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Do you remember bubble cars?

Tiny flimsy microcars, two wheels at the front, one at back and powered (if that’s the right word) by a single cylinder engine more suitable for a scooter. Yet bubble cars were the height of 1960s urban cool. My cousin Colin had one and I remember the thrill (though not the obvious danger) of him trying to get it up to 40 mph on the North Circular. Sadly, Colin died a couple of days ago. I hadn’t seen him for years but he was quite a cool cousin to have. Like Jim Davidson without the racism, he was a popular figure at Wembley Market where he used to flog clock/radios that were about as reliable as a bubble car. As a kid, he let me play all his singles so when I think of Colin, I’ll always remember that red bubble car and the blue Decca label of this fabulous record.

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