25-04-2020, 09:51 AM
A similar question has been posted on Facebook, which provoked me to explain my decision on using any of my Sevens just now:
"My perspective on this is that we are not living in normal times and therefore I am not able to behave normally. Some of my liberty and choice is restricted - I do see huge long term value in this however. I believe that I have a civic duty to change my behaviour until the way forward is clear. I think the danger with carrying on - or being seen to be carrying on - "as normal" gives some people the wrong message. In the larger world I think our older vehicles are not really associated with essential travel (even if that is what we chose to use them for) and seeing me out and about in one just now may encourage others to just start using them. That is my take and that has informed my decision not to use any of my old cars just now. As a bit of background to how strange this is for me; until the age of 13 the ONLY cars my parents had ever owned were A7s, and the newest car they had ever owned was the 1936 Pearl we still have today. I travelled home from the maternity ward in the Chummy that I learned to drive on, got married in and went on my honeymoon in. I have driven my own A7s nearly 300'000 miles in the last 30 years and, from the age of 18 until 26 used A7s as my sole form of transport. As a family of five we have used our Sevens to travel all over Europe and Scandinavia. I think this is the longest period of time that I have ever gone without driving a Seven in my entire (47 years of) life. I am not expecting that to change any time in the near future. Whatever you decide to do, stay safe and help others too as well. Peace to all."
"My perspective on this is that we are not living in normal times and therefore I am not able to behave normally. Some of my liberty and choice is restricted - I do see huge long term value in this however. I believe that I have a civic duty to change my behaviour until the way forward is clear. I think the danger with carrying on - or being seen to be carrying on - "as normal" gives some people the wrong message. In the larger world I think our older vehicles are not really associated with essential travel (even if that is what we chose to use them for) and seeing me out and about in one just now may encourage others to just start using them. That is my take and that has informed my decision not to use any of my old cars just now. As a bit of background to how strange this is for me; until the age of 13 the ONLY cars my parents had ever owned were A7s, and the newest car they had ever owned was the 1936 Pearl we still have today. I travelled home from the maternity ward in the Chummy that I learned to drive on, got married in and went on my honeymoon in. I have driven my own A7s nearly 300'000 miles in the last 30 years and, from the age of 18 until 26 used A7s as my sole form of transport. As a family of five we have used our Sevens to travel all over Europe and Scandinavia. I think this is the longest period of time that I have ever gone without driving a Seven in my entire (47 years of) life. I am not expecting that to change any time in the near future. Whatever you decide to do, stay safe and help others too as well. Peace to all."