Letters from readers, May 1965
N.B. – Opinions expressed are those of our correspondents and “Motor Sport” does not necessarily associate itself with them. – Ed.
Persecution – of the police
Sir,
In order to redress the scale a wee bit I would be grateful if you would publish the following:
In response to a 999 call from a woman who is watching a man trying to rape a schoolgirl, a police sergeant is driving a police vehicle at about 50 m.p.h. on a main road in this city during the hours of darkness. He is a vastly experienced motor patrol officer, a Police Firstt Class Certificate (Preston) holder, and with many thousands of high-speed bump-free miles to his credit.
Ahead is a “scrap-mobile” travelling in the same direction at about 15 m.p.h. close to its nearside kerb. Further ahead on the right is a “T”-junction. There is no other moving traffic. The police vehicle is being driven on dipped headlamps; the rotating blue lamp and the illuminated police sign are switched on. The sergeant gives the other driver a main-beam “flash” and a horn warning for good measure. As the banger is being overtaken the driver of it sticks out a trafficator arm (not illuminated) and moves from his position near the kerb and makes for the minor road on the right.
The sergeant “goes with him,” successfully avoiding a collision with that vehicle and with one parked without lights in the minor road. He collided with another parked car, causing a 12-in. scratch on the mudwing, “blew ” a front tyre mounting the kerb, missed a lamp-post and successfully guided the police vehicle to a comparatively soft landing in a privet hedge. Nobody injured; police vehicle bent.
On hearing his not guilty plea the local magistrates fined the sergeant £20 with £10 costs. The clown who caused it all was not prosecuted.
So, dear public, this policeman, your servant, will gladly risk his neck and succour you with strong(-ish) right arm if the local yobs kick your teeth in, apply professional skill and enthusiasm to arrest the rapists, etc. BUT I shall drive to the scene at not more than 30 m.p.h.!
[Name and address supplied. –Ed.] – “Bobby”
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“Marriage lines”
Sir,
Re your reader’s letter headed “Marriage Lines,” I recently came across the following snippet of information in Bakelite Plastics Review, February 1965:—
“It has been said that, next to himself, the Englishman loves most his dog, his wife and his children – in that order. In this day and age, the family car has entered into this bracket, occupying a place in his affection somewhere between the pooch and the spouse.”
Personally, I am inclined to agree entirely with Mrs. Oliver, in light of the fact that my husband consistently wishes for “a hot car and a racy dame” and not vice versa “a hot dame and racy car “!
Brampton. – Liz Cameron (Mrs.).
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VW good and bad points
Sir,
For the second time Motor Sport has produced disappointing figures of performance and fuel consumption for the VW 1500 S. I have now completed 14,000 miles in my 1500 S Variant and its performance and fuel economy have exceeded all expectations. My mileage is made up of two-thirds stopping-and-starting, doing the rounds of medical practice, and one-third fast driving. Fuel consumption has never exceeded 28 m.p,g. and is normally within the range 31–34 m.p.g. The car will cruise happily at an indicated 100 m.p.h. (probably a true 92–93), and on many occasions the needle has gone right off the clock by as much as 5 m.p.h. without help of wind or gradient. These figures compare very favourably with those of any other 1,500-1,600-c.c. estate cars.
To convince readers that I am not a VW fanatic I must record numerous un-VW-like faults – electrical short-circuits soon after delivery in trafficator and main-lighting circuits, sticking clutch, squealing door and seat, entry ot water into the car, poor gear selection and squealing clutch-pedal. These are bitter disappointments after the faultlessness of my 1954 “Beetle,” and it appears that the standard of assembly at Wolfsburg has fallen over the past 10 years.
Huntingdon. – R. D. France.
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Sir,
It would be interesting to know why W. B. thinks the wipers on the 1965 VW 1200 are better than those fitted to earlier models. The new system leaves a nasty unwiped triangle at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, which, together with the screen pillar and the side mirror, constitutes an irritating blind spot. On earlier models the equivalent unwiped area was on the left of the screen, well out of the way of British drivers. It is small consolation to be told that as most VW 1200s are produced with left-hand drive, owners in other countries will benefit by the change in design.
Burnley. – R. L. Colbran.
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Sir.
I was very interested to read your short report on the latest VW 1200 in the March edition of Motor Sport. Your fuel and oil-consumption figures are closely related to my own findings. I took delivery of a 1965 1200 on November 1st, t964, and over 4,917 miles the average fuel consumption works out at 33.7 m.p.g., using generally Regular grades and, when possible, Jet 94. Some pinking occurs when using Jet “Thrift,” but even this grade is satisfactory on a long steady run over flat roads.
