Melksham News Magazine January 2018

MELKSHAM & DISTRICT GROUP OF ADVANCED MOTORISTS

Social Evenings

Our monthly Social Evenings feature a guest speaker or other event, chat, tea and raffle, and are held every 3rd Thursday of the month. They take place at 19:30 at the Riverside Club, Bath Road, Melksham, SN12 6LP, unless otherwise advised – if needed, there is a map on our Website. There is a modest charge of £1 to cover refreshments and a ticket for the raffle.

The Riverside Club

Bring a friend: All are welcome, including non- members and members of other groups.

Classic Cars Aston Martin Lagonda

COMING EVENTS (2018)

19:30 Thursday 15 February. Social evening at the Riverside Club. An event will be arranged.

19:30 March 15 March. Social evening at the Riverside Club. An event will be arranged.

19:30 Thursday 19 April. Les Stiff will be giving a presentation on his role as IAM Examiner. This should be of particular interest to Observers and members.

19:30 Thursday 20 September. Christopher Clark from the Highways Department, Wiltshire Council will be giving a presentation. Any questions should be forwarded to Richard Clark, in advance.

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NEWS ITEMS

Congratulations. Congratulations to David Major for passing his update IAM Masters test with distinction, to Robert Griffith who passed the Advanced Driving test, and to Anthony Nicholson who passed his Masters with distinction, following David Major’s instruction.

Club Night 18 January.

Mat Hubbard, Chief Operations Officer of AB Dynamics, gave a presentation on autonomous cars. The presentation included videos and information on bench testing of suspension systems, robotic steering, ESC stability control, auto lane changing at speed, and misuse testing. For safety reasons driverless cars were used in the tests.

The session was well received, with many questions being put to Mat, during, and after the presentation.

Club Membership 2018.

Please don’t forget to renew your membership of the Melksham Group IAM, for 2018. The club exists for its members and the promotion of Advanced Driving. Members benefit from the availability of the club house where they can meet other members and enjoy the various presentations on club nights. They also benefit from having access to an annual free check drive, and (of course) the club’s News Magazine, and website. A copy of the renewal form has been included with this month’s News Magazine email.

ARTICLES

The Aston Martin Lagonda, by John Morley.

The Aston Martin Lagonda was built at Newport Pagnell between 1974 and 1990, with 645 being produced. There are two versions, the original 1974 design (no photographs available), and the wedge shaped models introduced in 1976.

Lagonda (1974-1975). This model was a long wheel based version of the Aston Martin V8. It had a 5.3 litre V8 engine with a 5 speed manual or auto gearbox. Only seven were sold.

Series 2 (1976-1985). This version had pop-up headlights, with a designer interior. Although it was launched at the London Motor Show in 1976, deliveries did not commence until 1979.

The Series 3 (1986-1987). This was produced for only one year, and only 75 models were manufactured. The external of the car was similar to that of the Series 2, but it had an updated interior.

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The Series 4 (1987-1990). The Series 4 was launched at the Geneva Motor show. The 1987 version had a more rounded and slab-sided style, and the pop-up headlights were eliminated. Only one car was produced per week, with a total production of 105 cars. The last car was produced in January 1990.

In 2014, Aston Martin launched a new Lagonda, the Taraf. The price starts at £696,000, and for the same money you could buy a Rolls-Royce Phantom, and a Bentley Mulsanne, plus a fully loaded Range Rover SV Autobiography.

Aston Martin Lagonda Taraf (forground)

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An article by Peter Soul of the Thames Valley Group (October 2017).

Peter Soul

A PHYSICIST WRITES . . .

All eyes ought to be on the city of Honolulu near the end of this month (October 2017), when a new regulation comes into force there: the Distracted Walking Law. Pedestrians seen crossing the road while gazing at a hand-held screen will be fined $15 minimum, rising possibly to $99 for repeat offenders. The aim is to cut the number of injuries resulting from this habit, which is put at more than 1000 a year within the United States.

Well, that should work well – just like our own laws do, forbidding phone-distracted driving! I suppose the next target will be distracted cyclists (who of course have the added problem of keeping their balance).

It depresses me to see people, especially the young, glued to their phones when out of doors, and quite oblivious to the world around them. Sadder still is when they have headphones on while striding out, and so are unable to hear birdsong or anything else. But here’s what really puzzles me about smartphones and the like: they cost hundreds of pounds, and yet they appear not to be supplied with any means of attaching them to your hand, to prevent their being dropped or snatched. It’s madness.

As I said at the start of last month’s column, for some reason this summer has brought a flood of interesting news stories to my attention – interesting to me as a motorist, as a physicist, and as the owner of a body that's beginning to deteriorate with age! I’ve read about several devices that could come to my aid in this last predicament.

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Let me first describe one that’s designed really to assist construction workers when lifting heavy tools such as industrial drills: the EksoVest (from the USA) straps on to the upper body, and supports the arms with spring-loading to give them all the strength needed for the job. The technical name for this type of kit is an exoskeleton.

The news report that I was reading claimed that in the UK 700,000 bricklayers are expected to retire over the next ten years, and also that 15% of building sites rely on workers from E Europe, who are likely to exit with Brexit. The implication was that by investing (sorry) in these expensive vests, the construction industry will be able to attract enough less-muscular Brits to save it from collapse. However, I detect a flaw in the plan: the EksoVest does not extend to the hands. After heavy lifting these feel the pain too, if mine are anything to go by. So if you haven't got a strong handshake, do not apply!

