My 'hands on' apprenticeship was founded in absolute need, based on little money, and no facilities. So as a 17 year old, working on the front lawn, I had to learn fast. My grandfather, who would have supported my efforts, (except on a Sunday), when he wasn't driving steam locomotives, spent time on his motorbike in the shed, sadly had died ten years earlier.
Of course, Concours has plenty of critics. and I never intended to get sucked in, but by 1980, my daily driver MGB was better than most entrants at the time, and so it became inevitable. What you learn from twenty years of regular Concoursing, is how to drive, up to 200 miles to an event, and have one hour to prepare. That mentality never leaves and so mixing long distance use along with keeping standards high is just my way. I do understand that I'm in a minority, and that's fine.
Most owners these days either don't have spannering skills or don't want to get dirty. So far I've dodged that.
