Muffler-deficient

including me, did the same. And there most remained until Boxing Day, unsightly, smelly and in the path of pedestrians. DO you like hearing my Harley or muffler-deficient car go past your house, the bass frequencies on my gaming soundbar vibrating the walls and floor of your unit next to mine, my dog demanding to be let in all day, my louder-than-average laugh piercing through your favourite TV show or peaceful picnic at the beach, or my revving jetski and my screams of joy disrupting your favourite fishing/swimming spot? Then why should I like hearing yours? Do as you would be done by, and think of the soundscape of others, and find other, less annoying ways to seek attention.

Alpine a Sunbeam

I REFER to the article on the Alpine 110 ( Mercury motoring, December 22), and express my disappointment on the opinion of John Carey. His assertion the Alpine name “to Aussies, belongs on menthol cigarette packs or car audio” is a harsh and snobbish generalisation. Perhaps excusable had he qualified his slur by using “some Aussies”, the comment overlooks the many Aussies who would immediately associate Alpine with the Sunbeam Alpine, a sports car that pre-dates — 1953 versus 1955 — the (Renault, eventually) Alpine, and also would have memories of the rally successes of that Renault-based Alpine in the ’60s and ’70s. Spare us the flippant menthol cigarette association — it was definitely unKool.