Not actually anywhere near as much of a brute to drive as I'd expected - though still quite a world away from anything else I've tried!
Probably the biggest issue to be honest is the gearbox. It's a crash box, so changes are rather slow (especially as we're talking an 84 year old vehicle here so there is a tendency to be pretty careful and to match revs as closely as possible when double de-clutching - not that this actually seems to have any effect on the horrible crunching noises!). The ratios are massively widely spaced - so you drop from screaming in second into third - and find that you virtually stall when you take your foot off the clutch. That combined with having something in the order of 40 or 50bhp on tap in a vehicle this heavy makes for shall we say...leisurely progress. The gearchange itself is bloody awkward as well. Steering wheel is mounted very high up - and the gear lever is virtually on the floor in first and third, wheras second and fourth are well past vertical. Managed to smack myself on the chin with the steering wheel first time I went for third.
Oh...Pedals are in the wrong place as well, first time I've encountered a vehicle with the throttle in the middle in person. Does make for a bit of confusion from time to time, especially as the accelerator sits about six inches lower than the brake so it's easy to get your feet tangled up.
Good fun though. Bit nerve wracking though driving something that old and rare though, makes you very aware of the consequences if you were to bend it.
...Especially given that it really doesn't have any brakes to speak of!
