MOTOR

than repaid by the singular skills that
he offers in return. His extraordinary
diagnostic talents can swiftly help others
to identify problems and, accordingly,
minimise the expense of exploration.
Equally beneficial is the early detection
of fault that these empowered senses can
offer, affording reductions both to later
expense and, potentially, danger.
A less predictable contribution to
road safety is the man’s combination of
knowledge and patience applied to the
often trying but nonetheless essential
area of early driver training.
But who better than Alistair to educate
youngsters in the principles of motoring
and the functions of basic controls? Who
better to teach and test the art of balance
in hill-starts?
It’s typical of the man that this

interplay with others, though born of

necessity, should be regarded by him as

one of life’s greatest gifts. “Through my

love of cars and boats I’ve met so many

lovely people who’ve been enthusiastic

to support a blind person’s experience

of such things,” he recounts, and clearly

feels the need to reward that kindness.

And he does so in ways that are more

than merely symbolic. For instance,

both his encyclopaedic knowledge and

diagnostic skills have been valued by

friends for years when searching for

older and vintage cars. And the selection

of any new vehicle can only be aided

by augmenting the traditional areas

of sight-dominated assessment with

Alistair’s additional perceptions. God

help the salesman that might choose to

differ on detail...

Just how profound these perceptions

may be was illustrated when, from

the passenger seat, the man responded

to my request for input on the car in

which I was driving him. The resultant

observations, ranging from ride,

ergonomics and state of tune through

to build quality and NVH integrity,

all perceived and relayed in exquisite

detail, were unlike anything I’ve ever

heard during conventional testing.

But what else could be expected from

a man excluded from the two key factors

of nearly all conventional automotive

judgement: seeing cars and tabulating

their performance?

Surprise would be expected, of

course. But nothing prepared me for the

realisation that his judgement, which I’d

presumed would be based on parameters

totally foreign to most, was instead of

factors intimately familiar to all of us,

drivers or passengers, every time we sit

in a car: comfort, quality, feel, sound,

ease of reach and adjustment – elements

infinitely more relevant than the swoop

of a bootlid or times to the tenth. So the

greatest surprise of all was this blind

man’s gift of vision.

We talked for some time on that drive

and have talked often since, a regular

subject being the experience of new cars

that this magazine allows. “It would be a

great joy for me to go on a road test with

some of the journalists from MOTOR,”

he has frequently said.

And, unblinkered, I can now see sense

in that. M

With every sense bar

sight far more finely

tuned than most,

Alistair is able to offer

concise, detailed and

accurate feedback on

a car in ways beyond

most of us

108 march 2015 motormag.com.au