War on the motorist, appalling state of our potholed roads, unjust persecution of motorists by the police and politicians, future of electric cars in a context of concern over their autonomy and lack of charging stations.
All major concerns for motorists today, which elements of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s budget on Wednesday sought to assuage.
But it may come as a surprise to many that these are also the same issues that were vigorously debated at the height of the Victorian era more than a century ago.
History: A first Mercedes crosses Westminster Bridge during the annual London to Brighton Motor Race
How similar the concerns of motorists are over a century apart, I stumbled upon almost by chance while browsing through the fascinating archives of this journal.
And they’ve been chronicled ever since in the Daily Mail, whose launch on May 4, 1896 largely coincided with the birth of the automobile and automobile.
A year earlier, to promote “motoring” to the cycling masses, The Autocar magazine was started in Coventry in 1895 and continues today.
And it was also in 1896, on November 14, that the government brushed aside the need for a man carrying a red flag to march ahead.
To celebrate ‘Emancipation Day’ there was a London to Brighton Motor Race – still celebrated to this day by the annual London to Brighton Veterans Motor Race for pre-1905 cars organized by the Royal Automobile Club, which began life (as the Automobile Club) in 1897.
The rival upstart automobile association founded in 1905 was formed to promote the rights of motorists, and its patrols alerted members to police speed traps involving officers hiding behind bushes with a stopwatch.
When this was deemed illegal, the AA introduced its legendary AA salute. If a patrol failed to salute, AA members would know there was radar nearby.
It is telling how similar the subjects covered by my ancestors, including land speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell, who was editor of the Daily Mail in the 1930s, are to motorists today.
And, my dig also revealed, to my surprise, that I’m officially the Daily Mail’s longest-serving auto correspondent. Some of the linguistic and social mores may have changed over the course of a century and more, but the vexed issues facing motorists have not.
Budget boosted or collapsed?
Motorists can take comfort in Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s budget on Wednesday.
Key highlights include:
- A £200m boost to English councils to fix ‘the curse of potholes’ on the country’s crumbling roads. It marks a victory for the Daily Mail’s campaign to end the pothole plague.
But the AA said the money was needed now, not next year, warning: “Years of underinvestment in our road network coupled with a cold, wet winter are already exposing the craters.”
Freeze: The Chancellor has frozen fuel taxes at pumps by extending a tax cut of 5p per liter introduced last March and scrapping an automatic inflation increase
- Freeze fuel taxes at the pump by extending a 5 pence per liter tax cut introduced last March and scrapping an automatic inflation increase. Duty on petrol and diesel remains at 52.95 pence per litre.
Motoring groups hailed the freeze. However, motorists will still have to pay 20% VAT on the combined cost of the commodity price plus duty.
- Additional support specific to electric car adoption has not materialized.
However, motorists’ charging costs may be indirectly relieved by the Chancellor’s decision to keep the energy price guarantee in place at £2,500 until June, saying it will save the average household £160 on invoices.
But the energy support scheme offering households £67 a month off their bills will still end in March.
At the time, “motorists” and “cars” had yet to be properly defined as the world struggled to create a new vocabulary. Horseless carriages, automobiles, and “motorists”—as drivers were initially called—were among the first attempts to define the new fashion. ‘Motistes’ was another.
But also surprising to many, electric power was seriously competing with the internal combustion engine for dominance, although insufficient battery power and range, and too few charge points, killed it, so far.
This very first edition of the Daily Mail in 1896 set the tone for a brave new world with a prescient article titled “The Carriage of the Future”, reporting on the opening of the international exhibition “International Horse Drawn and Horseless Carriage and Roads Locomotion Exhibition”. ‘ at the Crystal Palace.
Highlights included a track for “self-propelled carts” which “carried a number of their owners’ friends”. He noted: “These cars were propelled either with petrol or with benzoline, a fact which was amply evident to the noses of the spectators.” They maintained “a very fair rate of speed”.
It was also in 1896 that a Victorian wheel-dealing entrepreneur named Harry Lawson, who had made his fortune in the manufacture of bicycles, bought an old textile factory to produce Britain’s first car: a Coventry Daimler. He did this by teaming up with talented engineer Frederick Simms, who befriended German automotive pioneer Gottlieb Daimler.
Aged just 27, Simms bought the rights to Daimler’s patents in Britain and the Empire – nearly a quarter of the globe – excluding Canada. Simms then sold those Daimler rights to Lawson for £35,000 – the ransom of today’s silver king.
T he first Coventry Daimler — one of which I drove — was launched in 1897 and the British motor industry was officially born.
Fast forward to September 13, 1899, when under the banner ‘The Coming Craze’, the Daily Mail’s motoring column brought to light topics that sound oddly familiar: the dangers of ‘cheap death traps’ vehicles; car price scams (anything over £1,000 is ‘a fanciful price’) and the need for properly trained drivers (‘any vehicle is dangerous in the hands of an ignorant or incompetent person’).
This first column warned: “A very cheap and unpleasant automobile is certainly very bad and probably dangerous.
So, surprisingly given the debate raging today, should you buy a petrol or an electric car?
Under the heading Petroleum vs Electric, he noted, “There is absolutely no authentic evidence that any motor vehicle has traveled 60 miles on a single charge,” while adding, “That is undoubtedly far enough if you have charging stations at home.’
The Ferrari of child car seats!
How’s that for the ultimate designer child car seat?
Its creators claim the new Babyark is “the safest infant seat ever”, promising uncompromising levels of safety, cutting-edge engineering and timeless design.
Described as a “safety cell” for babies, it was created by former Ferrari designer and new Mini designer Frank Stephenson, who took inspiration from the structure of an egg and shaped it like a pod.
Smart seat: the Babyark car seat was created by former Ferrari designer and new Mini designer Frank Stephenson
He also drew inspiration from his work in aerospace engineering and performance cars and used “military-grade” energy-absorbing technology and a carbon-fiber frame to protect precious cargo in the event of a crash. collision.
The seat has 14 sensors in its base. Via a smartphone app, it also notifies parents whether the seat is correctly installed and whether the child is properly buckled.
Stephenson, who now has his own London-based design agency (frankstephenson.com), said: “Babyark is a remarkable premium product that provides peace of mind for parents.”
Goodwood is accelerating its insurance
Famous for celebrating motorsport heritage, past and present, Goodwood is now helping classic car owners sort out their insurance.
He launched Goodwood Classic Solutions as a one-stop comparison service that can provide personalized coverage for over two million popular classic and historic cars on UK roads today.
It comes as Goodwood and its chairman, the Duke of Richmond whose ancestral seat it is, celebrate THREE significant motoring anniversaries this year: 75 years of motorsport at the Goodwood circuit; 30 years of the Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 13-16 this year) and 25 years of the Revival (September 8-10).
You’re both covered: Goodwood is now helping classic car owners sort out their insurance
Goodwood has partnered with Sterling Insurance to provide a 24/7 online service.
He said: “Building on Goodwood’s 75 years of experience in classic vehicles and its unique position in the automotive industry, online quotes can be tailored to include agreed vehicle value, discounts on limited mileage, recovery retention and modification coverage.”
Sterling said it would obtain quotes from a panel of specialist, industry-leading underwriters, providing clients with three individual quotes, quickly and accurately.
The Duke of Richmond said: “Exceptional customer experiences are at the heart of what we do and with the launch of Goodwood Classic Solutions in 2023 – the year we celebrate 75 years of motorsport at Goodwood – the timing could not be better at extending this passion and this expertise to other enthusiasts.
- More details on all of Goodwood at: goodwood.com.
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