Letters From Readers, December 1965

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N.B. —Opinions expressed are those of our Correspondents and “Motor Sport” does not necessarily associate itself with them. —Ed.

THE GUILTY PARTY
Sir,
May I correct a technicality in your preview on the Triumph 1300. Your attack on the police should be directed at the Gwynedd Constabulary who control Caernarvonshire, Anglesey and Merlonall. The Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire police cover only the two named counties.
Drakes Broughton. HUGH E. M. JOHNSON.

A LOTUS 7 BUILDER
Sir,
With reference to your article on building and running a Lotus Super Seven in your issue in March, 1963, I should like to comment on my recent experience of building such a car. As an engineering student I was attracted to the car and just as a student I recognised the value for money of the Lotus. However, had I not been determined to have this car and just in the market for a new sports car, the attitude of the company towards me as a customer would have deterred me quite early on and I would have accepted another popular sports car from a firm who genuinely tried to sell me one.

By now I am quite accustomed to writing at least three letters to the company before I expect a reply, or resign myself to waiting for at least two weeks. The number of letters from the company that are before me, and which start “We must apologise for our delay in replying, but . . .” are far too numerous. I finally extracted a workshop manual for the car so that I could study the car in more detail and decided to have a test drive to see if I would fit into the car and if I was pleased with it. My letter of 16th April achieved a reply on 28th April, but “unfortunately the demonstration model had just been sold,” however, if I cared, I could make a deposit of £50 now, and get a trial run later. This did not suit me as I am used to seeing what I buy before I pay for it. However, a reply of 12th May informed me that the demonstration Seven, although on order now for nearly a month, was still not available and again I was recommended to wait for a further month before I got the test drive as advertised. With working for examinations my frustration was alleviated somewhat so that I quite looked forward to my test drive which was arranged for Saturday, July 3rd, at 5 p.m.

This letter told me that it would suit them better if I arrived at 4.30 p.m. and in fact I arrived soon after 4 p.m., only to be told by a surly gateman that the salesman had not been in all day and was not likely to come in. After driving 120 miles in an Anglia I did not relish the thought of turning round and driving back for nothing. At 5.15 p.m. the salesman arrived in what can only be described as a “state of extreme urgency,” probably only to get off for his weekend. It was then I found that the” test drive” I had expected was in fact a ” test ride.” I was told this was for “insurance reasons.” I was not too surprised by this for although Lotus offer insurance the company who ” brokes ” for them were unable to help me. However, a quick dash around Cheshunt impressed me with the handling of the car and the salesman informed me that “you can beat all the ton-up boys with this car.” On asking what the oil pressure should normally read I was “told that you can get an instrument to read anything” which is one way of getting out of an awkward question, but hardly justifies an instrument’s function on a car. On being asked whether all threads were B.S.F. or B.S.W. the answer was “Oh yes, a set of A.F. spanner’s will put it together.”

After being told there was no weather equipment to show me, and on my non-production of a cheque for £50, the salesman concerned himself with the windscreen of an adjacent Elan while I wondered why I had come here at all.

Imagine my surprise when a kit was delivered on the date I had specified. I was quite amazed but also annoyed by delivery charges of £18 which I had not bargained for.

I see that in their recent advertisements Lotus have increased their claimed assembly time by over 100% from 22 hours to 48 hours; however, like your staff, it took me days to sort out the bits. The brake and clutch pedals were the most obvious items missing and I thought the throttle pedal was missing as well but later I found it. A phone call to Lotus assured me that although they were ” out of stock ” at the time of sending the kit they would be dispatched on the following day. An extra I had ordered that was missing was the tonneau cover and this too was to be dispatched.

Assembly of the car was started at the front end, in fact we found your article far more help than any rebuilding section in the workshop manual. We followed your order of assembly pretty closely and noted that a few of the problems have been altered since 1963 but they are not very many. We filed the lower wishbine a bit to make the disc brake units fit because we thought the end plates served some purpose.

Dropping the engine in did not prove too difficult, we took off the distribution cap, fuel pump cap, and remote lever and remembered to connect the speedo drive thanks to your article.

