Autocar
I
18 SEPTEMBER 1969 VOL 131 llo 38tlo
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PETEN OANTICN LEOTARD AYTOT{ S?UART BIADOil cEoFFBEY P. HOWARD, BSc/fagl. /4c6/ lI{llES rnEt ll0 LIOIIEL BUNNELL MARTIT LEWIS
EdtTor{.I WAEREN ALLPORT
MABTIN OWERS MICHAEL SCARLETT DAVID THOMAS
tl&rd Edtor It.rrh.3t roffio. Spald Conirlhnoll lllsmglng Dlrtotor
Edhorbl DlEctor
EDYYABD EVES HAROLO HOLT, AMIMI. AMAET RONALD BABKER ROGEB HUNTINGTON.,4.94f lroatlolrl EOIN YOUNG /Sportl H. fl, PRIAULX, MBf f,TAUAtGG A. 8tlrH, OfCi
MAIN FEATURES WOBLO CHAMPION AUTOTEST: WOLSELEY t8l86 IllK ll FRATKFURT SHOII\I: BEPORT AttlD PICTURES TUEW PEUGEOT 3O4 GARAGES, GARAGE DOORS AND CAR POBTS WHERE HAVE THE CITY CARS GOTTE' rtAT CHAI RMAiI I ]'ITERVI EWED LONG TERM BEPORT: RELIAiIT SCIIUITAR 3.LITBE FITTING A SUITSHITTE ROOF BENTLEYS BEVISIT LE MAilS
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TRADE AITD ITTDUSTRY
CORRESPOilDETCE
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NEXT WEEK'S ISSUE FEATUBES 58 Covat photograph: Peter Cnmsl takan at M|EA Pmving Around
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I UST how long will it be before all car makers have to . I design their engines to prevent emission of fumes that pollute the atmosphere? There are strong indications that the time will not be too long delayed and within the past few days two quite independent forecasts have been made on the subject. The first was by Peter Walker. MP. Tory Shadow Minister of Housing, and the second by Rear Admiral Philip Sharp, director of the National Council for Clean Air.
Ever since California (for strictly local conditions in Los Angeles only) pioneered their clean exhaust-anti-smog legislation that now affects all America, manufacturers have been expecting that the campaign would spread and this country of ours, with its population density and high proportion of cars per road mile, has been an obvious target. Peter Walker gave his audience a definite hint that a future Conservative Government would consider legislating for reduced atmospheric pollution from vehicles and is reported as saying that "clean air is still but a theory in British towns".
Speaking for London alone we think Mr Walker underestimates the effect of the present clean air regulations. Go to the top of any high building in the city and the improvement in visibility, compared with only a few years ago, is obvious. Also the traditional London "pea-souper" fogs seem to be just a memory. though Londoners themselves were rather proud of them, in a masochistic way, as something exclusive to themselves.
Confirmation that London has improved was given by Rear Admiral Sharp, who said that flowering plants now bloom where once only the hardiest evergreens could survive. His point, however. was that unless exhaust pollution is forbidden, much of the good done so far will be lost. The admiral, who has a "declared interest" of course, admitted that there were no medical grounds for legislation, as no one had produced evidence that the present amount of carbon monoxide emitted by motor vehicles constitutes any danger to health. He argued that action will have to be taken on amenity grounds alone.
That argument will be very difficult to refute, even if one wanted to. only the oddest among us would claim to enjoy petrol and diesel fumes when they might be breathing fresher air, The trouble will be to set a level giving the minimum offence to the greatest number of people, and to do it at the least cost to the motorist, who will have to pay, of course. Complying with the American regulations has forced makers to raise prices of cars, and although we now know what can be done, we shall need to look for ways of doing it more cheaply. Not only more cheaply but doing it without cutting down engine efficiency too much in the process, which is much more important with Europe's smaller cars and dearer petrol, compared with America.
America may have panicked under the pressure of their propagandists. We surely have time and knowledge to avoid this and produce an acceptable compromise between cost to the motorist's pocket and pleasure to his and his neighbour's nose.
