The lady and the automobile: a rallying cry

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All women should drive early cars—it’s great fun. There is nothing physical that should prevent any lady from becoming a lady motorist. It’s about having the confidence to say "yes" or, like me, saying "Can I have a go?"

I started driving our family’s 1902 Napier nearly ten years ago, firstly on the quiet roads of France, before tackling the Veteran Car Run, although I confess I prefer the roads and hills south of Crawley towards Brighton to the inner London suburbs.

So, what is it like actually driving a veteran car, like our Napier? Well, I can say that each car is different and requires patience and practice. Without front wheel brakes, the Napier has light and direct steering so, once on the move, it’s not heavy. First gear is low—useful on the steepest hills, but a patient change into second and then third is usually called for, double de-clutching as you go. It is just a matter of allowing more time and letting things flow. Fourth gear is almost an overdrive, taking you up to a top speed of some 40mph on the flat. The band brakes, on the back only, are pretty good for the period, although changing down gears before steep descents is advised ("go down hills in the same gear you would go up them" is the old adage). Starting the car is a set routine: petrol on, flood the carburetter, open the hand throttle, retard the ignition, turn the engine over to get mixture into the cylinders, ignition on and a further quarter turn with the starting handle should see it start. Although not strictly necessary, I find being able to start each car part of understanding it; spectators enjoy it and you have the confidence to know you can get it going again if it stalls.

Although I would wish it otherwise, driving early cars is still looked on as something of a male preserve. Sweeping into a crowded car park often brings comments of "Oh, look, it’s a woman driving"—and sometimes worse! But as an established driver of our cars, I get no resistance or untoward comments from those that know me as a person and as a driver. Indeed, I take pride and pleasure from others seeing me drive, who are then encouraged to think that they could do so too. On a recent Teuf-Teuf rally in Compiègne, France, it was a pleasure on our return to the trailer park to give a first veteran driving lesson to another lady driver in her Oldsmobile, who I’m hoping will take to the road soon. This was particularly fun for me as I’ve never actually driven an Olds but I had a two-minute verbal description from her very supportive husband earlier in the day.

You should remember that ladies have been able to drive cars for longer than they have had the vote here in Britain—it is high time more of us took our place behind the wheel of these delightful early cars.

If Camille du Gast in France and Dorothy Levitt here in England could do this 120 years ago, why can’t we?

Elinor Boothman regularly drives a 1902 Napier, 1913 Sunbeam and 1924 Bentley, amongst other cars.

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