Opposites!

Sir,

Re. your April letters, my husband and I thought our pair of cars might be of interest in that they are radical opposites, but make a fine pair.

My own is a 1953 Austin Somerset which draws admiring looks on every shopping trip and remarks such as “I used to have one of them, best car we ever had”, “They don’t make them like that any more”. It is vastly roomy, economical, easy to drive and starts first time every morning in spite of having to sleep out. Performance is moderate, but then, so are the current legal limits.

My husband shows a curious preference for his Aston Martin DB5. It has a five-speed gearbox, 1st and 2nd are usable, 3rd, 4th and 5th are totally illegal and will earn you respectively a lecture from your local Bobby, an endorsement to decorate your licence, and a six month (compulsory) rest from the rigours of driving. It is temperamental in traffic, rough at low revs, cramped for four people, heavy to steer when parking and uses petrol as if it were free. He considers these to be sure signs of its “Pedigree”.

I suppose it takes all kinds to make a motoring world. On that we both agree.

Sheila M. Brogan (Mrs.) – Huddersfield.