Bagpuss- What's in a name? Probably the most colourful post on here for ages!

[Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO]

Time to put a rumour to bed (probably started by @Scott Young (Captain Colonial) - Club Secretary 😉)

 

I'm not a saggy, old cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams!

 

I've never named any of my cars and I didn't name this one! Someone else did....read on........

 

on the 6th Nov 2014, I visited Westfield Sports Cars for the first time and placed an order for a Mega S2000 full kit with White bodywork (having tested and bough a S2000 engine and gearbox that morning).

 

I've had previous white cars:

 

 

 

 

 

As I started my build, I soon learned that I'd need to fit indicator pods on my nose cone to meet IVA requirement. Post IVA I planned to move the indicators to under the headlamps. I therefore didn't want to drill holes in my nice new white nose cone to have to fill them later on. @Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman kindly offered to lend my his spare nose cone which already had holes for the pods. It was bright yellow and was slightly damaged. Dave suggested it would need repairing and painting for IVA, so I asked if he wanted it painted the same colour as it was, the same colour as his blue S2000 or white. Dave said, do whatever I want or even do something daft!

 

 

A quick google and a found a colour I liked. As the father of two girls, it was a colour I was comfortable with.

 

A quick photoshop mock up and I was happy:

 

 

Dave's nose was quickly repaired

 

 

and painted for 'mates rates' by a friend in a body shop.

 

 

On the 17th March 2016, I was 'followed' by this car, all the way to my IVA Test

 

 

As I was unloading, the Examiner came across to say hello and said that he likes Westfield's and they are usually well built for IVA, though he had to ask 'Why have you painted your nose pink?"

 

My reply "So you won't want it in your test bay for long, and you won't want it back!'

 

 

 

This set the tone for an enjoyable morning and I walked out with a pass.

 

Shortly after I got home, the indicator pods 'fell off' and the nose cone holes were filled in.

 

 

It wasn't quite time for my pink phase to end. My unique car had gained plenty of WSCC fans (Especially @CosKev) during my build and they needed to see it in the flesh. Also a certain 'kit car show' was close by:

 

 

Also a run out to my local Cheshire and North Staffs WSCC Meet, which was sharing the pub with the Ferrari owners club:

 

 

If you zoom in, you'll spy an 'ouch' sticker over my attempt to fill/paint the holes.

 

Here's it next to @lloydox  (builder)  @fildyke(current owner) lovely S2000, for my Geometry set-up.

 

 

On the 19th June 2016 (Father's Day)- I was attending a local transport festival. I put my full size front number plate on(  @marcusb honestly, officer!)  , and less than 3 miles from home, as soon as my speed went passed 30mph, it fell off and got driven over! It's been in the boot since!

 

During my build, after the nose colour was decided, I'd noticed that my local bus company had taken design inspiration from me and stickered up their fleet! So as it was Father's Day, I though I best visit my local bus depot for a 'Father and Son' Selfie:

 

 

After IVA I also fitted one of @Kit Car Electronics excellent Free Wheel kits. In the press of a button the end of pink...........or is it..............

 

 

My car ran like this from 21st June 2016 until July 2017 and the pink nose went back to @Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman as a spare.

 

 

Every time the garage door was rolled up, I did miss the pink nose. 

 

Fate was about to play it's hand. @Greenstreak-Andy D invited @Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman and I to his 50th Birthday celebration at the 2017 Le Mans 24H, which was to be our first Euroblat. The trip was excellent and after the race, rather than rush back home we had a few more additional days bimbling round northern France. On one of these days I had an 'Oh la, la ' moment after a long hot, tiring day with a dry stone wall on our hotel carpark, whilst reversing, I failed to note how close my rear driver's side wing was to the abutment on the wall.

 

Which resulted in:

 

 

It didn't ruin the great trip, but wasn't going to stop like that. My wife, kindly suggested it wouldn't rust and could stay like that!

I'd done similar but less significant damage to the passenger side arch on my own driveway, when reversing without mirrors during my build and had badly bodged it with gelcoat. So both wings needed to be repaired properly.

 

Time for some colour & with some help from Photoshop, I was stuck between these two colours:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman kindly agreed to sell me the pink nose, the rear wings were removed and all items went back to my friend to be repaired and painted.

 

 

I 'really' enjoyed removing the silicon sealant used to hold the stone guards on with.

 

 

The first meet with my new colour scheme was the excellent Gold Cup at Oulton Park in Aug 2017

 

 

You'll notice the 'ouch' stickers still on the nose cone, my friend in the Body Shop had a holiday to go on, and the nose had to wait a while longer.

 

In Sep 2017, I attended a Peak District Meet at Tatton Airfield, and during lunch the discussion turned to a name for my car. @Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)  was mentioned and I stupidly suggested 'Primrose' in jest (I was quickly corrected by the green fingered ones amongst us that they are yellow too ).

 

@Julie Hall - WSCC AO Representative  blurted out 'Bagpuss' in between chomps of cake and the name has stuck ever since. She shortly after gifted my bonnet ornament of the stuffed toy and most in the club started to refer to me as Bagpuss too. So I've not fought it! I've been called much worse 😉 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO]

Thanks for asking the question @Phil1987uk you've not the first to ask and probably not the last, but it was enough to inspire me to write this.

 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Damn that wall! I notice you avoided it after that!

 

 

5 hours ago, Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO said:

 

I'm not a saggy, old cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams!

 

There is evidence to the contrary!

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

It's funny though, that trip, seeing a all-white car in the  convoy just wasn't the same!

 

 

Looked so much better, after normal service had been resumed, and it had it's face, again.

 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Bagpuss never fails to pull in the admirers:

 

[Captain Colonial]

5 hours ago, Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO said:

Time to put a rumour to bed (probably started by @Scott Young (Captain Colonial) - Club Secretary 😉)

 

I'm not a saggy, old cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams!

I did not start or promote that rumour.  However, I have done nothing to dispel it, either.

 

For the record, to the best of my knowledge, you are not saggy, old (in the conventional sense, but perhaps in cat years), baggy or loose at the seams.

 

I would say that you are playing ice hockey with a warped puck, but that you’re much liked by all despite your best efforts.

 

Finally, your well-flashed p***y is a disgrace.  It’s filthy and needs a good wash at 30c.  You should be ashamed.

[Greenstreak-Andy D]

Pink is the new cool! 
 

Wouldn’t be the same without a pink nose, and 🫤 wings too!

[Julie Hall - WSCC AO Representative]

Excellent reading, I didn't know that you also had owned a MR2, weirdly I didn't like driving ours and Glen mostly drove it.

 

Bagpuss Pink is by far just the very best colour for a Westfield, looks great on the Peak District photo's and makes my life easy when I am looking for the last car in the convoy, the pink nose really stands out 😻😻😻

[TableLeg]

3 hours ago, Greenstreak-Andy D said:

Wouldn’t be the same without a pink nose, and 🫤 wings too!

The colour scheme is what really makes it 'unique' which is something I've often heard said about the driver. 😊

[Richard (OldStager)]

Thank you Ian, I see you posted that only this year, looking at the date I wasn't using the forum due to health reasons which is why I missed it.

 

Great story and it all makes sence now. 👍

[Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO]

Well spotted @Stu Faulkner though, Westfield factory prices and lead time!

 

[Richard (OldStager)]

Wow, not the price ( as high as that is) but the lead time, why, how...?

[Captain Colonial]

Ian has been known as "Bagpuss" for many years now.

 

Inquiring minds want to know when he's going to upgrade to a Dyson and become "Baglesspuss".

 

Thanks in advance.