Motors & Me - Paschal Fenton

Pashcal Fenton with his Ford Cortina. The car originally belonged to his father-in-law.

What are you currently driving?

A 1974 Ford Cortina Mk 3. I drive a Land Rover Discovery during the week as my everyday car and we also have a Ford Mondeo.

Love at first sight or a means for getting from A to B?

The car originally belonged to my father-in-law. He had that car for about 12 or 13 years before he bought another Cortina.

He put the original car in a shed and I across it in the mid 90s.

There’s a lot of work gone into it over the years – the doors had to be replaced, the floor in the boot was very bad.

The body wasn’t too bad, but we had to repair one wing , work on the suspension and the brakes and of course replace all the lights and electrics.

I had a few members form the local vintage car club give me a hand with it.

What’s under the bonnet?

1.6 XL petrol. It was a good engine back in its day.

She’s still a good car to drive and can still keep up with many cars in her class.

It’s an economical car and has been trouble free over the years.

Petrol head or Sunday driver?

I’ve always been interested in cars since I was young - tractors, cars, anything with an engine.

It was something that always interested me, especially older models.

What was your first car?

My first car was an 1982 Ford Cortina Mk 5. I learned to drive in Ford Escorts that belonged to my father, that’s what we had grew up.

What else do you/did you own?

I’ve always driven Fords. I went from the Cortina to a Sierra and after that I had a Land Rover at one stage and had a range of Mondeos over the last 20 years.

Where we’re from here in Charleville, we always had good dealings with Kavanaghs and have bought our cars off them down through the years and we’ve stayed with them.

Dream car in dream location?

If I could afford it, I love to have a Ford Mustang.

They’re out new again, so maybe if I win the Lotto sometime I could drive away in one of them.

I’d drive it anywhere as an everyday car.

Passenger you’d most like on a long journey?

That’s a hard one to call.

It would have to be my wife Eileen and anyone that likes driving after that.

Passenger you’d least like?

People I know and pal around with I like, so anyone I didn’t like, I wouldn’t have them in the car with me.

What’s on your playlist?

I listen to the local radio – 96FM, 4FM. I like the 80s and 90s stuff — Joe Dolan, Smokey.

I have an 8-track stereo in the Cortina and only a handful of tapes to suit that.