Sir, – Further to Frank McNally's Irishman's Diary (September 15th), Dad's first and only car, bought in 1967, was a brand-new VW Beetle. He and his five sons all learned how to drive it and we all passed the driving test in it.
It regularly brought all nine of us to Tramore for a day at the seaside.
My two youngest sisters were cramped in the tiny space behind the back seat, and to entertain us they sang, in tribute to the fresh line-paint on the road, Yellow, White and Yellow, over and over again. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL C O’CONNOR,
Waterford.
Sir, – When the Beetle arrived on the scene it was very difficult to get insurance cover because of the engine being in the back of the vehicle.
I worked in an insurance brokerage and the only insurance company providing cover was the Zurich Insurance Company, accessed by us through Joe Moore of PMPA fame.
Then came the Heinkel bubble car, and I remember one client promising that if I got him cover he would take me for a spin in this ungainly little machine, and so a trip to the Hill of Howth ensued.
Oh for the days of innocence and long chats on the telephone to lovely fellows in insurance companies in the days before “Press one, press two”! – Yours, etc,
ANNE LOWNDES
LAWLER,
Portrane, Co Dublin.