The Swiss Miss
Page 51
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From John F. Moon, Geneva, Tuesday
TW0 days before the official opening of the 31st Geneva Motor Show (March 16 to 26) it seemed clear that— last-minute surprises excepted—nothing of shattering importance to the commercial vehicle world would be staged here. By this afternoon the only new design to arrive was a Mini-Minor pick-up. There seethed little promise that any others would appear within the next 36 hours.
The Show is larger than in previous years, however, because this year there is no motorcycle section. The space thus gained has been used to house earthmoving equipment and other civil engineering plant: in this field the exhibits are most comprehensive, including an encouraging number of British makes.
No Heavies British commercial vehicle exhibits, however, are not quite so inspiring. As at Brussels—although not for the same reasons—no British heavies are on display. Medium and lightweight representation is fairly good though, including Austin, Bedford. Commer, Dodge, Ford, Karrier, Land-Rover, Martin Walter and Morris.
One of the exhibits on the Ford stand is an all-wheel-drive 4 x 4 conversion with left-hand drive and Hydrosteer powerassisted steering.
Hobbs are exhibiting for the first time on the Continent, and John Hobbs told me that he is planning to meet a consider
able number of Continental manufacturers to discuss his products with them. Car and light-van automatic gearboxes form the focus of the Hobbs display.
Four developments announced by Joseph Lucas, Ltd., although currently applied to private cars, are significant. The first is a transistorized ignition in which the high-tension spark voltage is produced by an electronic circuit. The second is an immersible electric fuel pump intended to overcome vapour-locking problems. The third is an electrically driven cooling fan, the motor being controlled thermostatically by the water temperature. The fourth is a three-bladed wiper unit designed specifically for wide and steeply curved screens.
Minor Changes Although new vehicles are almost nonexistent here, minor design changes abound. The Meili Flex-Trac "Folding" six-wheeler, for instance, has been extensively developed of late and is shown in de luxe form with curvaceous cab and set back engine.
An F.B.W. light passenger vehicle is interesting for its use of a Self-Changing Gears' six-speed semi-automatic gearbox, unit-mounted with the horizontal underfloor engine.
These, and other detail novelties, make this Geneva Show interesting but hardly spectacular. A full description of the Show will be published in next week's issue.