Previous to purchasing this latest model I had owned three other “Beetles,” starting off with a 1959 series which averaged 41-1/2 m.p.g. over 36,000 miles, followed by 1961 and 1963 series which gave 40 and 39 m.p.g., and none of these used any oil worth mentioning, say 1/2-pint between oil changes at 3,000-mile intervals.
Six months ago I would have been horror-stricken by your statement of using a pint of oil in 450 miles, but, alas, my beautiful “Bermuda Blue” beetle has just consumed 1 pint in 546 miles: (which admittedly included a 70-mile dash up the A1 at between 60 and 70 m.p.h.). It even consumed half a pint during the first 300 miles of its life, but naturally I hoped that there would be a great improvement when the piston rings bedded down. Now I am wondering if “they” forgot to fit the scraper rings!
Of course, “the book” states oil consumption should be between 0.9 and 2.9 Imperial pints per 1,000 miles, but I always thought this was a joke – until now!
Whatever are the Wolfsburg boys playing at?
Incidentally, I find the 1965 model much quieter than any of my previous models.
Derby. – F. G. Smith
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Positive-earth corrosion
Sir,
It has come to my notice recently that a firm is marketing zinc electrodes under the name “Bodyguard.” The purpose of these seems to be to protect bodywork from corroding by using them to form the anode in the electrolytic process, which takes place in bodywork, rather than the steel structural members.
Not having thought a great deal about car body corrosion, since my car has an aluminium body, I have been pondering this problem after seeing the advertisement mentioned above, and have come to the conclusion that it is the use of a positive-earth system together with water and various impurities to form an electrolyte that causes this corrosion.
Now are we to suppose that the motor industry have never thought about this, or have they been fully aware of it and have gratefully accepted it since body corrosion accounts for a great many of the cars that are scrapped?
If the latter is true, we motorists have been led up the proverbial garden path. I seem to remember that negative-earth systems were discontinued because it tended to corrode battery terminals. Would it not be much better to have this than corroded bodywork?
Redditch. – V. E. Green.
[Would readers more conversant with the technicalities of this interesting subject care to comment? – Ed.]
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The demise of the B.R.P.
Sir,
I thought not once, but many times, before writing this letter since “Letters to the Editor” are not my habit. Nor is it my habit to risk crossing swords with your Continental Correspondent, who knows a great deal more about motor racing than I ever will. On balance, however, I think I must raise a voice of protest against his summary dismissal of the British Racing Partnership effort in Grand Prix racing.
The facts as we saw them at the time, as far as the U.D.T. Laystall Team were concerned, were by no means lack of funds but quite simply shockingly bad fortune (culminating in Stirling’s accident) and the general feeling that, whatever one did, the works teams had it all over one.
My reason for writing this letter, and for hoping that you may see fit to publish it, is that I would like not only Ken Gregory (who knows the story) but the gallant B.R.P. mechanics, who just worked all day and night, to be well aware of the reason for this particular team’s retirement from Formula One racing.
London. – S.W.3. Robert Gibson Jarvie
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Sir,
Having read D. S. J.’s “Continental Notes” in the March issue of your magazine, I feel that I cannot allow his remarks concerning the British Racing Partnership to pass completely unheeded.
I most strongly object to the tone used when D. S. J. suggests that “the British Racing Partnership has spent other people’s money on Grand Prix racing for many years, using up the resources of two Hire Purchase Firms and last year using up their own money.” I feel the implication of this is all too clear, and D. S. J. fails to give B.R.P. any credit for their contribution as private entrants to motor racing. This contribution has largely been for the benefit of the sport rather than for any thought of personal gain. I don’t think anybody can disagree with the fact that they were the most efficiently run and best presented private entrants on the G.P. scene, certainly as long as I have been racing, and their enthusiasm and boldness in constructing their own car surely has not gone unheeded in motor-racing circles.
