GREAT MOTOR SHOW.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18074, 12 January 1921, Page 8

GREAT MOTOR SHOW.

FINE DISPLAY IN LONDON. POST-WAR RECOVERY. EVIL DAYS NOW PAST. The motor show —two shows in one—opened last Friday at Olympia and the White City, says the London Times of November 12. Not only is it the largest, but it promises also to be the most important, exhibition of the motor car industry yet held, and there being no Paris show this year it ranks as by far the most representative show of 1920. There is no attempt to divide the displays of the 500-odd exhibitors into two sections between the two arenas. Cars large and small, "luxury" cars, and modest two-seat-ers are to be seen at both Olympia and Shepherd’s Bush, and the visitor, whether seek’ng the car of his choice in a definite class or at a definite price, or aiming at a thorough survey of the cars of the icoming year, cannot say th£t he has seen the show until he has visited both halls. Abnormal conditions have governed the buying and selling of motor cars ever since th e last motor show. At Olympia last year an utterly false standard of supply and demand was set up. Orders in incredible numbers were given by people, who probably had small intention of taking delivery, to many dealers who were, in several instances, in no position to satisfy even a tithe of their alleged customers’ demands. Attempts at profiteering were rampant. Orders for numbers of cars were placed by people who had no other intention than to re-sell at a profit as soon as possible. These orders were in many cases accepted by firms who could not in the best possible circumstances fill more than a small fraction of them, and in certain glaring cases relied for their sole basis of trade on the deposits exacted from many hundreds of foolish people who knew nothing about cars and their manufacture, and whose sole desire was to own one of any kind. EVIL EFFECTS ON INDUSTRY. This state of affairs continued for some months after the last show, and its result upon the industry was notoriously bad. Many of the cars which were supposedly for sale, and of which delivery was promised within a comparatively short time, have never been made to this day, and those responsible for them have disappeared from the list of “manufacturers.” In other cases, labour and kindred troubles have grievously delayed the output and delivery of the products of firms on whom complete reliance could be justly placed in normal times. Prices went in the early part of the year to ridiculous heights, the profiteer again exercising his baneful influence on the motor market. New cars were delivered at their standard price and resold as second-hand immediately afterwards by unscrupulous agents and others at 50 per cent, and 100 per cent. more. FIGHTING SUSPICION. The consequence of this deplorable state of affairs was that the industry, as a whole, suffered heavily for the faults of a few. The serious buying public, to a large extent, lost confidence in the considered and perfectly reliable statements of weilknown firms. The charges of profiteering, of deposit-snatching and bad faith generally, were freely brought against the majority of manufacturers and traders. The motor industry was viewed in a suspicious light by the general public who, as buyers pure and simple, did not realise the very great difficulties against which it was pluckily fighting. These evil days are now past. The first impression one receives at Olympia is of the solidity of the whole industry. Although only a little more than half of the total exhibits are shown here, the great building is so full that it is difficult to believe a show of similar size is being held elsewhere. The senior members of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders have been privileged to ballot for space in this building, and it follows that most of the names which have made motor history are to be seen over the stands. There are no outstanding innovations, but their place is more than adequately taken by a general and in some cases an astonishing, solid improvement in design, construction and detail. Equally gratifying is the almost universal improvement in the rapidly increasing number of light cars. With few exceptions these cars seemed to have reached a pitch of excellence of design which the most optimistic of us would probably not have hoped for so soon. HIGH-CLASS COACHWORK. The new light-car coachwork in particular deserves special mention. The cost of good coachwork has today risen to extravagant heights, yet the two and four-seated bodies supplied on cars costing less than £6OO are of astonishingly good design and finish. There is the maximum of room for driver and passengers; in most of them the unholstery is comfortable, and in few cases is there any trace of skimping. In this respect the small cars are in proportion as worthy of respect as their bigger rivals, costing two and three times as much. In the wide gallery above there is a remarkably' interesting exhibition of accessories. Chief in interest are perhaps the electric lighting, starting, and ignition outfits, of which there are numerous examples. Wind screens of every kind, detachable wheels, and rims, horns, and alarm signals, finely finished tools of all descriptions, carburettors, tyres and devices of every kind for lightening the labours of every driver make up a very attractive display.