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Sliding the Victor
I’ve just read the Auction Watch piece in the 8/15 December 2021 issue on the Vauxhall VX2300 police car. I had the privilege of attending an advanced driving course with Durham Constabulary in 1981 and as part of it used a Victor on the skidpan, and it might well have been that very car. The tyres had a thick band of smooth rubber around them, and I think the pressure was around 50psi.
It was great fun to use and taught me a great deal about car control and driver reaction time. So thank you for bringing back some great memories.
Ed Henderson Via email
Light amendments
I’m writing in reply to Jon Hemmings on the subject of headlights (22/29 December 2021). I wish to correct some of his misunderstandings. I work in light metrology, photometry and the testing of vehicle lighting.
In Europe, car headlights must conform to UNECE regulations. These define limits to the maximum illuminance (lux level), or brightness. So it’s not possible for a vehicle to be type-approved unless the shape of its headlight beam and its low-beam cutoff comply with the maximum values. These limits apply to any light tech, be it incandescent, high-intensity gas discharge (xenon) or LED.