Insurance changes

[pje16]

AFAIK our Rambler is one of one in the UK and we've never made a claim, so on that basis the insurance should be like the Tax - free
V8

Wow what a Classic car
is that a gear change on the steering column !!!!
any more photos would be good to see, if you have the time

[Mike4]

Wow what a Classic car
is that a gear change on the steering column !!!!
any more photos would be good to see, if you have the time

I'd say no it's an automatic, judging by the pedals.

But I do remember driving my dad's car early in my driving career with exactly that. Manual gearbox with gear change lever on the steering column. I think it might have been an Austin Cambridge but I really can't remember now.


(Edit to add second para.)

[pje16]

Whoops... rookie error re the gear stick
My Dad had an Austin Cambridge as well (bought new, in 1959 I think) I'll check with him where the gears were

[ReformedCharacter]

Whoops... rookie error re the gear stick
My Dad had an Austin Cambridge as well (bought new, in 1959 I think) I'll check with him where the gears were

Could have been either floor or column mounted apparently:

The gear change was either on the column or floor-mounted and the handbrake lever between the driver's seat and the door.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Cambridge

RC

[bungeejumper]

But I do remember driving my dad's car early in my driving career with exactly that. Manual gearbox with gear change lever on the steering column. I think it might have been an Austin Cambridge but I really can't remember now.

My dad had a 1955 Ford Consul with a three-speed column shift and only partial synchro. A bit of a beast to change when it wasn't in the mood, and sometimes you'd come to a halt on a steep hill with the transmission whining and everybody getting annoyed with you. Happy days.

BJ

[DrFfybes]

When you drive a car where there are only a few hundred left in the country, then as long as none of the owners make a claim, you're fine

AFAIK our Rambler is one of one in the UK and we've never made a claim, so on that basis the insurance should be like the Tax - free

I'll be it isn't much to incure though, although I expect tey load it as it isn't a UK spec model [1]

Paul

[1] reminded of a mate trying to insure a grey import VFR400 20 or so years ago shouting down the phone "Of course it's a £$%^ import - it's a Honda. They're not made in **$%^ Birmingham".

[bungeejumper]

[1] reminded of a mate trying to insure a grey import VFR400 20 or so years ago shouting down the phone "Of course it's a £$%^ import - it's a Honda. They're not made in **$%^ Birmingham".

Naaah, certainly not. Swindon, maybe. (Though, come to think of it, not even that any more....)

Reminds me of the time when the windscreen of my Ford Focus split from side to side down in southern France, necessitating an urgent call to the French arm of the mighty Autoglass empire. They flatly refused to come out and replace my windscreen, because they said it was "a foreign car".

Too right, it was. It had been made in Belgium.

BJ

[Dod101]

Does Aviva still use the old General Accident name?

I was employed by them for 12 years. They must be around because I still get a pension from them. Very nice of them to
send it for work I did half a lifetime ago. It's not much but it's the thought that counts.

For a short while in the late 70s, I was involved in placing a bit of their outwards reinsurance, and I recall visiting their office in Pithleavis.
I think they called it the hanging garden. https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB52450?hootPostID=6c042bc55bccd37b02571e3b79587bbb

Other than the name being used for online motor, GA now exists only in its two Preference shares GACA and GACB.

When you drive a car where there are only a few hundred left in the country, then as long as none of the owners make a claim, you're fine

AFAIK our Rambler is one of one in the UK and we've never made a claim, so on that basis the insurance should be like the Tax - free

V8

You can be excused for not getting that strange name quite right, Pitheavlis. I know it well and in my business life many years ago visited that office occasionally as well. And of course when you read of the amalgamation upon amalgamation in the last century , it is no wonder that Aviva has got baggage.

Dod

[Redmires]

Whoops... rookie error re the gear stick

In a way it is the gear stick. Just to the left of it is the display for P N R D etc.
Nice photo by the way.

[88V8]

The car... insurance £147 including RAC breakdown cover, not yet needed. It has non-started twice, but both times at home.
Canadian built in 1963 for the UK market, taking advantage of Commonwealth tax incentives.

Needless to say, it's a .... V8

[Mike4]

It's a fine looking car. How come it's right hand drive?

I've an idea there is Japan, New Zealand, and that's about it as places where RHD motors can be imported from. Or are there more?

[swill453]

It's a fine looking car. How come it's right hand drive?

I've an idea there is Japan, New Zealand, and that's about it as places where RHD motors can be imported from. Or are there more?

Where do all those RHD BMWs, VWs, Audis etc come from then?



(BTW you missed Australia)

And your question is actually answered in the post you replied to.

Scott.

[pje16]

The car... insurance £147 including RAC breakdown cover, not yet needed. It has non-started twice, but both times at home.
Canadian built in 1963 for the UK market, taking advantage of Commonwealth tax incentives.
Needless to say, it's a .... V8

Fantastc looking car
must have been very well cared for

[bungeejumper]

It's a fine looking car. How come it's right hand drive?