The above attachment is entirely mechanical, but other systems being developed to assist the body are electronic, programmable and more lightweight. I’m now looking at a description of a strap-on aid for stroke victims who have weakness in one leg: as soon as muscle movement (for taking a stride) is detected, just the right amount of support is given to the foot for the patient to achieve balanced walking. It's a clever idea, and I would guess that other parts of the body can be similarly aided too. Though (fingers crossed) I hope I won’t have a need for this kind of assistance.

But I would be interested in trying a special staircase (also being worked on in the US) in which each stair sinks slightly as you tread on it descending – and lifts you up again later when you step on it ascending! This is conservation of energy, in a small way, and it's recommended for those with stiff knee-joints. However, again I can see a flaw: if there are two of you in the house, the stairs will often be ‘primed’ the wrong way for whoever is using them – thus making both going up and coming down more tiring, rather than less! And probably more hazardous...

Dental news: how long would you guess is spent brushing one’s teeth during a lifetime? Even if you take only a minute or so morning and night (compared with the several minutes recommended), over 70 years this adds up to 35 whole days. Well, you could have saved 30 of them by buying the Amabrush in the picture below (except that it hasn’t been launched yet). This extraordinary appliance slots into your mouth and cleans all teeth simultaneously, in ten seconds!

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PUZZLES AND QUIZZES

Know Your Driving and Car?

Answers at the end of the News Magazine (No cheating please!)

QUESTION ANSWER 1. What hazard do you expect to see ahead of you when approaching an inverted triangular traffic sign?

2. What Lord used to own the group of cars that included Hillman, Humber, and Sunbeam? 3. Which country produced the Studebaker? 4. What did the Saab company produce other than cars? 5. What car manufacturer produces the Griffith? 6. Who founded Lotus cars? 7. What sports car manufacturer produced cars at Westbury in Wiltshire? 8. What revolutionary car won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964? 9 Can a front wheel drive car oversteer or understeer, if not balanced, or driven correctly? 10. What does this traffic sign signify?

FUN CORNER

You may have seen it in the past, but this ad still makes me smile, and it’s of typical Indian innovation: Peugeot 206 commercial - India - YouTube

Lexophile

“Lexophile” is a word used to describe those that have a love for words, such as “you can tune a piano, but you can’t tune a fish.”

Or:

“To write with a broken pen is pointless.”

A competition to see who can come up with the best lexophiles is held every year at an undisclosed location. Last year’s winning submission is posted at the very end.

When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.

A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

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When the smog lifts in Loa Angeles U.C.L.A.

The batteries were given out free of charge.

A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.

A will is a dead giveaway.

With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.

A boiled egg is hard to beat.

When you’ve seen on shopping centre, you’ve seen a mall.

Did you hear about the fellow whose entire left side was cut off? He’s all right now.

A bicycle can’t stand alone; it’s just two tired.

The man who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully covered.

He had a photographic memory which has never developed.

When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she’d dye.

Acupuncture is a jab well done. That’s the point of it!

And the cream of the twisted crop:

Those who get too big for their pants will be totally exposed in the end.

ALWAYS LAUGH WHEN YOU CAN; IT'S CHEAP MEDICINE

READER’S LETTERS/EMAILS

Unfortunately none this month.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

None this month.

Please forward any questions on motoring and cars etc to [email protected] and an expert will hopefully answer them within the News Magazine. ______Members who have news items or articles that may be of interest are invited to forward them to John Morley at: [email protected]. Please title all emails “MAM News Item”. ______FURTHER NOTICES  Email addresses: Help the environment - if you have an email address but receive your newsletters by post please let the Editor, John Morley, know your email address. You will benefit from early receipt of the News Magazine, early notice of special events, and we save on postage, time and effort, as well as using up fewer trees! A win-win situation.

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 Speakers: If you know of someone who could give us an interesting talk, or have a suggestion for a talk, at our social evenings please advise the Events Coordinator, Richard Clark or Caroline Marsden.  Publicity: Current post vacant.  Contact Details: If you move house, or your email or telephone number changes, please inform John Morley so that you don’t lose contact with us.  Drive Check: Remember that MAM is offering a FREE observed run for all potential new members so tell your friends now! For more information please contact David Major.

CONTACT US David Major: for queries about IAM Training, Associates and Observing: 07743 246746

Website: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/groups/melksham Melksham Group Committee: Chairman: Richard Clark: [email protected] Secretary: Caroline Marsden: [email protected] Treasurer: Douglas Colborne: [email protected] Membership Secretary: John Morley: [email protected] Chief Car Observer/Associates: David Major: [email protected] Events Coordinator: Post vacant: [email protected] Melksham News Editor: John Morley: [email protected] Webmaster: Colin Nunn: [email protected] Committee Member: Don Jones: [email protected]

Disclaimer Any opinions expressed in this or any other newsletter published by the Melksham and District Group of Advanced Motorists are those of an individual or the editor. They should not be taken to represent the views of the IAM, its officers or the Melksham and District Group Committee, unless made explicit. As such, no legal responsibility can be accepted for any statement. The articles are published in good faith. Members are requested to seek confirmation of event details before attending, since regrettably last minute changes to plans do occur.

Answers to the quiz:

1. A junction with a major road (Marked with a stop or give way line). 2. Lord Rootes 3. USA 4. Aircraft 5. TVR 6. Colin Chapman 7. Marcos 8. Mini Cooper S 9. Understeer 10. Uneven Road

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