Wheel Love: Lynnette Day and her 1983 Honda CRX Ballade Sport

“I found the car on TradeMe a couple of years ago and instantly thought ‘I have to have that!’ Firstly because it is red but I could also see that it was a good investment because it is very rare.

I fell in love with the design. That’s more or less what I look for with most things in my life. It’s hard to explain because it’s not a tangible thing, but when you look at it side-on with the little chopped off rear end and the very sleek bonnet, that’s what really appealed to me. It’s got mag wheels at the moment because I’ve taken the original wheels off to be restored. The mag wheels make it look a lot more modern than it really is.

I get so much interest in it wherever I go. I get men of a certain age giving me their business cards just in case I’d be interested in selling it.

I drive it on weekends and holidays – I don’t use it every day, it’s a classic so it stays in the garage. It’s actually pretty terrible to drive! There’s no power steering, which of course we take for granted these days, so corners are no easy task. But apart from that it’s very nippy; you just don’t want to do many tight turns.

The interest it creates is really astounding. She’s a little beauty. It’s such a neat little car.”

^{Story by Jo Percival for the Spring 2024 issue of AA Directions Magazine. Jo Percival is the Digital Editor of AA Directions magazine.}