My first car ... Ashley Smith, actor

MY FIRST car was a Fiat Panda. My parents bought it second hand for me before I passed my test, which would have been about eight years ago; I got it as a Christmas present.

On the official documents it said it was a red car but it was kind of dark pink. It had done a lot of miles previously but I was quite excited and kitted it out with a wheel cover and air freshener and that sort of thing. I never actually drove it though, because it was bought in lieu of me passing my test, and it took me three times to do it.

The first time I failed because I bumped the kerb on my reverse parking, the second time it was something strange. I’m from Fife so I sat my test in Kirkcaldy and there’s this roundabout there where you’ve got to be in the left lane to go straight ahead and I was in the wrong lane. That put me off taking the test again for ages, but I finally passed it the third time. All this time it was sitting in my grandad’s garage. I used to go and visit it and think, one day I’ll be able to drive you. It got put through an MOT and everything, but because it was an old car and it wasn’t getting used it kind of died – the damp got into it and the battery went and it ended up having to be scrapped. After I passed my test I was able to drive my dad’s car for a while, but I’ve never had my own car since then. «

• Ashley Smith is an actor, and is currently appearing in the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Abi Morgan’s play 27, at the Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow, until Saturday