Auto Trader

Buster was thrown into the public eye earlier this year when his story was featured in several national newspapers. Auto Trader’s Adrian Hearn met up with the man whose past is more colourful than a kaleidoscope shop.

You might decide to change your career in your thirties. Buster Martin changed his at 97. Two years ago the recently retired Buster contacted Charlie Mullins, the managing director of Pimlico Plumbers who offered him a job valeting and maintaining the company’s fleet of over 100 vans.

Buster’s enthusiasm for cars started just after the second world war.

“My favourite car was a 1947 Austin 16. I got it for 95 quid and sold it for £495 back in 1963.

“I stripped it down completely and put it back together. After I sold it I gave up driving because there were too many lunatics on the road,” says Buster.

Of all the cars he’s driven, there was one he was glad to see the back of.

“The worst car I ever worked on was a Ford Zephyr. It was horrible. If I had a car now I would have something small and definitely not one of those big gas-guzzling ones,” says Buster.

Working as a mechanic at Pimlico Plumbers is the latest in a long line of jobs for the energetic nonagenarian.

Buster grew up in Cornwall and moved to London in 1916 to find work. He started out by working on the stalls of Brixton market.

Buster said: “I was big enough, strong enough and ugly enough to work.”

He stayed at the market until 1920 – the same year he got married, fathered his first of 17 children and joined the navy, before transferring to the army. He left the forces in 1955 and went back to the market where he stayed until 2004 – the year of his retirement.

Then Buster got bored.

“I got grumpy and had nothing to do so I decided to get a job,” says Buster.

Buster’s secret to a long and fruitful life is never to plan anything.

“I always get up when I wake up - which was at 3am this morning. I do my ablutions and a few press-ups," says Buster.

“I love to work and if you have an occupied mind then time flies.”

Watching Buster at work is an amazing thing.

There’s a lift he could take to get downstairs to the shop floor but instead of taking the easy route he chooses to jog down the stairs.

Buster’s daily ritual is a visit to his favourite pub, The Lambeth Walk.

“I drink bitter. None of that fizzy lager stuff,” says Buster.

Buster hits the big 100 on September 1, and is adamant he’ll be working - but his boss has other ideas.

“There’s no way he is going to be working but we won’t be able to stop him coming in,” says Charlie.

Before I go I need to take a photo of Buster, but he won’t stand still. All he wants to do is polish the vans. It’s like watching a keen young employee on their first day.

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Read out essential facts about 1906 - the year Buster was born.