The door went this morning – another big parcel. This happens a lot.

It was a ‘new old stock’ Chrysler 300C front grille. Not the horrific B-side Bentley ones, an original egg-crate one. £9.99 + postage from that auction website that’s more dangerous than crystal meth. 

You might be wondering what is so interesting about buying a 300C grille. Well, I don’t own one. I might be considering a CRD Touring* as the new family transport at some point this year, but not right now.

Sniffing around online classifieds I’ve noticed that pretty much every 300C had its original teeth immediately knocked out in favour of the try-hard Bentley crosshatch items. I figured that if/when I do buy one, I’ll need to change the grille asap. This thought process led to the search – and consequent purchase of - a normal grille.

In my head this act is justified as forward thinking. It could also be regarded as paranoid hoarding.

In an effort to hide it from Mrs Carpervert I took it down to my man-shed at the bottom of the garden and leant it against the stack of wheels next to my desk. A freshly refurbished quartet of Lotus Eclat 14s, never to have seen rain since their diamond cutting and powder coating session.

Do I own a Lotus Eclat? No I bloody don’t. Have I ever? No. Will I ever? You’re more likely to find me Morris Dancing wearing arseless trousers. Why then? Well……….. I was offered them cheap, happen to think they are the finest looking rims ever, and thought they might one day be good on another retro car. The appropriate car either hasn’t passed through my hands yet, or it has but not many vehicles have a PCD of 4x114 these days.

Then there is the mk1 Honda Civic Haynes manual on the shelf. I bought it and never ended up owning one.

And the Matra Rancho original brochure (a guilty pleasure of mine and Mr Richard Porter’s – we got close to co-owning one once. But didn’t. And probably won’t).

And the 1983 Honda Jazz dealership pamphlet (ok, I don’t yet own one but a friend’s parent’s elderly neighbour has one and I want it – don’t ask why).

So, EVO readers I ask you this. Am I going a tad mad, or are there others with my disease out there? Who has bought stuff for vehicles they’ve never/not yet owned? Let’s be hearing from you. It will help quell my paranoia. 

*Is a 300C very EVO you might ask? Well, I like the looks of proper American cars and I like the engineering of German stuff. The 300C diesel ticks these boxes, and if I take it to someone like Superchips they will swell the factory 218bhp up by 37bhp and 52lb ft increase. Tidy.