In 1973 I went over that pass in a heavily loaded Austin A35 van with a friend. They have dreadful brakes. A sign at the top said '1 in 4 check your brakes' and a bit further on 'YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!' We got down the other side in 1st gear with a strong smell of burning from clutch and brakes. I think my friend found he was wearing his brown trousers!
