Last week marked the first time the Alpine has been on the road in over 18 months! So of course I had to celebrate it with a weekend away.

Was keeping good company at our hotel Friday night. Followed by the fantastic Rustival on Saturday. Dessert? A trip to Caffeine & Machine on Sunday evening.

What a machine. Miss mine terribly. Felt like a proper raw racing car for the road. But when you've had to spend 50% of the initial purchase price to keep it running over 18 months, a good chunk of which time it wasn't, time was sadly up. And I thought I'd bought a good one. Would I again? Maybe.

Love the fact the styling is so mundane but it has a big ol bonnet scoop so you can almost imagine you're behind the wheel of a Subaru WRX. Almost..

I really shouldn't have parked it next to yours 🤣

Scramble tomorrow (or today now, I guess).

Sadly I can't take the Pontiac "Dustbuster" as the MOT has expired.

Good job I now have a spare, of the Oldsmobile variety.

Well, my wife has been keen to get a camper..

Welcome to the newest addition to the fleet!

This was either a genius idea, or the begining of my downfall.

Before anyone asks, the key numbers are 2000kg and 1470kg.

Hideousness secret level unlocked 🤮

Happy birthday! And also, get well soon!

Will be rustling up an ad for the Rallye soon. Limited reach on here, but if anyone knows somebody who is after one of these, let me know.

Ha, brilliant!

Boot lock seems to work, driver's door not so much. Which at least means I can style it out when I go to get in the wrong side.

What became of yours? Mine admittedly looks better in photos than in the flesh, the paint on the roof especially is in bad shape, and the bumpers aren't great. But the biggest annoyance / disappointment was the discovery upon collection of a crack in the windscreen 😑

My dad as a motoring journo got to test both the Space Cruiser and Previa, and I got to briefly drive the Previa. As a child the Space Cruiser in particular was memorable thanks to its large rear sunroof and ventilation controls in the centre row. Saw an amazing one recently at Retro Rides Gathering

Or actually, what I would really, REALLY, want, is a Space Cruiser!

Now I need a 1990 Previa to make it a three-continent period MPV battle 😆

Haha, thanks Rory. I do love the wheels too, albeit I'll admit I wasn't initially convinced about the whitewalls.

Chris was struggling to keep up, and I was struggling to keep it in a straight line. The steering is, how shall I say, a little less than precise.

That post deserves a shot of you giving it the pre-inspection for me 😁

And thank you again!

Oh definitely. Although I'll admit I wasn't too sure on the whitewall tyres.

Admittedly I didn't know anything about this engine, but apparently has legendary status. Which is nice.

And here is the newest addition to the fleet, in all its glory! Couldn't resist lining it up for a photo alongside its period European rival.

It's a little rough around the edges, but managed the trip back from North Yorkshire to Hereford in the rain without drama.

And here it is! No, not the Espace...it's behind it 😁

Non. Not European.

Yeah, nah mate.

Nope, not Japanese

Nope, not Japanese

Nope, not Japanese

Not JDM