Emancipation In Reverse

Sir,
I wonder how many more indignities the legislature of this country can heap on those with the temerity to enjoy themselves by dashing about the country in horseless carriages, at breakneck speeds? Really, in the light of the present restrictions and all that has gone before, I can only wonder whether those intrepid gentlemen of 1904 were really wasting their time on their Emancipation Run.

Perhaps as a protest all enthusiasts could join together at Brighton and perform a Condemnation Run, up to London—finishing at Westminster to lobby MPs-. After all, they have been presented recently with various live animals—supposedly threatened by lack of feeding stuffs—so why not that much rarer animal—pleasure motoring, which is so much closer to extinction than cows and calves?

To turn to a more pleasant topic, I am sure Mr. Hopgood will be delighted to learn that my 1963 Mark II Sprite has covered 89,000 miles, 34,000 in my hands, and never once has the gearbox, or any other part for that matter, given any cause for concern. It is still a great joy to drive and cheap too— indeed on a trip to Sussex just before Christmas we managed 47 m.p.g. on an overnight trip. Yes, I blinked too! Normal running used to give 40 m.p.g. which has dropped to 38 since the “futile-50s”, which require “harder driving” in this far-flung outpost of the country.

Truro, A.J. Hodson