To mount, swing right leg over left hand cockpit side and step up, sliding under
wheel and into bucket seat. I say mount, because one sits more ‘on’ than ‘in’ the
car and the driver can with little movement observe tarmac not only on both sides
but underneath as well. In front of you the instrument panel boasts, from left to
right, Petrol tank pressure gauge, Oil pressure gauge, Klaxon button, combined Lucas
ammeter/switch assembly, Water temperature gauge, Rev counter (redlined at 5250 rpm)
and Mag switch. Above these sit a small rear-
Pickup is remarkably quick, and the speed limit around town is reached with worrying rapidity. Robert Wicksteed always said that it would see off MG’s at the lights (he was talking about MGB’s) and from my fading recollection of driving them in the 70’s and 80’s I think he was probably right – the engine is still tight (less than 150 miles so far) and promises much more if I can be patient. Living as I do at the top of a hill, much of the first 5 minutes driving is done on a trailing throttle with the popping exhaust note reflecting back from the surrounding tree canopy. Emerging onto the open road, however, allows one to indulge in the pleasure of listening to the individual detonations merging into a continuous bark with the promise of something more once the engine is run in. Even on the overrun, the crackle from the exhaust drowns many other noises, and makes conversation with one’s passenger difficult to say the least.
The central accelerator caused me a lot of worry during the rebuild, but underway
this worry disappeared – left foot stayed near or on the clutch leaving one to either
accelerate or brake; and in any event the rear-
Cornering is sure, direct and achieved with very little fuss. The steering is neutral
and even when cornering hard (on the damp Mercedes Benz track at Brooklands), the
feedback from the steering is such that one is able to judge the point at which grip
is beginning to go with some accuracy. I am sure that the handling has been positively
affected by Coventry’s decision to relocate the engine and radiator rearwards. As
the cornering forces increase, so does the force required to maintain a specific
line, and the necessity for such a large steering wheel becomes self-