How Dealing With Classic Rally Cars Can Improve Your Family Life

If your business is restoring and selling old Italian race cars, you end up spending half of your day at home managing emails and researching the classics you're after. That means you also see more of how your kids grow up.

Jamie Martin, owner of Targa Florio Classics, left school at 17 and spent his next 17 years installing flooring with his father before becoming a postman and a football coach for a brief period. But that didn't cut it, and since he got hooked on cars after seeing and hearing an Audi Quattro in the Group B era, it was only natural for him to buy a Lancia Fulvia Group 4 rally car, of all things.

After selling that with a profit, he set up his business hunting for rare classic that he could restore before moving on to the next one. Abarth, Zagatos, rare Fiat prototypes, you name it, and Jamie will get it. And while he is looking for the right cars, he also gets to spend more time with his family. It's not a bad life, is it?

He happens to have a nice Autobianchi A112 Abarth for sale at the moment, and I know I should want that the most, but I can't resist Fulvias either.

Lancia, we really need you to make a glorious comeback!