the event, you compete and provided you don't bend it around something, you drive it back home.

We always did that.

Yeah, we always.

Okay.

We might have had a service crew somewhere around us per chance we needed parts or things like that.

But it's to my point, that is how it should be done.

Drive them there, do what you're doing, drive them back.

Yeah.

But with the veteran car.

So we've done a couple of rallies.

I bet you that.

By the way, I won't expect you to drive your old ideal.

Yeah.

From here in Lancashire to London.

Compete to drive back.

No, no.

Maybe you should do it.

But it will take a long while.

But even the one that.

Even the rallies in Chester.

Yeah.

You know, you're sort of 50 miles away from Chester or whatever else.

It's going to take me four or five hours.

Yeah.

In the didion to get there and four or five hours to get back, you know, somewhere else.

And also there's a.

The flogging of the car as well.

So.

No, so we, we.

I want to try and avoid trailering the car there to the event.

I would.

And that's why we bought the Talbot.

So hopefully not only that, I'll stop using the cars, the veteran cars.

Maybe about six weeks, eight weeks before London to Brighton.

Yeah.

On the basis something goes wrong with that car, I have an inability to, you know, something serious.

I've got the ability to repair it.

Yeah.

You know, if it's going to go wrong, I'd rather he go.

Go wrong on the London to Brighton.

Yeah.

Then four or five weeks before.

Yeah.

And then not participate in any shape or form.

Yeah.

So, I mean, like you said, the performance will increase.

I mean, given the age of some of these cars, how many miles of some of them covered.

I know they did.

They weren't a long distance run when they were new.

Wasn't a long distance run of today.

But I mean, didn't they count how many miles they did?

Was there an endometer on them?

No, there isn't.

No.

Right.

No.

So there's.

You get a speedo.

No.

Oh, God, no, no, no.

Yeah, she's got to be flat.

She doesn't like hills in any shape or form.

Yeah.

I mean, we live on the foul coast here and it's surprising how many hills you find with it.

Yeah.

She does not do hills.

So, I mean, the way to get them up is either everybody gets out of pushes.

You can tack, can't you?

Like.

Debs has got an art form now, jumping off, pushing her and jumping back on.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, you know, as part of the, part of the learning curve that you go through with it.

So that's, that's your better off participation in Veteran cars.

She does a lot of jumping on and off and pushing.

Yeah, well, yeah.

Oh well, yeah.

So.

So the Ace Force power didion.

Yeah.

She will do 35 miles an hour.

Right.

And she'll have no problems doing the London to Brighton hills with four on it.

Yeah, yeah.

So I mean there's a lot of.

When you're doing the London to Brighton, there's a lot of.

How many people have you got in the car?

Yeah.

You know, will they go up the hills and.

And whatever else.

Yeah.

You also the key in the London to Brighton is getting away, getting out of London.

Right.

They all start.

They start in age related.

So the earliest cars start first.

Yeah.

And how many take port these days in the modern world?

I think it was about 450 registered.

Right.

This year.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Right.

And they've got grandfather rights.

Right.

So if you think of Genevieve.

Oh, yes.

Yeah.

Now film I actually enjoy watching when it's on.

Yeah.

1953.

And there was Genevieve.

Yeah.

And there was the Spiker.

Yeah.

Right.

But they didn't realize that at the time.

Right.

It's been dated since boss.

It's got grandfather.

Right.

Yeah.

And therefore can participate, by the way, if you don't.

If members are Spike or a Dutch army.

They are Dutch.

Yes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So.

So that's able to participate still.

And there are a couple of other cars that.

Yeah, but most of them.

And I say most of them.

Almost half a dozen.

Yeah.

Right.

Other cars from.

From Genevieve, do they still appear at the London Bright.

Yeah.

So Genevieve does it every year.

Yeah, every year.

I invented it.

Genevieve has done it.

Yeah.

And the Spiker has done it once.

Don't know if it was last year, the year before, both cars were over here.

They were both in Beaulie on the run up.

All right.

To Holland's.

Right.

And then I think the week before.

Yeah.

They were both in the RAC at Palmao.

Right.

In the foyer there.

Yeah.

But yeah, so because to the aficionados, do they attract attention or the.

Have you looked upon as a bit overly glamorized?

No, no, they.

They do attract attention.

Yeah.

The.

Well, I mean Genevieve the film is.

Is where the, the car movement in.

In the UK really started.

Yeah.

Before Genevieve.

I don't think the, you know, car enthusiastic.

And that gave people the book.

Yeah, yeah.

