Auto Gossip

Press, 15 October 1976, Page 6

Auto Gossip

(by

Russell Jones)

Motoring writers traditionally have the opportunity to drive exotic cars once in a while but few of us could ever expect to own one. The way things are going, economically speaking, owning a new car of any description will be an experience we’ll hear about from the rich few. But in spite of the tales of woe from Britain and other countries about to be visited by the international bailiffs, some motor companies still think it worth while to produce exotic and very expensive cars. The Paris Motor Show opened last week, and the most notable new models were two Ferraris, a Mer-cedes-Benz and a Maserati. There’s a road test of the Mercedes in this week’s “Motor” magazine where Gordon Bruce describes the 450 SEL 6.9 as the best ever and praises the handling, ride, performance and appointments. The only drawback is that the car costs £21,995 in Britain — £2300 more than the standard RollsRoyce Silver Shadow — and averages about 14

m.p.g. when driven sensibly (cruising at 160 km/h). The 450 SEL bristles with the latest Mercedes technology, including a 6.9 litre V 8 engine which is said to be virtually maintenance free for the first 80,000 km of its life, apart from routine oil changes. The two Ferraris both have five-litre flat-12 engines. The BB 512 is the latest version of the Boxer Berlinetta, and the new 400 Automatic is a full four-seater replacing the 365 GTA two-plus-two. The Maserati is a two-plus-two coupe called the Kvalami, powered by a 4.1 litre VB. What mouth-watering cars — it’s sad to think we’ll never see them here, let alone drive them. An acquaintance is thinking of buying a BMW 320 in Europe, but I think he should buy the bigger, faster, more expensive 633 CSi, because it has the ultimate in “the ergonomics of relaxation,” as BMW describes it. When the driver slips into his sleek, obviously expensive 633 CSi he touches a button and is reassured by a series of lights that the radiator, engine oil brake fluid and screen washer fluids are topped up, that the rear lights and brake lights are working and that the brake pads have not worn down to danger level. I’ll have a chat to my mechanic and see if he can rig up a similar system on fny elderly Escort