72 EASY WAFTING AND BLOWN COBWEBS…

It wasn’t just Abbie the Abarth that got a runout to Scotland at the weekend; Richie drove the Kuga to The Trossachs, too, as we went ‘Up Tha Road’ to see our good friends Ronnie and Maresa. 

He ferried Rachel, Dave, and Jacky north of the border in the big Ford, and there were times when I was envious of his generously profiled tyres and soft suspension, although the four-hour blast did leave him needing painkillers once we arrived in Balloch. 

To save poor Richie's back and hip, we may need to divide the whole journey into two-hour blocks with a stretch break in between.

I’m keen for him to make the trip, but not at the expense of his long-term health. We need to consider this. 

While we were in Scotland, Carl was having the time of his life hooning it around the roads of North Wales in Bert the ‘barth. He collected it from where it was stored and took it for a blast around some of the best roads in Britain. 

He phoned me five minutes after we got in on Sunday, all excited about how good the car felt and how he had enjoyed his afternoon in it. It was certainly more interesting than my journey, keeping a steady 70ish on the M8/M74/M6 for almost 200 miles. 

Apparently, he gave it ‘a bit of a thrashing,’ and it performed exceptionally. He is talking about fitting a bigger turbo and remapping the engine once he returns from the trip. I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that he might keep the car!!!