Derek Riley is a big fan of his 1990 Peugeot 205 GTi – but in his family, he is the only one.
“My wife and daughter don’t like it”, he said.
“My daughter says ‘dad you are so uncool’. She wouldn’t go near it. I offered to teach her to drive in it and she said that wasn’t going to happen.”
The car is one of many Peugeots that Derek, who lives in Newmachar, has owned over the years. His first was when he was around 19 years old and now nearly 30 years later, he finds himself back behind the wheel of one.
He bought the car towards the end of last summer. He wasn’t specifically looking for a new car, he just happened across it.
He had once owned a 205 GTi but sold it, a decision he has always regretted. The previous car was an F reg and it was sold to put the money towards a business venture. So when he saw the car at the Station Garage in Kintore, he knew he had to go for it.
“I don’t know really how it came to be in their ownership but it had been there a while,” he explained.
“The boss of the garage asked me if I wanted to buy it so they fixed it up, and got it MoT’d and put it back on the road and then I bought it off them.”
For the most part, the classic car sits in Derek’s garage but in the summer months, it becomes his day trip car. And this year, Derek gave the car its first outing to a local rally, which was a first for him too.
He said: “I took it to the Kildrummy rally earlier in the summer. It was the first time I’ve been to a show and the first time the car has been to a show. I really liked it.
“I got a lot of nice comments about how the car was looking and I got some tips from people there about how to improve the car, which was great.
“I really enjoyed Kildrummy though, I will definitely be going back to that. The car is an emerging classic and something a bit different.”
As the car was given a restoration of sorts by the garage, Derek hasn’t had to do any work to the car since he got it. It has allowed him to spend his time keeping it looking good – with a regular wash and buffer for the bodywork.
As for the future of the car, Derek is trying to avoid history repeating itself and selling his 205, only to regret it. But you can never say never…
“It’s probably my last one,” he said.
“I said that last time when I sold the other one but I’ll definitely be keeping this one.
“I’ve always had Peugeots since I was younger. I’ve just always liked them. I liked Fords as well but always thought the Peugeots were better looking and better to drive.
“You can never say never though. If someone offered me stupid money I’d consider it. My wife would be happy if I sold it.
“People stop me and say ‘I like your car’ or ‘I used to have one’. That’s what annoys my wife, she says it is so embarrassing. Her and my daughter are just not interested in it.
“I get a bit of stick about the car, mostly from my own family though. I’ve told my daughter she can inherit it and it will sit in the garage until she wants it – it’ll probably be locked up for a long time,” he added laughing.
First car:
Gold 950 X-reg Ford Fiesta
Dream car:
Ford Focus RS500