Boy Racers first car was a Morris 8/40 Roadster.  It wasn't all that flash and after a few years use, the cream house paint started to turn a shade of yellow in places.So it was time for a new look.

A new spray job sounded like the way to go.
Ah, first problem.  No spray equipment
That's ok got a mate that has one.  Right problem solved....

So we can drive the car over to the mates place, about 10 miles away, strip every thing off the body that sticks out or is screwed on, rub down the body and paint.  Couldn't be easier.   could it?

Oh, the enthusiasm of youth.  One tends to ignore the Murphy's law factor of anything that  can go wrong, will go wrong.  Add to that the enthusiasm of youth and it will go wrong faster.

OK, arrive at mates place, clear his garage and start to strip the Morrie.  This is were we get our first visit from our mate Murphy. Everything that has to come off has rusted on, adding  twice as much time to strip the car as was counted on.

With the stripping job finally finished and the body sanded, it was time to paint.  Looks like our mate Murphy hasn't left us.  The cream paint on the body isn't compatible with the undercoat or the topcoat or is it the thinners?

Eventually we work it out, but more time is consumed.  Ok so its going to take two days to paint instead of one.  This isn't really a problem as my mate reckons he can drive me home and pick me up in the morning.  She will be right, no worries mate. Piece of cake.

At this point our mate Murphy returns,  in the form of a phone call, mates mum has to go out Like NOW.!!  Mum doesn't drive so mate has to take her and in the opposite direction to me. Oh hell!!  How does a boy racer get home now?  Oh She will be right, we will just chuck everything in the back of the Morrie and drive home.

Right, its done.  Set off home, its starting to get a bit on the late side and a little on the dark side.  Time from another visit from our friend Murphy, and he has brought help this time.
WHEE, WHEEE, WHEEE, Ah hell, its the LAW.
Now by this time its starting to get serious dark time and the conversation goes something like this;

"ER, MM, Good Evening sir", with the emphasis on the evening
"Ah we happened to notice, sir, that the lights on your vehicle were not turned on so can you please explain that to us sir?"
"AH, Er, well officer, I guess that would be because they are in the back you see".
Lets not forget that everything sticking out of the body or screwed onto it was removed and in the back seat.  This included the lights, windscreen, door handles, etc
"Ah, Yes, and what would be the reason for that sir?"
"Ah, well you see officer, as you can observe, says Boy Racer waving a torch around, we were just painting the vehicle sir, and ran out of time, so I was, Ah, just driving home you see."
"Oh yes!!  I see, however we also happen to observe", says the copper with a smirk on his face, "that there are no registration plates or label displayed on the vehicle."
HMM, Ah Hell!  I'm in a hole now! Dammed observant these police aren't they?
How the hell do they expect me to display a label if there is no damn windscreen to display it on?
"Oh! gosh officer they are also in the back", says he digging about frantically in the back seat of the car, "Er  somewhere sir."
"Arhmm, well yeah son, you do know don't you that its an offence not to display a registration label or plates on your vehicle", says he with an even bigger smirk on his face.
Oh hell! The hole I'm in is getting bigger.
"OK so, you just stay here while I confer with my fellow officer."
After he does so, he returns still with that smirk on his face."Well Son, we have decided to overlook these offences you have committed this time so you can get on home taking it very carefully, and remember we don’t want to see this vehicle again until you have it all back together, do you understand?"
"Yes sir.  Thank you Officer."

This actually took place in the late 1950's.  Of course we can all see the same thing happening today can't we? OH YEAH!  Sure we can.  Could you imagine what the total sum of the fines would be and when they would have let our boy racer out of the lock up.  The Morrie was driven back the next day in the same state and finished.

My mate, like me, couldn't believe that I had got away with it.  The Morrie looked great Green with a white bonnet top.  OH, That white bonnet.  It looked terrific, but it was HELL when the sun shone on it, but it was pure joy to a BOY RACER

  Previous  |  Stories Index  | Top of Page  |  Next