By now the need for a clutch pedal was rather apparent as the car was in gear and several phone calls to Lotus produced little result. We later found that though the majority of the kit was sent to my home in Stone, Staffs., those bits were sent to Loughborough. At the time of the test ” ride ” I was informed that neither Michelin ” X ” tyres or Pirelli Cinturato tyres were any good for this car and that I would be provided with Dunlop SP41s. I knew nothing about these Dunlop tyres but had had personal experience of both other makes of tyre; however, I was looking forward to the comparison. However, my kit was supplied with India Autoway tyres, about which I knew even less, and a phone call to Lotus assured me that I could exchange them for Dunlops if I brought the wheels down. We wasted a day travelling 300 miles, only to have C41s offered me, which are no different from the Autoway, as far as I can see. We made sure we got the pedals and exchanged the throttle cable which had a nipple but no clevis pin arrangement for one which later proved to be too short.

Once the pedals were on we could get the car out of gear and start the engine. It started after several tries and we were very pleased to hear the noise. We found that the front wings were not only slightly different in colour, and both quite heavily scratched, but their radii were slightly different, which is annoying. There are one or two pits in the fibreglass sections which means that not enough care had been taken to get all the air bubbles out during manufacture.

Now that the car is on the road I am delighted with it and after conversing with one or two other Lotus owners I find that I am not the only person to have had unfortunate dealings with the company. As one person explained to me they have a seller’s market with little competition in it. This may be so and I am prepared to allow so much for a company that is changing rapidly. However, I feel that when I make a purchase of something which represents all I have as a student, I should receive comparable service to the interest that is shown by other car manufacturers and dealers. I don’t know how many people have been put off buying a Lotus by this sort of casual attitude, I don’t even know if they are interested in selling cars or if they think customers ought to be ones who do all the selling for them, but in a competitive field of exporting they ought to be more concerned.

As a final example of their attitude, when at last I opened what I expected to be my tonneau cover I found—yes—another hood!

Thank you for producing such an interesting magazine and I look forward to your comments on the latest Crewe product.
Loughborough, M. C. Mercer

LOTUS SERVICE
Sir,
I wish to expose the Lotus after-sales service for what it is. Five months ago I bought a works assembled Lotus Elan S.2. From the word “go” it had a terrible thirst for oil (170 miles to one pint), and blew out more smoke than a tired taxi.

My local agent stripped it under guarantee after 9,000 miles with no sign of improvement. It was discovered that the inlet valve guides were at fault and a new set was ordered from Lotus: that was over two weeks ago and still no sign of the guides. Telephone calls to Lotus received promises of action but nothing more. Alternative transport has to be arranged while the car lies idle, and I am thoroughly fed up by such inefficiency.

The car is otherwise a delight to own and drive, but I could not recommend anyone to invest in such a pathetic organisation for spare parts. It is plain to me now why Lotus Cars boast in an advertisement that thousands of pounds worth of spares ” never leave the shelf.”
Co. Down. Roger Corry.

SMALL-CAR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Sir,
So, according to the current advertisements of the Automotive Products Group, ” 2-pedal motoring becomes at last a practical proposition on the smaller car.” Bless my soul! Wherever do they think their Lockheed brakes go to that Daf’s presumably order from them ?

If I were Van Doorne I should switch over to Girling! On the other hand, the new automatic Mini will stimulate interest in automatics everywhere and Dafs will benefit, for their system is surely the ultimate in this field.

With the Daf top-gear motoring can be enjoyed all the way between 15 m.p.h. and top speed, uphill and down dale, by not pushing the accelerator more than 3/4 way down, thus achieving a low consuroption of petrol which could not be improved by a manual Daf (if one existed), and yet, for maximum acceleration, full engine torque is always available AT ANY ROAD SPEED, and not at four moments only as on any 4-speed automatic. The Daf system also achieves a locked differential on the straight and slippery and a limited-slip differential on corners; its efficiency is comparable to a normal manual box, powerloss-wise, and its robustness is up to the stiffest conditions, vide its class win in this years Alpine and team prize in the recent Tulip when five Dafs were the only complete team to finish. The Variomatic unit is also guaranteed unconditionally for two years, which is probably more than B.M.C. will do for their system.

Let us hope that the new automatic Mini is more reliable than its predecessor in the gearbox department. It is a step in the right direction, if only a step.
Lane End. D. V Steynor.

A LABOUR OF LOVE?
Sir,
Six weeks ago the firm I work for took delivery of a new British-made limousine, at a cost of £4,000 plus; now will you believe me when I tell you that there are 17 (Seventeen) nipples to be greased on this car every 1,000 miles, yes sir, every thousand: that is to say by about Thursday every week if you’re doing any mileage.

In addition one can only lock the two offside doors from inside the car, the other two have to be locked by the key from outside; furthermore there is no headlamp flasher fitted.

