AUTOCAR l5 Febnary 1968
15 FEBRUABY 1968 Vor t28 No 3757
Edhot Dcruiy Edhot Arddlm Edhor Fartrrar Edlto?
Sport Edhor
A..lttartt T.chntc.l Edltol
Edhorial ilAuBrcc A. SMlTlr, oFc PETER CANilIER LEONAiO AYTON STUART BI.ADON I'{NE8 IBEIAND GEOFFEEY HOWARD,
SSclEng), ACGI. Gfir.chE JOHil DAVEY GRAHAM ROBSON, MA(Oxon) MARTIN LEWIS MICHAEL SCARLETT WARREN ALLPORT
Mldierd Edltq
EOWABD EVES
An EdlrDr Assist!nt
HOWARO VYSE JOHN HAWXINS
Mrnchca$ Olicr Sprcisl ConlributoB
HAROLD HOLT. AMIMI. AMAET
RONALD BARXEF ROGER HU'TTINGTON, ASAE (OCIToit) EOIN YOUNG {Spon)
il.nrglrlg Ol..ctor H, il. PRIAULX, M86
II,IAIII FEATUBES TINCOLN CONT!NENTAL MK. II BY ROAD TO INOIA TEST: VAUXHALL VIVA SLgO ESTATE CAR FOCUS ON FIAT BEHIND YOUB FIAT DINO DRIVE FIAT IN RACING 4.WHEEL DRIVE MUSTANG BRANDS HATCH MEETING TEST: 1964 VOLVO 122S
Pege
2 5 11 21 24 26 29 41 4 62
REGULAR ITEMS DISCONNECTED JOTTINGS
THE SPORT
NEWPRODUCTS
STRAIGHT FROM THE GRID
PICWEEK
NEWS AND VIEWS
TRADEANO INDUSTRY
CORRESPONDENCE
NEW CAR PRICES Last pages before back cover
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'TEXT WEEK's ISSUE FEATI'RES-P 82 COVER: Fiat Models clockwiso: Dino Coup6: 124 Coupd 124 Sport Spider; Dino Spider.
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SEEING OUT
WITH road safety in mind, manufacturers go to considerable trouble to provide good all-round vision from the passenger compartments of their cars; and the Road Test staff of this journal take equal trouble to report whether or not they have been successful in this extremely important aspect of design. Yet, to judge by the state of the windows of a good many cars in winter-time, drivers could not care less-indeed, in a few cases it seems that frosted glass would be acceptable!
How many cars does one see with windows completely misted up-or, when the car has stood out overnight in wintry weather, with only a token "peep-hole" cleared in the snow on the rear window, or with the windows covered in frost? Though we do not advocate unnecessary interference by the police, there is a case here for stopping such cars and requesting the driver to clear the windows. The Ministry of Transport, too, might take a hand, using their radio and TV announcements to appeal to drivers to take a responsible view.
There are plenty of accessories and preparations on the market to cure these troubles. First and foremost, of course, are electrically-heated rear windows; but a close second to these, and easily fitted at home, are de-misterbars attached by suckers to the rear window. There are transparent plastic panels which also work well, but people are discouraged from using them because without occasional attention they tend to come unstuck and look untidy. There are also demisting fluids-and cloth impregnated with it-which keep the glass mist-free for a few days. And there are excellent aerosol preparations that clear the outside of the windows of frost and snow in no time. All this is, of course, presupposing an absence of the demisting equipment which is built into many modern cars.
Mud brings its own problems on windscreens and on the rear windows of square-ended bodies such as estates and caravans. Though one or two attempts have been made to overcome this by building-in deflectors, they have been vulnerable and somewhat dangerous. Though the single, compulsory, driver's-side wing mirror offsets this reduced vision to some extent. it is time manufacturers produced a satisfactory solution. So far as windscreens are concerned, screen-washers have become essential in the density of modern traffic, and we feel that-like seat belts -these could well be made compulsory.
