Things are hotting up now with the beginning of the Where They Served tour only about six weeks away. I drove Chattie back today after the excellent time she had at Brightwells Classic Car Auction, where she was guest of honour. The place was full of interesting people and interesting cars. I’m biased, but I still think Chattie looked one of the best.
Today Ground Control and I collected Chattie from Brightwells and for the first time in six months I was able to drive her. After all the work Crispin Thetford has put into her, she is driving very differently. The steering is firm and stable, the wheels are better balanced and hold the road brilliantly, and the brakes are sharp. I think I’d had the feeling that vintage cars wandered around the road and had brakes like sponges, but that was only because Chattie had been very much in need of the overhaul she has now received. It was a lovely warm sunny day, very like the day I drove her back home when we bought her from Brightwells exactly a year ago, but the experience was quite different. I still crunched the gears coming down from fourth to third, but for the rest of it the gear changes went very smoothly. Next on the agenda is a lesson from Pin Thetford at Thetford engineering workshops near Malvern, where Pin is going to lay out a crash-gearbox so I can have a look at it, and see the moving parts and how it actually works; then out on the road for a driving lesson in Chattie. Can’t wait!
Where They Served 