Do you think anybody outside of this country would want to own such a car ? The car is a Daimler Majestic Major limousine.
Tolworth, T.C Rolfe

A TIGER ON THE ROAD
Sir,
Having just returned from a business-cum-holiday journey in my Sunbeam Tiger along the route Rotterdam-Munich-Gothenburg-Oslo-Trondheim and back to Rotterdam, I was interested to read your road test of this excellent Anglo-American car. While agreeing with your findings in the main, I should like to comment on the following points :—

” Normally it is usual to roll away in 2nd gear.” It shouldn’t be, bottom is quite high enough and there is no point in wearing out the clutch—though you can go straight into 3rd or even top once under way.

” There is not over-pronounced understeer. ‘ Let’s just settle for pronounced undenteer, which my example retains even when the boot is full of luggage. The other day we nearly went through a hedge, forcing my wife to say “Oi !” or words to that effect, and I had to explain that one cannot always remember to apply enough throttle. In this context I regret the passing of our previous car, a Fiat ” Osca” 1500S, which had just that hint of initial oversteer which makes for agreeable driving on sinuous roads.

“I am told that the suspension is impossible on European back routes.” Pay no heed, Sir, to your anonymous informant: within the limits of the design the suspension parameters are well chosen and we went over plenty of back routes (including roads under construction in Norway, and believe me you can’t get further back than that) with no serious discomfort. As you suggest, the really excellent seats are a help here.

” The boot . . should take all the luggage the occupants of a car of this type normally take with them.” For some inscrutable reason it is always imagined that the occupants of 2-seaters require little more than a communal toothbrush by way of luggage. While this is a romantic and appealing notion, the circumstances of my recent trip called for two large suitcases, four soft bags, typewriter, a bulging briefcase, sailing clothes, maps, books, etc. To get all this in we had to remove the curious encumbrance that would serve as a rear seat back if anyone could sit there, and restore the spare wheel to the vertical Position it occupies in the Alpine. The latter modification entails moving the battery about 4 in. farther back but dispenses with the false floor of the boot and enables two large cases, and much else, to be stowed there.

” The hood … does not drum.” It may not drum nor does it let in water, but at high speeds it shrieks and roars with such volume that the car cannot be termed a true 100 m.p.h. Cruiser (as it is, mechanically) unless the occupants wear earplugs—as we took to doing on motorways. With the hood down, buffeting is too great for comfort above about 80 m.p.h. and the erected hood plus the earplugs is the lesser of two evils: but this anti-social expedient points to the fact that with increasing speeds the soft-top open car has become an anachronism. For those who prefer the sky and trees and mountains to a head-lining, and find the so-called sunshine roof little better than a skylight, the answer surely is on the lines of the TR4’s permanently-erected rear window and detachable roof panel.

Finally, one of the Tiger’s greatest virtues is its complete freedom from any sort of ” temperament.” The low-specific-output engine is’ incapable of fouling its plugs; hotel and garage staff do not have to be warned about keeping the revs up. and it will tick over from stone cold or creep through metropolitan traffic without a whimper of protest. In other words, this car is not merely fun—it is transport.
London, SW7., Claud Powell

MINI v IMP
Sir,
I feel I must reply to the, letter “‘Mini v. Imp ” appearing in the latest issue of your admirable publication.

In all fairness, the Minis suffered from the faults listed by your correspondent; in fact, he listed all the faults they suffered from. But the Imp suffered from many faults not mentioned, such as steering seizing and steering arms fracturing, gear-change linkage jamming, and in the engine department valves hitting pistons. This brings me to my pet hate on the Imp : a cylinder head held on by bolts screwing into the block without benefit of any form of thread insert. I have seen a skilled man spend a day in removing one of these heads because two of these bolts had seized in the block casting.

On both the Mini and Imp the early faults are now cured and both are now very pleasant cars, my personal choice being a Mini as I believe it has a greater safety margin in the road-holding department—but every man to his taste.

I owe no allegiance to either Rootes or B.M.C.
Radlett., Simon Cramb

A CASE FOR A RADAR TRAP
Sir,
Reference your short article on the Triumph 1300 (Nov. 1965 issue) and the slightly disgruntled remarks about the radar-wielding Bobbies of” Cardigan,” and their use of said contraption in a ” remote and deserted town,’ namely Penrhymieudraeth, Mer.

