Too Bad Arch Isn't Here....
Moderators: MichelleH, Minimalist, JPeters
I lusted after that red plymouth fury....
I never said it was mechanically perfect!
the body designs from about 56 to 60 were heavenly. We little
boys couldn't wait to see the new models each fall.
You could get a new car for $1700 then!
The common wisdom over here is that British cars were fun to drive but required
a lot of maintenance.
BTW, I learned to drive in a stick-shift Fiat, and later owned a
VW....
I never said it was mechanically perfect!
the body designs from about 56 to 60 were heavenly. We little
boys couldn't wait to see the new models each fall.
You could get a new car for $1700 then!
The common wisdom over here is that British cars were fun to drive but required
a lot of maintenance.
BTW, I learned to drive in a stick-shift Fiat, and later owned a
VW....
The deeper you go, the higher you fly.
At the time of the Fury Stan that was perfectly true. Some of the Brit vehicles of that time that are now collector's items should not even be offered as transport!
The problem with US vehicles at the time is that they were totally unsuited to UK roads and traffic. I lived near Greenham Common air base then and US cars were sold at very low prices because of the cost of fuel over here and that fact that our narrow lanes simply were not wide enough and our parking spaces were far too short.
Most of the vehicles themselves, compared with UK vehicles, were grossly under braked.
The problem with US vehicles at the time is that they were totally unsuited to UK roads and traffic. I lived near Greenham Common air base then and US cars were sold at very low prices because of the cost of fuel over here and that fact that our narrow lanes simply were not wide enough and our parking spaces were far too short.
Most of the vehicles themselves, compared with UK vehicles, were grossly under braked.
That's pretty interesting, Digit. It is very strange, in retrospect, that
US cars were designed to look like jet planes.
When I was over there in GB touring around by train I was shocked at the narrow country roads and wondered how many accidents there must have been. BTW is London today a bad place for accidents?
Over here, we have a lot of them, especially in big cities such as
Atlanta where several Interstate highways cross. Traffic is monstrous there as well as in Washington DC.
Once in Atlanta there was a traffic jam on a six- lane overpass, and I just had to wait and creep along for about half an hour before i could make my exit. I saw smoke ahead, and when I got close enough, I could see a red car pulled over on the left shoulder with smoke pouring out of it. When I got alongside it, I saw a sign on the door that said "Fire Chief."
The driver had taken his brief case and walked several yards away, watching helplessly as hir car burned up. Becuase of the traffic jam
there was no way any emergency vehicles could get there to help him.
US cars were designed to look like jet planes.
When I was over there in GB touring around by train I was shocked at the narrow country roads and wondered how many accidents there must have been. BTW is London today a bad place for accidents?
Over here, we have a lot of them, especially in big cities such as
Atlanta where several Interstate highways cross. Traffic is monstrous there as well as in Washington DC.
Once in Atlanta there was a traffic jam on a six- lane overpass, and I just had to wait and creep along for about half an hour before i could make my exit. I saw smoke ahead, and when I got close enough, I could see a red car pulled over on the left shoulder with smoke pouring out of it. When I got alongside it, I saw a sign on the door that said "Fire Chief."
The driver had taken his brief case and walked several yards away, watching helplessly as hir car burned up. Becuase of the traffic jam
there was no way any emergency vehicles could get there to help him.
The deeper you go, the higher you fly.
Believe me Stan you ain't seen nothin' yet. I live close to the main north/south coastal road in Wales and it was finally widened to 2 lanes on the last part just 2 years ago. Leave that road and you're in another world, some of the side roads are so narrow, and the bends so tight, that even public transport based on 20cwt trucks can't make it round.
To answer your question about accidents, put it this way, we have more body shops locally than anywhere else I've lived and one of the highest mortality rates amongst bikers and young drivers in the UK.
A lot of people, like myself, have retired to this area and too many can't safely drive but have no other choice, and parking is simply something they don't do.
The number of times I have had to reverse back to a passing place because the other driver 'can't reverse' is beyond counting! And I've only got one eye!
To answer your question about accidents, put it this way, we have more body shops locally than anywhere else I've lived and one of the highest mortality rates amongst bikers and young drivers in the UK.
A lot of people, like myself, have retired to this area and too many can't safely drive but have no other choice, and parking is simply something they don't do.
The number of times I have had to reverse back to a passing place because the other driver 'can't reverse' is beyond counting! And I've only got one eye!
-
marduk
It's changed somewhat since my time Marduk. I lived high on the side of the Lambourne valley and the bombers from the base used to pass my house BELOW roof top level. We even had our boiler blow out on occasion due to the vortex and the pilots of Gloster Javelins used to circle us and wave to us. One chap even ended up in the river from surprise. Happy days!
My uncle used to drag race a Hudson Hornet. The annoucer always called it an upside down bath tub. He actually had a national record with that car for a while.Hate to say this Stan! Oh well, no I don't! Over here we called 'em bath tubs because of their lousy handling compared with British vehicles. Sorry!
How much time to you have, Digit?Define civilization Stan.
LOL
I mean we have a stereotype of the British...derived from old movies, of course...of Brits being refined, polite, mannerly.And I thought the British were civilized!
Hard to imagine those hardcharging drivers not backing up for you!
The deeper you go, the higher you fly.
It's not that they won't Stan, it's simply that they can't. We have a TV programme over here called 'Britains Worst Driver,' and they are nominated by (friends?) etc and are put through various tests. These people all hold full driver's licences and have driven for many years. The results are hilarious, and terrifying!
I have had my own vehicle hit (so far) 10 times in 16 years by people who can't park, or take corners on the wrong side etc. I even had one hit parked in an otherwise empty car park over an acre in area.
We recently had a driver of over 90 killed at a spot where he had totalled another vehicle 3 weeks earlier. He simply wasn't looking at the on coming traffic and the biggest accident 'black spot' is a simple turn across a dual carriage way.
I have had my own vehicle hit (so far) 10 times in 16 years by people who can't park, or take corners on the wrong side etc. I even had one hit parked in an otherwise empty car park over an acre in area.
We recently had a driver of over 90 killed at a spot where he had totalled another vehicle 3 weeks earlier. He simply wasn't looking at the on coming traffic and the biggest accident 'black spot' is a simple turn across a dual carriage way.