JPB wrote:Today I spotted a mid-'70s VW van of the loaf variety demonstrating that no matter how refined their far distant flat four motors make the cabs in these, they're scary in gales. The owner was a very strange shade of green as the van slewed about all over the road but give it credit where it was due; it remained more or less upright which - sadly - was more than could have been said for some HGVs today.
My father had a Devon VW Camper and whilst it was clearly not going to be good in the wind, it was much better than the Type 3 estate that he had before it. The Type 3 was one of the later models (1971), with the higher bonnet (Bigger front boot) and that was a real wind catcher
. I think the worst thing I drove in wind, was a Daihatsu 850 van. I was on the A34 between Oxford and the M4 and to go straight ahead, I had the steering 45 degees to the right. I wasn't going much over 40 as I recall. The worst wind I have ever driven in was in November 2008 (No I wasn't driving through Cardiff Docks....I mean Bay....no I mean Docks, when the
Ass was in session), after a trip to the Elan Valley, with a local classic car club. It was quite scary and there were things flying across the road. I was lucky that the car wasn't hit by anything. It was also raining quite a bit too. I stopped off at my parents, to ensure all was well but was glad to get the car back to the garage.
The wind hasn't been too bad here today. It was a bit windy this morning, as I climbed towards the top of the valley, on an exposed old tramroad but when I got back down into the valley, there was more shelter. After the clear skies of yesterday evening, I was relieved to wake up to a westerley wind and overcast. That said, a tree has apparently come down on the A40 but given the unkempt nature of many trees, it doesn't always take much. I suppose nothing will be done until a tree falls on a school bus and then there will be a mad panic to pollard or fell overhanging and overly high trees, that line the roads.
Rules exist for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.
MG Midget 1500, MGB GT V8, Morris Minor Traveller 1275, MG Midget 1275 & too many bicycles.