ROYAL Automobile Club employee Ruby Weir looked pretty as a picture as she poised with her Lambretta scooter and sidecar combination in Kelvingrove Park in 1960.

In the days when driving was more pleasure than pain, the RAC and the Automobile Association (AA), competed with each other to offer the best roadside assistance in the event of a breakdown.

Although Ruby doesn't look the type to get her hands dirty, her sidecar was packed with tools to get drivers moving again.

RAC members in Glasgow also enjoyed the benefit of their own private club. The building, now the Blythswood Hotel, provided dining rooms, a function suite, smoking rooms, bedrooms and even a basement swimming pool for the use of members.

Both RAC and AA patrols also acted as unofficial speed monitors, tipping the wink to drivers if they were about to approach a police speed trap. If they failed to salute an approaching driver, they knew to cut their speed.

Established in 1897, the RAC introduced uniformed patrols in 1901 and, by 1902, had established its own network of roadside emergency telephone boxes.

Today, the organisation boasts over 7 million members and employs over 4000 staff to keep us moving.