Furthermore, if D. S. J. is going to be so scathing at least he might try and get his facts correct. He says that last year B.R.P. used up their own money; in fact, this happens to be the case not only for last year but for the year before that as well. Last year Ken Gregory and Alfred Moss continued with their racing programme knowing that they were going to lose a considerable sum of money, purely for the benefit of myself and their mechanics, who had worked so very hard in developing and completing the new 1964 monocoques. One of the factors which weighed heavily in their decision to continue motor racing was my accident in Seattle which put me out of action for some considerable time, and in such a place that I was not in a position to look around for another drive. Surely a gesture such as this can only be looked upon as being a sporting one and far removed from the tone of D. S. J.’s “Notes.” Should D. S. J. have any personal grudge against those he criticises so harshly, surely his “dirty washing” should not be strung out in public but argued out if necessary over a bar counter, should D. S. J. have the courage to do so.
Lotschental, Switzerland. – Innes Ireland.
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Shopping for a used car
Sir,
As you must have a great many overseas readers, I thought that they might be interested in my experience when on leave in England recently, as too often motor dealers are the subject of snide remarks such as “Did you hear about Ali Baba and the 40 garage proprietors?”
Uganda is a country with ample facilities for fast motoring but unfortunately there is a 55-m.p.h. speed limn imposed throughout the country, and therefore if one is to stick to the law there is little point in getting a GT motor car. However, if one has occasion to motor down to Kenya, there are plentiful stretches of fine new tarmac road where one can really pin one’s foot down, with mile after mile of dead straight road comparatively free of traffic. It is not unusual for drivers of fairly potent motor cars to cover the 198 miles between Eldoret and Nairobi in two hours or even less. Despite these facilities there are very few really interesting motor cars out here and when I went home to England last month I determined to look around and see if I couldn’t find something amusing to drive and not too expensive. My idea was to get something in the £500–£600 class and I had seen lots of advertisements in Motor Sport for cars in this category.
On arrival in England I duly hired a small car and started visiting all the garages who had advertised in the recent edition of Motor Sport whom I thought would have something suitable to offer.
To cut a long story short, I found that all the Bristols and similar cars were rather too expensive and, despite the fact that they were well made, I found their performance rather unexciting as compared to the 220SE Mercedes that I have been using out here, despite the fact that the latter is a fairly large saloon car, and as there are no Mk. X Jaguars in Uganda I thought that it would be rather fun to get one of these if I could find one at a reasonable price.
I happened to see an advertisement for a 1962 model which was available from Warwick of Finchley Ltd., and it was fitted with automatic gearbox and electrically-operated windows, radio, etc., and was going for the very reasonable price of just over £1,000. I called on this firm and had a look at the car and, although it had obviously not been very carefully looked after, as the mileage was only about 20,000 I thought it represented very good value. On the test run when I drove it we noticed that the water temperature gauge was practically off the dial and so we stopped and found that the radiator was almost empty, but after filling it up there was no more trouble and the temperature stayed within normal limits. While this was not really the kind of car I was looking for I was so impressed by the general luxury of the car that I thought I would buy it, as I felt certain I could resell it out here prior to my next leave to England without losing too much money. I therefore paid a deposit on it and asked them to get it registered in my name, taxed and insured, and deliver it to my hotel in London the following day. The next morning I had to go out and on my return found a message awaiting me requesting me to call Warwicks, which I did, only to be told that they had been worried about the overheating as all their cars were normally checked for oil and water each day, and they had therefore decided to remove the head of the Jaguar, and had found a hairline crack in the block. They told me that naturally they would not expect me to take the car in this condition and unfortunately they anticipated it would take at least two weeks to get another block from Jaguars, and that therefore, if I could not find another car in their stock to suit me, would I please accept their apologies and the return of my deposit.
I must admit I was very gratified at this display of honest trading as it would have been a perfectly simple matter to pour in a tin of Holts’ Radweld, as on later inspection I found that the crack in the block was of minute dimensions and the Radweld would probably have done the trick – at least for many months until after I had brought the car back to Uganda. My only regret was that I did not find another car in their stock to suit me, but for the information of any of your overseas readers who may be going home I thought they might like to know about this transaction in case they are looking for a secondhand car in the U.K. and want to know of a reliable firm to contact.
Needless to say I have nothing to do with the firm mentioned but merely feel that one of the few ways I could thank them for their courtesy and help is by writing to you and giving you the facts.
In the end I purchased a Jensen, which I must say I enjoyed driving very much in England, and it is due to arrive in Mombasa within the next week or so. This car, with its comparatively large wheels and reasonable clearance will, I think, be eminently suitable both for the high-speed stretches and the bad roads of East Africa and, of course, having a big, slow-revving engine I am hopeful that it will not give me any trouble.
Kampala. – C. A. Prescott.
