RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30764, 31 May 1965, Page 24

RANDOM REMINDER

GOOD OLD DAYS

The attention given this year to vintage cars raises the question of vintage drivers, the original drivers of the period, and correspondents all over the island have been sending in some extraordinary accounts of how their parents and grandparents handled the early machinery. Many of them came to the wheel after 50 or 60 years on horseback and stories abound of how Grandpas heaved back on the wheel with a shouted command of “whoa” as the end of the garage, shed or in one case, a complete set of veranda posts in a country township, loomed ahead for demolition. And these cars were not treated with the loving kindness, regular baths, cleaning, polishing- etc that today’s cars enjoy. A Hokitika woman recalls how her father attacked the timing arrangements whenever anything went amiss;

and though the old car withstood him mechanically over the years, the bodywork suffered. The fowls roosted in the rafters of its shed overnight and its paintwork could not be described as original. One of the fowls took to laying in the seat and the dog lying in the other. She recalls vividly the routine when taking visitors back to the railway station: first, kick out the dog; second collect the egg; third, fill the radiator; and fourth, collect clean sacks on which to lay the luggage. Her father did not believe in changing down and the journey to the station was like a switchback ride, with everyone aboard holding their breath as they plunged downhill and again holding their breath as the gallant old car shuddered to each crest. And they would steam into the station a wheel ahead of the express, spilling visitors, luggage and feathers as they skidded to a halt

But our favourite story comes from a mechanic who says he was employed nearly 40 years ago in a garage which had the agency for Essex cars. They were comfortable enough, these cars, but every purchaser returned to the garage sooner or later after taking delivery to complain that top speed scarcely exceeded 38mph with a good back wind. They tuned the motors, checked wheel bearings and, tried fitting bigger tyres on the back wheels, but had to confess that the gearing was such that speeds much In excess of 40mph were highly unlikely. Then one hand had an inspiration. Whenever a disappointed owner came in to complain about performance, he promised to improve it When the owner had gone, he made a simple adjustment which satisfield every customer. All he did was to make the speedometer read just a little bit faster.