• Does your Maestro van have a stiff ride? Does
Page 20
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
it crash and bang over our well-loved pot-holes? This magnificent piece of wood engineering, elegant in its simplicity, could be the answer.
The nicest thing about it is that it costs no money, and is a delete option, In fact, it should be deleted at the earliest possible opportunity, as it's meant to be taken out of the front spring/damper unit during that strange, short, religious ceremony called a pre-delivery in spection. By then, it should have accomplished its task of stopping your Maestro from bouncing around on its springs on an energetically-driven transporter.
This one survived, along with its nearside mate, not one, but two PDIs and a visit to my local tyre dealer during which all the wheels were removed, leaving this thing dangling in full view. Am I being unreasonable in expecting mechanics to match my legendary eyesight? • One of my favourite roosting places is London's Science Museum, which is full of wonderful bits of technology ancient and modern, much of which can be operated (in a spirit of self-education, of course) by the young (children?) at heart like me.
There's a new attraction there at the moment, unfortunately without moving bits except for some videos, but fascinating nevertheless. It's an exhibition of the history and development of the Fiat group, from the humblest horseless carriage beginnings to the latest Iveco diesel engines. For the technical, the walls are covered in working drawings over which to ponder; for the less-technical, there are some very attractive older vehicles and some examples of the company's superb art-deco advertising from the inter-war years. It's all worth a visit Fiat 1899-1989, An Italian Industrial Revolution, is at the Science Musuem, Exhibition Road, London SW7.