What was the first car you owned?
My parents had a Vauxhall Viva and they gave it to me; I was supposed to buy it off them but they forgave me and donated it to me. It was a seriously unstylish car.
Your dream car?
I don't want to spend too much money on cars. The great thing about the sports cars is they hold their value, sometimes they go up in value if you look after them.
Favourite car colour?
I really like British racing green but most of our cars are black. Black also is good.
Who taught you to drive?
I learned to drive when I was about 9 on tractors at home on the farm before people thought about OHS. I learned to drive on a Massey Ferguson with a clutch that you had to stand up and put all your weight on to change gears; so I learned about gears and that really helps with sports cars. I got my licence at 15 years and two months, driving on country roads in the Waikato. So times have changed.
Manual or automatic?
Driving sports cars, I prefer manual. Driving round town, automatic; on country roads, manual.
How often do you clean your car?
Not very often but I don't take them out often. I'm very tidy with my car; I don't like people using cars as rubbish dumps.
Most memorable road trip?
When we first had the MG my husband I went all round the North Island with a rack on the back for the bags. That was fun.
What's a great day trip out of Auckland?
Going out to the west coast, Piha or Matamata.
Does what people drive influence how you perceive them?
Once I did but I now know as people get older, and they get things like arthritis, they tend to be more sensible about their choice of cars. I have noticed when I drive the MG and stop at the lights people smile at us. With the Porsche you get a different reaction.
Would you rather drive in Auckland or take public transport?
I'm happy to take the ferry from Beachlands to the city. But I like the freedom of driving; that you can stop off and get groceries on the way home, and you can go shopping and sneak it home but you can't do that with public transport.
Who else is allowed to drive your car?
Only my husband and I. We want our son to drive a safe car.
Do you have a special number plate?
I don't "get" special number plates. I don't see why people want them but it's a free country.
Bikes and cars ... is there space for them both on NZ roads?
You have to be careful. Where we live we have a lot of open roads and people go cycling. I'm very aware of that. What I don't understand is why anyone would want to be cycling when you can be driving an MG with the roof down.
