Henry Murdoch, chairman of the National Rehabilitation Hospital describes his first motor.
What was your first car? A 1939 Austin Standard 8hp . . . it was grey and beautiful as all first cars are.
Why did you buy it? I needed transport to get to dances. In post-war Britain, old cars were very popular and affordable. Mine was 20 years old, one year younger than myself when I bought it in 1959! My engineering graduate colleague Leo Conway - recently retired director general of the Irish Takeover Panel - and I jointly bought it in Rugby.
Did you know how to drive when you bought it? No, but Leo did. I had an Irish driving licence which I had obtained legitimately by paying £1 and completing a form confirming that I knew the rules of the road! Leo taught me how to drive after we bought the car.
Did you know anything about cars? Hardly anything - I was an electrical engineer. My father had had a Standard 10 in Killaloe, Co Clare, but it had spent most of its life up on blocks, right throughout the war.
What advice did you get when you were looking for a car? I relied on Leo. He was a UCD mechanical engineer, and knew a lot about cars.
What did you pay for it? It cost us £26 - £13 each.
What impact did running a car have on your pocket? Road tax was £12 a year. We were each earning £600 a year or about £11 per week, so we were well able to afford it.
Was it hard to get insurance? No. It was £12 a year, which we shared.
How reliable was it? When the weather was warm and dry it started easily. Otherwise, we found that the starting handle provided excellent exercise.
Did it change your life? It was my first joint venture and I also learned to drive. I got to a lot more dances than would otherwise be the case.
What was the longest journey you ever took in the car? About 50 miles - you would not risk going further.
Your best memory? I'm not prepared to comment on this - it was the 1960s after all.
. . . and your worst memory? Braking in an emergency, when the first 90 per cent of pedal movement was taken up in stretching the cable activating the brakes. A foot out the forward facing doors would have been more effective.
How long did you keep your first car? Two years . . . I returned to Ireland in 1961 and bought a 1950s Morris Minor Convertible.
How was it? Nothing can replace your first car. The brakes on the Minor were better, but one unreliable immobile car is as static as another.
What do you drive now? I must like old cars. I now drive a 14-year-old Mercedes 300SE.
Henry Murdoch is author of Murdoch's Irish Legal Companion 2002 on CD-ROM and online.