Josie is one of our Product Managers here at Hutch and she also happens to a huge car fan. Usually in this blog series we ask Hutchies about their current car, but Josie's car is no unfortunately no longer with us, so instead this is an obituary for the dearly departed, Toyota Celica T-Sport, affectionately known as Burnie!

When did you get your car and why?

A few years ago I bought the cheapest Toyota Celica T-Sport I could find off autotrader. It was a deliberate act of masochism for which I have no regrets.When I took it to my local specialists, they informed me that the car had been on the wrong side of the tracks and had definitely been used for street racing. The synchro between 1st and 2nd gear was a mess, the clutch was burned out, and the brakes were held together with wood screws rather than the factory pins. Two months into owning it, the exhaust rusted off. She was perfect.

I had made a deal with myself. This was to be my mid-life crisis, getting it out of the way nice and early. I would be this car’s final owner. I would sample it, enjoy it, take it everywhere, and however it went - that would be it. We called her Burnie, for the smell she made when we first got her. We got that fixed though.

But this car’s story is already over. While driving it home one day on the motorway, the suspension collapsed underneath me. It wasn’t the first time I’d had a suspension failure on the car, but it was the first time it had happened while travelling at any speed. Doing 70mph on the fast lane of the M4, I went from driving normally to instantly being in a washing machine. I was thrown sharply into the concrete wall on my right, then the car spun across the carriageway and came to rest on the hard shoulder against the guardrail. The car was dead.

However, we’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to reminisce!

What was the best thing about your car?

For a very affordable price, I had a car that went up to 8,000 revs, pulled well, was very agile, and could still fit passengers and furniture in the back. It really gave a little bit of everything. I could keep up with the quick boys on the track, and pick up friends from the airport all in one machine.

What was great (or not so great!) about driving your car?

The car was pretty low and didn’t exactly have the best ride quality. It always made my wife motion sick if she hadn’t had enough to eat, and even ordinary speeds in it felt fast to her, poor thing! There wasn’t a particularly dignified way to get in or out of it either. It definitely didn’t enjoy rougher roads. For me, I didn’t care, but for passengers it wasn’t the best ride.

Did you go to track days or community meet-ups?

I went to a good few track days in the car. I would always push it to the max. Tyres and brakes frequently needed changing after a day on the racetrack. On the other hand, I was able to embarrass drivers with much more expensive machinery at points, and that was very satisfying. Anybody was welcome to come for a ride, and I let a couple people drive it too and that was always fun. I had an instructor sit with me once, and he was soundly impressed - so if there are any racing teams out there who really need a down-on-her-luck and now-carless racing driver, give me a call! I’m a good driver, honest!

Happiest memory of driving your car?

Putting friends in the car and taking it up mountain roads in Wales, or just going places to meet buddies. Track days, late night sushi runs, everything.

Would you recommend your car to others?

I wouldn’t recommend my exact car since it’s now thoroughly written off, but these things are fantastic. I would get another under the right circumstances. I already miss mine, but the last thing it did was keep me safe, so I’ll always be grateful for that.

Stay tuned for more Hutchies and their cars!

Fancy working at Hutch? Check out our latest vacancies here.