inspiring toys

Last week I read about a sculpture by Lorenzo Quinn titled ‘Vroom Vroom’, placed outside the Dorchester Hotel, and it really caught my attention, so I jumped on the tube that very evening and headed down to Park Lane to see it in the flesh (writes Sachin).

I was amazed by the 13ft high sculpture of a child’s hand pushing a vintage Fiat 500, placed between the central reservations before a set of traffic lights, to catch the attention of passing drivers. Artist Lorenzo Quinn created the sculpture to symbolise a part of his independence, freedom and personal growth.

Seeing it sparked great memories in my mind of my childhood and my desire to one day own a yellow Lamborghini Diablo with its magnificent scissor doors and sharp edges.

When I was young I always had a toy car in my pocket, and played with it wherever and whenever I possibly could. I remember making a racket, humming the sound of a car engine. I would drive my car on the carpet and up the stair rail, scratching off the paintwork. I'd create buildings, garages, ramps and tunnels using old cardboard boxes, plastic containers and toilet roll tubes.

The best trick of all was when I used to smuggle my cars into the bathroom, wrapped in my towel, hidden away from my mum. I would play with them around the tub and at the bottom, imagining I was driving deep under the ocean. I had to smuggle them in because my mum used to go crazy at all the scratches I made in the tub, and boy did I get a telling off every time!

I also remember collecting vouchers from the back of cereal boxes, magazines and the Shell petrol station, gradually getting enough to buy a new car to add to my huge collection.

I remember the excitement of getting my cars home, getting the screwdriver out the tool box and unscrewing the car from the stand it came attached to in the box, then taking them for a spin. I had a finger duster made from a piece of dust cloth and I used to polish my cars just like my dad did, keeping the collectable ones in pristine condition.

My favourite car of all time was - and still is - the yellow Lamborghini Diablo. I had the amazing Bburago model that felt and looked like the really thing. It was my most precious toy, beautifully crafted with realistic detail, from the texture of the seats, the look of the dials, the engine, the metal body kit and best of all a steering wheel that worked! You could put your finger through the window and steer the car along.

Back then, I always dreamt of owning my very own, and the dream still lives on...