Petrolhead TV Chef reveals lucky escape after botched DIY car repairs…
TV chef Nick Nairn has told of his youthful car adventures which began as a 13-year-old doing handbrake turns in his brother’s Minivan on the family farm in Stirlingshire.
Speaking on the motoring podcast, Scotland the Drive, Nick admits to being a petrolhead who has had a host of cars during his driving career. They include a Fiat 500 which he could drive while sitting on the roof, and an Austin 1100 – “a truly dreadful car” – with hydrolastic suspension which felt like being “in a swimming pool”.
But one of his memorable experiences was in an MG Midget which he bought from his brother.
“It was a great car but broke down regularly,” he told presenters Ally Bally and Alan Douglas on the podcast. “All the bits to repair it came from a scrapyard but I couldn’t get the secondhand brakes to fit properly, so I used another set of linings and superglued them to the drum caliper.”
They worked for a while but the car broke down and when he got his brother to tow him home, the brakes failed.
“He was driving too fast and I was having to brake to slow him down. On a hill with bends, the heat meant the superglue parted from the caliper. As I had no brakes I overtook him and with the tow rope still attached he went off the road on one side and I went off on the other. Luckily we both walked away from it.”
Of all the cars he has owned the Porsche 911 is Nick’s favourite.
“I’ve had five of them over the years and I’m a major fan but I’ve damaged my back and they’re too low. I can get in but can’t get out again,” he admitted.
Scotland the Drive is available on You Tube, Spotify, Instagram and TikTok.