Dave Gunn reckons his granda is probably the main influence for his love of classic cars.
His granda, Jimmy Gunn, was a well-known driving instructor around Portgordon for 34 years. He loved everything about cars – driving and fixing them. In all, he owned 13 VW Beetles, two of which he taught in, and he also had a Hillman Minx which is still local to the town and was in a classic rally last year.
So all those times Dave spent as a young lad helping out changing tyres or topping up the oil must have rubbed off.
However, despite this immersion in cars and mechanics, Dave is rather embarrassed to admit that he didn’t pass his test at 17.
He said: “I was living in Aberdeen city centre by then, where you just didn’t need a car as everything is on your doorstep, and I was at the age when I was going out with friends a lot so there was also the cost factor at the time too.
“I did take a fair amount of ribbing from people about it, especially considering my granda had been a driving instructor.
“I decided in my mid-20s that it was eventually time I had a car and passed my test – second time lucky.”
Even when Dave, who lives in Aberdeen city centre with his wife, Alix, got his first car, a Rover 200, it was a short-lived relationship as he managed to write it off after a prang with a postie van.
He said: “I didn’t have the best of starts with my cars – but I think I’ve more than made up for it now.
“I first got into older cars through my work, Sand Monitoring Services (SMS), as one of my colleagues, Tommy, is into them and we just got talking. I looked at several different makes and models and decided on a Volvo Amazon as they’re not too expensive and you can get parts quite cheaply.”
Dave bought an Amazon 122 but sadly had to sell it soon afterwards as garage bills for restoration became too expensive. Dave had nowhere to work on it himself, apart from the roadside outside his flat.
It wasn’t until three years later, in 2013, he decided to buy another Amazon, when his friend at work had a workshop of his own after a house move.
Dave said: “I knew I’d at least have somewhere to work on it then, although it still wasn’t ideal as my mate lives quite a bit out in the country.
“However, through the Volvo forums on the internet I saw the advert for my 1966 Amazon 121 B18 single carb four speed – and I discovered another couple of Volvo fanatics in Aberdeen. One of them, Mitch, had his own workshop in the city centre, so I was delighted when he suggested I could share the space.
“It even has a little sitting-room with a wood-burning stove and a kitchen, so we’re sorted. Our wives never see us – which I don’t know is a good thing or a bad thing for them.”
Dave had planned on doing a couple of minor changes over the winter to the car but there is more work than he originally thought.
He said: “It looked as if it was in not too bad condition, but once we started scraping the underseal we discovered just how much rust there was. And there’s a lot.
“There’s a couple of places where we’ve had to cut out badly rusted areas, either buy or make a new panel, and then weld it in, and we’ll prime and paint it afterwards.
“Mitch is the welding expert and I’m learning that skill from him, but due to the type of work I do as a technical team lead at SMS, I know a fair bit about electrics so can do them on my car. Luckily, they are pretty straightforward as you’d expect with a Volvo.
“The revised plan is to tackle the rust, which is mainly in the inner wings, floor and sills, and get it on the road in time for summer.
“The Volvo forums, as well as being where I found the car, have been an invaluable source of knowledge and encouragement as there’s always someone to help an amateur like me. My mate at work loves working with engines so he’ll help me with that too. Hopefully when we’re totally finished, it’ll be good for another 50 years.
“In the long term, I’d like to instal a B20 with twin carbs, a better gearbox (overdrive or go straight for a five speed) and bring it up to more modern standards. But just to get it back on the road and do a couple of road trips with Alix to the Highlands next year would be great.
“It’s great when people ask you questions about the car, or you get older guys coming up to you and saying they used to have one. I love the styling of the car and how it looks on the road. It’s very friendly-looking.
“I know that even though the car is taking up a lot of time and money, which I probably won’t get back, it’s been good to have a hobby. This time last year, I was sitting about in the evenings just watching TV, but now I’m learning about welding and engine mechanics on a car which I love.”