This thought has crossed my mind as a result of various recent threads, including toy cars and driving skills and so on.
Growing up, the only access I had to cars was either my friends at school (Vauxhall Cresta/Vauxhall Wyvern/Morris Minor), or my mother's friends (Jowett Javelin/Austin A40/Austin A35 van/Ford Prefect (sidevalve)/Wolseley 1500), plus that unforgettable trip in a Lagonda Rapide.
My interest up to being 17 was WW2 aircraft, although I collected the usual Dinky/Corgi/Spot On and Matchbox cars for many years (and none are left except a matchbox Ford Anglia).
I only started to look at cars when I sent for my provisional licence (April 1970). My initial learning was Wolseley 1500, but the driving school had two Vauxhall Viva HBs.
What then began was consuming magazines, at first donated by adult friends, but then taking Motor, Autocar, Autosport and MotorSport magazines. My first British GP was 1971 and that really cemented my car nut credentials. And that's how its been ever since. I wouldn't change a thing. Except if I had had any money at that time I would have had a Lotus Elan, a TR6, and a TVR 300M, one after the other in any order.
This (The post WW2 period) has been the golden age of motoring.
