Anyone who comes to Meppel has probably seen him driving: Eric Bolsink in his Reliant Robin. A British car from 1979 that is rarely seen in the Netherlands. This is not surprising, because according to Bolsink, cars are not very reliable. “But the great thing is that problems often solve themselves.”
Broken blinker, stalled engine: Pulsink no longer scares you. It drives with a tool box in the back as standard. If the car starts instantly, it's a miracle.
However, it is his great love. “I like everything that comes from England or is British. This was a car for the people. Where in France it was the Duck and in Germany the Beetle, this was the car from England.”
The English made several cars. “You have the Rolls Roy, you have this…” Pulsink laughs, pointing to his little classic car.
Pulsink has two models: the Robin and the Rialto and uses them every day. “The advantage is that it's a car that weighs less than four hundred kilograms, so it doesn't need an MOT. You can also drive it on the motorway. But it can't go faster than 110 kilometers per hour.”
Pulsink found one of the cars in the Netherlands. He brought the other one from England. This was not without risks. On the RDW scale, the car was found to be heavier than four hundred kilograms, so he feared that he would not be allowed to drive it. “Then I had to take out all the parts (the furniture, the editor) to make it under four hundred kilograms. It was a bit of a puzzle, but we succeeded.”
Only on days when the wind is very strong are old cars left in the garage. “It's like a magic carpet. You can send whatever you want, but it chooses the direction it goes.”
Moreover, he feels safe in the car. “It has seat belts, otherwise you officially need a helmet in the car. The videos online are worse than they look.”
Pulsink may expand his collection with a convertible in the future. “Or an electric version that I convert myself. It's all very small under the car, but now I know the way.”
