Clothing for drivers 100 years ago
01/05/2020
There was a time when there were no heated seats, steering wheels or gear knobs. Vehicles built around the turn of the last century often didn't even have interior heating. In bad weather, drivers were just glad to have a roof over their heads, or even to be able to fit tarpaulins to the doors to keep the worst of the weather at bay. The right clothing was therefore of great importance if you wanted to arrive at your destination in reasonably good health.
Of course, there were plenty of specialist stores that were happy to sell you the necessary equipment. While rummaging through the archives, we came across these two advertisements from the " Brooklands Gazette" from February 1925 , which later became the magazine "Motor Sport", which is still published today.
Glasses to protect the eyes from wind and weather were also an indispensable accessory.
In this advertisement, Meyrowitz driver's goggles no. 4 were advertised. They could be ordered with normal or safety lenses in clear, green or brown. The glasses were also available corrected with a prescription from the ophthalmologist.
If you also enjoy traveling through the past, then visit our magazine archive, where we have digitally processed over 560,000 pages from newspapers and magazines for you.
If you would like to experience the "pre-war driving experience" for yourself, there are plenty of opportunities to do so, for example at the Lejog Rally, which takes place in the UK every December. You can read the report on this year's 25th anniversary here; no fewer than eight pre-war vehicles took part.
Lejog 2019 (© Will Broadhead - Courtesy Hero Events)
