A few days after purchasing my new white R4, Reflexia, in August 2004, I took a drive with a couple of friends around East Sussex on a hot sunny day. This first photo was taken at one of my favourite places from my childhood, The Long Man of Wilmington - a chalk figure on the South Downs near Eastbourne. It was the first time I'd been there in years, and although not visible in the above picture, it was clear that some scurrilous attempt had been made previously to adorn the man with a rather large instrument; something which would have been very useful for 4play, but not Renault 4-Play in this instance, if you catch my drift.

A few miles on and we arrived at Birling Gap, a picturesque spot on the cliffs by the Seven Sisters. With plenty of beach-bums, pub-goers and country walkers gathered around, the car parks were heaving. I left Reflexia on a rather steep slant, worried (after the sorrowful tale of my first Renault 4 Angelica's demise years ago) that some jerk might come along and, in fitting with their title, jerk it onto its side. Armed with my new camera, I persisted in using the zoom lens to view the car from a distance, just to check there was nobody messing about with it. The photo below came about as a result of this neurotic nosiness.

Shortly after parking, we happened across one of the Renault's long lost friends, a rather rusty old metallic green R4 belonging to a local resident. It clearly hadn't been driven for some time, and had suffered immensely from the salty sea air rushing off the waves of the English Channel only metres away, and lashing its bodywork relentlessly. I met the owner, who advised of her intention to dispose of the vehicle in the near future. She offered me various parts but none which I was in desperate need for, having only just purchased Reflexia in good working order days before, and in having no storage space available. A picture of this green R4 can be found in the Mystery Cars section (number MC82).