me and mymotor Daniel O’Connell, of Redmayne-Bentley, Newport, talks about his cars...
Who are you and what do you do? I am a proud Newportonian and grew up in Ringland, Moorland Park, and the St Julian’s Estate. I am a stockbroker and branch manager with Redmayne-Bentley Stockbrokers and managing director of the Kymin Partnership.
What was your very first car and what did you think of it? I bought my first car for £300 when I was 18, in 1993. I had saved up for months to buy it, and it was a Blue Ford Escort with about 120k miles on the clock. It was an ‘old’ Y reg (1982). Unfortunately it lasted about four weeks before the engine blew. I was devastated. I then borrowed some money from the bank to buy my pride and joy – a black Sierra Sapphire saloon. It was an old car at the time, but it felt like I was driving a limousine and was a really smooth drive. I was 18 and my mates were looking cool driving small and compact Novas and Saxos. I was driving this massive saloon. I thought I looked really cool but looking back I looked a bit silly, to be fair.
What do you drive now and why? I drive a Porsche Cayman. Iit’s a rear wheeled drive two seater, in Cobalt Blue. I’m not sure why I bought it, to be honest. I’m not that much of a car buff and am always told off by everyone for it being dirty on the outside and a mess on the inside! An opportunity came up a couple of years ago when it had 3,000 on the clock and it ticked all the right boxes. Mostly though, it looked really nice and that was enough for me! It is very powerful and really good fun to drive although
it’s probably wasted on me, as I am officially the slowest driver on the world. We also have a BMW 4x4 that my wife drives.
What is your dream motor? I have been thinking of getting a new car lately and not sure which way to go – my dream car is probably a Bentley Continental GT or a flash looking Ferrari.
Would you ever go electric? Why? Most definitely. If it looked nice and drives well then I would love to get one.
What does a car say about its owner? In terms of what my car says about me then I would say not a lot. In fact I am probably the opposite of my car in many ways, as my previous comment about being a slow driver would testify! I know that there are a lot of car aficionados whose personality reflects their choice of car, but it is not really the case with me. I’d drive anything really!
How important is it for you in your line of business to have the car that you do?
It is quite important in some ways – there can be a fair bit of travelling and it’s always nice to drive the Porsche for a good run. In terms of perception I guess it helps that you drive a good car but I’m pretty convinced that most of our clients and associates don’t really care that much and our service and professionalism is more important than our cars! Saying that, the question does remind me of a classic scene from The Office, where David Brent is talking about perception: “Does a struggling salesman start turning up on a bicycle? No, he turns up in a newer car – perception, yeah? They got to trust me – I’m taking these guys into battle, yeah? And I’m doing my own stapling.” I think some people really subscribe to the
view that a prestige car gives a prestige perception. I’m not convinced as I’m firmly in the camp of cars are there to get you from A to B. By the way, for the record, I always do my own stapling.
What other cars have you owned? Ford Escort, Ford Sierra Sapphire, Austin Montego, Rover Metro, VW Polo, Peugeot 206cc, Honda RX-8, BMW 3 Series, Honda CR-V, BMW 1 Series, Mercedes E Class, BMW X3 and the Porsche Cayman.
What’s your next car? Probably, on balance, a white, sporty Porsche, but I wouldn’t rule out an Aston Martin.
Favourite road to drive on? The road in which I live, as driving down there generally means that I am on my way home to spend precious time with my family.
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