Opening windscreens

Sir,

If you drive an open car nowadays, be it a Corniche or a “Spridget”, one thing you can be sure of — a howling draught round the back of the neck.

In the ‘twenties, when they understood these things, touring cars had an openable top panel to the screen, or a screen openable at the bottom, which allowed the back draught to be balanced by that from the front.

The rot set in in the thirties, with “fold flats” and all that “lemanserie”. Hence head-scarves and Brylcreem.

Manufacturers who rely on the fixed windscreen to hold the motor-car together should be able to devise some form of scuttle ventilator that will suffice to pass the necessary wind.

Herstmonceux, Sussex
Michael Samuelson

[Yes, and not all modern cars have proper, from the screen, face ventilation, either. — Ed.