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There were some nostalgic remarks about this writer in a thread a week or two ago. For those who do not see The Independent, today that paper produced its first Motoring section on a Tuesday instead of Saturday, including a column from LJK. About how to drive an auto if you are used to a manual. Can't tell whether he is to be a regular - you'll have to wait till next week.
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Indy online only shows two old LJK articles.
Can you summarise his thoughts for us?
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Never was much good at précis, henry, so I shall just extract a few salient sentences:
'Nowadays only the most stubbornly primitive or the most recklessly skinflint would choose to drive a 3-pedal car' (wouldn't agree there, anyway)
'Driving is not an art, it is a science'.
'Whatever control you operate, do it progressively, not sharply; if it be a pedal, do not kick it, squeeze it'.
'If you have never tried braking with your left foot, be very careful indeed the first time you do so'.
'One of the most precious habits to be acquired with a 2-pedal car is to have your left foot always ready for an emergency stop. You can save yourself at least half a second in this way, which can be worth 44ft of road when driving at 60mph.'
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Never was much good at précis, henry, so I shall just extract a few salient sentences:
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That gives us a good flavour.
Andrew-T ... Many thanks.
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Glad to hear he's alive and kicking. The most educated and intelligent motoring writer on the planet, IMHO - well, apart from HJ, perhaps...
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yes, Loves Suzuki SC100's,Fiat X1/9's (which I can understand) and also Honda Preludes????
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I think (i may be wrong) he likes motorcycles as well. And Fiats with FIRE engines in 'em.
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...and Bristols - author of 'Bristol Cars and Engines'.
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and Citroen CX GTi turbos
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Don't we all?
Been a fan of his since he wrote for Car magazine in the 1960s.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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I cannot believe that nobody has mentioned the Citroen SM.
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Indeed: I still have his little book "Twistgrip - a mototorcycling anthology", published in 1971.
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One of the more interesting motoring writers I thought. Used to enjoy his regular column in CAR. Did have a thing for Hondas didn't he...
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Drive On! A social History of the Motorcar was published in November and, if like me you used to hang on every erudite word from LJK, it is required reading and highly recommended.
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A thread we can all agree on he is brilliant.
I recall he was a great fan of the VW Sirocco GTI (Storm?)
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I always thought LJKS pedantic, blinkered and obsessional in his motoring views. However, I always enjoyed his column in Car immensely, and in conjunction with the late lamented George Bishop and Phil Llewellin he made Car the outstanding motoring read of the late eighties and early nineties. A far cry from the super car obsessed coffee table mag that it is today. This, coupled with the slide of Autocar which seems in the main to be run by a bunch of over-excited schoolboys (with one or two honorable exceptions) has left precious little to look forward to in the motoring press.
Part of the problem for a full colour motoring weekly is that there just isn't enough new stuff going on to fill a mag every week,hence some of the 'road tests' that arn't, the computer generated 'scoop' pictures and demise of serious driver focused articles. I think there is room for something different and well written in this niche but have really little hope of seeing such a mag hit the shelves. PS I thought James May's Telegraph article on Saturday spot on.
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"I always thought LJKS pedantic, blinkered and obsessional in his motoring views."
Absolutely! Not a shade of grey to be seen. Brilliant!!
Agree also that nothing has come close to the old 'Car' magazine.
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"..nothing has come close to the old 'Car' magazine"
Wish I'd kept mine! And the few copies I had of Road & Track from the same era.
You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone..
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I have to admit that CAR from that period was indeed THE magazine to read. Nothing has come close since.
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My interest was piqued by the strong opinions of the guy by the various backroomers. I managed to get a copy of the article several weeks later. L J K Setright?s picture is not very flattering, and he does express his opinions in a forthright manner. Viz., ?Nowadays only the most stubbornly primitive or the most recklessly skinflint would choose to drive a three pedal car.? A bit hard, don?t you think!
Left foot braking is made to seem a little more sensible when he comments that the delay in transferring your right foot from the throttle to the brake ? as compared to instant use of the left foot ? could cost you 44 feet in stopping distance when travelling at 60 mph. Any backroom comments on that?
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Unless you're actually covering the brake with your left foot, ready, you might reasonably take as long to move the left foot off the floor/footrest as the right one off the throttle - and using the right foot, you only have one to move!
I've tried left foot braking on an auto and freely admit I can't get on with it - and it's hard to form the kind of habit that kicks in during an emergency when you also drive a manual.
I'll stick with multitasking the right foot.
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Unless you're actually covering the brake with your left foot, ready, you might reasonably take as long to move the left foot off the floor/footrest as the right one off the throttle - and using the right foot, you only have one to move! I've tried left foot braking on an auto and freely admit I can't get on with it - and it's hard to form the kind of habit that kicks in during an emergency when you also drive a manual. I'll stick with multitasking the right foot.
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I couldn't agree with you more.
