Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Motoring memories brought back on trip to transport museum

Dundee Museum of Transport is well worth a visit
Dundee Museum of Transport is well worth a visit

As a geeky kid growing up in the 80s I loved cars.

I can well remember my excitement when the Ferrari Testarossa was first released.

The Prancing Horse’s new flagship was the epitome of cool. Fast, with built in go-faster stripes to make it even faster.

It was everything a little boy could ever hope for.

Then I saw a poster of the Lamborghini Countach and fell in love.

It was a snarling bull of a car, one that made everything that had gone before look, well, less.

I was an F1 fan as a teenager (I remember watching Michael Schumacher’s debut season with Benetton and thinking he couldn’t lace Nigel Mansell’s boots) but my real love was rallying.

Great Scot Colin McRae was my hero.

A man with a gung-ho attitude who had more talent in his little finger than anyone else I had ever seen.

When Colin was behind the wheel you knew something remarkable was going to happen.

That could be a barn-storming run to a world title, but with Colin it equally could mean him being airborn or upside down in a ditch.

The unpredictability, the adrenaline rush that watching a master of his art giving it the beans on a road where no-one else would dare, was so visceral, utterly enthralling.

I remember the excitement of trips to Doune Motor Museum in Stirlingshire to watch the many hill climbs and, once I became a driver, heading through to Knockhill in Fife for a track day thrash.

All of these memories came flooding back last week when, to my shame, I made my first ever visit to Dundee Museum of Transport.

And what a gem it is.

It is not a motorsport-focused museum like I remember Doune being, but a genuine journey through this city’s motoring heritage.

I was particularly taken by the original Dundee tram that DMoT is in the process of restoring.

It is a mammoth project. But one I can see the delight in and importance of.

I loved the old fire engine, the bamboo framed replica of local aviation pioneer Preston Watson’s early aircraft, the old corporation bus and, of course, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the car that inspired one of the greatest kids’ movies of all time.

Over four exhibitions halls there is so much more to take in and enjoy (Sinclair C5 anyone?).

Dundee Museum of Transport was an unexpected thrill, but all the better for it.

I’ll definitely be back.

Get in touch with your local office at Dundee or send a letter to The Courier at letter@thecourier.co.uk