WRITE TO autocar@haymarket.com

Power failure

Regarding your article On This Day in 1949 (23 August), I would have to agree with your scribe that the performance of the Holden featured would have been striking with only 22bhp! I think the real figure would have been about 60bhp. Perhaps you could check? In the meantime, continue the excellent work.

Roland Brown

Via email

You’re quite right with your estimation, Roland. Sorry for that slip-up – KC

Guilty as ’charged

I’ve just read the Road Tests On This Day in the 26 July issue and my eyes were drawn to the 19.2mpg economy figure for the MercedesBenz C200. Surely some mistake?

Colin Saunders

Bangor, County Down

No, that was indeed the average for the car on test – quite a way off the government figure of 29.7mpg! Blame the supercharger – KC

Taking the cake

I wholeheartedly agree with Matt Prior’s disgust at the idea of having to pay extra to have features already built into a car switched on (Tester’s Notes, 16 August).

Of course, the motor industry isn’t the only trade working dubious practices. In Italy this summer, there have been several cases of restaurants making spurious charges: one charged €10 for cutting up a birthday cake while another charged €2 for providing a second plate so that a mother could share her pasta with her daughter. Needless to say, the internet went into overdrive expressing outrage. Presumably the reputational damage will have meant the restaurants’ subsequent loss of business will far outweigh any profit from the additional charges. It serves them right.