1957 Fordson
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My old 1957 Fordson Thames 4D certainly turned heads. Corners, however, it wasn’t so good at.
Aside from all the usual signs of ‘vin tageness’ – crash gearbox (take whichever gear you can find and be grateful); unpowered steering; vacuum brakes (give me a shout on Tuesday so I can stop on Thursday) – gutless doesn’t even begin to describe it. A four-speed vehicle, but it would only go up hills screaming its head off in second. Tempting though as it was to try for third, by the time you got there it had ground to a halt. The dynamo charging system, just, well, didn’t! If it rained, the driver’s side windscreen opened. Add a fixed driving seat, and a clutch so heavy it needed both feet (not ideal when changing down and a rev was needed), and I can honestly say that a thing of beauty is a joy forever – just so long as someone else is driving it.
Lucy Radley (truck driver and freelance journalist)