THE FACES - Gerard Hughes

   Nature vs. Nurture? Well, I’m the case for the nature brigade because I grew up in a house without a car, in fact without any wheeled transport. But without the slightest encouragement, I was soon addicted to getting my kicks on wheels, and anything mechanical was stripped to its bones if left unattended for any more than 10 minutes. How else do you find out how this stuff works?

    Building bikes out of any spare bits I could beg, borrow or steal gave me my first taste of the project buzz. My dad working on the track at Longbridge meant these Frankenstein creations were usually finished with a lick of the best BL Seventies shades - Russett Brown Chopper half breed anyone?

    Strange, but these pre-teen adventures taught me a couple of crucial lessons. A box of tools and random - often neglected and unloved - mechanical salvage are the recipe for whiling away many happy hours. And secondly, when someone said “That won’t work with that,” you’d spend far too many hours hammering away proving them wrong.

    I’ve never been one for ‘regular cars’. When I hit 17 and all my mates were cruising round in Minis and MkII Escorts (shows how long ago that was, when first time drivers could still afford a MkII…), I was chuffed to find a Fiat 850D at the local car auction.

   I did get the Mini bug in a big way, and have owned more than I care to remember. Plus there was the E21 3-series and E28 5-Series BMWs, the Anglia Estate, Allegro, Vivas, MkI XR2 - well you know how it is. If it’s old, interesting and has potential, I don’t need much persuading. I’m even worse when it comes to persuading others to make rash purchases.

    I suppose I was always going to find some way to turn this passion into a living, and despite a few false starts (including working in an Austin Rover garage as the YTS boy), it finally dawned on me that I had a few skills that might be useful to the magazine industry.

   The mid Nineties found me working as a Sub Editor on 'Fast Ford' magazine - the start of a very happy eight year stint at A&S Publishing where I edited 'Mini Magazine', launched 'Total Vauxhall' amongst others, and finished my career with the company as Group Editor. I was lucky enough to be very involved with the launch of 'Retro Cars', and when I took my first steps into the world of freelancing, it shooting for 'Retro Cars' that was the real treat.

   'Dep-O' is the culmination of all this. I love old cars, bikes and scooters, especially when someone has put their own spin on them. I love great writing and photography, especially when it’s produced by people who are passionate about their subject. But most of all, I love losing a few hours in an over-grown shed surrounded by interesting metal. And believe me, 'Dep-O' has all of this, and in the coming months, a whole lot more besides.

Under Close Interrogation

Who do you blame for your car addiction?
No-one but myself - although a good mate helped along the way (see guilty secrets below - sorry, Will).

What’s in your car stereo at the moment?
Nick Drake, I think. It’s usually stuck on Radio 2. Like piles and bad backs, it’s an age thing.

Any four-wheeled guilty secrets?
An Allegro 1500 LE. In Metallic Green. Which I set on fire while gas welding the sills. And then sold to a mate...

Memorable modified motor?
There are plenty but I still hanker after but Barry Long’s MkI Mini Racer - something grey should not sound or go like that.

If you were a retro motor, you’d be a...?

A Mini - 'engineered' in Birmingham, and pretty easy to live with. Crap at starting on damp winter mornings.

 If you'd like to get in touch, please drop me a line at:

gez@dep-o.co.uk