I believe HJ is a promoter of left foot braking with automatics. Let me get this right, I have my right foot on the accelerator pedal (right next to the brake pedal) and my left foot on the floor or footrest. If I have to brake quickly, which foot has to move furthest? - the left definitely. There is no chance that it might take longer to move the left foot, it definitely will, unless it is hovering over the brake pedal all of the time - not possible I would have thought. In addition to which, using the right foot takes the foot away from the accelerator pedal, so no chance of accidentally pressing that pedal whilst trying to brake with the left foot.
I'm sorry, but what is wrong with using the right foot for braking? Am I missing something here.
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Well he was in this month's (500th edition) of Car. He looked the smooth style guru he always was in the photo. An excellently written article...hope this means we get more.
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LJK has put his views on diesel engines in todays Independant motoring section. He is quite forthright, isn't he. He has a thing about automatics too!
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Mr Setright unfortunately now has arthritis of the right leg...
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Left foot braking is made to seem a little more sensible when he comments that the delay in transferring your right foot from the throttle to the brake ? as compared to instant use of the left foot ? could cost you 44 feet in stopping distance when travelling at 60 mph. Any backroom comments on that?
There have been lots of comments in quite a few threads already. HJ is a disciple of left foot braking but I can't get to grips with it myself. You have to keep the left foot hovering over the brake pedal to gain any advantage, otherwise it has to move from somewhere, just like the right foot.
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Perahps he was dropped from CAR because no-one could take his senile ramblings any longer?
To be fair there was the odd gem contained within hundreds of words of utter tripe. SETRIGHT is correct - never read anyone so set in his ways.
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"..senile ramblings"
Oh yeah? And how many books have you written, RF?
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"..senile ramblings" Oh yeah? And how many books have you written, RF?
None, but at least I have kept a grip on reality....
(anyway, got you reading my post didnt I? ;-) )
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"Storm?"
Indeed. I had one too (the Mk.1, that is) and was similarly enthused. An ideal combination of Italian design and German construction...
I think his regard for Hondas mostly stems from his love of engines, and Honda are pretty good at it. He once described the S800 (which I also had) as "the world's best engine in the world's worst car" which I thought was a trifle harsh, but he was rarely unequivocal.
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Oops! Too many negatives - I meant rarely equivocal...
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LJK is a gem, I worked closely with him designing his book on the history of Bristol Cars, "A Private Car". You just need to get used to him talking of himself in the third-person!
Good motoring books at:
www.palawan.co.uk
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Myself a big fan also of LJK when he was writing for the once-great (no longer!) CAR magazine. It's correct to say the he had a high regard for the VW Scirocco, but he had a real love-in with the Honda Prelude and it's unusual 4-wheel steering.
Anyway, it's good to see him back in newsprint again, after going "AWOL" from motoring journalism for so long. A decade??
Anyone know what he's been up to?
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Excellent news. I believe he set the petrol coursing in my blood.
Kept all my Car mags much to SWMBO's horror. They are part of my broken leg scenarios. i.e. I'll read 'em when i'm laid up with one.
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When I was working in Africa I subscribed to a motor magazine which was probably equivalent to the nostalgia laden historic ?Car?. Among the general features it had excellent articles on new cars, really delving into the technology. The articles included a road test, one aspect of which was seeking out the speed on a dirt road at which the car ran smoothly. Away from the towns most main roads were either dirt or strip. Dirt roads in Africa develop a washboard surface, with about 100mm peak to peak. As you will imagine, that makes for a considerable vibration. Car suspensions were tuned to ?level out? the ripples and run smoothly at one speed, generally about 50mph. The only car which did not seem to have a smooth running speed was a Vauxhall Victor, where they had to abort the test to prevent the vibration dismantling it.
I had a big collection of the mags, until SWMBO one day decided to make cupboard space. I do wish that she hadn?t.
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Three weeks on and he hasn't shown up again yet. Must be a one-off.
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If you want to get a more in-depth flavour of motoring according to Leonard Setright, his book 'Drive On! A social history of the motor car' was published just before Christmas.
He is, unfortunately, cast in the mould of relic from another era, though his resolutely non-conformist views and overtly literate approach has never fitted comfortably into any of the fashionable templates of motoring journalism. He style was, on occasion, inaccessible in the extreme. I remember him writing about the Citroen CX in the manner of a metaphysical poet...
Nevertheless, he was a central part of Car's late, great era. What is it now? Just another lad mag full of sub-Clarkson scribbling. Where did the wit, style and originality go?
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I sorely miss Setright from the motoring scene, and I'm puzzled that he hasn't published more in the last decade or so. He wouldn't need to write anything new: a book consisting of his past columns for CAR would make a good read.
His CAR column was always my favourite, and I particularly the eccentric subjects he chose to discurse on. I remember one entire column devoted to "the correct way of smoking a cigarette while driving a car" (or somesuch!). He went to exceptional detail: which hand to hold the cigarette, where the ashtray should be located, what side of the wheel the indicators should be located etc, and what kind of ignition system was best: cigar lighter, zippo, matches or whatever....!
