PETER ROBERTSON RODGER

Sir,

May I crave a Small amount of space to express my agreement with Mr. E. G. M. Wilkes’s extremely sound opinions in his letter in your December issue.

I have never ceased to marvel at the sudden decay in enthusiasm for real sports ears which appeared about the same time as the general introduction of independent springing. Stern men who had scorned to motor in anything less than a ‘Nash without a hood, were suddenly seen lurking about in saloon B.M.W.s. Others got married. Still others said they were getting old, and, anyway, these Continentals had something. . . .

In fact, the splendid era of 1924-1932 mentioned by Mr. Wilkes was apparently coming to an end through sheer lack of enthusiasm, a view apparently supported by you, sir, in your own article in the same issue, wherein you express doubt as to whether demand will be sufficient to justify the marketing of certain quite good sports cars.

A pretty. pass ! And then we have a gentleman such as “Two-Point-Six,” who apparently has never owned a good car in his life, making

fun of those of us who, despite the ” lure” of the modern car, still prefer to motor in the great cars produced in an era when competition was fiercer and sports ears had to be good to appeal.

No, it is an outlook which is very far from bright, and meantime there seems no better policy that any enthusiast could follow than to preserve and make ready for the great day his ancient, unreliable, 25 th.p.h.-in-thenaiddle-of7the-road, vintage car.

Finally, may I ask Marcus Chambers to cease mourning the British single-seater Bentley and the road car ? I nearly had occasion to mourn it myself recently ; but that is another story and I don’t like dwelling on it. I am, Yours, etc.,

PETER ROBERTSON RODGER A.T.A. [At least the dismal future foreseen by Peter Robertson Rodger may ensure that the diminishing number of worth-while vintage sports cars is shared amongst those who can really appreciate them— even if it is the moderns which live in the middle of the road to impede them.—En.]