Because I mean, as I said, I do find it because the, the thing is, the bulk of the film Genevieve is it wasn't the ride to Brighton, it was the journey back.

It was like a race back, wasn't it?

Yeah, yeah.

And of course, by the way, does your wife play the trombone a trumpet like Kendall did?

No.

Sure.

Apparently.

No, no, no, no, no.

Yeah.

But no, I mean, it wasn't filmed on Roots either.

It was filmed near Poundwood Studios.

All right.

Yeah.

So the bulk of the journey is nothing to do with the London to Bright.

No such.

Also there's some flaws in here because London to Brian takes place in November.

Yeah.

And I don't know if you remember, but there's a cocktail party.

Yeah, well, the date of the cocktail party is in September.

Yeah, yeah.

So.

So there's some, some flaws with it, but it got the car movement going and you know, and yes.

Let's see, as stars of the show.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

What are you finding?

I mean, you've got into it.

Is the, the veteran movement still attracting new members?

Because, I mean, a lot of the old cars, the, the, the, the enthusiasts are slightly dying off a little bit.

Russell, I'm not inferring anything here, but you.

It's more like classic cars now are like 70s, 80s and early 90s for a lot of people.

Yeah.

But, yeah, so I think it comes back to the car that you wanted as a child.

Yeah.

So the cars that, you know, I, I wanted as a child would probably have been, you know, the Fords have now got a big problem having the rs.

Oh, yeah.

Serious.

Yeah.

But it's because people of my era couldn't afford them.

Yeah.

Right.

Okay.

But I mean, not being fully.

Yes.

Hence the back.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But the passion for me is these simple cars.

Yeah.

That not people, that people that are not technical can actually operate.

Yeah.

But we'll go, you know, we live on the foul coast.

We'll go to Lythen for, for something.

A bite to eat at lunchtime.

Yeah.

Or a coffee or whatever else.

And we'll sit, we'll take the car there.

Car will sit in the square.

Yeah.

And the amount of attention.

So you have to keep an eye on it.

Really.

Well, I mean I'm, I'm comfortable with people sort of taking photographs of them.

And however else is when they start taking souvenirs, that's when it's, that's your problem, isn't it?

Yeah, yeah.

And you know, occasionally because of course they've got no doors on them or whatever.

You're capable to get people sat on your mouth and that's not right because I mean.

No, you know, I wouldn't go and sit in your car.

No, don't just open the door and go and sit in your car.

So why, you know what being funny.

You'd be surprised how often that actually happens.

And people say to me, I mean I went to one event with my not being bossful, modern, desirable car and somebody was very upset because I locked it.

Right.

Yeah.

Because he wanted to have a sit in.

Yeah.

I said, did you?

Do you?

Yeah.

I'm not gonna be.

I'm, you know, it is a hurt somebody who's showing me some enthusiasm or whatever else.

I'll say we're climbing, I'll take the photograph, I'll be a walk around some, you know, especially you've got kids with them or whatever else.

Happy to sort of do that.

Yeah.

But when I'm not with the car and in the coffee shop and watching them and whatever else.

And someone just sits in the car.

Yeah.

You know, except it's a bit.

So I know one thing that is very expensive on some of them.

I started to a guy with a stunning vintage Bentley.

The cost of the lights to replace them is.

I mean you could buy a car.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

These headlights cost.

Yeah.

Some of them are massive books.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We've just bought a rear light for our eight horsepower didion which not.

Not one.

Yeah.

Which is referred to as a number plate light and whatever else.

And that little moss light was.

Was 500 quid.

Yeah, yeah.

So because all your cars would be what a friend of mine in America, Joe Pep calls brass era cars.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And because I know he was telling me a lot of these lights were based.

They come from the fact that they were based on ships lights, hence the design of them.

Yeah.

Where do we get lights from?

Well, they do when they're off a ship.

Yeah.

I conclude an original one is highly desirable.

But there'll be reproductions that are acceptable at times.

I'm not sure that there are reproductions.

Oh, I'm not too.

I'm not too sure that you've got them.

I have not come across rep.

I'll be pointing out then.

Yes you can.

But yeah, I'm not seeing any at all.

But the issue that you've got with them, that because they're quite flimsy, they're easy to damage the bend and whatever else.

And there are some specialists that actually refurbish the likes.

Right.

You've got to bear in mind the amount of time that some of them, you know, take refurbishing them.

Yeah.

You know, but it takes an hour to clean one.

That'll be Brasso time as well.

Yeah, yeah.

So, I mean, you know, one of the things that you'll talk about is what methyl polish are you sort of using?

Are you using autosol?

Are you using peak?

