Electric cars

Sir, What a funny letter from Mr. Lillow in last month’s Motor Sport. My commuting hack for the past two years has been a 4 h.p. electric car built in 1948. This is based on milk-float running parts, and a long serving service manager from the works confirms that for this model they did not really have in mind 11-mile non-stop Journeys, including one mile-long hill rising about 450 feet. It was commissioned for use in London, but this does not prevent it from providing practical and economic transport in central Wales. Repairs have been negligible, maintenance rudimentary, and the difference between the costs of electricity and petrol covers its tax and insurance.

Obviously all vehicles are designed to be more suitable for some usage than for others. If certain electric vehicle manufacturers really are prepared to provide “tailor-made” vehicles, then this is surely a feather in their cap, shared by a minority of the most exclusive petrol-engined car manufacturers. To imply that they must be ipso facto unusable otherwise is illogical and balderdash. Demonstrably so, if my apparent neighbour Mr. Lillow cares to contact me for a spin some time. Who knows? He might be converted to the joys of driving flat-out at all times without risking a coronary.

Talking of performance, maybe I’m a trifle out of touch regarding Ford, but I thought they were still mainly interested in petrol cars. For a genuinely “interested party” can one cite, for example, the Baker Company and their exploits of 60 and more years ago?

Crickhowell D. Filsell