11-07-2020, 08:32 PM
When I had driving lessons in the late '70s my instructor, who was about to retire, used say 'A bit of gas...' So it was in UK parlance then.
Can't think of another word that would have done the same job - 'Fuel', 'accelerator', 'right-foot' etc aren't as neat.
However, as mentioned, it seems likely 'Gas' as it appeared on Austin cars was influenced by American cars of the period? The terms 'throttle lever' and 'gas lever' both seem to be used for instructions on driving the Ford Model T, for example.
Can't think of another word that would have done the same job - 'Fuel', 'accelerator', 'right-foot' etc aren't as neat.
However, as mentioned, it seems likely 'Gas' as it appeared on Austin cars was influenced by American cars of the period? The terms 'throttle lever' and 'gas lever' both seem to be used for instructions on driving the Ford Model T, for example.