I am very fortunate to know a lot of people with interesting old cars. Because of that, as well as a polished ability to bullshit people, I’ve managed to get behind the wheel of a lot of different iron in my day, if only for a short spin around the block. There’ve been the ’49 Bentley, ’50 Jag, ’32 Ford, and others that I can notch on my bedpost. And each one of them is not only a different driving experience from a perspective of dynamics, but from a basic functional aspect as well. How about you, what’s the oldest thing you’ve driven, and how different was it driving a car of yore?
When I mean different, I don’t mean just that they smelled like an old man’s shoes, I mean different like the way you start that 1949 Bentley. That car requires you first to twist the key though about 720 degrees which unscrews a cylinder and making an electrical connection. You then need to adjust the steering wheel-mounted throttle to the starting position – this is in lieu of a choke – and move the ignition lever to ON, and then finally push the starter button. This of course is all done from the right-hand side of the car, and the shift lever rests between you and the door. Obviously, the life of a chauffeur  was a complicated one.
That’s all nothing when compared to a car without an electric starter. Hand cranking was hard and dangerous, and that’s why I’ve only tried it a couple of times. The brass radiator cars, for which that feature is common, remain an enigma to me, as I have always gravitated to the post-war cars, either for their design or my own slothfulness. Still, there’s a certain sense of satisfaction when you get one chugging to life and haven’t broken an arm.
So what’s the oldest thing you’ve ever been fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of? I’m sure for some your experience only extends to cars of the past two decades. There’s no shame in that, although in comparison to today’s cars there’s not much that would be different, unless you really like single CD players. But some of you, like me, have been privy to cars that maybe older than ourselves, and those carry with them stories, not just of driving, but of what they are like to drive. So let us know, and always remember: when the temp gets above 70, push in the choke!
Image sources: [Wikimedia,  Croplife.com]