This weekend Eric and I were meandering mellifluously down the motorway. Attempting without complete success to keep within the legal speed limit of 70 mph. Needless to say we were passed often by others. Can there ever have been a law of the land that was flouted so many times by such respectable citizens?
When I began driving cars were less powerful than they are today. Eric's original antecedent was a 1935 Morris 8 special, British Racing Green, Scarlet wire wheels and an enormous string wrapped steering wheel.
Among the equipment it lacked including floor boards, the bottom half of the windscreen and a spare wheel, was a speedometer. No such thing as an MOT test in those days. Obligatory dress was a full length black oilskin coat. Acceleration was governed by the fact that the accelerator pedal was an old aluminium fish slice. Any attempt to give it the old "lead boot" resulted in a snapped pedal and an ungainly and shamefaced coast to the side of the road.
Th desire for knowledge of the top speed was solved by a speed trial on the Epping New Road were I was passed by a mate doing a heady 47 mph. My car was judged to have been travelling at 45mph. Shortly afterwards it was retired to become a mushroom farm in a local stable.
My next vehicle was a light blue Renault, rear engined of course with a gear lever like a knitting needle. The rear engine meant immense play on the gear shift requiring a stirring motion until the lever stuck in something and the actuality that when travelling at speed sparks flew out of its arse (Steady on! Ed).
Its finest moment was in the hands of my posh elder brother. He had borrowed the car whilst on leave from defending the Empire in Hong Kong.
He had a tryst with the then Governor's daughter. This car had bulbous mudguards like Noddy's (Not PC! Ed) and rather strange French wheels (Pardon! Jacques). One rear wheel fell off, lodging under the bulbous mudguard. The tryst ended in a No 42 bus.
My own activities were much enhanced by the unique feature of the front seats being secured by a single wing nut. In the height of passion a seat or two could be thrown from the car to increase the floor space (It takes two to tango! Ed). Mark you in the depths of Epping Forest at the dead of night recovery was sometimes difficult.
In those days there was no speed limit (For the girls? Ed), few dual carriageways and motorways were non existent.
At the begining of the '60s the grand marques began producing cars that could surpass 100mph. The opening of the M1 produced an opportunity to drive these cars flat out. An edition of the Automobile Association Magazine carried interviews with the owners of the six Ferrari Superfasts in the UK. One memorably stated that when travelling at 160 mph "I fix my eyes on the road 2 miles ahead, I figure the guys coming up behind can look out for themselves."
In town the "Ton Up Club" was formed. This involved hitting 100mph in the Mall. The only way to achieve this was to get a flying run down Constitution Hill alongside Buckingham Palace, slide round the Victoria Memorial and go flat out for Admiralty Arch. It was achieved to my knowledge in a Jaguar XK 150, but not in the rush hour.
Nowadays even family runabouts can reach 100 mph. In fact hardly a car is built that can't. Some vehicles, Golf GTI's, white vans, Cavalier SRI's seem unable to travel at less than 100mph.
The Institute of Advanced Motorists has stated that driving in excess of 90 mph, 20 mph over the speed limit, is "a serious offence".
So we have a confusing situation. The car manufacturers are selling their cars on improved performance. In some cases they can cruise at twice the UK legal limit. The authorities are telling us "speed kills". How soon will it be before someone sues a car manufacturer for supplying a lethal and unlawful weapon.
When the red BMW following me in convoy on the M3, one Sunday afternoon two years ago, turned into a Police car and I was fined for travelling at the same speed as everyone else in the fast lane, the message I was given was that the fine was for "my own safety". There was no suggestion of reckless driving, it was just that it was safer to travel more slowly.
I can tell you that 45 mph in Eric's ancestor was infinitely more dangerous than 90 mph in a modern car on a motorway!
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