I admit I remember we had one when I was a youngster, just as you describe.
Thought the forum would be full of boy-racers, obviously there's at least one other grey-hair grandad racer
Plus one on the grey hair, but not quite a grandad...yet. Never the less will take the oppurtunity to blame my daughters for the grey hair..., and yes do remember twin tubs very well...
Who remembers the first automatics? Our first Hoover brand had a large, square cast plastic puck type thing that carried the programmes in a kind of punchcard format. You had to pull it out rotate it, and reinsert on the wash programme as milled into the edge of plastic puck....yes raelly. There's probably a enthusiats group for all this sh*te somewhere on the web?!
Now, dont get me started on crappy modern kettles.....
For OP, i have one of those Ring ones like in the pic ( i think it won best buy in Autoexpress?) I just see these things as consumables! Well made is not only expensive but generally HEAvY!