My Mother

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Today used to be my mother's birthday. She was born in 1919, highly educated and modern thinking but not a great motoring lady as she was raised in a family without cars. Still I have several car related memories about her. When I was very young I spent some time in hospital and she used to visit making use of the family car. This was a Renault Dauphine. I would not see the car, but her sporty suede jacket and knitted driver's gloves gave a purposeful impression.

In the early sixties the family moved to a suburb of Amsterdam. My father bought a brandnew Volkswagen 1500 ponton with an awkward  reverse for those - like my mother - who were used to a friendly french car. I remember the day that we drove forty miles to get to the modern shopping center 1 mile further. This as she had to find a route where she never had to back up. When she took up teaching law in the late sixties she bought a bright red Citroën 2CV. Only two months later she was lucky enough to hit a birch tree half a mile from home leaving the new Citroen as a total loss. 'Lucky' as the only alternative for the tree was the canal only three feet to the left.

The next 2CV lasted much much longer. I used to borrow the car in summer and drove it over the Grossglockner to Italy, used it to 'truck' my first imports from Barcelona and more. Funny enough, I had not one single picture of my mother with a car. Until this Austin Mini Moke popped up from oblivion when we were sorting old family albums. Shot on Bonaire in 1968. Brilliant car on a brilliant island. Believe it or not. But this was during a business trip for law professors. My father accompanied her and used to add  with a broad smile that he participated in the 'ladies program'.

(text by Joris Bergsma, founding editor)

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