Gordon write up

[richard]

I would like a better copy of this article , could anyone tell me which publication it is from please , thanks Rich

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

Hi Richard

I don't know for certain as I only have a photocopy of this article myself, but I would guess this is from the January 1955 issue of The Light Car magazine.

[richard]

Thanks very much Malcolm for helping there  were the pages of Light Car large enough do you think ? Light Car is annoying in that the page numbering is sometimes odd , this article has no page numbering 

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

Yes it does, 10 and 11 at the bottom. Light Car's page numbers for content (rather than advertising) run consecutively across the issues, and they'd switched to an A4 size mag in July 1952.

[richard]

Of course it has page numbers ! Sorry , I think I must have meant titles at the topic the page ? Forgot about the change of size on Light Car , I have a few copies all smaller as they reference Bond Minicars from 1948  - 51 .
Okay now to work out which copy of light car in a fairly small window , from other write ups I can work out the date of the run I think . Thanks Malcolm

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

Several of the later 1955 issues have ads for the Gordon from Raymond Way, let me know if you find a spare copy of Jan 55!

[richard]

Anything Gordon I am always interested in

[steven mandell]

I would like a better copy of this article , could anyone tell me which publication it is from please , thanks Rich

Anyone else notice that the 11% grade sections of the Kirkstone Pass were "taken without passenger"?
Did that include the passenger walking these sections?
How else could the two have made it up the hill with only the one car only able to carry one of them?
More likely the passenger helped push it whilst the driver gunned the throttle?

Considering its quoted average speeds of 25 and 29 m.p.h. - 62 m.p.g. (imperial?) doesn't seem like anything to brag about either.
It seems that they were happy just to have the machine and passengers survive the ordeal that would likely be considered a non event to most motorists driving average vehicles of their day.

Or did I miss something here?

[richard]

Hi Steven all the best for the new year . You must not forget what the Gordon was up against ! A weary old possibly pre-war  motorcycle and sidecar ? A prewar 1930's  Austin 7 ? There was almost nothing four wheeled that was in the price category at all. Also bear in mind a weeks luggage and cooking gear and heavy old waterproofs , golly that would sap its strength . These hills , I have done them in a modern car , are the very most extreme and long hills in Britain

[Big Al]

KIrkstone Pass? The passenger got in the following Gordon. Case Solved! 

Yep, its a challenging road all right, as you are winding on a narrow track for much of the difficult bit, and rely on people giving you room. Berkeley have not been unknown to drop the passenger out, and they offer more power. Its about applying it. I have not driven a Gordon, so I cannot comment on the choice of gearing, but I would suspect they choose to knock the top speed back. Bearing in mind that much on the road here was pre war, or pre war designs warmed up and average speed was not great in Britain. We were rebuilding a trashed economy having saved the West from the Nazi threat. Rationing continued long after the war. Just as well, or there would be two of me, rather than the economy pack. People forget how hard a time the country had to get back to the freedoms of the '60's.

[DaveMiller]

Anyone else notice that the 11% grade sections of the Kirkstone Pass were "taken without passenger"?

...

Or did I miss something here?

Well, perhaps you missed that the Kirkstone Pass section was (correctly) quoted as  "1 in 4".  That's a 25% slope, rather than 11%.

I think it's not unusual for any sort of microcar to find a 1 in 4 too difficult for driver, holiday luggage and passenger so, yes, someone probably had to walk a bit!

[richard]

Good point Dave ! Where did 11% come from ?

[Big Al]

Maybe that is the average angle of the climbing section? Maybe USA % is different to ours, like their Gallons. You know it makes sense. Needle nardle noo.

[DaveMiller]

Maybe that is the average angle of the climbing section?

Perhaps ... but try explaining that to your microcar, when it gets to the 25% bit

Reminds me of the definition of a statistician: someone who, with his feet in the freezer and his head in the oven, is on average perfectly comfortable.

[Big Al]

Ah ha. Like the question, what is the average number of fingers and thumbs in the population. Answer, Less than 10. So a Gordon is a finger of grip worth less good at climbing, than we would ideally like.