Saw a car yesterday being reversed for what i assume to be too far! - about three miles!! on a rural road. When we came across him, he was reversing on the wrong? side of the road against the traffic flow with hazzards flashing. Just as we approached him, a car from the other direction did as well, and it ended up with all three of us stopping until the other car squeezed through and drove off. Now i don`t know if this is right or not, but we suggested that he left the car and arranged recovery, (which he wasn`t prepared to do) so we said he would probably be safer for everyone if he at least traveled on the side of the road in the direction he was at least going! even though that meant that the car would be facing the wrong way!
So off he went happy as Larry! and we never heard or saw of him again (in the news,tv,pub).
Left me wondering though, is there any limit on how far you can reverse when your car is stuck in gear? - do you travel with the traffic albeit facing the wrong way? or what?
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It would cause overheating problems as well presumably. Was it stuck in gear ? There is an offence of unnecessary reversing.
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Somebody I knew who knew "everything" there was to know about driving having done an advanced driving course told me that if travelling backwards you should do it on the "wrong" side of the road - i.e. travelling with the flow but backwards.
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My Dad once drove in 3rd gear only from Wetherby to Edinburgh in his Wolseley 6/110. It wasn't some kind of experiment but through necessity as he'd been on his way up from Northampton when the gearlever snapped off. Fortunately it was a 6 cylinder 3.0 litre so it coped alright even over the Carter Bar. Wouldn't fancy trying it in reverse.
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If you like driving around in reverse, apparently the car of choice is a variomatic DAF Daffodil. They would go as fast backwards as forwards by all accounts.
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>> If you like driving around in reverse, apparently the car of choice is a variomatic
>> DAF Daffodil. They would go as fast backwards as forwards by all accounts.
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I doubt if anyone would have noticed. It was no McLaren F1, was it?
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>> I doubt if anyone would have noticed. It was no McLaren F1, was it?
In reverse it was!
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I once reversed a RANGE ROVER V8 a long way and the temp gage was full when I turned my head back, as it was starved of air through the radiator, despite the large viscous fan.
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My private pension has travelled in reverse faster than it ever did forward and I think it may be about to go bang.
Last edited by: Martin Devon on Wed 17 Aug 11 at 20:53
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>> >> I doubt if anyone would have noticed. It was no McLaren F1, was it?
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>> In reverse it was!
Well as you can see
www.ritzsite.demon.nl/DAF/DAF_cars_p1.htm
It looked the same going either way.
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Good link Z and corroborates my memory...
"The Dutch tend to be very dismissive of their own achievements and up to very recently it was perfectly normal to smash up still working DAF cars in reverse driving races in huge numbers. Why reverse driving races you ask? Well, because of their special transmission DAF cars go as fast forward as they do in reverse. Concerning reverse driving, nothing beats a DAF, not even a Ferrari."
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That's a bit of a FAD then.
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>> If you like driving around in reverse, apparently the car of choice is a variomatic
>> DAF Daffodil. They would go as fast backwards as forwards by all accounts.
>>
Mid 80s, a mate of mine had a Lancia Beta Coupe with 3 speed auto, that did 70 in reverse allegedly.
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My dad had a Volvo 66 a very smart little estate, very nice quality build quality and it couldn't half go - smart little VDO instruments......a little hooligan's car
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My old bubble-car had a two-stroke engine with a dynastart (starter/dynamo). It had a second set of points to enable the engine to be started backwards for reversing. I believe it was supposed to fitted with a switch that cut the engine if anything other than first was engaged - mine wasn't.
Really hairy with rear wheel steering in third!
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Once did a banger race in reverse when the auto mk3 Zodiac got stuck in gear.
Then some years ago had to reverse a car transporter for miles when i found i'd managed to reach a 7.5 ton limit bridge that consisted of wooden planks...Welsh contributors probably know it, on the way back from Builth Wells.
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I saw the car today! neatly parked in a parking bay at the rear of our local "Garage", so he obviously made it without killing either himself or anyone else!
Could be interesting though! it`s reversed into a parking bay against a wall, and seeing as it wont drive forward as its "Stuck" in reverse gear, its going to have to have the front-end lifted and be shoved into the workshop! which is quite severely uphill - a good workout is looking likely!
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Saw a chap reversing down one of the off slip roads Peterborough ring road yesterday just at the start of peak evening rush, outside lane of the slip road too....given the all exits roundabout at the top was clear, a wholly pointless exercise.
Wonder if he made it.
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That comment, coupled with the earlier mention of a bubble car, triggered a memory.
An ex-colleague once knew a guy who ran a rally prep workshop. He also had a love for classic vehicles and used to provide restoration services in his own time between rally work. One of the jobs he was given was the restoration of an Isetta bubble car.
All went well and he got the thing sorted late one Saturday evening. He decided to take it out for a quick test run round the industrial estate his workshop was in. On completion he drove it down the slight slope of the concrete apron in front of the workshop and stopped at the door, at which point the following became apparent:
1) That downhill slope.
2) No reverse gear on that model.
3) Big (and lovingly restored over many hours) clamshell front door to get out of car.
4) Workshop roller door four inches in front of him.
5) Saturday evening.
6) Bank holiday weekend.
7) Affordable personal mobile phones are still some five years in the future.
Fortunately, a security patrol came round and rescued him after a few hours of sitting there feeling very silly.
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long distance reversing - R.P.
