What kickstarted your brand loyalty - if any?

[ERC]

Something I have often pondered. Why are you a Ford/Holden/Mopar fan? Why Porsche or Alfa Romeo? Why MG/Triumph or Austin Healey?

As a 14/15 year old, I took the Observer's Book of Automobiles and wrote to a range of manufacturers asking for catalogues. Ford never responded. Vauxhall never responded. BMC did. Standard/TRiumph did.

Later, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Daimler, even Ferrari responded. A second letter to Vauxhall. Nothing. Ford, eventually sent a one page catalogue

The first response I had from BMC was a massive envelope with a pile of stuff, including many 10 x 8" press photographs to go with the catalogues.

I retained the very personalised letter (scan below) and noted that Mr Symes apologised that he couldn't supply Austin stuff, as even under BMC, Austin still did their own thing, but he passed my address on to them. Needless to say, a week or three later, there was another bulky envelope from Austin/Austin Healey.

That simple gesture must have repaid BMC, BL, MG, Rover, Land Rover, many times over as in 47 years of car ownership, the only car that I have ever owned that has not come from that stable has been the Marcos - but that does have BL door handles...

Pity a miserable ex wife dumped the catalogues when shipping our stuff over, as the value of the spiral bound Jaguar catalogues alone would be worth a packet, especially the E Type one.

The reference to a motor club? At school, I organised a group of enthusiasts and that culminated in a coach hired for a trip to the Aintree 1962 British GP. Seems I was already an organiser at the age of 15...