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Taken too seriously
Sir,
On page 265 of your April 1965 issue, a most unfortunate and, I believe, uncalled for comparison was made between the appearance of the grille fitted to the new Vauxhall motor car and “Dinky Toys.” In view of the fact that our Dinky Toy series enjoy the reputation of being the finest and best-detailed models in their field, it is a pity that your article and a caption for a photograph illustrating your article should include a reference which was not, I am sure, intended to be derogatory to Dinky Toys themselves. However, the comparison is certainly open to an unfortunate interpretation, which is conclusively proved by the number of letters I have received from model-car enthusiasts complaining about your statement.
I feel that under the circumstances you might wish to take some action to correct what I hope sincerely is a false impression which you have created.
Liverpool. – B. Welsord, W. Graeme Lines (Chairman), Meccano Limited.
[Sorry, sir, my remark was intended to convey that the latest Vauxhall VX 4/90 grille gives it the appearance of a toy car – not as a tilt at “Dinky” miniature’s, which I collect and admire. – Ed.]
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Motor-racing ethics
Sir,
May I express publicly, a little more strongly than Denis Jenkinson, that I deplore the attitude of the Cooper, Lotus and Brabham concerns towards the new Grand Prix formula.
When the current formula came into being I was surprised at the petty wrangling which led to the walk-over by Ferrari in the 1961 World Championship series, and the late appearance of competitive British cars. This time I am disgusted.
The ability of Chapman and Brabham at chassis building needs no comment, but surely the most important part of any car is its power unit. In fact, their record as builders of racing cars pales into insignificance beside B.R.M. and Ferrari. Are they not a little overrated? I, personally, think that Lotus, at least, should have had sufficient foresight to start an engine development department, with a view to producing Grand Prix engines, some years ago.
Incidentally, in the most interesting spheres of racing, the Formula One and large sports car classes, British engine builders have apparently given up (B.R.M. excepted). How much more interesting it would have been if Jaguar, instead of withdrawing Coventry-Climax support, had decided to build not only G.P. engines to the new formula but a large sports-car unit to challenge the Ferraris and the Ford V8s.
Sheffield. – Stephen Lingard.
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Now – the tea-break car
Sir,
Further to the letter from J. A. Everett regarding the avoidance of a “Friday” car, may I warn your readers also against the purchase of a “tea-break” car. I purchased a new Ford Zephyr and on close inspection was dissatisfied with the general state of the bodywork as regards finish and metalwork. Within two months rust appeared and even the inside of the boot took on an autumn tint. On showing the car to a number of Ford employees their immediate reaction was “Oh yes, that must be a tea-break’. job.” In other words the work on the body was skimped because tea break was imminent.
Fords’ reaction to this was mainly one of “Hard luck, old boy,” although I must admit that after over six months of complaining they did re-fiish some panels, with the result, of course, that these panels were a different shade to the original finish. The attitude of a Ford representative at the Motor Show was, “Well, what do you expect for your money.” Comment unnecessary! Needless to say, I rapidly disposed of my otherwise excellent “tea-break” car.
Dagenham. – D. G. Parker.
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“Advanced motoring”
Sir,
What criterion would Mr. Hyde-East have applied in assessing the ability of a 22-year-old (with no previous insurance record) requiring comprehensive insurance for a Mini back in 1961; no doubt it would have been the usual “incompetent until proved otherwise.” By subscribing to the I.A.M., I avoided any “excess” and the other nonsenses of motor insurance for a reasonable premium paid to a reputable company.
Regarding the authority of any motoring organisation, I would not wish to pay two guineas per annum to the Automobile Association to subsidise the 852,000 members who were given Free Breakdown Service during 1964, much of which was doubtless due to inefficient servicing and general disinterest in matters mechanical on the part of these members. Nevertheless, I and many others are quite prepared to accept that the A.A. is qualified to speak on motoring matters.
I would even include the Ministry of Transport, whose subscription of £17.10 provides next to nothing, as qualified to speak.
There is no possible connection between the authority of an organisation and the use to which its fees are put.
Haywards Heath. – R. I. Baker.
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A warning note
Sir,
I was surprised to see William Boddy’s suggestion that anti-freeze should be added to the water in the screen-washers in his road-test of the Cortina GT (page 278, April). He should know that anti-freeze should never be used for this purpose because of its corrosive effect on paint.
If in doubt, I suggest he looks at the under-bonnet paintwork where anti-freeze has been spilt – I have seen a Ford Anglia with patches of heavy rust in the form of round patches where splashes of anti-freeze have alighted.
