Self-starting

Sir,

In confirmation of my conversation with your secretary last week I would like to correct a statement which was in your issue of Motor Sport of July last year. Whoever wrote the criticism of my autobiography should get his facts right; he wrote “there is a rather improbable story about a Daimler starting itself without human aid”. This incident took place in the year 1912 when it was a common practice to start an engine—fitted with coil ignition—by just switching on, having opened thy throttle to get a good supply of the petrol mixture when switching off.

Frankly I don’t like the inference that it was an “improbable story”, in other words that I was lying and I would be glad if you could correct this statement at some future date. London, SW5 JACK WARNER

[I was certainly not implying a lie, but all our memories can play tricks. I still think it is improbable—not impossible.—Ed.]