Ten More Lost Motoring Sights

Young people, eh? With their music, their hairstyles, and their IT gadgets. They will never have experienced the joys of trudging along a dual carriageway in the rain, looking for a working public telephone box to call for a breakdown truck. Or any of these:

1. Cassette tapes strewn by the side of the road. Picture the scene - a Ford Sierra 2.0GL heads along the A33 towards Winchester. Driver – “That %£$£ stereo system has eaten The Best of Matt Bianco, which cost me £4.55 from Our Price Records. Again”. Passenger – “I’ll deal with it”. Cue their inaccurately hurling the offending item toward the nearest litter bin.
2. Cars backfiring. This may sound like a scenario from a Norman Wisdom film, but it was not uncommon to hear backfiring a Hillman Super Minx or Ford Corsair well into the 70s.
3. Distinctive transmissions whines. The Jaguar Mk.2 in the Moss gearbox era had an unmistakable snarl, while the Vauxhall Viva HB sounded positively nasal. Which brings us to –
4. Cars loudly reserving. Just watch any episode of The Professionals or Minder for further evidence.
5. Jettisoning discarded cigarettes via the front quarter lights. A sight that was still common in the twilight days of three-channel television and Lewis Collins jackets.
6. An AA or RAC book in the glove box. Or, indeed, virtually any other map book. Seemingly gone are the days when a tempting minor road on page 89 would lead you to a level crossing that ceased functioning in 1975 or simply ended in a disused quarry. Now, a satnav can do that for you…
7. Transport cafes that resemble the lorry drivers’ pull-in from Hell Drivers. We are not talking about 50s retro diners in the 80s – we are talking about venues where prices listed in decimal money looked out of place.
8. Covering the front grille with Bacofoil for winter. Cheaper than a radiator blind. Another familiar sight in the colder months was -
9. Applying a Gno-Mist panel to the rear screen as a heated back window was not a guaranteed standard fitting in the 70s. And finally, we have the –
10. ‘Traffic Light’ air freshener. Ideal for making the interior of your Morris Marina 1.8 Special smell like a can of supermarket orangeade.

With Thanks To – Mike Renaut