I I t! im

I

25 SEPTEMBER 1969 Vol 131 ilo 3841

CUoi Ardrtrr Edrot LEOIIAEO AYTOtt

Ar.hinEdtot aTUAffi II DOX Trohnlcrl Edtn GEOFFREY P. HOWAID, ASc'(Engl. ACG|

spo?r. Editot

AN CCtfi F..nrE lrlto IilflEA IRCLATID UOflgL BURNELT nAnn[ LEwlg

Edhortal WARREN ALLPORT

MARTIN OWERS MICHAEL SCARLETT DAVID THOMAS

mktr nd Edlor tlarchcrtcr Officc 8p..rC Coridhno6

U.mgine DlrErtot Edlodrl Dlt cto,

EDWARD EYIS HAROID HOIT, AMIMI, AMA€T

BONALD BARKEH ROGER HUNTING'ION. ASAE locttoit) EOIN YOUNG /sponl H. X" PRIAUIX, M8f NAURICE A STITH, OFC

UAIT FEATURES ilEW REITAULT t2 WHO WA8 ALBERT MORIT{? AUTOTEST: rIO]ITEVEBDI 375L CAITADTATU GRATID PRTX OULfON PARK RACE REPORT swrss rouR TEW CITROEIUS FORD ilIAVERICK TEW EIIGIilE OILS? ]IEW VOLVO MODELS

PAGE

2 7 12 23 28 t4 38 30 Q q2

REGU1AR ITEMS THE SPORT STRAIGHT FBOM THE GBID TTEWSANDVIEWS DETBOIT I{OTEBOOK DISCOT NECTED JOTTIIUGS TIEW PRODUCTS TRADE AIUD IITDUSTRY COFBESPONDETCE

18 21 31 45 I' {, 5l 5:l

ITIEXT WEEK'S ISSUE FEATUBES

67

Publirhod bv ILIFFE TBANSPORT PUBIICA'IONS LTD. D6ot HouF Sumford Stoll' 'aJJ"i-l-elt.-fi"r-rpna, ot-g28 3333. T.tegrtnt:iotox: autoc6? llitfeotos 25137 [onai"f.-gnaHcx bFrEES, c*.nttv, 8 lo corporelis StE'r rrd'P'o'c CwqntrY i-iif oii airi.i^grt".. +o1 tynton ll@e. Walwll Rosd Bimlnghrm 22b lTolcPhoae: o2l iircfrnora 48fS'i, frtltr.' ltttfaptr. Blrminghoft 338080) -Mrn-ch"ttr' -slathtm H@{' i"fim--io.a, Sr-*ord, MoncholB,M32 OpE-tf"bpnon"' 06l-872 4211)' Glotgow' 2-3 ii"ii.ii c",ar"". Gltosw c.3, {totopho6:041'332 3?92: 041'322 80061 8riotol' ii-ir.orr"i*a. ano\ol 6 l,,l.Phono : Itistd 2'li{9 1'2l3) Sublcnption [ot63r Hmn l Y6" iA J6i,-Or.;"", I vesr € 8 16s 3 rron e22 5r: USA "d Clnldo t v6tr $22 3 voao 966. Cbrrra ol,ddlrtr-glooso nfislhttl@rws.ls ndlccisoquir'dtogtth€rwithlho ,"ir,n ot e- *rcpp"t bolritlo th! oH rddBe. f.9i.r6'cd tt lhG ,Gamt-'l PBt Olti6 Ei a Nowoprper. Socond cllso prtvii.g€s sulhorizgd rl N.w Ycf,t. t'l Y C IPC Bulim$ P6!r Ltd'

t969. Pomtsio to oproducc illusrotim end ldterpBs ln thitrs'nol6n b' oruff'd only lidtr wrir.n 9gra66!nt. 8ri6t lxl6c8 6 cffdcnta mty b' mrdd wilh duc !clnowbd9smont.

PROGRESS NIL I

FOLLOWING THE Frankfurt Show two years ago, we made a plea on behalf of the British motor industry, and motoii"t=' pockets, for international standardization of safety features in car design and equipment' We quoted extracts from a speech by Dr. Kurt Lotz, chairman of Volkswagenwerk, at the time of the Show: "The Americans-with their sense of the practical, and their talent for precise determination and practicability-resolved the complex word 'safety' in terms of standards at an early age". He went on to say, "Above all, we must prevent a state of affairs whereby each government in Europe. with its many small markets as compared with the USA, draws up its own safety regulations. Anyone who knows just how much expenditure on research is required in order to meet each individual safety standard will agree with me that Europe's automobile industry can not afford such a high level of expenditure."

We said then that VW had used the US standards as the basis for their own development work--and suggested that British manufacturers, too, might be thinking and working on similar lines because it would be in the United States that they. too, would first have to meet international safety regulations.

Finally, we offered the thought that the British motor industry might not yet know of \Al/'s proposal to the Federal German Government that Germany should take the initiative and arrange discussions with other governments to achieve co-ordination of car safety standards in Europe.

ln reply to our efforts, we were taken to task by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, and by the Ministry of Transport. for not referring to their own efforts

-firmly supported by Mrs Castlein this field. We had to confess that we were not even aware of these.

That was two years ago . . . but despite the efforts of the SMMT and MoT, the position appears not to have changed very much. We quote now from the speech made by Douglas Richards, president of the SMMT, on the eve of this year's Frankfurt Show, a fortnight ago: "The world's motor industries are responsible groups. Safer vehicles are desirable, as is reduced air pollution. But it is essential that it is agreed internationally just what is a safety feature, and exactly what can be done realistically to reduce air pollution. The burden now placed on vehicle manufacturers of all countries in meeting varying requirements with the same ultimate objectives of safer, cleaner and more sociable adaptation of the motor vehicle to an overcrowded world is fantastic, and the present diversity of national approaches merely inhibits real progress".

Has nothing been achieved in the past two years?