Smart Ringer

My other interest is my little Smart Car.

I have always liked small cars, so when the Smart Car came on the market it was only a matter of time before I had one of my own. Smart Cars are made in France by a consortium of Swatch (watch makers), Mercedes Benz and Daimler-Chrysler. The name Smart comes from Swatch Mercedes ART. Within the first few years of manufacture the Smart Car has achieved cult status, similar to the Mini or VW Beetle.

I bought my car in September 2003 from Paul and Dave Murphy, AKA "Smartarse Design" in Romsey. I found I had entered into a world of Smart enthusiast, I have been to Smart meetings and found all of them to be great characters that make ringers look normal!

After I had had the car for a few months I commissioned Smartarse to carry out the art work on my car. I had some reservations about driving around in a car with a bellrope and “Smart Ringer” on the side, but I decided that a Smart Car is probably the only car you can get away with that sort of thing.

The work was carried out in Easter 2004, and still looks as good as it did then. It is my contribution to bell ringing PR, and I think it puts across that bell ringing isn’t quite as dull as the non-ringer might think!

It is my hope eventually to form a ringing association of Smart Car owners, called “Smart Ringers”. And it is my dream to see 20 or more Smart Cars lined up outside somewhere like Winchester Cathedral for a Smart Ringers meeting. One-day maybe!!!

Here's a link with my past.

August 1977 aged 16.

While I was working for John Taylor & Co, Loughborough, I was having trouble with my Sports Moped (a 1974 KTM Comet Cross). I was visiting my parents over the August Bank Holiday with the intention of buying the components to carry out the repairs. My brother Martin reminded me that our next-door neighbour had a 50cc bike for sale. It was a 1970 GARELLI MONZA (H reg), which he had bought at auction for £50 a few years previously.

I bought it from him for £45 as you can see from the photo it is very unusual. It is very small and light, and very fast. It has a top speed in the region of 70mph, although I never quite got achieved that – but came very close on many occasions.

It was so light that my Dad took it back up to Loughborough on the roof rack on his Austin 1300. I used the bike daily to get from Lockington to Loughborough Bellfoundry, and then out to ringing again in the evenings at many local towers.

The “Piston broke” in January 1978 and became a contributing factor in my decision to quit working at the foundry and return home to Liss. Being only 16 at the time I didn’t have the life skills to deal with life’s little problems.

Within a few weeks of my return home we had repaired the engine damage, and I continued to use the Garelli on and off until 1980. I never sold it, but dismantled it and put it into storage for about 6 years until I moved to Gosport. When I re-assembled it only to find that Martin had stolen many small parts over the years.

It sat in my garage slowly getting rustier until August 2005 when my Dad persuaded me to let him have it to start a restoration. As you can see he has made a magnificent job of it, we are now in the final stages of restoration. The biggest problem has been that spare parts are non-existent, not only because it was such a rare bike (even in it’s day) but also because Garelli went out of business many years ago.

I intend to take it to Vintage Rallies during the summer months once the restoration is complete. I have rebuilt the engine in recent months and it now runs well, riding it makes the last 30 years melt away!