Rattletrap
From Arthur Ransome Wiki
Rattletrap is the Beckfoot car of the Blacketts, described as a smallish, ancient motor-car with badly dinted (sic) mudguards and a luggage grid at the rear (PP1). Mrs Blackett turned the car round in a series of short dashes in the Tysons yard: Oh well, she said as she stalled the engine and got out and looked round the car: That front mudguard was dinted already several times. And that one at the back’s always unlucky. There’s no real harm done (PP17).
In The Picts and the Martyrs there is a picture of Rattletrap with the Great-Aunt sitting in the rear seat holding a parasol upright . Billy Lewthwaite drives her along the Lake road to Swainsons until he runs out of petrol (PM25). Rattletrap is crank-started: ... Billy, whirling the rusty crank, stirred old Rattletrap to life (PM25).
The car depicted (PM26) is clearly a Trojan (see photo on this page), although the Trojan has only two forward gears, raising an anomaly; at the end of Pigeon Post Captain Flint drives her up to the camp: Rattletrap, knowing her old master, started off as if she meant it. They swung through the gate and sharp right into the road. The gears changed, second … third. Captain Flint said Hold tight, Dick ... She won’t do forty except down-hill, but she's a bit of a broncho round corners.... (PP33).
