THE MANY JOYS OF THE AUTOCAR ARCHIVE

Many of you have probably already heard about The Motoring Archive - which will eventually access the back catalogues of many titles from Classic & Sports Car, Motor to What Car and Autosport. I recently joined and am currently lost in the back issues of Autocar. So here are just a few highlights:

• 13^th November 1976: Rover meets its rivals

I remember reading this edition nearly 46 years ago in the kitchen of our family bungalow somewhere in the wilds of Hampshire. At that time, I was starting to take an interest in cars, and the 3500 SD1 seemed impossibly exotic. The competitors selected by Autocar were equally impressive; a BMW 520, a Citroën CX 2400 Pallas, a Ford Granada Ghia, a Jaguar XJ6 3.4 S2, a Mercedes-Benz W123 250, an Opel Commodore GS/E, a Renault 30TS, a Toyota Crown Super and a Volvo 244 GL. I would have been happy with any of them, but then – as now - I will admit a weakness for La Regie’s flagship. In 1976, a car with working headlamps represented luxury in our household, let alone electric front windows…

• 4^th January 1957; the advertisements

These are an almost endless source of fascination in any old automotive magazine. This copy of The Autocar, as it was then known, tempted the readers with the Wingard ‘Sahara’ Heater. The price was only £9 5s for a car with a 12-volt electrical system. If that was not sufficiently thrilling, why not call WELbeck 1139 to make an £80 deposit on a new BMW Isetta? Alternatively, a 1953 Vauxhall Wyvern could be yours for a mere £390 – call Hamilton Motors on HOUnslow 0405 to book a test drive!

• 11^th May 1974– The Toyota Corona 2000 Mk. II Automatic evaluated

As one with a penchant for Japanese saloons of a certain vintage, I was delighted to be reacquainted with the Corona 2000 and so many other nearly forgotten models. The ‘Coke Bottle’ styling was charming, and the £1,893 price tag included, to quote the test, a “push-button AM wireless”. The same edition included details of how the new Mazda 929 would also be available in estate form - do any survive in the UK?

• 16^th October 1982 – Sierra Meets Cavalier

The Cortina replacement, in 1.6L guise, battled the Vauxhall in 1600S GL saloon form for supremacy among the nation’s sales representatives. One tester opted for the Griffin-badged saloon, another found the Ford to be more fun to drive, but it was immediately apparent is that both looked as up to the minute as plans for that new Channel Four.

• 21^st October 1955 – the Motor Show Report

The highlight appears to have been a visit to Stand 155 to see a new model “Bristling with advanced features and completely disregarding current accepted practice in car design”. It was, of course, the Citroën DS, but motorists of a more conservative nature could always head for Stand 142 to see the very sensible Vanguard Phase III. And who could resist the Standard’s “cheerful colour schemes”?