“I’ve always liked the look and sound of the Sprite,” he says. “At classic car shows, I always headed straight for the Dolomite stand.”

In 1997, the electrical engineer realized his dream and became the proud owner of a Sprite in a striking magenta color.

“I loved the color – I’ve never seen one in magenta before. Triumph only made them in that color for two years, so it’s quite special.

From an early age, Trevor was interested in cars. “My father said that as soon as I could walk and was given a small car, I was captivated. On my way to my grandmother’s house, my father would ask me: ‘What is this car? , Trevor? and I always knew.

He was proficient behind the wheel even before his first driving lesson. “I rode for quite a while with my L-plates, then one day dad said ‘you really have to pass your exam’ and booked me lessons. I went after seven of them.

He moved on to driving his first car – a Mini he shared with his mother Renee. “It was a blue beauty pageant and a good little car,” he recalls.

Later, he teamed up with Renee to buy a Mark l Ford Fiesta. “I was still in collage at the time and wanted something a little bigger than the Mini. I also liked the way it looked. I never chose cars to go from point A to a point B – I like them to be beautiful.

At 21, Trevor bought Austin 1300 Vanden Plas. “It sat on the drive and I had big ambitions for it, but I didn’t have time to work on it, so I sold it.”

A friend owned a Triumph Dolomite Sprite that he was dismantling for scrap. “I asked for the rims for our Fiesta, but they didn’t suit me,” he laughs.

“I really wanted a Sprite that I could do, but at the time I was living in a back-to-back terrace in Great Horton so that wasn’t possible.”

A move to Wibsey followed. “The house had a small garage which I replaced with a bigger workshop where I could tinker with cars. I have everything in there, including a few comfort items.

He spotted the 1975 Sprite in Classic Cars magazine. “There were only about three lines. The owner lived in Devon. I don’t know what made me go there, but I borrowed my boss’ car and rented a trailer.

That was in 1997. After working on the car, off and on, for 20 years, he was finally able to enjoy driving it.

“I really enjoyed working on it – you get to know every nook and cranny. The underside is as polished as the top.” In pre-internet days, I had to go to salons all over the country to find rooms.

“I made some improvements to adapt it to today’s driving.”

His pride and joy, the car attracts a lot of attention when he is in it. “It’s fast – 0-60 in eight seconds.”

Trevor also owns a Jaguar XE, which he uses for work. “It has heated leather seats, which contrasts with the Dolomite which is quite basic inside and drafty.”

He would love a Jaguar E-Type. “I’ve always liked them. In my office I have five pictures of the Dolomites and four pictures of E-Types – but the E-Types are a million miles from what I could afford.

Trevor is a member of the National Triumph Dolomite Club. “They give fantastic advice and are brilliant with parts sourcing.

“We are also members of the Yorkshire Thoroughbred Car Club – they hosted me and my wife Barbara. She’s not a big fan of classic cars, but she indulges my passions,” he laughs. “She loves going out in the Sprite.”

His life in cars also included a Rover Vitesse XR3. “This car was so comfortable and fast.”

And what about the Sprite that Trevor admired all those years ago, eating his fries off the wall? “I’m a member of the Thornbury Facebook group and there’s a photo of it in the parking lot from the time.”

*ytcc.co.uk; triumphdolomite.fr