You Know You Drive a British Car When...

[TurboDan]

It tells you your "tyre" is low on air... 



Any other examples of "native" language in cars? I know my old Saab used to use "Kalt" instead of "Cold."

[Colin]

We've got to help you guys with your spelling one way or another!   

The latest Alfa use Italian on the instruments............ so you can see the number of "giri" that the engine is doing, and how much "benzina" is left as well as the pressure of your "olio".

The Abarth has a menu setting to allow you to change language on the on-board info display. I remember that the rental one I had showed info in Polish!

[Mustangfan2003]

I thought the best way to tell is to see if it starts or not.

[cawimmer430]

You're sitting on the wrong side. 

[Rupert]

I thought the best way to tell is to see if it starts or not.

That's Italian cars. The best way for Brits is to see if the wires are melted or melting.

[Madman]

You can blame that semi-literate charlatan Noah Webster for screwing up American spelling.  Webster sought to correct what he saw as inconsistencies in spelling, yet his proposed corrections were even more inconsistent than the original rules he wished to rewrite.  (i.e.: He eliminated doubled consonants in certain words but left many others intact with no regard for the consistency which he himself allegedly championed.)

Thankfully, most of his more ludicrous spelling ideas never caught on.  Words like tung (tongue), soop (soup), ake (ache), aker (acre), sut (soot), wimmen (women), neer (near), masheen (machine), suveran (sovereign), and chimist (chemist) were all too silly to be taken seriously by anyone.  We should consider ourselves lucky that Webster didn't do even more damage to the language than he is already responsible for doing.

[Morris Minor]

'Zed' now sounds alien to me; that was the last holdout. Apart from my accent I'm now fully assimilated.

[Soup DeVille]

You can blame that semi-literate charlatan Noah Webster for screwing up American spelling.  Webster sought to correct what he saw as inconsistencies in spelling, yet his proposed corrections were even more inconsistent than the original rules he wished to rewrite.  (i.e.: He eliminated doubled consonants in certain words but left many others intact with no regard for the consistency which he himself allegedly championed.)

Thankfully, most of his more ludicrous spelling ideas never caught on.  Words like tung (tongue), soop (soup), ake (ache), aker (acre), sut (soot), wimmen (women), neer (near), masheen (machine), suveran (sovereign), and chimist (chemist) were all too silly to be taken seriously by anyone.  We should consider ourselves lucky that Webster didn't do even more damage to the language than he is already responsible for doing.

This idea was revisited in the early 19th century, and championed by guys like Teddy Roosevelt and Henry Ford.

To this day, Ford still spells "employee" as "employe."

[Soup DeVille]

I always thought it was weird that the oil pressure light on old VWs was green. "No Oil! everything's good!"

[Galaxy]

You can blame that semi-literate charlatan Noah Webster for screwing up American spelling.  Webster sought to correct what he saw as inconsistencies in spelling, yet his proposed corrections were even more inconsistent than the original rules he wished to rewrite.  (i.e.: He eliminated doubled consonants in certain words but left many others intact with no regard for the consistency which he himself allegedly championed.)

Thankfully, most of his more ludicrous spelling ideas never caught on.  Words like tung (tongue), soop (soup), ake (ache), aker (acre), sut (soot), wimmen (women), neer (near), masheen (machine), suveran (sovereign), and chimist (chemist) were all too silly to be taken seriously by anyone.  We should consider ourselves lucky that Webster didn't do even more damage to the language than he is already responsible for doing.

Hmmm. To me those suggestions seem logical. I would add Kernal = Colonel to the list.

[Galaxy]

We've got to help you guys with your spelling one way or another!   

The latest Alfa use Italian on the instruments............ so you can see the number of "giri" that the engine is doing, and how much "benzina" is left as well as the pressure of your "olio".

The Abarth has a menu setting to allow you to change language on the on-board info display. I remember that the rental one I had showed info in Polish!

It is probably for the best that they gave up translations.

Alfa Romeos sold in Germany in the early 2000s would literally tell you "mobility in danger" when the fuel level is low. Technically correct, but odd.

[Soup DeVille]

It is probably for the best that they gave up translations.

Alfa Romeos sold in Germany in the early 2000s would literally tell you "mobility in danger" when the fuel level is low. Technically correct, but odd.

I kind of like the old school Lamborghini approach.

Nothing got labeled, anywhere- if you didn't know what that switch was supposed to do, too bad: you shouldn't be driving the car. Read the manual, then try again until you get it right.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Does it say Bonnet next to the hood latch.

[TurboDan]

Does it say Bonnet next to the hood latch.

In the manual (err... "Handbook") it refers to the boot and bonnet. Not sure if it does on the labels under the hood.