I live in that town—right on the edge of the main road to Portmeirion anti Portmadoc, and within the 30-m.p.h. speed limit. Believe me, trying to get a car out of our drive with vehicles flashing past at speeds in the region of 45 m.p.h. to 55 m.p.h. is no joke. The road in question is 19 ft. wide, has no pavement, and is built up along the eastern side. Although straight, it. has humps, and the speed restriction is there for a good reason. The town may be remote, but I assure you it is not deserted, and incidentally it has a very bad road accident record, mainly the result of excessive speed.

Now, much as I abhor the use of radar to trap the unwary motorist, I feel that the Gwynedd (not Cardigan) Police are justified to a large degree in attempting to keep speed’s down on this particular stretch of road. At least they only issued a warning! How much fairer can you be ?

I am not a 70-year-old, cranky retired farmer sworn to rid the roads of all these mechanical monstrosities which have outmoded the horse, but an enthusiastic participator in motoring sport who drives a Cooper-Mini in rallies, driving tests, etc., run by various North Wales clubs. I can also claim to have witnessed a pretty shabby bit of driving on the part of one of the gentlemen of the press at the wheel of a 1300 which almost resulted in a head-on crash just outside the town in question.
Penrhyndeudraeth., D.M. Jones

GUN-JUMPING
Sir,
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! In the November issue of MOTOR SPORT, on page 966, you mention that the BBC Radio Times announced the new Triumph 1300 one week on October 7th.

However, if you look at the October issue of MOTOR SPORT (brought out on:October 1st), on page 853, in the Ferodo advertisement, not only is the Triumph 1300 mentioned, but also the 2000 estate car, the new Austin, and the new Rolls—each before the initial announcement.

You may not take any responsibility for the adverts in your excellent magazine, but I feel it is a little hard, in this case, to go pulling the leg of the BBC.

Edinburgh., R. Barnetson

Sir,
I was interested in your remark on page 966 of the current issue of your excellent magazine, which I read from cover to cover monthly, that the BBC had jumped the gun in their announcement of the Triumph 1300.

My first intimation of this new model was a fact from the Ferodo advert in your own October issue.
Ilkley., Roger M. Whittaker

“BELTED CAR INSURANCE”
Sir,
I was intrigued by a letter headed ” Belted Car Insurance ” contained in your November issue. Even after so very many years of compulsory motor insurance, it seems that the old gimmicks are still being swallowed by the motoring public in general.

As a Broker of many years’ experience, I have seen and read about most of them, and the new one concerning safety belts is just another example. These so-called ” Special Schemes ” have invariably, over the years, been advertised by either very small companies or very small syndicates, and it is rather inconceivable to Me that however naive the motoring public may be they should not realise that the old-established insurance offices take into consideration such things as a man’s personal record, and that they have not already viewed and considered the matter of safety belts.

Do let me assure your readers that with all motor underwriters today, a man’s record is studied most carefully, and that the premium offered to him is on the whole based on his record rather more than on the car he drives, and as far as safety belts are concerned, even if these are fitted to a car and are in fact desirable (which I personally doubt except in the ease of inefficient and irresponsible drivers), there would not be the slightest guarantee that they are being. worn, and so to base an insurance quotation on their being fitted is arrant nonsense.

Concerning ” Knock for Knock” Agreements, these agreements should not in any way whatsoever affect an insured’s No Claim Bonus one way or the other. The main purpose of this agreement is to keep down premiums by cutting out the enormous expense of litigation, and any company which is operating without such an agreement with other underwriters is usually in the position of not being able to obtain such an agreement.

Finally, if anyone is misguided enough to believe that any underwriter is going to give him exactly the same terms and conditions irrespective of his driving record when he changes from a Morris 1100 to an E-type Jaguar then both he and the underwriter who states that this can be done frankly deserve each other.
Guildford. Anthony Hyde-East,

IMP v. VW OIL THIRST
Sir,
I was amused at reading Mr. Marvin’s letter in your November issue putting forward the claims of the Imp as against “the better-known German make.”

Three pints of oil in 2,500 miles, indeed! My VW has now covered 34,000 miles and it has never been necessary to add even a thimbleful of oil between services. In fact, it is a waste of time looking at the dipstick.

Perhaps Mr. Marvin should study the VW advert., which points out that their engines cannot boil, freeze, rust or bust, and make a mental note of that last state.
Kersey Tye. C. V. Lewis.

BRITISH MOTORSPORT ASSOCIATION
Sir,
May I ask you to publish this letter in your journal, because I wish to make it plain that I have no connection with the above-named Association, nor are they in any way authorised to Use my name or show it on their letter heading.