I mean, can you imagine such a non-PC theme getting into print these days? I'd love to read that column again.
Another memorable column was devoted to the subject of a recent speeding conviction and fine. The boys-in-blue had caught him and he was unimpressed. The column contained paragraph after paragraph of unique Setright-ian outrage at this incident. Really wonderful stuff.
Don't know what you're up to Len, but come back properly.
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Presumably the answer to Chris's implied question lies in Ox's previous post - LJK may be writing, but publishers aren't interested. They are producing the sub-Clarkson drivel instead?
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Andrew, one interesting thing, I was going to get LJK's Drive On book last year, but discovered it was only available through Palawan Press for 75 quid! Leather-bound, numbered copies etc. A nutty price. Way out of my league. But I now see that Granta have brought out an edition for just £17.50. Just ordered my copy through Amazon. :)
The full text of the Independent article that started this thread is available online:
enjoyment.independent.co.uk/motoring/news_and_feat...4
Although the article is bylined as the 3rd Feb, my imperfect old memory seems to recognise some of the words/sentences from articles published many, many years ago. I could be wrong though. Even back in the 80's LJK was a big advocate of Auto boxes and 2 pedal driving...
I'd love to know his opinions on some contemporary issues, like speeding, speed cameras, smoking cigarettes (while driving), and using a mobile phone (while driving).
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"my imperfect old memory seems to recognise some of the words/sentences"
Mine, too. Who but LJKS would refer to feet as "bicrural extremities"? :-)
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LJK reappears in the Independent today, twittering about the perfection of active 4-wheel steering. Maybe he is writing monthly?
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Oh for the wonderful days when Car magazine was actually written by people who really did know about Cars and automobile engineering in some depth. OK so I am an anorak, but I remember some really interesting articles about flat crank and 90degree crank V8s and the subsequent balance considerations. Nowadays the average motoring writer knows as much about the nuts and bolts of a vehicle as my cat. LJKS is now also writing a column for a hi fi magazine.
He always had a delightful turn of phrase. My favourite was his description of an experimental 3/4 scaled version of the Mosquito produced during the latter stages of the war for high speed flight experiments as 'two high speed engines hotly pursued by an airframe'.
SR
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I'm glad I'm not the only one who think the same about "Car". I was never a massive fan of LJKS but his columns were always intelligent. I always preferred George Bishop's columns (even if they were more about the free booze and food on whatever car launch had occured that month).
Bishop was the first editor of "Car" if I remember correctly but its best period was probably during the Aussie era of Cropley & Green.
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Didn't he write for HiFi and Record Review as well. I bought a Linn system based on one of his write ups. It still works - and sounds and looks better than flashy lighty things that pass for HiFis now.
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The day he left CAR magazine I cancelled my subscription, I refuse to read rubbish written by children
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Good Grief...LJK has turned up in April issue of Car, alive and well.
Maybe if write in and say we want him back it might happen.
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Blimey! Cripes! I\'m on my way to the newsagent right now. :) :)
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Can't HJ influence him into coming onto this site ?
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Can't HJ influence him into coming onto this site ?
I wonder where he stands on computers.
I can imagine him at the very forefront of technology or still bashing away at the keys of an ancient Remington typewriter.
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It't worth a look at the article in 'Car', just to see the photograph of LJK S.
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LJK was a regular contributor to Bike magazine in the seventies, where he was affectionately known as Long John Kickstart. His influence, along with entertaining scribes like Mark Williams and Royce Creasy has been sorely missed in what was one of the more interesting motorcycle magazines in it's hayday, before it degenerated into the more usual knee down - wheel up style that passes for two wheel journalism to-day.
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He's back in the Independant on Tuesday Motoring Section. He really has a marvellous way of putting things. He was puffing the Subaru Outback 3 litre ... "The number of cylinders thus idealistically laid out in this altogether new Legacy is six. This is the proper number of cylinders for a gentleman's car,..." Ouch, I've only got four.
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The day he left CAR magazine I cancelled my subscription, I refuse to read rubbish written by children
Hear, hear
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LJK was the best motoring writer ever. I am thrilled that he is still with us and would gladly turn this site into a subscription one if we had him here! Jeremy C read the indy every Tuesday - and learn!
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He's done it again, see the 'Independent' motoring pages of 23rd Nov.
If you know him say goodbye for me, he's shortly due for the Gulag.
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Typical LJKS - perfectly rational.
If only I had his intellect...........
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Thanks for bringing this back to the first page. I hadn't realised LJKS was still writing. I loved his column in Car (when it was worth buying).
If you search the Independents' motoring section for "setright" it finds all his articles, which are well worth reading.
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I've enjoyed a number of lunches and dinners when LJK was present - he's a very deep thinking, highly intelligent man whose observations on all aspects of motoring should be taken permanently on board by anyone interested in the subject.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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