Bear Kilpatrick
Car ownership counsellor
RT ‘Bear’ Kilpatrick has been writing for specialist publications since the 1980s, having essentially been born in a photographic studio and publishing business while being raised in a desk drawer like something out of the Brittas Empire but with more secondhand smoke and photographic chemicals.
The resemblance to a Chris Barrie character doesn’t end there, as they’re also a bit of a geek. Fortunately for Honest John readers, that geekery has been fixated on cars since being able to speak – apparently, they recognised Austin Allegros before ‘mum’ or ‘dad’.
After a long stint in the photographic industry with Icon Publications and freelancing as a writer, photographer and PR/marketing consultant, Bear joined Classic Car Weekly and then Parkers (and Car Magazine), where a chance to drive new cars rather than drive and maintain old ones was as welcome as the opportunity to work on newsletters and group tests. The old cars count was into three figures before the 21st century began – and it hasn’t slowed down much.
With a tendency to take a holistic view of everything and a neurodivergent perspective on almost anything, Bear tends to look beyond the ‘car’ as a machine and sees it as a collective of engineering, marketing, social and economic impacts, plus environmental science, all in one. They don’t claim to know everything, but have a lifetime’s experience of figuring it out to draw upon when writing advice and guides for Honest John.
Thankfully, they can still appreciate well-designed heater controls or a bit of heel-and-toe with a perfectly balanced chassis. Away from work they write short stories, poetry and songs (occasionally in Taiwanese), restore old computers and typewriters and play synthesisers.
What advice would you give to car buyers?
If at all possible, buy a car that you could fall in love with. It doesn’t matter if it’s £500 or £50,000. If you don’t enjoy driving it, appreciate the quality and how well it fits into your life, the minute there’s a problem with the car, mechanic or dealer and you don’t love that car the problem will feel ten times worse.
With that in mind, don’t be afraid to try a different brand – few brands feel the same now as when they built their reputations and the old stereotypes are frequently wrong.
It helps if you avoid buying secondhand cars that lived near the coast or anywhere prone to snow and salted roads for most of the year.
What was your first car?
The first car I remember was a dark blue Corgi AMC Pacer that got dropped down a lift shaft in a Sheffield department store. However, the first car I could drive on the road was a 1984 Vauxhall Chevette saloon. The 1.3-litre engine, four speed gearbox and rear-wheel drive were ideal for learning car control, but most of my friends couldn’t believe I turned down a 1987 Fiat Uno 70SX for it!
Two years later I was driving a four-year old Fiat X1/9 and then a B2 Audi 90 Quattro, while said friends were still in Fiestas and Minis – but they probably had stuff like savings accounts or fashionable clothes and holidays. Meanwhile I still haven’t owned or driven a real AMC Pacer.
What cars do you currently own?
At the time of writing, I have a 2012 Vauxhall Ampera, 1989 Audi 100 Avant, a 1994 Mazda RX-7 FD3S (UK-spec) restoration project and a Sinclair C5. Of those, I absolutely love the Audi. It’s a 2.0E auto in metallic beige with manual-windows and a sunroof as the only luxury, but it has such good visibility and comfort that I’d rather spend money maintaining it than buy anything more sensible.
The Ampera’s EV ability reduces guilt when I need to drive a short distance instead of walking and the RX-7 belongs to a friend. I rescued it in 2024 after Hackney Council rendered the lockup it was entombed in in 2008 after overheating, insecure – I intend to get it back on the road this year so they can see it live again.
