There were other such quirks. I was in the army in the late 60s, and people who had passed their test in a centurion tank not only got a track laying vehicle licence, but also a motorcycle one. This was apparently because the cent. had a foot operated gear change. Makes perfect sense, no?
Also there was a dispensation for the forces which allowed me to learn and take my test on a BSA B40 350cc bike.
Steve
Chris Whelan wrote in news:SVPYg.13253$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net:
Ahhhhhhh. With you now. I'd forgotten about the Bond Minicar. Didn't realise you'd be going quite *that far back ! As an aside, wasn't there a few companies producing the Invacar to NHS specifications? I only noticed they were not being made any more when I didn't see any on the try line at Murrayfield, and learnt from someone they were now illegal for road use. Haven't seen any disabled fitted Focuses taking their place either ;-)
The message from "shazzbat" contains these words:
That's nothing. At the end of the war in Burma Dad got a chit which basically said "Tick the licenses you're entitled to and get it countersigned by an officer". Since he was an officer he ticked all the boxes and signed it.
OK, so many of them expired for lack of retesting and things but at one point he had a license for everything.
ISTR that AC produced a vehicle for the disabled, but I'm not sure whether that was the same as the Invacar or an alternative.
They were all loaned to the drivers; that's how it was possible to remove them all from the roads on the grounds of safety in 2003.
Chris
Chris Whelan ( snipped-for-privacy@prejudicentlworld.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
The Invacar was a Greeves design, built by three or four companies including AC.
What "reason for refusal to test" is there for not having a door ??
2 different cars. I'm sure Chris was referring to the original Bond. Very low, with a rounded bonnet and 2 little rear wings. FWD wth a small 2 stroke engine. The later Bond Bug was a totally different animal. Wedge shaped, and RWD with a proper rear axle with a diff. As you say, it had a much bigger engine, and being comparitively light, was well able to keep up with traffic of the day. Was really very nippy in fact, and with most of the weight over the rear axle, surprisingly stable. Mike.
Mike G ( snipped-for-privacy@lycos.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Yep, hyoooooge - Reliant 750cc...
I think it was probably a quite respectable power/weight ratio, given the car weighs about 3 ounces. There's one still on the road somewhere near me. I've seen it around Bournemouth a couple of times in recent months.
Steve
Not quite. The Centurion has fairly std controls. Conventional clutch brake and accelerator pedals, with a gear lever that that sticks up between the drivers legs. On either side of your knees are the steering levers. These operate the brakes on the left or right track, and the rate of turn varies according to what gear you're in. Mike.
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