Seriously, these guys need to get a life...

Oh to be 17 again... NOT!

In the UK, you can drive at 17 (not 16). Then again, you can drink at 18, not wait until 21. On balance, I like the UK system better! But I digress. I found a picture of my very first car (or rather a picture of the same make, model and color). It was a Standard Ten. This car had just two pedals (plus a floor button for changing between dipped and main beams on the headlights). The gearbox had a 'pre-selective' clutch system. You pressed a button on the stick, shifted to the required gear, then waited until the engine decided it was time to change to that gear! Very smooth changes, and no way to stall it. Would I like to go back to a Standard Ten? No, I think I'll pass thank you!




My father bought the Standard Ten for 37 pounds when I was 17; it wasn't new :-) It had a top speed of 70mph (I don't think mine would get to that) and an average fuel consumption of 40mpg.

Oh yes - and a hand-crank you could insert at the front to turn the engine if the battery was dead!