A few days back, I found my self driving behind a Ford Anglia, the type with the opposed angle back window. I was really suprised how narrow it looked. It was being driven , I assume, by a female with a considerable ammount of hair and I joke not, her hair took half the width of the car.
This is not the first time that I have noticed how relativly small cars of the past were, even what we considered to be medium sized saloons seem small when compared with the modern day counter parts.
One of my favourites from the 50s era was the Riley Pathfinder. A large four door saloon with a right hand gear shift, allowing a bench seat across the front and still retaining a floor mounted gear lever. Apparently the early versions had a rear suspension design that tended to f ail at the worst possible time and they were given the unnoficial title of "Ditchfinders".
Of course I was only a small child when these things were about and no doublt the Corgi Toys version achieved production figures that BMC could only dream about. I seem to remember the local green Grocer had what was effectivly the Pathfinder replacement, still a Riley but marketed as a number rather than a name, something like 6/90 or something to that effect ie 6 cylinder 90bhp. Or maybe a 90/6. Im sure you know what I mean.
The Greencrocer car was in a silver/blue, probably metallic and I think it had a larger rear window but still had the classic pre farina styling that I still think looks really attractive.
https://www.motorbase.com/profiles/vehicle/picture.ehtml?i=705;p=1187274580
