No matter what the calendar might say, it doesn't look like Model A season has started.
Back in the years of the Great Depression and war time rationing fuel was expensive and hard to get. Fuel saving was an important part of driving. Drivers did what they could to save fuel. Coasting down hills may not have been the most effective way but every bit helped.
This procedure took some practice. You had to depress the clutch going down hill. The trick came when you wanted to let the clutch out. The engine RPM had to match the speed of the car. You had to know your car and the sound of the engine.
The A did not have a tach so you had to judge by the sound alone. This was much the same as knowing when to shift gears. Missing that timing could cause damage (ie grinding gears). Some cars of that era had "freewheeling" which did help in this practice.
With today's constantly increasing fuel costs some may have to revert to that practice. Just think of the fun that would be with today's automatic transmissions.
Hopefully no extremists will pass laws banning older cars. Our cars would not meet the restrictions imposed on vehicles today. The hobby might die to "save the environment". It has been tried before.
Thankfully A lobby was formed to exempt "Antique vehicles". Then again how do vehicles survive to become "antique"?
Sid Gough - Technical Editor