I've an idea there is Japan, New Zealand, and that's about it as places where RHD motors can be imported from. Or are there more?

Mostly places that used to be British colonies. Including most of southern Africa. Guyana and suchlike. Oh, and India and Pakistan of course.

I reckon this is a pretty definitive listing: https://www.rhinocarhire.com/Drive-Smar ... Right.aspx

BJ

[Mike4]

It's a fine looking car. How come it's right hand drive?

I've an idea there is Japan, New Zealand, and that's about it as places where RHD motors can be imported from. Or are there more?

Mostly places that used to be British colonies. Including most of southern Africa. Guyana and suchlike. Oh, and India and Pakistan of course.

I reckon this is a pretty definitive listing: https://www.rhinocarhire.com/Drive-Smar ... Right.aspx

BJ

Thanks!

I'm staggered. The ratio is 2.2:1 drive-on-the-right to drive-on-the-left of the countries in the world, according to your link.
75 165. I always thought foreign countries driving on the left were just a handful.

[9873210]

I'm staggered. The ratio is 2.2:1 drive-on-the-right to drive-on-the-left of the countries in the world, according to your link.
75 165. I always thought foreign countries driving on the left were just a handful.

If you look at number of cars which drive on the left it's closer to 4 or 5 to 1. RHD Countries tend to be small or underdeveloped, lots of islets. The USPS has more RHD vehicles than most countries that drive on the left. Hence:

Some of the other major countries not previously mentioned which drive on the left are the Bahamas, Bangladesh, the Cook Islands, the Falkland Islands, ...

[bungeejumper]

I'm staggered. The ratio is 2.2:1 drive-on-the-right to drive-on-the-left of the countries in the world, according to your link.

I believe it's all Napoleon's fault. The ancient romans used to drive their chariots on the left, so that if somebody coming the other turned out to be unfriendly, they'd have their sword arms free and ready to deal with the situation.

Napoleon, however, was a southpaw, and he wanted things the other way round. So everywhere he conquered (which was quite a lot of places really), he made them all drive on the right. And that was how the rot set in.

Apparently. It all sounds a bit Snopesian to me, TBH. I'd have thought that a better argument for driving on the right was that you'd be better prepared for an ambush. If your attacker came at you from the right, and you were right-handed, you'd have your sword hand where you wanted it for close combat. But if the ambush happened from the left, you'd have an extra second or two in which to grab your sword and swing round while they were still running across the road to get to you.

It is not known how well either system worked on a one way street.

BJ

[Mike4]

I'm staggered. The ratio is 2.2:1 drive-on-the-right to drive-on-the-left of the countries in the world, according to your link.

I believe it's all Napoleon's fault. The ancient romans used to drive their chariots on the left, so that if somebody coming the other turned out to be unfriendly, they'd have their sword arms free and ready to deal with the situation.

Napoleon, however, was a southpaw, and he wanted things the other way round. So everywhere he conquered (which was quite a lot of places really), he made them all drive on the right. And that was how the rot set in.

Apparently. It all sounds a bit Snopesian to me, TBH. I'd have thought that a better argument for driving on the right was that you'd be better prepared for an ambush. If your attacker came at you from the right, and you were right-handed, you'd have your sword hand where you wanted it for close combat. But if the ambush happened from the left, you'd have an extra second or two in which to grab your sword and swing round while they were still running across the road to get to you.

It is not known how well either system worked on a one way street.

BJ

I agree, sounds like a load of Snopesian twaddle.

A bit like that similar twaddle written about the handing of ancient stone spiral staircases i.e. why they all go clockwise. (Or is it anti?) Supposedly to make the tower easier to defend. I go up and down a lot of spiral stone staircases into church towers to get to the ringing rooms and I'd say there is an even mix of clockwise and anticlockwise.

In addition, I'd say the ability of the swordsmen is much more important than the direction of rotation of the steps they are fighting on. That's what we find anyway when defending our particular tower against invading bands of neighbouring bellringers.

[fisher]

I understood that the reason France changed to driving on the right was the same as the US which is as follows according to the link:

In the US, right-hand traffic goes back to the 18th century. Freight wagons were pulled by teams of horses. and the drivers rode on the left rear horse, using their right hand to more easily control the team. Traffic shifted to the right so drivers could easily avoid collisions.

https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-chin ... ?r=US&IR=T

Driving on the left was so people on horseback had their right arm to defend themselves against someone coming the other way. Driving on the right was so the driver on a freight wagon could use his right arm to control the horses (whips etc.) and was therefore seated on the left column of horses making visibility better as he passed oncoming traffic if he passed on the right.

[mc2fool]

Interesting history of left vs right map from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-_and_right-hand_traffic

Has always driven on the right
Formerly drove on the left, now drives on the right
Has always driven on the left
Formerly drove on the right, now drives on the left *
Formerly a mix of left and right in various parts of the country, now drives on the right

* looks like currently only Namibia and Samoa, although the Wiki article says Rwanda and Burundi are considering switching from right to left.