The Sunbeam Talbot was another favourite car of mine as I emerged into brand awareness at four or five. It was a gracious machine with quite a fair turn of speed in 90 guise, although I understand the column shift was a shocker. Hard to believe this was the fashionable gearchange of the era (mainly because it allowed a middle passenger on the front bench seat). The Sunbeam was probably as common a sight as the Javelin. Both were far more plentiful than our Armstrong Siddeley Whitley. When Dad bought it new in December 1950 it was the only one in Tasmania. But when we moved to Melbourne in 1955 there were quite a few of them. The Austin A40 Devon seemed to be the car of choice for older women. You can imagine how new the FE Holden seemed when it drove into this world!