Would it surprise you if I said that modern auto/ semi-auto rigids drink diesel like it’s going out of fashion?
I thought not 
Tee-hee! My comment about d/d -ing your way down the box out of trouble was heartfelt. It probably saved my bacon one day back in the early '80s when I was driving a badly-maintained Vauxhall Viva down a hill in Hastings. As I hit the summit at about 30 mph I started to brake, as a bus coming up the hill was taking a fair bit of my side of the road. My brakes failed spectacularly and completely. I had trouble getting the 'box to accept the downshift to 3rd and it was only through executing some hefty lorry-style double-declutched changes that I succeeded in matching the revs and bring the car to an almost halt by the time I hit 1st and rubbed along the kerb. Nasty moment. Glad of the skills. After that, I always went for prevention rather than cure when driving lorries in mountainous terrain, already engaging lower gears as I crested the summits!
She didn’t even have a learners’ permit, a ballsy effort for one so young.
Sign her up as a driver!
Driving a Viva was your first mistake 
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Wonder what the current opinion would be about “ knocking the stick out” going down Stanedge??
Knocking it out going down STANDEDGE should not be encouraged, it will end badly.
‘Aberdeen overdrive’ it used to be called. And not to be encouraged, even in a Mini-Moke (let alone a Viva)! 
Seen it done plenty of times though. It use to cause the bell housing bolts to shear on the Albion’s.
[quote=“parkroyal2100, post:3204, topic:136026, full:true”]
Sign her up as a driver!
[/quote] She would probably not forget the parking brake.
On a quiet day you could hear them rusting.
…yes: as quickly as Autumn leaves; but not as quickly as Alpha Romeos of the era
Or any other Fiat product.
Or Fords, come to that
But Holden were worse, particularly FB, EK and HD.
That could be interesting as the gear lever disappears through the floor. 
Theoretically, assuming the correct gear, any runaway should by implication also include a blown up engine with a few con rods going through the block and ironically also possibly locking up the drive axle.Although then the possible resulting oil spill probably won’t help.
Once they got it going it drove itself out, no towing, no assistance.
Handy little runabout for taking to the pub then: drive itself home like a horse and cart.
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