RECORD MOTOR SHOW

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 14823, 10 November 1948, Page 4

RECORD MOTOR SHOW

EXHIBITION IN LONDON Big 1 Overseas Orders Expected Royal Tour Cars For Dominions (Special to The Times By Air Mail) London, Nov. 2. London’s International Motor Show is breaking all records with attendance figures already well above 250,000 mark. Although it did not reach halfway until closing time last night, the numbers of visitors for the whole of 1930 (233,000) had been passed by noon when the total for the year’s show reached 237,000. The attendance on one day alone was close on 67,000. Confidence that the International Motor Show will result in a further flood of heavy orders for the British motorcar industry was expressed by Mr C. P. Lord, Chairman of the Austin Motor Company, speak* mg in London. Austins, he .said, had outstanding orders'" valued at over £120,000,000 at the start of the Show. By now the figure would, he said, be very much higher. "The interest shown in.the new models makes it certain that we could sell many times over what we are likely to make in the next twelve months,” Mr Lord added. He disclosed that of close on 24,000 cars and trucks despatched from his company’s factories in the last two months more than 17,000 had gone to export. Despite heavy shipments to America there a waiting list there for his firm’s cars. Mr Lord predicted a big future for British cars in North America for many years to come. . Twenty-four Daimler cars to be used on the Royal tour of Australia and New Zealand were shown in London. They will form two fleets, one for each Dominion. Each fleet will comprise six straight-eights and six 2i litres. Those for Australia will include three landaulettes one limousine and two all-weather bodies with Hooper coachwork. Those for New Zealand will have two each of the three body-types. The 2| litre saloons will be used as official cars to supplement the fleets in each country. The cars, ordered by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, will be shipped from London this month and will remain in Australia and New Zealand at the conclusion of the tour. The total value of the shipment is approximately £65,000.