Name: Alex Young
The classic: Ford Fiesta MKII, Escort MKII, Escort MKIII, Transit MKII
‘It was a half-finished project that my dad and I had together, but when he passed away it stayed at the back of the garage for a couple of years. When I finally finished it, I took my oldest daughter on a 350-mile round trip to Santa Pod.
‘It was a poignant moment because that was the trip that Dad and I would have been making in it. It was special that I could make that trip with the next generation instead.’
When we speak to Alex, he’s heading to his garage to take the engine out of one of his cars. It’s no surprise that he’s a skilled mechanic, with four beautiful Fords in his garage and a penchant for restoring classic cars. So, when did his love for classic Fords begin?
‘The story kind of goes back to me being a babe in arms,’ he tells us. ‘My dad – who has unfortunately passed away – was the one who first got me into classic cars. We’ve been all over the country attending events; the Ford badge has been so massively important in all of our lives that it’s even getting passed down to my children now! I have two daughters, Holly Jane and Amber Jane. They’re only 9 and 3 years old, but both of them are picking up spanners in the garage now and are interested in what I’m doing, so it’s certainly a real family thing.’
At the moment, Alex and his wife own four Fords: a Transit MKII which they’ve had for nearly 30 years; an Escort MKII which they’ve owned for around 15 years; an Escort MKIII and a Fiesta MKII, both of which are recently completed projects. ‘My wife is heavily involved in the classics that we have,’ Alex tells us. ‘Her favourite is the blue Fiesta; she finds the engine particularly fun as it’s super whizzy to drive! Personally, my favourite to drive is the white MKII Escort, but the van is my favourite overall.
