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Jolly good Show: Maggie
Page 5
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THIS YEAR's Show is the largest and quite the best motor show in the whole world, according to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Opening the exhibition last Friday, she said she was impressed by the good products on the stands, and complimented the exhibitors on a "splendid" display.
She called for the manufacturing industry to continue with its new understanding and determination to capture a larger share of the home market, and added: "If it is a successful and profitable Show, it will be successful and profitable for me too."
Certainly, the Show has been much better organised, with not the slightest hint of the 1978 crowd control fiasco, and most manufacturers were especially keen to point out the value of the two trade days which preceded the public opening.
Leyland Vehicles announced £17m worth of orders on Friday, of which £13m will be exported, and Rolls-Royce said that over £150,000 worth of business has come through orders for Eagle diesel engines in Seddon Atkinson and Foden lorries.
Several other vehicle and component manufacturers' representatives told CM they were being "rushed off their feet" on the trade days, and many looked like reaping enough orders to pay for their presence at Birmingham.