03-07-2022, 09:20 PM
Today's drive was quite a revelation. I'm used to driving a well-sorted Ruby and a rough short-wheelbase Ulster bodied special. This was a completely different experience.
It feels very much a sports car, both from the driving position but also the long bonnet and the handling - it corners with much less body roll than a saloon but is less twitchy than a short wheelbase car. It's quick and the engine feels unusually flexible, perhaps because of the light weight. There is as much headroom as a Ruby but it is very cosy inside - comfortable but a little claustrophobic. The brakes haven't yet bedded in and it takes a bit forward planning to get your arm out of the window for hand signals, so maneuvering in traffic gets a bit stressful!
Above all I couldn't get over how free from squeaks and rattles it is. It really does feel "new". I can understand why fabric saloons were sold as being "silent" in comparison to metal bodies cars.
It's coming back to my workshop to have the door hinges and locks shimmed at some point. Even with all my careful calculations the addition of trim has upset the alignment and with suicide doors there's no room for error.
It feels very much a sports car, both from the driving position but also the long bonnet and the handling - it corners with much less body roll than a saloon but is less twitchy than a short wheelbase car. It's quick and the engine feels unusually flexible, perhaps because of the light weight. There is as much headroom as a Ruby but it is very cosy inside - comfortable but a little claustrophobic. The brakes haven't yet bedded in and it takes a bit forward planning to get your arm out of the window for hand signals, so maneuvering in traffic gets a bit stressful!
Above all I couldn't get over how free from squeaks and rattles it is. It really does feel "new". I can understand why fabric saloons were sold as being "silent" in comparison to metal bodies cars.
It's coming back to my workshop to have the door hinges and locks shimmed at some point. Even with all my careful calculations the addition of trim has upset the alignment and with suicide doors there's no room for error.