Another insurance racket

Sir,

As the leading British sporting motor journal it may be of interest to you to hear of the extraordinary contention of my insurance company (a leading Tariff Office) consequent upon my having exchanged a rather strong and lengthy correspondence with them objecting to a sudden decision of their head office to class my 1948 Alvis drophead coupé as a “sports” car – with a demand for the inevitable 25% extra premium. I quote from their reply:

” We have been asked by our head office to mention that the sports-car terms which are invariably imposed by insurers in this country are not due solely to the possible performance of the vehicle but to the fact that such vehicles are usually much lower slung and they tend to be more accident prone.”

From henceforth I shall search the advertisement columns of your interesting publication even more avidly than has been my custom for very many years; for who knows, I may yet see for sale a vehicle with the elevated chassis of the model-T Ford, to which has been fitted a Jaguar E-type power unit and disc brakes all round, the purchase of which would seemingly make my insurance company blissfully happy and myself far less accident prone!

I am, Yours, etc.,

Brentford. – J. W. Burnell.