Traffic came to an historic standstill in Costa Mesa, Southern California today. I am staying with good friends Kim and Bob, and this morning Bob offered to take me for a jaunt in his classic 1952 Ford Sortsman 'Woody'.

This fantastic vehicle is part auto and part tree, with a carved and curved wooden rear end that would look at home in an English country manor library. It is a rare car these days and valued at over US$200,000.

Unfortunately it remained at a standstill in Bob's garage as the starter motor refused to turn over, and despite our best efforts involving battery boosters and even a hammer I had to be satisfied with viewing it in situ.

But the Woody is in good company; in the garage is also a 1920s Pierce Arrow, and a 1921 motorised bicycle, both also in superb condition.

Pity we didn't get to go for a ride though - the Sportsman would almost certainly have stopped traffic!