I wondered how long it would be before the Triumph Herald was mentioned.
"25 feet and the same as a London taxi" is stuck in my mind.

I liked the Herald but it seemed old fashioned because of its separate chassis, which must have been an anachronism even in by 1959 let alone about 1970 when it was dropped, and seemed even odder because the predecessor Standard 8/10/Pennant and the even earlier Mayflower had all been of unitary construction AFAIK.

The separate chassis was forced onto Standard-Triumph because Fisher & Ludlow had been taken over by BMC who ended their body supply contract and Pressed Steel had no spare capacity - forcing Standard-Triumph to use several smaller companies.

Full story at Aronline Triumph Herald/Vitesse development story (aronline.co.uk)

I liked the Herald but it seemed old fashioned because of its separate chassis

Brilliant engine access for the home mechanic though!

I wondered how long it would be before the Triumph Herald was mentioned.

"25 feet and the same as a London taxi" is stuck in my mind.

Not saying the Herald's turning circle isn't impressive, but when saying it is the same as a London taxi, bear in mind the wheelbase of the classic FX4 (1958-1997) was 20" longer than that of the Herald. Which makes it an altogether more impressive achievement, though I guess care would need to be taken not to remove the front tyres from the rims by going too fast on full lock!.

Turning circle of the current shape Smart Fortwo is only 22.8' (6.95m), but it is a very short car. Big brother, the Forfour has a turning circle of 28.38' (8.65m), which is of course more than the Herald (and London Taxi), but very good for a modern car. Of course it does have its engine in the back though, which no doubt helps. Interesting to note that despite the Herald being 20" longer than the Smart Forfour, its wheelbase is over 7" shorter!.

When I first started cleaning windows I had a SWB Iveco Daily van and it had a very impressive amount of steering lock. I then moved to a LWB Ford Transit Connect who's steering lock wasn't anything to write home about. Initially at least, I found it more awkward to get it into my parent's (very tricky) drive than the much longer and wider Iveco. I now have a 2010 VW Caddy and it has a noticeable better steering lock than the Connect (even taking the longer wheelbase into account).