U 'm indebted to veteran reader Tom Ward — he tells
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me he first started buying CM in 1915, when a mere lad of seven — for a story relating to the Christmas road test on his Sentinel Steamer some 24 years ago. Riding shotgun with Ward was none other than the legendary Ron Cater, then CM's assistant technical editor and now telling drivers and journalists how to do it right as Volvo Trucks' driver training co-ordinator.
Ward is no stranger to the pages of CM, having appeared in an Atkinson Steam Wagon advertisement of 1926, described as the "Driver lad of 17, Master T Ward". However, Ward clearly had his eyes set well into the future for he was to become one of the very first Volvo dealers in the sixties as Wards of Warrington.
During the Sentinel test in North Wales in 1968 Ward and Cater were flagged down by a visibly agitated driver who pulled up in front of them. I'll never forget it," says Cater, "He said 'you've just run over a cyclist and he must still be under there as the only thing that's come out the back is his front wheel!'" Happily the mystery cyclist turned out to be nothing more than CM's test measuring wheel, fixed to the back of the truck and connected to an extremely accurate speedometer in the cab by a long wire, which had parted company with the Sentinel. Cater's reply to the concerned motorist isn't known — but knowing Ron's reputation for blunt speaking he no doubt let off a little steam...