Dorothy C. Maguire (nee Coles) recalls her first car in the 1950s
IN THE mid 1950s my father bought me my first car, a second-hand car from Mr Potter’s garage in Arnside.
By coincidence the garage stood where our Ashleigh Court flats now stand.
The car was a black, two-door, Ford Popular.
On this basic car there were no luxuries we enjoy today. In the car there was no heater or demister and the indicators were orange, semaphore indicators.
I remember, too, that when having driving lessons one had to put one’s arm out of the side window to indicate our directions.
There was a pull-wire starter and manual choke. For emergencies there was a starter handle – quite awkward for a young woman.
It was quite complicated too to drive, having to ‘double declutch’ when changing from second gear.
My father had a full driving licence, obtained in the 1930s, although he’d never taken a test or driven a car!
At first I had driving lessons at Remington’s Driving School in Kendal. For the first few lessons Mr Remington came out to Arnside with a dual-controlled car, and took me round the village roads.
Later my father could accompany me to Kendal where I could have a lesson with the instructor on the test route there.
The test centre was stationed on Sandes Avenue. When the examiner got in the car he said I was the first teacher he’d seen shaking at knees – but I did pass!
By coincidence I was recently talking to a fellow pupil from my Kendal High School days and she said she bought my Ford Popular car from the Arnside garage when I sold it, and she still remembered its number.
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