Mike4 wrote:Watis wrote:And, when turning off the windscreen wipers in my first car, you had to time the operation of the off switch with the wipers being at the bottom of their sweep - no self-park in those days!
Watis
Yep, I remember that too. Certainly had to do that with my first car an Austin A35. And pretty sure the same applied to my first 10 or 12 Minis, up until about 1968.
The indicators (also a luxury) on the A35 weren't 'self-cancelling' either!
The first family car I remember was one of these https://nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/vehicle-collection/ford-anglia-e494a/
All the modern motoring conveniences :
Headlights conveniently positioned on the front mudguards
Sidevalve engine, easily accessed by lifting one or other side of the centrally hinged bonnet
Electric starter, plus starting handle in case of it not working
Three speed gearbox plus reverse (Probably without synchromesh, but I was under five years old and such things did not concern me
)No Heating
No windscreen washers ( when the windscreen got covered in flies (remember them?) you had to stop somewhere and use the damp leather you always carried to remove them!)
Vacuum operated windscreen wipers that went fast when stationary and slowed down/stopped when accelerating.
Trafficators https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trafficators located at the top of the door pillar. These used to stick out and not retract when going at over 40mph due to aerodynamic drag.
In-car entertainment was provided by lying on the back seat with your head on one of the wheel arches listening to the rear wheels going round.
Cross-ply tyres
But at least it was rear-wheel drive
Adrian