1999 Daihatsu Sirion

This was my 1999 Daihatsu Sirion. Bright yellow. Tiny engine. Manual transmission. The car that taught me how to drive stick.

First time I drove it I nearly crashed into a tree in the neighbour's front yard. Learning manual is humbling. You stall at traffic lights. You jerk through gear changes. Every hill start feels like a gamble. But then one day it just clicks and you can shift without thinking about it.

I sold it eventually. The guy who bought it turned it into a rally car. A rally car. The little yellow Sirion that could barely make it up my driveway without stalling went on to race on dirt tracks. I like to think I gave it the basics and it went on to achieve its potential.

The Sirion is gone now but I will always remember it. First car, first crash narrowly avoided, first time I really understood how a machine works from the inside.