When I had my 4/4 it was standard. It would zip along quite merrily and on the odd occasion when it was a bumpy country road it would buck up in the air if I hit any bumps, and when it came down there was a moment or two when I was never exactly sure which way it would twitch. All part of the fun of owning a newish 'vintage' car that employs cart springs etc.

I just used to make allowances for it and not bother, it wasn't anything drastic, just an awareness that it wasn't a modern car. However, it was something that was part of the performance parameters, and something to bear in mind when pressing on or playing at being Fangio.

All was well until Cain from Wolf Performance lent me his car.. What a difference..! No eery feelings, no queasiness, just...normal I guess. Cain's Cafe Racer is still on leaf springs, but fitted with a Panhard rod, and I was amazed at the difference.

It's one of those things that no-one maybe 'needs' but it was a very noticeable difference in control, and that for me proved it.

Ultimately of course, the 4/4 was swapped out for my Brooklands, which had been fitted with the full five link rear setup, a completely different ball game.

If the question was which item would I have chosen to improve the handling, I'd have no hesitation in starting with a Panhard rod.

Steve