What's wrong with the ride of a forklift ??? I have driven plenty of Nissan ones and I have always found that the ride is very comfortable. I wouldn't mind doing a holiday run to Spain on one. The open windscreen is the only downside as flies get in your mouth and up your nose when doing 17 mph on the motorway 😁
I had a 1961'ish Zephyr back in 1968 which was pretty good, although I didn't keep it that long. I traded it for a Mk 1 3.4 Jaguar.
If you notice, 1700's horse-drawn carriages have solid rubber tyres and they are still good. I don't see why the MOT inspector should fail them [unless he is Inspector Blake, "Blakey" from "On the buses"] as I'm sure that the tyres would be in perfect condition. Probably before Mr Michelin though !!
I used to drive artics on the continent during the 60's, and one thing that was a prize to get hold of was a Michelin Man that lit up and would normally be fitted on the tractor roof. A friend of mine who had a Scania 141 V8 tractor didn't have one, and somebody asked him " Ger, why haven't you got a Michelin Man on your roof rack, on the tractor". His reply -"There isn't one brave enough".
Pierre3.