LAST week, in 50 Years Ago, I printed the story from 1952 about anyone who wanted a new car having to wait for a month - but only if you had about £1,400 to spare. If you had only about £600 to spare, you would have to wait for years.

Mr Keith Moran, of the Clough, Heywood, tells me that Tillotson's Newspapers, the then owners of the Evening News, were not exempt from this non-availability of utiliy and mid-range vehicles.

I don't know how he knows this, but he says that "The Tillotsons wanted a brand-new fleet of the new Austin A40, 10 horsepower delivery vans in the new post-war livery, to replace the old pre-war 26 horsepower Bedford wagons. Whilst these bottle green Bedfords were excellently maintained and could reach 80-85mph, the fuel costs must have been enormous.

"On the domestic front, there was no availability of 8 to 12 horsepower (932cc to 2000cc) cars; there was a big surplus of big, comfy cars, probably due to pre-war prosperity and a fully systems-go attitude of the pre-war motor manufacturers. They did not know the bubble was going to burst in 1939-40.

"The example of the large car glut could be seen on the forecourts - in 1952 Austin big sixteen and twenties £130, Humber Pullman £145, Standard flying fourteens £115; American cars were being given away - Cadillacs £75, Buick Imperial £60, Chryslers £50, and large Fords £5 to £15."