Old Cars Still Able To Make A Long Journey

Wanganui Chronicle, 22 November 1950, Page 5

Old Cars Still Able To Make A Long Journey

LONDON, Nov. 21 (Rec. 6 pm).— Of 148 cars which left London for Brighten on the annual veteran car run—none younger than 46 years and five as old as 1896—137 successfully completed the journey. Five had to retire and six arrived outside the 7i hours allowed for the 56-mile trip. Most drivers and passengers dressed the part in motoring capes and deerstalker hats. Thousands of London people turned out to cheer the old cars along the journey, but it was modern cars in traffic jams which stopped the good runs of cars that were not highly manageable, even in their prime. The police turned a blind eye to brakes, steering and tyres which were unlikely to have passed the road fitness test. There were several mishaps. A 1904 Panhard Levasser had five punctures in a rear tyre. A 1903 Dedion Boulton broke a shaft half a mile from the start. An 1895 Benz’ back axle snapped and the car careered into a roadside garden. A 1904 Renault carburetter fell off and had to be tied with string. One competitor was suddenly confronted by a woman pedestrian. The driver, in the words of a policeman, "threw out all his anchors but couldn’t stop and knocked the lady down.” She was not hurt.—Special Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.