Factoid: 1951 & the Nuffield brands are grouped on the same stand at Geneva.
Morris was 2nd with 987 cars sold in 1950 but the best selling British car was the Hillman Minx with 1,027 sold though it was some way behind VW with 3,598 cars & already showing a dominance in export markets…
(📸: Autocar)
Factoid: Another of the Geneva 1966 debuts was the Rover 2000 TC giving the car the performance boost it needed & was initially sold in Continental Europe & North America before a home market launch in Sept.
The car pictured here was in US market spec even though it was in RHD form.
(📸: Autocar)
Factoid: The best known early change the Riley Elf/Wolseley Hornet had concerned the body & the ‘de-seamed’ front wings (like this Autocar Elf test car) that was quickly dropped due to cost reasons…
(📸: Autocar)
Factoid: Dormobile dominated the UK motor caravan market in the ‘60’s offering a range of models based on many manufacturers though if you were smart your only choice in 1966 would be a Transit not least the fact you probably needed another holiday after having endured some its contemporaries…
Factoid: Ford’s launch campaign for the Capri in 1969 was an object lesson on how to introduce a car & this ad has the kind of copy that ensured it was a raging success in its early years…
Factoid: One of the more obscure Geneva 1966 debuts was the Ford Corsair GT Estate & another example of Ford of Britain being converted into an estate by E.D. Abbott of Farnham.
Only 899 were built as this LHD model is especially rare…
(📸: Autocar)
Factoid: What makes this 1967 Herald ad notable is the callback to the coupé model that was dropped in 1964 & the diplomatic explanation used to explain why - in reality it was discontinued as it was a poor seller…
Factoid: Well, a new car means accessories to sell & FoMoCo was quick off the mark to promote the ones for the factory-fresh Consul Corsair…
Fresh from winning his 1st F1 championship, Jim Clark appeared in Ford of Britain’s promo film for the car putting it through its paces with period musical accompaniment…(2)
youtu.be/yybJ5yRzbA4?si…
Factoid: Ford’s Consul Classic replacement, the Corsair, got a fold-out ad when it appeared on Autocar’s cover in Oct 1963 but here’s a reminder its original name was Consul Corsair, though that prefix didn’t last.(1)
Friday Commitment: The Marina 1.8 TC Coupé might’ve had a performance advantage, but as CAR Magazine noted in Aug 1971 any advantage ended when you came to a corner as its handling was ‘as inherently wrong as the 1600 Capri feels right’…
(📸: CAR Magazine)
Factoid: Four impressive numbers equal one great car, but don’t take my word for it, ask Motor Sport Magazine legend Denis Jenkinson…
Factoid: Rover brochures moved up a notch when it superseded Austin Rover.
Here’s an example from a 1991 200/400 brochure where classy effects plus stylish photography show the different engine types offered in the range.
‘In those respects it was not comparable with its rivals. Over half had 10-15% of their retail cost taken up in pre-delivery inspection. I told Issigonis the 1800 was fine so long we had his mechanics on hand fixing them for us’. (2)
Factoid: The 1800 got a turntable on the Morris stand though one hopes it proved more reliable than the Austin 1800 did for Emil Frey, the Austin distributors.
Frey himself noted:
‘It was v good, thrilling even, but not enough thought had been given to reliability & finish’. (1)
(📸: Autocar)
Factoid: An Austin 1100 Countryman on show at Geneva in March 1966 with the tailgate & the seats down as you’d expect.
Of course, the Morris version was there though on a separate stand as Morris had a different distributor to Austin for the market…
(📸: Autocar)
Factoid: Everybody knows the 3-dr 2nd-gen Toyota Starlet but how about the estate version?
Btw, while this Starlet was conventionally engineered (aka RHD), it was typically reliable - the most reliable small car in Germany’s ADAC breakdown survey btwn 1980-82…
(📸:IG a/c finecarbrochures)
Factoid: Hello stunning, my new friend; one of the best looking open top sports cars of all time appeared 60yrs ago at Geneva.
Launched as the Alfa Romeo Spider 1600, it’s this version that was in The Graduate (an entry level model called Graduate was sold in the US in the mid ‘80’s)…
(📸: Autocar)
Factoid: Btw, did you know you could remove the R16’s rear seat back?
Of course, you did need to ensure you planned to do it before you left home…
(📸: Autocar)
But two Lancia Thema 8.32s…
Reminded this evening I went to a classic car show 8yrs ago today which meant I saw not one…
Factoid: The Daimler 2 ½ Litre V8 needs no introduction but the Majestic Major (the other saloon offered & which the limousine was based on) was a car whose performance belied its size - its 4.5-litre V8 was good for over 120mph…
Factoid: Love the early 70s detailing on this Mazda Familia as it’s gd example of Japanese cars of the era. The 323 that followed might’ve been blander but it was a much better car.
(📸: IG a/c plankhond)
Factoid: The 901 had several unique features compared to the 911 & there’s one in this pic as the wipers parked on the passenger side.
The 911 over many generations parked on the driver’s side for LHD & RHD cars…
(📸: Autocar)
Factoid: Not a 911, but a 901 & the car’s 1st London Show appearance in Oct 1963.
Production started in Sept 1964 but only 82 were made after Peugeot’s objection to the name when it appeared at year’s Paris Salon…
(📸: Autocar)
Factoid: The Bravo name was reused by Fiat for another hatchback launched in 2007, but did you know Fiat in the US called the Series 2 131 Mirafiori, the Brava?
Incidentally, in the car’s 1st year the Supermirafiori version was called the Super Brava.
youtu.be/LTK_5WgLpYs?...
Factoid: One of Fiat’s many European Car of the Year winners, the Fiat Bravo & Brava (Bravo was the hatch, Brava, the saloon), had the kind of ad that must have seemed cutting edge in 1996 but looks rather quaint now.
Btw, in Japan both models were named Bravissimo…
youtu.be/dsJJNTTcTWw?...
Factoid: The superb @theautopian.bsky.social website noted these great car reviews before but here’s a gd intro to them if you’re unfamiliar & a reminder how sloppily built cars were in the past…
Something to remind people who endlessly bang on about ‘the good old days’…
youtu.be/H4GcaFSS-98?...
Factoid: The reclining seats that helped make that ‘bed’ were optional (well, it was the ‘60’s & BMC were never generous with equipment levels) though it’s nice to know this publicity pic has some wrinkled upholstery which BMC & indeed BL used to offer on some cars at no extra cost…
(📸: Autocar)
Factoid: Aside from the obvious badging differences & the different grille of course, buyers of the Morris 1800 got a slab of imitation wood across the car’s narrow dashboard as opposed to a satin metal finish on the Austin.
In June 1967 the Austin got the same treatment…
(📸: Autocar)