I was President of this Association for two or three years, but not being satisfied with the conduct of its affairs I resigned three or four years ago, and wrote to the Secretary, Mr. Wright, telling him this, and asking him to delete my name from the letter heading of the Association.

From correspondence which I have received I learn that this has not been done, and I should be grateful if you would give this letter publicity.
Bourne. Raymond Mays.

UNIQUE SERVICE
Sir,
I had recently bought a second-hand car the battery of which went flat on the Saturday and I was going away on Sunday. Half hesitant, since it was after 7 p.m., I telephoned Macaulay Batteries not expecting a reply. But a charming woman’s voice replied and suggested that I telephone at 8.30 a.m. on Sunday. This I did but One of Macaulay’s vans was already out. However I was told not to worry as the driver of the van might telephone in. He did just this and the battery was delivered within the hour of my telephoning.

Recently, I had some trouble with the car and ran the battery flat. I got on to Macaulay’s and asked them to help me. They were round in three hours, took the battery, charged it, returned it and no monetary charge was made. I do not understand how this Can be done on a battery costing £6 11s. 6d.

Needless to say I have no connection with the trade only a very satisfied customer
Edgware. D. M. Limbrey.

IN DEFENCE OF PUSH-RODS
Sir,
Every time the topic of timing-chains crops up in MOTOR SPORT, I feel the blood surging through my old veins. First we had Mr. Twite insisting that timing-chains are only cycle-chains really, and now you tell us that timing-chains are out.

Perhaps you could explain just why internally-toothed belts mean obsolescence for push-rods and timing-chains ? I’ve read your article several times, and I’m still rather lost.

Surely, from the cost point of view, the position of a camshaft itself makes little difference ? You still need holes with metal round them for bearings to fit in, all it will cost you extra is for more chain if you have the cam at the top of the engine. Now, suggest that whether a chain is 52 or 62 pitches is going to make very little difference to the overall cost of a finished engine. After all, assembly is the major cost, and whether you put a 46 pitch length on an Anglia or an 80-odd pitch length on a Rover 2000 you will take the same time to do it.

So is the cheaper cost of the belt going to offset the cost of bucket-tappets and the rest of it ? I would doubt if the cost saving is all that great, for with modern sophisticated methods, a timing-chain is still a wonderfully cheap item at the price. And I’m most suspicious about the longevity of belts. A timing-chain in a properly designed installation will last indefinitely, and will stand a lot of abuse. According to my spies, an internally-toothed belt must be enclosed, or it will be chewed up by all the tiny particles in the air; but if you enclose it, the oily atmosphere inside the engine does it no good at all. So you want a clean, well ventilated compartment, and up goes the expense.

All this adds up to wondering if the saving a belt may give is enough to compensate for the extra assembly cost and complexity of an o.h.c. lay-out? Do you have any actual costs on the subject?

And come to that, what are the comparable costs for a push-rod and overhead cam engine ? In these days of short-stroke engines and high labour costs, I’ll bet there’s not a great difference. Ask Sir William Lyons.. . .!

And what is so wonderful about o.h.c. anyway ? Triumph motorcycles go quite fast, and there used to be a team of Talbots once. . . . I will go all out for o.h.c. if it is more advantageous than push-rods, but where’s your evidence? For ordinary family cars or sports cars, I mean, not for out-and-out racing. The Imp’s b.h.p. figures per litre aren’t significantly better than the B.M.C. babies, and the Opel Rekord or Rover 2000 have little over the old TR2s. So apart from the abstract pleasure of saying you have o.h.c., what’s the advantage ? I know the theory is lower inertia in the reciprocating parts gives lighter parts and hence lower stresses and higher rev. limits, but in practice the push-rod boys do just as well. Remember I’m talking about road cars, not track jobs.

So, for the common motorist, if the two installations are not all that different in cost or effect, which should we prefer ? Surely for case of dismantling, and adjustment too, the push-rod wins every time, even if adjustment is more frequent. If Cie costs are comparable, and the efficiency shows no real improvement; me for push-rods every time! (My old Aston-Martin had o.h.c. operating on rocker arms and gave me the worst of both worlds !)

As a final point, please, please, don’t call it a ” cogged ” belt. It’s an internally-toothed belt. ” Cog is a layman’s term, with no place in a technical magazine. It strictly refers only to the old wooden or cast-iron gear wheels of no specific form. If you have under 20 teeth, it’s it sprocket, if 20 or more, it’s a wheel. But never; never a cog wheel !
Finham., C.Hindmarch

PORNOGRAPHY
Sir,
We note that one gimmick-ridden monthly motoring journal is now attempting to boost circulation with photographs of a nude model draped across is Shelby Cobra.

