The Year In Retrospect

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30289, 15 November 1963, Page 13

The Year In Retrospect

[By

A.J.P]

WITH April came brief but ’’ telling road tests of the Cortina Super and Cortina estate car. Both, like the basic Cortina, proved very sound, useful and pleasant family cars, With good performance and manners.

Details of the interesting Rover-8.R.M., entered for the Le Mans 24 hour race, came to hand, and the Cortina Grand Tourer, another variation on an outstandingly successful theme, was announced. Details of the Lotus-Fords which were to have such success at Indianapolis were announced, and, many writers say, the death warrant of the old Offenhauser engine was signed. Time will tell, but they could be right. The long-awaited Hillman Imp, with several ingenious features, was announced in May. Rootes, say those who have tested the car, have shown a rear engine does not mean oversteer, and the controls are reported to be delightfully light. Certainly the performance figures are good. Spitfire A test was caried out on the Triumph Spitfire Four sports car. Small, comparatively cheap, it provides winding windows, a fantastic turning circle, excellent brakes and handling and good performance. A strong contender in its class. The British Petroleum company announced its extended life oil, and "The Press” began to mark the anniversary of the birth of Henry Ford with a series of articles on his life. Without Henry Ford, where would we be today? June brought a very brief test in the Chrysler Valiant;: brief, but long enough to show the car to be solid, powerful, and good value for r.oney. The automatic transmission tested was really excellent. It would be rash, however, to say which was better, the Chrysler Torqueflite transmission or the Hydromatic used by General Motors.

June also saw Aston Martin have bad luck at Le Mans but the fine run of the RoverB.R.M. turbine car dulled the edge of the all-conquering Ferrari triumph. The Rover took the lion’s share of the

plaudits for a fine run, and a good piece of technical one-upmanship for Britain. In July we tested the Alvis, a sporting saloon of a very desirable nature, but with a price ticket of well over £3OOO. The Alvis is a luxury car finished to equal the highest standards in the world. Centenary The firm of James Young, one of Britain's most famous coachbuilders, celebrated its centenary about this time, and “The Press” carried out an extended road test on the Fiat 500 D. A remarkable little car this, excellent performance for a diminutive and thrifty engine and fantastically agile. A delight to drive in city traffic. No less agile for its size, and with good performances as well, is the M.G. 1100, -another variation on the successful B.M.C. 1100 theme. The M.G. 1100 supplies a high level of comfort for its size, and the amount of space in this comparitively small car has already been widely praised. The VW 1500 proved a worthy car to share the mantle of the vehicle variously known as “the Beetle,” the “Vee Dub,” the “Terrible Teuton” the “Wolfsburg Wonder” and a number of other sobriquets sufficient to challenge the titles accorded the Model T Ford; ■

Comfortable, rapid and with many of the.VW 1200 advantages without many of the disadvantages, it is an excellent Vehicle. A pity the price is inflated to such an extent by duties. August also saw the announcement of refinements to the Holden, including more powerfql engines. September, the month of the sixtieth anniversary of the Automobile Association , (Canterbury.) also saw the announceof the Austin 1100, improvements to the Hillman range, changes to the Vauxfiall Victor, changes to the Singer Gazelle, and the unveiling of the DBS Aston .Martin. The biggest news of the month came from Italy qnd Germany. In Italy, the Rootes Group and the local firm of nounced the Venezia Sun-

Touring Superleggera anbeam, an “Italianised”version of the Sunbeam Rapier, with really good looks in the Italian style. It is unlikely many of these pars will be seen outside the Continent for some time. The news from Germany was big in more ways than one, for it W’as the announcement of the Grand Mercedes, the modern version of the "Grosse Mercedes ” A German answer to the RollsRoyce, it has everything, so much so, in 'fact, that it is nearly impossible to think of any additions.

It has-a price tag to match, about £BOOO to £9OOO, depending on whether you want the small 18-ft saloon or the big “Pullman” model. Everything is power operated. even the doors. The Grand Mercedes is intended as a state car. but several have already been sold to private buyers.

October

With October came the Earls Court Motor Show once more, and a crop of new models from Britain; The swing towards four-sipeed allsynchromesh boxes, disc brakes and i.rs. continued with the announcement of the Triumph 2000, which will

cost about £l5OO, and the very interesting Rover 2000, which will not be seen for about 18 months and may cost anywhere between £lBOO and £2OOO. The Rover was the star of the show, and already sufficient orders for it have been received to keep the Rover factories working hard for at least a year. An interesting feature of this car is that the combustion chambers are formed in the crowns of the pistons, as in some diesel engines. The same mopth “The Press” tested the new Holdens and found them excellent, value for money as a family car, and greatly improved over the old versions. (To be Concluded)