Hi,
During the Suez "do", us young plebs were allowed to drive, on L-plates, but unaccompanied. The idea was that precious petrol would not be used for driving lessons. What a smashing 17th birthday prezzy.
When Suez was all done and dusted, the concession was allowed to continue for a few months, while oil was still being shipped "around the Horn Hope". When the concession concession was finally withdrawn, I buried my L-plates, and applied for my driving test (passed 10th March 1958 ... and again in late 1959 in an RAF Bedford 3-ton truck, mixing it with the trams in Blackpool)
Return to topic ... my first "car" was a 1934 BSA 3-wheeler . with an 8HP (circa 900cc) engine driving the front wheels, and a lot of bodywork missing due to the previous owner rolling it. I generally got a "producer" once a week, sometimes twice. Not a problem, I had my provisional licence, and a tax disc. Prudential charged me £8.10 a year for TPO insurance. I was probably earning a bit less than £4 a week at the time, but I had friends willing to buy me half a gallon (two shilling and sixpence, or about 12p in new money) just to get a ride..
While waiting for "Call Up" (Draft), I got a job driving a baker's van ... adult wages. £9 a week. I probably got the best of the deal. The bloke showing me my round shouted "Mind the tree!" The tree was miles away ... until a branch came though the roof. Up to that point in time, I'd never had to consider "height" in my navigations.
When I joined the RAF in 1958, I was paid £5-2-0d a week ALL FOUND.
602