Page 21 - May2022
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Cave, cont inued from page 20 back smoothly in reverse, before nosing out to
the roads around Long?s home, a route that
The aging front seats show a separation from the includes a climb up one of Franklin?s hills. Mike
seams in the leather at the passenger seat, tells me he has had The Queen Mum up to 70
meaning, only, that I will sit where many others mph on the expressway and from the confidence
before me have sat. There are other indications of with which he accelerates, I believe him.
aging, like paint that continues to disappear, each
year, from its metal over ash wood coachworks As the Lynx settled into its job as a car on the
frame. There is a large, black metal steering prowl, we took some sharpish corners. I was
wheel that still shows a remnant of something amazed at the way in which this relic of a brand,
brownish hovering around its circumference. known for producing the ?gentleman?s racer?, held
its line-- amazed because I drive a modern
An intriguing pre-select gearbox, which Mike mid-engine car, with more than an average
informs me was a concession made by the Riley amount of technology, and I found the sensation
company to acknowledge the reality of the of the 85-year-old Lynx being put where it was
period that more cars were being driven by wanted, when it was wanted, without hesitation,
women uncomfortable with the standard manual or sense of instability, no technology as we
transmission, awaits inspection. understand it (and no power steering) to be a
revelation. Simpler may not always be better but
This unusual transmission, which requires setting
this Riley proved that being ahead- of- its- time
the gear with a lever on the column ( also found on
can certainly be good, even 85 years on.
Cord automobiles of the '30s), followed by some
engineering wizardry that involves actually I?m also seduced by the comfort of the ride. There
pushing in the clutch pedal, then releasing it, while are potholes aplenty on the roads we're traveling,
the transmission moves itself forward into the in addition to road surfaces that range from
pre-selected gear, was intended to help increase almost smooth to rough, yet I remain un-jostled.
sales. Built by Armstrong-Siddley in cooperation I?m completely and mystifyingly comfortable. I sit
with its inventor Walter Gordon Wilson, the deeper into my seat with its split seam and find
pre-select, when installed, had a marketing that nothing from its inner workings pokes me.
tagline, "Cars for the daughters of gentlemen."
While the Lynx's speedometer is today unreliable
(Mike has repaired/replaced three of them to date
and tells me not to worry-- what appears to be 45
is likely closer to 30), all the other gauges are
original. The folded away beige but not-original
top, has been repaired with duct tape, camo-duct
tape at one point, says Mike, without missing a
beat.
Mike can see that I?m enjoying myself; the wide
A piece of carpet left over from the Longs' living smile on my face, despite the occasional bug, a
room renovation keeps our feet off the dead giveaway. He pulls over with a reassuring
floorboards. The heart of the car, its engine, stop from the brakes and asks if I?d like to drive. I
unlike restored or preserved examples where decline.
?gleam? with not a hint of ooze is mandatory, is
The right-hand drive, the mystical operation of
decidedly a member of the greasy rag club and
the pre-select , plus the rarity of the car itself, all
remains, except for some peripherals, untouched.
cause me to say, ?No, but thank you? and to mean
None of this cosmetic "stuff" matters, however, it with genuine regret. I was brought up not to
when the engine springs to life and the car pulls break other people's toys. Cave continues on page 22
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