Bristol. – M.C. Bonner.
[So that’s why my car has reverted to a naked metal bonnet! – Ed.]
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America and motor racing
Sir,
I suppose I am proclaiming myself a chauvinist and a reactionary, but I find the result of the Sebring race depressing in the extreme.
Here we have a motor car built by a pair of amateurs, hardworking and talented if you like, but amateurs all the same, beating the best long-distance sports car in the world, the Ferrari, and doing it with contemptuous ease in what appears to have been the most appalling conditions in which any motor race has been run (four to six inches of water on the circuit, spare tyres floating out of the pits, and one mechanic actually rescued from drowning). And, final blow, doing it with an automatic transmission!
Must we concede, as at least one American journalist has been gleefully proclaiming for two or three years now, that the gear-change lever is a grotesque anachronism, the steering-wheel as well, and that the driver of the future will be only an anonymous automaton? Must we concede as well, as Ford appear to be on the eve of proving, that experience, race-breeding and enthusiasm count for nothing against thc simple weight of money, men and material? If Ford, using a mere corner of the shop, so to speak, can do what they have done, including nine engines in their first major outing at Indianapolis and not one failure in the lot – and fifteen this year! what will happen if the real colossus, General Motors, decide to tick off say 150 engineers, £5,000,000 and a bank of computers to the task of running-up a Formula One car? As they will do the instant they see commercial advantage in it, as Ford have seen. I’m afraid that anyone who says, “They can’t do it, old boy, they simply don’t know racing as we do is merely baying the wind. Nor is it any use to be amusing about “American horsepower and American timing.” Many of us, myself certainly included, used openly to deride U.S. “dragster reports, until they came to England and showed us 200 m.p.h. in the standing quarter-mile.
Sometimes I think we cling to the present until, before we know it, it has become the past. Right, Lotus and B.R.M. are top of the heap today, but tomorrow? As M. D. Hendry correctly writes in Motor Sport, we still insist that the Rolls-Royce is the quietest car in the world, when for decades this has not been true.
We had best rouse ourselves. The Japs are coming, and the Yanks hard behind them.
Broadstairs. – J. H. D. Gale.
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One spectator’s opinion of the “200”
Sir,
As one of the reported 19,000 spectators at Silverstone on March 20th, I am somewhat more than disgruntled for having driven one hundred miles to the circuit and paid my £2. I am then told that because it is raining, cars cannot race. This strikes me as a fantastic situation. Had this meeting been an outing for amateurs who decided that because of the weather, it was not much fun, then I could understand it, but to be charged what one presumes is an economic price and then sent home is disgraceful. They might at least have given us a free pass to the next race meeting!
And what sort of cars and drivers are we producing now if they are incapable of adjusting their speed to the road conditions? Perhaps the next meeting will be cancelled because it is too sunny and the light gets in drivers eyes and overheats the poor little motor cars!
Surely, bad conditions are what really show the skilful and courageous driver and the well-designed and built car, and if aquaplaning was what they were worried about, then this is just what every spectator had to contend with as he drove home. Surely we all know motor racing is dangerous and, no matter what the conditions, the incompetent driver is always likely to come off the road. This fact heightens one’s admiration for the skill and determination of Jim Clark and the other class leaders in the sports-car race, which was run under conditions which were as appalling for the drivers as the spectators.
Lincoln. – H. S. Scorer.
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A truck? – no!!
Sir,
Unfortunately I had not seen Motor Sport for a few months until the current issue and it would seem that I have missed some interesting items and correspondence in connection with Rolls-Royce cars. I hold no brief either for Rolls-Royce or American cars, and I must say I agree with Mr. M. D. Hendry’s remarks about the exceptional quietness of American engines, and well remember the complete silence of a 12-cylinder Packard limousine which was provided as transport for me during a visit to the Packard factory over twenty years ago.
On the other hand I doubt very much whether absolute silence is the ultimate criterion when seeking overall perfection in a motor car. This aspect was rather well illustrated, though unwittingly, by an American truck owner (with a fleet of over 1,000 trucks) when on a visit to this country a few years ago. One day he had visited an English commercial vehicle manufacturer and had been driven from London to the works in an S-model Bentley. During the evening, which we were spending together, he telephoned his wife in the U.S. and in the course of a conversation, which I could not help overhearing, mentioned that he had that day been driven in a Bentley automobile which made his Cadillac feel like a truck.
