The Impact of Motoring
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The Impact of Motoring Part 2 - Social 08/12/2014 1 Disclaimer Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content of this book, in a world where technology moves so rapidly, it is inevitable that some content will be out of date very soon after publication. Cotswold Motoring Museum & Toy Collection can accept no liability for any errors or omissions or any consequences of such errors or omissions. For those accessing this book in electronic form, all web links were functioning at the time the book was prepared but Cotswold Motoring Museum & Toy Collection can accept no responsibility for content hosted on third party systems that may have been removed or updated. Copyright and Usage Unless stated to the contrary, the copyright to all text and images used in this compilation is owned by the Cotswold Motoring Museum and Toy Collection, Bourton on the Water or their contributors. Those images for which others own the copyright are acknowledged in the Captions and Credits section at the end of each chapter or within the chapter itself. Reference to and acknowledgement of Intellectual Property of other authors is indicated through web links within the document or footnotes to the text. The contents of this document can be reproduced without restriction but the Cotswold Motoring Museum and Toy Collection should be acknowledged as the source of any reproduced information. © 2015 Cover images: The Old Mill, Bourton-on-the-Water, today home to the Cotswold Motoring Museum and Toy Collection and cars associated with the museum. Source of right hand image above: Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/05/30/biofore-concept-car-is-a-plant-laden-sustainable-ride/ 08/12/2014 2 Contents of Part 2 Part 2 – Social ........................................................................................................... 5 Popular Motoring ........................................................................................................................ 5 The Austin Seven ....................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 6 The design .............................................................................................................................. 7 Variants ................................................................................................................................... 9 What’s an Austin Seven like to drive? .................................................................................. 10 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 11 The Shell Guides ...................................................................................................................... 12 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 12 Why are the Shell Guides in "A History of Motoring in 10 Objects"?................................... 14 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 18 Annex A: Licensed cars on UK roads between 1930 and 1984 .......................................... 20 Annex B: Shell exhibits at the Cotswold Motoring Museum ................................................ 20 Garage Services ....................................................................................................................... 22 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 22 An evolution of the blacksmith’s skills .................................................................................. 22 The years of volume production ........................................................................................... 24 The time-travelling technician ............................................................................................... 25 Roadside Services ................................................................................................................... 26 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 26 Dialogue with the customer .................................................................................................. 27 Location ................................................................................................................................ 27 The symptom ........................................................................................................................ 28 Driver and passenger safety ................................................................................................ 28 Patrol attendance.................................................................................................................. 29 Diagnostics ........................................................................................................................... 29 Competition ........................................................................................................................... 30 Mapping .................................................................................................................................... 31 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 31 Maps and coordinate systems.............................................................................................. 31 Paper maps .......................................................................................................................... 31 Mapping coordinate systems ................................................................................................ 32 Digital Maps .......................................................................................................................... 33 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 34 Satnav....................................................................................................................................... 35 Life (long) before satnav ....................................................................................................... 35 How does satnav work? ....................................................................................................... 36 Traffic Information - summary .............................................................................................. 38 The future.............................................................................................................................. 39 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 41 Responsibilities of Ownership .................................................................................................. 43 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 43 08/12/2014 3 Average age of cars ............................................................................................................. 43 Environmental effects of production, use and scrappage.................................................... 44 Average annual car mileage ................................................................................................. 45 Replace or retain .................................................................................................................. 46 Age mix ................................................................................................................................. 47 Cost of ownership ................................................................................................................. 47 The public transport alternative ............................................................................................ 48 Classic cars........................................................................................................................... 49 DIY servicing ......................................................................................................................... 49 Increasing the life of our vehicles ......................................................................................... 50 Annex: Comparison of generic car categories from 1958 and 2013 ................................... 53 08/12/2014 4 Part Part2 – Social 2 - Social It is surely not an exaggeration to claim that the impact of motoring on the world we inhabit must rank as one of the most far-reaching influences ever introduced by mankind to our planet? The specific invention of the car is, of course, only a small part of the story. The requirements for fossil fuels, the industry and infrastructure to enable the car to function, the social and health benefits (and hazards), some of the changes to the natural world and challenges being faced in the 21st century owe their existence to the rise of motoring. They would merit a book in their own right.