Adrian Hearn caught up with  Ashley for the first of our new features on readers’ auto collections.

“I call her J-Lo because she’s got a twitchy rear end.”

Ashley Winston loves his Formula 23 kit car. Fitted with a Honda Fireblade bike engine, the car rockets from 0-60mph in five seconds and redlines at 12,000rpm.  And he’s raced it round the daunting Nürburgring in Germany.

Last used for Formula One racing in 1976, the track has become known as a motoring Mecca for like-minded petrolheads seeking an octane-based thrill.

“I’d never driven on a track before. It was pretty scary, but I gave it some. I managed to lap it in 9 minutes 46 seconds, which I was pretty pleased with,” says Ashley.

That’s not a bad effort considering the track is 22km long, has 172 corners and houses three villages within its boundaries.  But when he was on the track, Ashley was surprised by the top speed he was getting out of the Lotus 7-lookalike.

“I thought we’d be able to go faster than 105mph. So I had an idea. We took the screen off and hit 112mph. Then my friend lapped it with me as a passenger and we clocked 9.05!”

The 2004 kit car is one of three curious cars in the 31-year-old’s collection.
 
“I’ve got a Ford Mustang. It’s a 1964-and-a-half model. It’s much rarer than the ’64 and ’65 Mustangs and has a different badge and dashboard.

“It’s a really iconic car and I always wanted one. It’s got a 4.7-litre V8 so for a 43-year-old car it doesn’t half shift,” says Ashley.

I quiz Ashley about the handling of his muscle car, which is renowned for its colourful cornering.

“It used to be like a powerful sofa, so I had the suspension changed. Now it’s more like a powerful armchair – it handles really well, but you have to be careful on the corners,” says Ashley.

“It was shipped over about three years ago,” says Ashley. “Including the rebuild it cost me about £11,000 and it’s brilliant. I drive it nearly every day, and because it’s quite a simple car there isn’t much to go wrong.”

Ealing resident Ashley has always been keen on cars, and has started up his own auto company.

“I call myself an automotive consultant. People come to my company (Palmdale Motors Limited) and I do all the hard work for them. I put the cars on Auto Trader and arrange viewings and sort the paperwork - it saves the car owners the stress of selling,” says Ashley.

Ashley’s other car? A 1986 Rover SD1 called Roger.

“Growing up in the Eighties, I always liked the SD1. My friend’s dad Roger had one and I spent six months looking for the perfect model. It only cost £800.

“It’s got leather interior, all-round electrics, power steering and enough dials to shake a stick at.

“It’s slower than the Mustang and uses more fuel. But I don’t care because it’s the ultimate in Eighties retro.” 

Calling all petrolheads - can you beat Ashley’s collection?

You and your cars could be the subject of the next Auto Garage - email us at editorial@autotrader.co.uk

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