When Motoring Was Fun - Early Days on the Open Road

By: Tom Tyler .

Why was the early motorist con- sidered such a figure of fun? This book reveals the reasons why the intrepid car driver was often seen as a sort of highway comic turn. Their vehicles themselves were thought to be transient. Here today and blown up or broken down tomorrow. They would never replace the horse!

Early drivers, men and women, were depicted as a travelling comedians. They had to supply fuel and all the other necessities for their chariot. They had to persuade it to start, and then move, preferably in the right direction. They had to read the road, ascending steep hills, and even worse descending them. They would do the work of a fireman, frequently pumping with vigour to encourage supply of some liquid or another. They would also have to look out for pieces dropping off their car, avoid the worst potholes if possible, and cope with punctures and other breakdowns. They would be required to see to the safety of their passengers, making sure they didn't disappear through a suddenly opening door, or the odd hole in the floor.

In this book, through stories and memories retold by the inimitable Tom Tyler, and with the help of old photographs and reminiscences, we are taken back to the days when motoring was indeed a challenge and an adventure, but also fun. The motorist was a pioneer, exploring unknown territory in unreliable machines on unspeakable roads. But it was also a world without speed cameras, traffic lights, parking meters and bollards.

Above all, this book celebrates the freedom of the open road.

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