Car Troubles - Mark Eley

“Bruce Adams had bought a 'piece of shit' mini with holes everywhere to transport him from Newlyn to Skewjack to work as the DJ. While working Bruce very kindly let me borrow the rusty wheels to take a young lady out for a bite to eat.

On returning to Skewjack and after a few beers I drove his mini - scraping the sump, sills and everything underneath- down a flight of steps, over a garden kerb and parked it mid-lawn outside his temporary chalet. Then I handed the keys back to him, assuring Bruce it was in one piece and outside his chalet.

About two in the morning my lady friend and I were woken by the sound of shouting and swearing and the sound of a car revving its engine. I looked out the window to see Bruce's mini launch airborne, up the flight of steps and land in the car park, roll a few yards and die, oil everywhere. Bruce got out and attacked my chalet door. As I opened the door an argument ensued about why I'd parked it down in the garden and why hadn't he waited until the morning to get it out with everyone helping.

There was a huge crash and as we both looked round someone had reversed at high speed into Bruce's dead mini! Problem solved. Bruce's mini (cost £50) would now be worth £300 and someone else had been the cause of its demise. Every cloud (prank) has a silver lining!

Never work at Skewjack with your girlfriend or boyfriend on site! As punishment for early nights and not drinking at Skewjack with my new resident girlfriend in tow, PT and Mick Jackson put the shell of one of Terry Coten's scrap fiats on top of my blue minivan after the disco had closed. I chased them off but couldn't do a thing until morning.

The next day I had to drive it out of the site to much piss taking and laughter and dump it in a lay-by for Zach Nicholas to pick up and scrap. Many staff had 'partners' on site over the years and it always ended in tears!”

 

Skewjack
PT and Mick stack 'em high. Skewjack. 1986.