Ken Bruce: 'I have fond memories of my first car - but it's buses I really love'
Radio presenter Ken Bruce says his first car was a Hillman Avenger which he eventually sold because it became unreliable.
“I didn’t have my own cars until I was well int my 20s,” said the former Radio 2 presenter who now works for Greatest Hits Radio.
“I was doing shift work, often up at 5am doing continuity announcements and reading the news, so I needed something reliable.
“The Avenger moved quite swiftly but often it would need three or four times to get it started.”
Before he became a radio presenter he worked for a car hire company in Glasgow and was often allowed to take vehicles home at night. On one occasion he took his wife to the opera in a bread van with sliding doors.
He said he had some interesting cars over the years including an early Honda Civic which was reliable except for rust which brought about its demise. His favourite was a Saab convertible.
Ken, speaking to the Scotland The Drive podcast, also spoke of his love of buses.
At one time he owned seven - including ex-London Transport red Routemasters - along with a group of broadcasting colleagues.
They ran them as a business hiring them out for weddings and corporate events but following the pandemic they closed the business.
He often drove the buses, having taken a week off work in 2004 to take lessons and pass his test. Ken is patron of the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust.
"They have all the buses I could ever need and I don't have to spend money on them."
He now drives a hybrid Land Rover Discovery Sport.
"It does around 36 miles on electric power which is great for my daily commute to the railway station, so I hardly ever have to buy petrol."
Scotland the Drive is available on You Tube, Spotify, Instagram and TikTok