The Peter Simpson COLUMN

 When I learnt to drive back in the mid-late 1970s, all cars had a dash-mounted knob, usually marked ‘C’. It was called a choke. You pulled it out when starting the engine from cold to enrich the petrol-air mixture. Then, as the engine warmed up, you gradually pushed it in. Unless, that is, you forgot – only posh cars came with a choke-on warning light.

Knowing exactly when to use the choke and by how much, and when to start putting it in again was a skill