Could this start a new trend in motoring journalism ? Will MOTOR SPORT reply with photographs of Jim Clark, Graham Hill, et al, in their fireproof underwear ? This could be followed with a revealing photograph of the Boddy himself.
Sheffield., Roger Barnard.
[No! and Heaven forbid, respectively. Certainly not when publishing serious, road-tests.—Ed].

THE £20 CAR
Sir,
With so much harping on the costs of modern-motoring and how much extra one has to pay over the purchase price of a car to make it tolerate conveyance comfortwise, one wonders just what value for money in motoring is today ?

A year ago I purchased a 1938 WoIseley 12 for the modest sum of £20. The car was fitted with its original fog lamp, still an effective probe in present-day fog, a clock which still keeps perfect time, and a superbly plush interior which is constantly receiving praise from my many passengers. The mechanics and general condition are still very sound, having since covered a considerable distance at the rate of a thousand miles a month in all weathers without it once having been towed away for repair.

In my first year’s motoring with this car, despite moderately heavy petrol and oil consumption, the cost per mile worked out at fivepence including tax, insurance, and maintenance. One would like to hear of comparable costs of the running of a new car in its first year of life over a similar rate of mileage.
London, SW10., M.S. Welburn

WHITHER AUTOMATION?
Sir,
MOTOR SPORT was recently recommended to me as the best of the many motoring journals, so I got my first copy this month.

Yes, I enjoyed it very much, except for one rather persistent ” line ” that jarred. Why is automatic transmission on a Mercedes 600 all right, but fit only for district nurses, morons and nonenthusiasts on a Mini ? Sounds like one law for the rich and another for the poor.

Since you have nothing but praise for the Mercedes, there is, presumably, no virtue, as such, in prodding about with a gearlever—except on Minis. Then it is an essential for the ” enthusiast.”

You remind me of my father, who regarded the new-fangled electric starter (Im 57) as fit only for degenerates. No redblooded enthusiast would want it. Swinging the handle was all part of the mystique : it was an intimate love-hate wrestling match with a sometimes shrewish engine.

If what the enthusiast demands is the exercise of skill for its own sake, why not go back to the days before syncronscsh-give him a chance to stroke in his gears while district nurses and morons are crashing theirs ? Give, him an exacting battle with heavysteering and unpredictable handling. As for motorways, they are surely for morons; it’s the bad roads that really sort out the men from the boys.

I can sympathise with the predicament of the motoring elite. Cars are becoming so easy to drive, that coping with sheer performance is about the only challenge left to the enthusiast unless he belongs to the handful who go in for racing and rallying. And speed on public highways looks like becoming more and more drastically curtailed in the dismal future. Indeed. the Mercedes 600 sounds ideal for district nurses! With everything designed to obviate the expenditure of the slightest muscular effort, she could save all her energy for nursing. Scorching about in a primitive, noisy, automatic Mini is spartan stuff by comparison.

I ride a 1954 B.M.W. twin and drive a DAF I feel you’d say the DAF is fit only for paralysed grandmothers. But I find it a magical little car; and enormous fun to drive. So, I imagine do the rally drivers who belt it around Europe so successfully.
Oxford., Donald Gilchrist

PRAISEWORTHY POLICEMAN
Sir,
With reference to your comments with respect to various police forces, I thought you would appreciate this opportunity for recording praise for the Metropolitan Police Force.

On Sunday, November 7th, I watched part of the Brighton Run from Westminster Bridge. The traffic was being directed by an officer whose demeanour and cheerfulness in the difficult conditions of maintaining a clear passage for the veteran cars and keeping other traffic moving was a credit to the force.

During the hour I watched the Run, he did not once force a veteran to stop and yet no traffic jam resulted.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my admiration for all the members who participated in the Run for the obvious devotion that must go into the maintenance of their cars.
Feltham. B. J. Outwit.

AN ODD BUNCH
Sir,
What a strange collection of illegitimates are shown in the central illustration on the rear cover of the September edition of MOTOR SPORT.

There appears a Hillman Imp, apparently with power unit forward, and a Reliant type front end, a Ford Cortina convertible; of all things, with a Triumph Spitfire-looking rear end, and an M.G. 1100 with what looks like a VW 1500 body.

I wonder how intentional this was on the part of the artist, and are the advertisers trying to please all their customers ?
Basildon. B. A. Matthews