This unbiased comment within his family circle was, I thought, rather interesting, particularly as he was a seasoned motorist with numerous cars, including a new Cadillac every year and an E-type Jaguar used solely for the purpose of out-accelerating his friends when leaving his Golf Club!
Oxford. – C. D. B. Williams.
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Four-door VWs
Sir,
I am writing concerning a misunderstanding in your “Letters from Readers” in the March issue of Motor Sport. This is the letter and photograph covering the 4-door VW on page 198.
While stationed in Germany in 1954, I asked a taxi-driver, who was also driving a 4-door VW, where such a model could he had. He informed me that they were specially built, as taxis, by a Berlin carrosserie firm called Roemetsch. I later wrote to the firm, who indeed verified this information and told me that only a couple of hundred were made expressly for taxis. They kindly sent me a photograph, and told me of their simple(?) operation in building these cars. From normal VWs, each was cut just behind the door line, and extended, floor pan and roof extension welded in, and then rear doors made up; the latter being the most difficult and expensive operation.
Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France. – Raymond J. Van Giesen.
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Replacement for a 3.8 Jaguar
Sir,
Regarding Mr. Peter Messenger’s interesting letter on tyres and his 3.8 Jaguars, he asks for suggestions as to what he should acquire next.
May I suggest he replaces one of the Jaguars with a 1953/54 R-type Bentley Continental with manual box. These cars are available at under £2,000 and will do almost everything a 3.8 Jaguar will do in terms of sheer performance; they do, however, lift motoring on to an altogether different plane, with a degree of refinement that no other car can approach.
For the driver who wants comfort as well as performance, this is the best car ever made, and every time I see the Jaguar slogan, “A kind of motoring no other car can offer,” I think how wrong they are. I have the utmost admiration for the Jaguar as supreme value for money, but the manual-box Continental offers everything they do, plus Rolls-Royce refinement and durability.
After owning one of these superlative motor cars from new 11-1/2 years and 147,000 miles ago, I would not consider any other car for my serious motoring. How sad it is that they are not made today!
Reading. – Michael Collier.
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Jet Igniter plugs
Sir,
With regard to Mr. B. Hendy’s remarks on Jet Igniter plugs, I, too, am a motor mechanic and, knowing the troubles which sparking plugs can give, I decided to purchase a set of Jet Igniter plugs to use in my own car before passing an opinion about them to other motorists.
These have been in everyday use for the past two years and they have given me complete satisfaction, being used on long and short journeys at fast and slow speeds.
The manufacturer of the Igniters claim (1) easy starting, (2) more m.p.g., and (3) more power at lower engine r.p.m., and with the possible exception of the extra power at less r.p.m. I would agree with their statement.
In conclusion, let me say that after the initial expense of purchasing the Igniters I consider that they have more than repaid for themselves in fuel saved, reliability and lack of maintenance.
Leeds. – L. Brooks.
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Service from the police
Sir,
Whilst reading your excellent magazine I came across a letter from J. Double (page 294, April) expressing the wish that people would publicise the good turns which members of the police force have done. This made me write to you describing an incident which occurred to me last October on a return journey from Blackpool to Leyland.
Just outside Blackpool my engine “died” and, after unsuccessful attempts to restart, I decided to ring up my father and ask him to tow me in. Having tried to telephone a neighbour and failed, I rung the local police and explained my predicament. They in turn contacted my father via Leyland police station, who rang Blackpool police to establish my exact position.
On my return to my car I managed to start the engine and pressed on some half-mile before coming to rest again. The police motorcycle patrol was therefore unable to find me and assumed I was on my way home. This was reported to my father, who then relaxed, unknown to myself.
Later I was able to restart my engine with the aid of a tow from an unknown person and pressed on a little further on to the main Blackpool road. Knowing my father had to pass here I was prepared to sit and wait for him, but he, of course, thought I was on my way home.
Half-an-hour after midnight I saw a police car approaching and used the last “juice” in my battery to flag him down. Having contacted his H.Q. by radio another message was sent to Leyland, who sent a policeman on a cycle a distance of some one-and-a-half miles to see my parents, who then telephoned Leyland police station and heard the full story.
Needless to say, within an hour I was being towed in, for which I was very thankful to all concerned, especially the police, who operated over and beyond the call of duty.
The trouble, incidentally, was a burst top hose which I could not see in the dark.
[Name and address supplied. – Ed.) – “A satisfied customer”