Are you using Brasso?

Are you using the cloth?

Are you using the liquid?

You know?

Yeah.

So I use cloth.

Yeah.

Use a Brasso cloth.

I find that the liquid gives me too much of a white sort of stain.

Yeah.

On the brass.

Yeah.

But.

And I conclude the maintenance of these cars is part of the pleasure of all in them, isn't it?

Having to get your spanners out a touchward.

And I don't often get the spanners out.

I spend a lot of time cleaning.

Yeah.

And as I say, I'm probably over the top.

I mean, I'll clean.

The engine's as clean as the outside.

Yeah.

I think you witnessed that.

Yeah.

You know, a couple of weeks ago.

And whatever else.

Yeah.

The engine's sort of spotless.

There's no oil on the engine and whatever else.

And all the brass under the bonnet.

Yeah.

As clean as the brass outside.

When you're driving about in them, do you find all the motorists give you plenty of room and live your life?

Yeah, yeah.

You know, they are very, very courteous.

I mean, and you get an awful lot of attention.

Yeah.

And whatever else.

The biggest problem I do have is, you know, we are slow.

Yeah.

Okay.

So somebody will overtake us and then break immediately.

Yeah.

Afterwards when we haven't got.

Not great brakes.

No.

You know, we've got two wheel brakes and they're really simple brakes.

No.

Much different really than a brakes of a bicycle.

Yeah.

You know, that's what we have.

Yeah.

So that's the biggest, you know.

You know, you just have to pay attention to.

Yeah.

To the road.

So are there any more on the horizon?

Do you have your eyes on another one?

Dems have been saying, oh, God, a very little room in the garage.

So something I'd have to go before beforehand.

Yeah.

But I wouldn't mind a Victorian vehicle.

Right.

Right?

Yeah.

So any ideas what.

Because I must say, you're moving into a realm that he.

Not even I know anything about.

I would like a Victorian vehicle that probably has a Benz raging now.

Not necessarily a Benz, because you're talking big books, you know.

So a Benz car of that period is a couple hundred thousand pounds.

Yeah.

Whereas you can get something like a her2.

Yeah.

That uses exactly the same engine and whatever else.

But he hasn't got the Ben's name.

Yeah.

And it's probably half the price.

Right.

Yeah.

And do you know where they are?

Do you know where to get one if you wanted one?

Yeah, I think I know where to go.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And there's certain cars that I would want.

Yeah, certain cars that you wouldn't.

Right.

It wouldn't be one of them.

And given the fact you mentioned, do you tend to find there's a lot of them in Germany, in Europe as a whole are the bulk of them there compared.

The bulk of the cars are here.

All right.

Both the veteran cars are actually here because this is where you've got the London to Brighton a lot of the.

Right.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

And therefore you've got to be registered by the Veteran Cars Club to participate.

Right.

In the London to Brighton.

But a lot of the cars are kept here.

Yeah.

Although their owners are from Australia, Canada, States, Germany, and therefore the car is kept here.

Yeah.

Still have the original registration number on it.

And they'll have the likes of Tom Parrott, Nigel Purret service the car before they'll collect the car, do the rally and then Tom parallel pick your whiskey back off in his warehouse and whatever else.

So, you know, so you do get quite a bit of that.

See, a lot of the participants are.

Yeah.

Are lawful.

Yeah.

Outside the UK.

Yeah.

I'll keep the car in the UK.

Right.

What.

Is it London to Brighton again or.

Oh, yeah, so we're doing London to Brighton.

So we'll have at least two cars in London to Brighton.

Possibly the three cars in London to Brighton.

Yeah.

We'll.

We're in France in June with the Didion Bhutan Club.

So we've got a week in.

In van.

There will be a couple of events that we do with the Vacuum Car Club.

Yeah.

As well, local events in the Northwest.

Yeah.

Region.

So.

Yeah.

So we do also do the Creepy Crawly.

So the Creepy Crawley is a.

Is a good event done by the Veteran Car Club.

Yeah.

Justin Fellows I wish you all the best and it's nice to meet somebody who's keeping these cars alive because that's the other thing if it weren't for guys like you these guys would just disappear because there's few people really understand them as well isn't there and.

Yeah I can't offer so London to Brian I was surprised how many young people were there the problem you've got with modern day cars is no one can tinker anymore no but this, these cars allow you to tinker which is part of some people part of the passion yeah you know there's no good just sort of driving somewhere in your car People won't understand how they work and how you know and get under the bonnet yeah a modern car won't.

Want you to do that Once again Justin Fellows thanks very much it's been a pleasure chatting to you.