Motors & Me: Cathal Poole

What are you currently driving?

A 1996 Lotus Esprit Sport 300, but only on a sunny day. My every day car is a 07 Alfa GT.

Love at first sight, or just a means to get from A to B?

Love at first sight for sure. First sighting of an Esprit would have been in the Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me.

What’s under the bonnet?

A 2.2 Litre 4 Cylinder Turbo. Producing 302 bhp at 6500 rpm.

Petrol head or Sunday driver?

Petrol head I think describes me best. I’ve had an interest in cars from a very young age.

What was your first car?

A 1982 Alfa Sud 1.3 SC. Have to say this car was well ahead of its time.

What else do/did you own?

I had two Alfa Sud’s, a 1988 Alfa Sprint (which I still have) , a few Alfa 33’s, a 1997 2.0 Litre Alfa GTV, a 1988 2.2 Litre Lotus Esprit X180 and two Alfa GT’s (04 and 07) . The 07 GT I still use as my work horse.

Dream drive in dream location?

A red Ferrari Testarossa, cruising around the streets of Monte Carlo. This would be a dream come true.

Passenger you’d most like on a long journey?

I would alternate between my wife Monica and our son Kieran for this one.

Passenger you’d least like?

Anyone who doesn’t understand or appreciate the hours of hard work that can go into maintaining these cars and keeping them on the road.

What’s on your playlist?

I’m a big 80s fan - Adam and the Ants, David Bowie, Blondie, The Pretenders, Ultravox and some Dire Straits, etc.