For the record

How often does a classic buyers’ guide highlight the importance of a good service history? A raft of bills and invoices highlight the care a car’s been given, a lack of that paperwork being a possible cause of concern: just how well HAS this car been looked after?

The service book is also a good story-teller, detailing when and where a car was serviced. It’s surprising, however, just how many service books go missing as a car changes hands. Survivors make for interesting reading and some create intrigue, as this one did recently.

John the Bungalow, who lives near The Special, dropped round this DAF service voucher book for us to have a look at. We’d never seen one before.

But just what happened to this car’s servicing? Just one voucher has been removed, the rest of them being untouched.  Why? John said he’d carried out his own servicing when he owned said DAF (he couldn’t recall which model it was but we’re suspecting a 33) and he’d kept the book in the car.

The car’s possibly long gone, the book lives on. What a shame they can’t be reunited…

… and while we’re at it the Corgi model of the DAF City Car is another example of a car being too simple and, sadly, too far ahead of its time to strike the right chord with buyers. If only…