Travelling the vintage way
Continuing my riff on vintage forms of transportation, I was once taught by a composer who has an avid interest in collecting vintage cars. He gave me a lift once in a vehicle that wouldn’t have looked out of place in an early Charlie Chaplin silent movie. I was curious about what it would be like to travel in such a vehicle in unfavourable weather conditions. He told me he had used the same car to travel from the UK, across the channel into European countries.
He admitted that the car broke down once or twice on that journey. He had his work cut out in placating his wife on those occasions, since he was travelling with their children as well.
What did the ride feel like? It reminded me of journeys on the train that runs on the beach in Brighton, which is said to be the home to the world’s first ever railway line. A little bit like moving around in a large toy. It must have felt very different to the folks who had those experiences in the vehicle’s heyday.
Nowadays, I see cars that were regarded as extra special when I was a teenager and they look rather quaint. It just goes to show that we probably shouldn’t get hung up about owning anything that is going to date so obviously.
Walking and running never seem to go out of fashion, do they?
